8774173309

Same thing here only I'm not just going to accept the refund and go about my day.  I didn't sign for anything and I need to know this won't happen again.  Obviously the charge wasn't authorized therefore can not be legal.  So what gives.  I'm emailing bookamil and the magazine co to figure this all out.  

Not cool.

BooksaMil's response;

Please accept our apology for any misunderstanding that have occurred concerning this issue, and any inconvenience it has caused. We offer our customers the opportunity to join our free Magazine Trial of selected titles but it is never our intention to sign up customers if they choose not to do so. The offer is part of the transaction process at the register and it is part of the receipt printed. This would have been offered and would have been signed up for at the same time as your credit card transaction was done, allowing BAM to send the request to the Magazine Rewards Center.
Please contact us if we may be of help in taking care of this for you.
Ouida Johnson
Customer Service/Relations Representative

I also took advantage of the 2 month free magazines At Books a million.. Got a withdrawal on bank account at 9PM on a Fri for $24.50. Looking at my bill they put down books that I didn't even order. I did unscribe the ones that I thought I had ordered on line. Will go change my debit card number. How can be report this fraud? I did call the company and they will take off the charge. Takes for ever to get a person to talk to.

I work for Books-A-Million, and I hate when people don't listen to our explanation as we sign you up for this [removed:lang]. We clearly state, every single time, that it's a FREE TRIAL and that if you don't cancel after the free trial period is up, they will AUTOMATICALLY renew the magazines and charge you. No one wants to listen, though. It's not our [removed:lang] fault people don't pay attention. We're not the ones who charge you, it's a system set up with TONS of stores, including FYE and Sears, etc., where you can sign up for certain mags for a free trial that automatically renews. Pay. Attention.

But if you DON'T get a subscription payment notice in the mail then HOW CAN YOU CANCEL? And yes it is offered in several stores. I was given the same offer in a Goody's store. I refused since I learned a long time ago that nothing is free. Unfortunately my husband who went to Books-A-Million hasn't figured that out.

Total scam by Books a million.....I said no at store but just got charged for people $58.50, entertainment weekly $19.50, cooking light $11.50, and fitness weekly for 8.50.... all magazines i never wanted or recieved. after many hours of phone calls i recieved a refund.  if this happens to you the number you need to call is 1-877-813-0320.... if you ever get asked the question at store again you can always go to this website to see if you have been entered: https://www.magcustomerservice.com/wss/home.do#top
Books a million and the synapse group are ripping people off!! please let everyone know

I found an odd charge on my online checking acct. $49.00.

I googled the number listed with the charge, and found a blog post that gives  directions for how to handle the automated phone tree. I wanted to try to find out if the blog post is legit, so I went down to another google listing and found this forum.

I then went back to the blog. It's helpful.

Blog says to make sure to be nice to the rep so as to get better help. Also, and this part is especially important.. instead of dealing with all the automated menu options, just keep hitting zero. You will get an operator. The last automated message says there might be a long wait. My wait was close to 30 seconds.

The phone rep I was put in contact with spoke English with an American accent, and was easy to understand, which is a plus.

I gave the rep my name and zip code. He said he could not find any information, and did not ask if I had an account listed with a previous zip code. Good thing I thought to ask him to match my name with an earlier zip code!

If you have moved within the last year, make sure to give your earlier zip code if a rep is not pulling up your account with your current zip.

I gave the rep my zip code that I had when I was still living in California. I moved out of state over 6 months ago.

While I was living in CA, I had signed up directly with the Atlantic Monthly magazine  for a year long subscription.

I was told by the rep today that my "promotional" subscription rate had expired. I am guessing this is the rate that is on those little annoying subscription cards that fall out of magazines.

Magazines tend to send notices in the mail saying subscriptions are about to expire. I changed my address on the Atlantic Monthly website once I moved out of state,  and received a few issues where I live. But I was told by the rep that the magazines and notices of pending expiration were still arriving at my CA address. Hmmm..

He asked if I still wanted to receive the magazine, and that I could continue my subscription for $39.99. I said no thank you. He also offered to send me two free issues, I said no.

He offered to give me a refund, which I of course accepted.

I made sure to get the representative's name, and asked the business he was working for. First he said "The Atlantic Monthly," and I said "No, where you are. What is the business you are working for?" He said the business is called Synapse Group, Inc. He also gave me a confirmation number for the phone conversation. You might need to ask for a conf. nbr. you don't get one.

Right as he was hanging up, he said he'd be sending out two free issues even though I earlier said no. Then the conversation was over.

I am awaiting a refund.

Oops! Sorry, I forgot to put in my earlier post just below this one, that since I didn't respond to any of the expiration notices (which I did not receive) the subscription automatically renewed, but at the MUCH higher non-promotional rate. That is why I was charged $49.00.

Follow-up to my other posts..

1. There are at least two numbers for the  TWX MAG "service." 1-877-417-3309 and 1-800-586-5092. When I googled the second number, google brought me to the forum based on the first nbr.  number. Also, both numbers appear on my bank statement.

2. I made the call to get a refund on the 4th. A refund has dropped in, today, the 6th.

3. I was charged $49.00, and was refunded $44.10.  Imagine if each person who asks for a refund is shorted several dollars!!

4. Here is the Synapse Group link: http://www.synapsegroupinc.com/profile.html

"Synapse Group, Inc. is the leading independent provider of customer acquisition and management services for publishers of consumer magazines in the United States." - from the company website.

Why does the charge show up as TWX MAG then?

This is a VERY SHADY company!! Even prestigious magazines such as the Atlantic Monthly, which I contacted directly to get a subscription from, use this service. Misuse, I should say. Bye Bye Atlantic Monthly, and dammit, I need the rest of my refund!!

Who did yall call to get your money back? when i tried calling this number back i got a machine and i dont have an account with these dumbies and im not giving my credit card number away again. pleeeease help i was charged $12 and now $54. its ridiculous and i didnt ask for it and was not notified that i was being charged for it.

I called the #'s they refunded my money but I will be calling books a million
18008832077

It's a good thing you don't work for me, Nick.  Because you would be looking for another job right now!  You are a disgrace to BAM.

I was offered the same deal and I turned the cashier down. Now, I find that i have been charged twice for magazines that I have never received. And I already get the Entertainment magazine from my frequent flyer miles.

I also saw the reply from a person who works at Books-A-Million and she is full of BS. I listened to the spiel by the cashier. It wasn't explained that it is a trial. Maybe they get a kick back but I know I said that I didn't want it and yet it still went through.

I'm not going through this company. I'm letting my credit card company know that my card number was given out to this company and that I didn't authorize it.

You are full of it. The cashier still put it through even when I said no. Maybe you personally explain it fine but there are a bunch of stupid and ignorant people in the work force and this girl NEVER said that it was a trial.

First I told her okay but then I decided not to get into anything that I'd later regret. The worse part is that I told her no and she still put it through. That is my problem with the cashier that helped me.

Then you need to either change the way you get people suckered into buying something that the customer doesn't want. In my case, i believe that the cashier put it in anyway even when I turned the offer down.

I NEVER received any magazines from you guys. And why would I get magazines that I'd have to buy when I get them free? And it says that I am getting better homes and gardens and the Entertainment magazines. Why would I get the Entertainment magazine when I'm already getting it free with my frequent flyer miles? I still have three months left too on that subscription.

But I'm not going to go through you guys so that you can scam me as well. I'm also making a fraudulent complaint. And I am going to find out where else I can make a complaint because what you guys are doing is illegal or it should be.

I did not order any magazines from Books-A-Million; however I ordered a free trial period and yes I was informed that if you do not cancel after the trial period, you will be charged.  How can you cancel your free trial if you was never given a number to call to cancel?  People do pay attention!

Thank you so much this helped me get my money back from this scam!!!!

This happened to me as well.
I recall going to BAM but didn't sign up for anything...the girl told me that I was offered a FREE subscription but never mentioned anything about paying.
I called the number on my bank charge and it led me to this website which is NOT where the charges came from...https://www.magcustomerservice.com/wss/home.do#top...this website looks absolutely PHISHY...I wouldn't click on anything!
Anyway, I called my bank who said these companies basically just survive on a prayer that you won't notice the charge (how horrible!). Thankfully my bank backs me up 100%. I also called the magazine company who basically said they didn't know who I was. I want to know- if they have NO record of me, then how the hell can they charge me?!
Long story short, she said they would refund the money within 72 hours. She said I was signed up for 4 magazines! Thankfully I caught this when the first charge came through. If this happens to you, call, request a refund, be nice but firm, and MAKE SURE TO GET A CONFIRMATION # of the cancellation so your bank can back you up if needed...unlike EVERYWHERE else on Earth, they don't just *offer* the code to you- you must ask.
I also called BAM corporate and complained...she said they get this complaint a lot and she would basically send over my complaint. She apologized but seriously...apologies aren't enough when they are literally selling your CC # to a second company!!!
BAM- you lost a customer, got a nasty Yelp review, and a complaint to the BBB.

Yeah supposedly you are supposed to sign an authorization form...I don't remember doing this at all. BS if you ask me!

I had exactly the same problems everyone else had here.  I was searching the internet for help and I found this page:  http://twxmagscam.blogspot.com/  that guy had those problems too, and explains exactly how to handle it. it literally took me 2 minutes to clear that mess up, and I didn't even have to talk to that automated calling system because he wrote about it how to get around that! I hope this helps someone.