I just received a phone call from a collection agency saying that I owe Consolidated Media Services 500 for a magazine subscription.
I remember when the person from the company called me in 2003. They told me I would get a diamond watch if I ordered. The first string of magazines came in and not one of them was the magazine that I wanted. I also never received the watch that they promised so I called and cancelled. I basically paid 199 for 4 magazines which I didn't even want.
Now this collection agency says that I owe 500ish. When I told the collection agent that I would like to contact my lawyer she said, she would "lower it to 199, which was less than paying a lawyer." I told her I would pay the 199 but I wanted all of the magazines that they never delivered, as well as my diamond watch. She said they do not have to do that.
I purchase investment properties and see my credit report every month or so. I will keep an eye on it.
Gilbert of Stockton, CA November 28, 2006
I received a collection letter stating that I owe 133.30 to Consolidated Media Services. I have never heard of these people nor have I ever received any correspondence from them.
After investigating them on the internet I find that they are involved in magazine subscriptions. I have never subscribed to any magazines.
We attempted to call this company and you are left on hold for an extended period of time, 25 minutes and no one comes back on the line. If you go to their website they only give you options on how to make a payment, nothing about the bill itself.
Jonathan of Sanibel, FL September 26, 2006
I received a collection letter from Luebke Baker & Assoc on behalf of Consolidated Media Services for the amount of 220, which they say they are generously reducing from the 542.08 I owe!!!!
I remember this magazine scam from a few years ago and I didn't fall for it then either. I never received a single magazine and never asked for any in the first place nor did I ever pay them any money.
Karen of Bremerton, WA August 8, 2006
In 2000, my husband agreed via phone to subscribe to several magazines through Consolidated Media Services. He misunderstood the offer, and ended up purchasing many more magazines than he intended, many of them for a period of 5+ years. He spent more than a year paying the commitment off - more than 700.
Fast forward to 2005 – We get a call from a collection agency telling us we are being sent to collection for 438.88 owed for those magazines ordered back in 2000. We had not heard from Consolidated Media Services since late 2001/early 2002 when we received what we believed was our final statement. They claimed my husband has been “unresponsive” and have therefore sent him to a collection agency – Lubke Baker & Associates.
We’ve not received ANY bills from them in years. They claim bills to us have been returned as undeliverable-even though we’ve updated our addresses with all of the magazines and had our mail forwarded after we moved in 2003. My husband is a public employee so he is very easy to find.
Per the advice of an attorney friend, we sent a letter to L,B & Assoc. requesting proof in writing of the money they claimed we owed them. We have not ever gotten a response. Our attorney friend said that they can not continue to contact us for payment until providing proof of money owed. The calls stopped – until about a month ago. Now we are getting 3-5 calls PER DAY from Lubke, Baker & Associates with the same demands for hundreds of dollars – including even more late fees that have accumulated this past year since we’ve been “unresponsive.”
We’ve filed complaints with the Federal Trade Commission and the Better Business Bureau of Georgia a year ago and have filed them again this week but we are at our wits end with this harassment. We just want it to stop.
Tabitha of North Pole, AK August 3, 2006
In 2003 I was contacted by Consolidated Media Services to ask if I wanted some magazines. I agreed. I never received the free gift they sent out and called and canceled. I did receive a few magazines, but after cancelling they stopped coming. I was contacted today by LBA, their collection department. I was treated like crud by some little girl on the phone and her manager was no better. They wanted me to pay 269.91! For the magazines! I said NO, then they offered to lower it to 155.97. I said I wanted to get some legal adivce and was then told that if I wanted to do that then would turn my account back over and it would go on my credit. They would not give me the chance to get legal advice first! The manager, Shannon then knocked the settlement down to 121.97. I was never given the chance to ask my lawyer for advice on this matter. I offered to pay for what I did receive, around 9 magazines and I figured they were around 5 each at the news stand. That is no where near the 121.97 they wanted. I was told if I did not pay it was going on my credit, so I paid them.
My credit was in jeparody over this. I was denined the right to talk to my lawyer prior to paying this debt. She said my lawyer would charge me more then my debt was. Then she said she wanted all my lawyer's information so she could contact him. I refused to give her that information and was then told to either pay or not... Since we are refinancing our current home I could not risk this collection showing up on my credit report...
Karen of New Milford, CT August 1, 2006
I only remember ordering a subscription to People magazine, but the next thing I knew they were calling trying to collect 500 for my magazine subscription. I told them they were wrong and they said I could pay 160 to call it even and they would go away.
I just recently starting getting calls from a collection agency trying to collect the money that was supposed to be written off years ago. Story is the same as all the others, only they call with different numbers and different names.
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