866-494-3117

This happen to me, I found out that they had taken out 54.00 from my account, for the People magazine, after I was told for 1 free magazine, WTF??? They are going to hear from me and but the money back in my account!
Law suite,, e-mail me cd25f@yahoo.com

The number listed is no longer in service

To the Mikes of the world. Some people had a question about a charge on a credit card.I don't read magazine, I don't go for free offers and I don't enter contests but I did end up with this charge on my bank account. They were easy to work with and they did remove the charge from my account. One year later and with a new expiration date on my debit card, guess what shows up on my account again. I think they are fraudsters, they just happen to be very polite fraudsters. For the record they now have to inform you before they debit your account. There was so much fraud going on in this area that Congress actually passed a law.

I got a card in the mail saying I had agreed to free People and Time Magazine from Magazine Retail Enterprises. I had moved twice since the address recorded on the postcard it was forwarded (and forwarded.) Total bill $86.90. I spoke to Debbie ID PHZ. 1-866-494-3117 She said I received the magazines and they were aware I had moved. I now have to find out if my card was used to pay for this and when. She wanted me to give her my credit card information so she could look! I am quite annoyed.

Wow, Mike. A rather defensive stance for, well, shady business practices. Let's set this straight - all BAM checkout clerks are trained to pressure every customer checking out into signing up for a "free subscription". Absolutely nothing was explained to me about the number of issues, much less, that my credit card was going to be charged... for the rest of my life, unless a call was placed to the hacks who sent a rather anonymous, tiny postcard on which extremely fine print revealed the devil in the details (see your credit card agreement) and the phone number necessary to prevent that lifetime access to my credit card. I'm the fool? Fine. I would prefer a world in which we don't assume that everything we purchase is shrouded in untrue or misleading information. These types of sales tactics were once limited to seedy used car salesmen and rent-to-own operations. They are now integrated deep into suburban retail giants, as they have learned from the pros.

You may want to channel a little less energy into defending the indefensible of corporate cowards whose marching orders are to spike profits by whatever means necessary and consider the legitimacy of your neighbor's concerns. That is, of course, unless you're in the aforementioned group...

The same crap happened to me. I just caught on faster. I go in to buy a gift card, the cashier asks me...EXACT WORDS "Do you want 2 FREE magazine subscriptions? You'll get 2 copies of each." I say sure! And give her my address. She in NO WAY told me that I was going to be charged. (I bought my gift card with a debit card)

I get to my car and look at my receipt and see that I signed up for some VERY overpriced mags. This happened about 1 month ago. I have since gotten my 1st Time mag...but not the People (many folks never seem to receive People). I came here because I need the # to cancel.

I SHOULD HAVE WENT TO Barnes and Noble! I will NEVER EVER shop at Books A Million again. NEVER.

the district managers actually tell us to lie to the customers about the magazines and discount cards so that they will get them.

I had this number on my billing information but actually had to call 877 813 0320 to get my subscription canceled and refunded

Obviously your transaction didn't go like mine.  I made a book purchase, was told that I get 2 free magazines for 2 months.  I was shown a picture of 4 magazines.  I pointed to two of them, mentioned their names and she apparently keyed in the magazine names in the register/computer.  I later received the "free" magazines and later found out that my checking account was charged for both magazines after 3-4 months.  First, the rules were not explained.  Second, I signed nothing agreeing to this (my receipt).  And third, I did not give them permission to charge my credit card for these purchases.  Sounds like FRAUD to me!

I used to work at Books-A-Million. They put tremendous pressure on us to get people signed up for those subscriptions. They fired people who were making minimum wage because they didn't meet a certain quota. Our store just politely asked people to sign up for these magazines, with some success. Other stores in our district would sign people up without their knowing/permission. They would sell ten times the subscriptions that we did. Our store manager eventually got fired for not fleecing enough people.

1. The BAM discount card  is NOT connected to the magazine offers. It's JUST a member's card. These are 2 completely separate offers.

2. The employees at BAM have to MANUALLY fill in your name and address for the magazines. YOU gave them this information. The employees don't magically guess your name, address, and apt #'s. So, if you've received something in the mail about the magazines, then NO, the employee did not fraudulently sign you up. YOU gave them the info for the magazines.

3. You sign a slip agreeing to the terms of the magazines.

I just called and cancelled my WEntertainment magz. The lady was corteous, and said I would have the 34.95 credit reflected on my statement 3 to 5 business days. I will be checking for that refund. The number I called 888-494-3117. Thank you for posting that number. I had lost the receipt.

That is, unless enough time passes, 30 days or so, and, no, they absolutely won't refund your money. Corporate fraud.

I told them (phone CSR)  not to spend their 32.00 in one place as BAM and Time Warner lost a customer for life. This sort of shady business practice should be tolerated by no one. Everyone who has fallen prey to this scheme should let their BAM store managers know in person that this will cost them a customer for life. It wouldn't take many of these to have them begging their district managers to put an end to this insanity.

The message must reach BAM that these shady practices won't be tolerated, and will result in lower profits. This is the ONLY language heard by corporations, as spiking profits are pursued today by any means necessary, in hopes that the ends will offset any resulting negative publicity.

Without a backlash, this type of practice will become a success, and eventually a model for other retailers to follow suit. The American consumer must stand up for his/herself today, now more than ever, as any rules that once existed to protect you from fraud are quickly evaporating - these corporations have bought your representatives in Washington.

What happened to me was I got a BAM card and was told it came with a free subscription as a complimentary gift. I used my bank card to pay for a purchase at BAM and the discount card. I never gave People or Time Warner my bank information. The next thing I know I am getting the subscrition renewal notice in the mail, which I threw away because I didn't want it. Come to find out, BAM gave my bank information to Time Warner (actually to their back room shady deal subsidiary called Magazine Customer Service) and it was a reverse renewal. In other words, unless you tell us you don't want it we will bill you. I was cutting it close in my bank account, so that made a check bounce and I ended up with 58 dollars in bank fees. BAM illegally gave time Warner/Magazine Customer Service my banking information without my even knowing. I am contemplating starting a class action lawsuit.

no you don't have to give them any information, they get it all from your credit card!  that's what happened to me.

Well, I must say that I said yes to the "Free" magazine offer (Sports Illustrated for my husband) and sure enough a charge appeared on my card. Best Buy has now lost my business due to their deceitful business practices.

The thing is I don't own a BAM card, nor have I even shopped there in years! And I NEVER buy any magazines and haven't gotten any in the mail. Just suddenly a charge for $60 for people magazine. WTF. That aside, I called and they were very helpful. I stressed that I'd really like to get to the bottom of who used my card or how they got a hold of it, and she gave me an address of Consumer Affairs to write to, I'll rest assured that they refunded me, but I'm writing them a letter to hopefully solve this mystery :(

Okay so I see a lot of complaints about being charged....I haven't been charged yet.  But the two months is almost up and I will incur charges soon, one of the magazines had a notice with the cancellation website on it. That paper has since been lost.  Does anyone know the site where I can supposedly cancel before I'm charged?

The same thing (at BAM) happened to me 24.50 charge for People magazine.  They magazine company did refund my account.  Also, Stein Mart did this also for charges over 100.00 which over drafted my account.  I was credited for those 3 differenct charges but my bank got 37.00 three times for overdraft charges!!! .  I think I will pay with cash if I decide to shop at either of these places again.