I found this buried in a blog out there somewhere amongst an endless sea of angry reply's and I bring it to you!
First I'll start by saying that I know it works because it was the only way I was able to stop the charges completely and get my money back.
Call 877-813-4977.
This will get you into an automated call handling machine with more options than you have ever heard...I am not talking about the usual 3 or 4 tier system.
I am talking a seemingly endless loop of choices that appear to be designed to occasionally bounce you out into an area of the menu that you have been before so that you will give up.
Don't worry though, we have the work around.
This is pretty much the standard work around for any call handling machine...keep pressing 0 (zero) as your option and you should get an operator after the second 0 (zero).
My wait was all of 2 minutes, maybe.
When you get them on the phone...this is important...be nice. I know you want to bite someones head off but resist that temptation...lol
Tell them that you noticed some charges to your card that you want to clear up. Tell them that you enjoyed the magazines that you got but that you don't want to continue the subscriptions. Make sure that you tell them you want to cancel all of them.
I copied down the entries right from my online account so that I could be sure they knew what I was talking about.
The girl I talked to was very nice and said that they would cancel the subscriptions no problem and that my money would be put back into my account within 72 hours.
Sure enough, it was!!!
I hope you found this blog before you went through too much suffering and that you will send it along to anyone whom you know is dealing with this or even who might be subject to getting wrapped up in this so they can avoid it.
If you found this blog helpful (which if you followed what I said here, it should have got you your money and piece of mind back) feel free to post a comment about your actual experience.
Have a great day!
I just found your blog and wrote down the phone number. I also called anotehr number I found and suppossedly I am getting my money back, we will see, if not I will call your number. I had actually canceled the subscriptions when I received the post card, because I knew that if I didn't I would forget about it, I even received a confirmation email saying it was canceled and I still got charged. I'll keep you posted...
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad I could be of some help. Pass this blog around to friends and family so they can perhaps prevent it from happening to them in the first place. I sure wish someone had warned me.
ReplyDeleteI think it worked. Thank you so much for your advice! I spent forever getting lost in that automated attendant program. Thanks again for posting.
ReplyDeletei think it worked too. thank you!
ReplyDeleteI did all of this a few months ago and of course the person said everything was canceled and refunded and I thought all was fine in the world but today I saw the charges again!!!
ReplyDeleteI would call them back...do everything as described (like you did the first time) and then ask them if that takes care of everything i.e. "I will not be billed for ANY other mags".
ReplyDeleteKeep me posted on what happens because the goal here is to document for everyone how to get their money back in every situation.
Best of luck.
It does work all you just have to do is be nice they are there to help get the charges off the account and if u need the order on how it was placed explained they would be more than happy to let u know and ur right if u tell them that you want all magazines to be canceled they will do it but make sure that you specify the magazines that your talking about. You just have to remember if you give them respect they would be more than happy to help you.
ReplyDeleteThank you soooo much! It does help to be nice...I always seem to forget that people will treat you the way you treat them. Got their word about getting my money back and ALL my mags are now cancelled....you defintely want to make sure you ask to see if you have any other mags with them, cause he didnt even ask if i wanted to get rid of the 2nd one i had, i had to ASK...so good thing i took your tip to make sure ALL mags were cancelled! Thank you sooo much!!
ReplyDeleteThank you! It worked! I cancelled 7 magazines that I have no idea how I started getting. I would actually send you a donation, but to tell the truth I am leery of internet $ transactions. So your donation will have to be that I will try and do a good deed today and help someone else save money! You've made my mailbox a better place! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteGlad I could help! That is the whole idea. Don't forget to pass this blog along to anyone whom you might think could benefit from it. Doing a good deed for someone today is a great idea! Imagine if we all did such a thing every day.
ReplyDelete(As far as secure transactions, the donations button is completely secure. It is a Paypal Acct. that I own.I completely understand your reservations though. That is why I state clearly that I don't expect one thing from that button...lol I just put it there because a person I helped through this scam suggested that I put one there.)
I had FOUR charges in mid January for Time, Trav. & Leisure, Sports Illustrated, and Golf magazines. I just noticed the charges because I was going through our bank statements starting at the beginning of the year. I called the number and spoke to a nice girl, but she had to take down all my information and fill out a sheet to send to customer service so they can call me back. She wrote on it how I never ordered the magazines and that I want a refund. She said it could take 5 - 10 business days for someone to call me back, but they will call. That I wasn't too thrilled about, but I guess I'll just have to wait. They better give me my money back!! We have no idea how we got sucked into these magazine subscriptions!
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of them having to call anyone back (from the number I listed above)...hmmm.
ReplyDeleteThe person you got on the line should have been able to resolve the issue right then and there. Unless this is a new tactic for them to try to shake us off, hoping we'll just keep the Mags. I hope this is not the case but please keep us updated on your progress so that I can add this to the blog once it is resolved.
Good luck.
I never ordered, was offered, or had anything to do with magazine subscriptions. I found a 65.00 charge on my debit account. I am disputing this and having the card canceled. I had called an invisible number that the bank was able to get for me, the company said I had no account and requested more personal information refused to give any. These people need to be shut down!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the blog post! I just called and the man I spoke to was friendly. He told me my money would be reimbursed to me within 72 hours and he gave me the confirmation call number code...However, he tried to offer me another magazine deal for $1. There is no way I was going to fall into that again...wow, these people have nerve.
ReplyDeleteI have also been on the receiving end of the TWX scam. I don't remember ordering magazines either, but apparently, I ordered something and used Paypal, as that is where they have tried to bill me. It has happened twice and neither time Paypal paid them. But I will follow your advice about getting them all cancelled at once. Thanks very much.
ReplyDeleteI did all that twice: cancelled,talked nice,etc . DID NOT WORK ! found a voicemail msg today from my bank's VISA FRAUD PREVENTION SERVICE asking me to verify an $83.00 CHARGE that appeared today. TWX has been flagged by the bank because of numerous similar complaints by customers so they fraud dept automatically contacts customers whenever a TWX charge comes up. Bank did conference call with me & TWX & I blasted the guy who answered & will report to local TV consumer depts & BBB. Bank says best thing to do is get a new debit card. Gonna do that tomorrow !
ReplyDeleteI am sorry to hear that it did not go well for you.
ReplyDeleteSo far, this is the first non-resolved scenario when following what I have mapped out.
I am a little concerned about the bank advising you to cancel the card though.
As I stated in my original post, it is one of the first instincts you have but I would not advise it, nor should the banks.
If this were a case of identity theft I would say to do just that but this is not. This is the execution of the fine print in the original magazine agreement. I would think that if you simply cancel your card and get a new one, you only protect yourself from next years subscription renewal, right?
You are still out the $83.00 from this year.
I still want to caution you about 'blasting' the person you get on the phone. Google the words 'retention department' and read some threads on how to deal with them. You will see that the person you get on the phone does hold some power. The power they have are "notes".
They make notes in your file as to your demeanor and such. So the next person who deals with you gets a 'heads up' about you and is likely to not want to help you much at all.
It is to your advantage to be nice every time you call.
If the charges do not go back to your account call again and be nice....again...lol
Tell the person that you get on the line that you had spoken with a guy (or gal) last week and they told you that the funds would be returned but to date they have not. When they tell you they will take care of it, thank them very much and at the end of the phone call throw in a 'you have been so helpful to me today' and thank them, yet again.
Best of luck.
I was also told I would receive a call back, because the rep couldn't locate my account. How ridiculous is that? I have a stack of People magazines in my room, two charges on my account, and he can't find my file? He said I would receive a call in 3-5 business days, and that I would be fully refunded (eventually). I'll keep you updated, and thank you so much for your help!
ReplyDeleteI was also going over my bank statement and found three charges totalling $75.00.I called these 800 numbers and all I got was automated.I called my bank and she said if it wasn't taken care of in 2 days to come down to the bank and file an appeal.Supposedly two of them are to be cancelled and credit back to my account.So,we'll see!I am mad as H---! I don't understand how they get your account information.But I wiil fight this till it's taken care of!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteTry the number I posted again (877-813-4977) and then follow what I have laid out exactly...(This is pretty much the standard work around for any call handling machine...keep pressing 0 (zero) as your option and you should get an operator after the second 0 (zero).)
ReplyDeleteThis method should get you an operator every time (provided you are not calling outside or normal business hours, I would imagine)
The important thing is to not give up!
They thrive on us overlooking the charges or getting frustrated and giving up.
Best of luck.
I signed up for the magazines July 2006 free of charge and cancelled the subscriptions after the trial period. I was charged $6.85 in July 2007 (this went unnoticed) and now I was just charged $13.50 in July 2009. Three years later and for Blender magazine which has been out of publication since April 2009! It may not be a lot of money but this is a shady practice.
ReplyDeleteI already changed my bank card but will call the phone number tomorrow.
Thanks for all the information- I wish I found this yesterday.
Thank You so Jerry MUCH!!!, it worked like a charm, with 3mins I was cancelled from all subscriptions with the usual 72hr waiting period to get the refund... I hope this helps anyone else with the same problem... No more getting "Free" trials for me...
ReplyDeleteJerry, you're the best. While I didn't get my charges for the "gifts" reversed, I did at least speak to a human who says she's going to send me a copy of what I "signed." If I have to suck up the charges, it's me being an idiot, but I feel less like an idiot having spoken to a human.
ReplyDelete'Suncoast' was giving out "free" magazine subscriptions with purchases. unfortunately i took the offer. Like your blog reads, i did expect to get some kind of post card or notification when the "free" part ran out and it was time for me to be billed or renew.I did NOT expect to see random charges from them on my bank statement. I also did not expect Suncoast to give out my account information, in the first place. What TWX is doing is sneaky but legal, but what Suncoast did with my account information should be ILLEGAL and stopped!! I wonder what can be done about that...i'll be using the info in your blog to call tonight and hopefully get my money back and have the charges stop. Thanks for posting!! i'll let ya know how it goes! =]
ReplyDeleteL.M.-LehighValley, Pennsylvania
Thanks so much for the info. I called them and they said they will refund the money. I will keep you posted. I can not believe they do something like this.
ReplyDeleteHi! Thanks for this post. I just spent less than 10 minutes on the phone with TWX and was able to easily cancel all charges. I was very polite and received great service from the operator. I did make sure to refuse all other offers for magazines that they suggested and got a confirmation number from the rep. All in all, it was very easy.
ReplyDeleteWow pressing 0 2x worked!!! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI hit # during every option. I got an operator. I went out of my way to be nice to her and she reciprocated. She said they were cancelling my subscription and giving my money back. Assuming that happens, it was actually very painless (much easier than dealing with Bank of America about the same thing).
ReplyDelete... works like a charm! thank you so much!!!
ReplyDeleteI can't tell you how great it feels, knowing that this helps people!
ReplyDeleteThat is what it is all about!
Don't forget to share this info with friends and family, so that they will never have to go through what we all have. If they do get tricked into it though, I hope they will remember what you told them and find their way to this blog so they can resolve it.
Thanks everyone!
Thank you so much!!! I managed to talk to them and I hope that they will ferund all the charges!
ReplyDelete*Gina, thank you for your comment.
ReplyDeleteI try very hard to make sure that the information provided here is helpful.
I checked out the link that you provided and my system went into protect mode (Firefox halted loading of the page, saying that the connection was untrusted). For that reason I have to edit your comment until I can fully investigate that site. Please understand that the last thing I want, is to unknowingly promote a site that could be part of the 'problem ' and not the 'cure'....stay tuned.
Gina's comment:
Dear Jerry,
So just for being super-cool and suggesting that the customer who call in should be nice to the reps, you've earned yourself some inside information!
I obviously can't give you any real personal information about myself, but I'm a Universal Agent with the company. For the record, the company is Synapse Group inc. I fix problems that regular reps can't figure out, so I know the ins and outs of this program the way few people do. I'll keep an eye on this site and try to provide tips if people are having problems.
First off: we also have a website that people can go to instead of calling in to cancel. Its ~~~~~~.com. An alternate phone number to the one you've posted is 1800-xxx-xxxx
I used the same tactic of silence to get them to finally transfer my call to a live person. There were 2 charges on my credit card but I know I have been getting several other magazines. I believe they were through the airline mileage program. However, I thought to ask how many other magazines they have under my account. To my surprise there were 5 others which they were getting ready to bill me for this week. Thankfully, I cancelled them before they hit my credit card.
ReplyDeleteHi-
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the information! My 85 year old Mom got charged on her bank statement for two magazines she said she never ordered or got. I had gone through the automated system and got one canceled with a refund.
The second magazine would only cancel. So, I used your punch O method and got a live operator and am getting a refund for the second magazine.
I was also able to cancel a third magazine which she hadn't been charged for yet. About $90 for someone living on Social Security is a lot of money.
Also, when the one charge went through her bank account she was about $5.00 short so got charged an overdraft fee of $34.00
These TWX people are terrible in the way they trick people! The operator on the phone was nice. After all, she is just doing a job she probably needs, so please be nice to her.
Thank you again for the help!
Dear Jerry
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU THANK YOU. I called the number, jept pushing zero all the time, got a real person on the line, spoke kindly and courteously to her, got her to cancel me within the next 72 hours while resisting all kinds of offers being pushed down my throat as subscription alternatives.
You are making many people happy Jerry with your service to the abused.
Moro
Thanks man, I'll try this. they Overdrew my account in the process of a $44.00 charge, and I intend to get my extra 30.00 back as well. I'll be as courteous as possible when I explain that they also cost me and extra 30.00, and if I don't recieve FULL compensation, i'll go to the authorities. The honey I catch these flies with, will be one laden with polite threats, that hopefully they take seriously.
ReplyDeletethanks again man.
I just called about a $55 charge, and followed the instructions precisely and was told that I would be credited the full amount in 1-2 weeks (he may have said days, I misheard though).
ReplyDeleteThanks for the help!!!
You rock! Thanks a million J!
ReplyDeleteall i can say is AH-MAZING - thanks SOOO much for this advice - i spent about an hour trying to get the TWX number but then stumbled upon here, thank god! thank u thank u thank u!!
ReplyDeleteAMAZING!!!!THANK YOU, THANK, YOU THANK YOU! GREAT JOB AND GOD BLESS YOU!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the telephone number.
ReplyDeleteAnimesh
I have just contacted the number posted on your blog. Spoke with a customer rep., it took a total of three minutes. She tried to offer more of free subscriptions, however I have had my feel for that. She was very efficient and hopefully, I will see the difference in my bank account in a couple of days. Thanks
ReplyDeleteI just got charged $21.00. Called the number and made a cancellation on allof the magazines...somehow got charged $26.00 4 days later.
ReplyDeleteJerry, can'tthank you enough!
your fan..
These charges appeared on my credit card, and so I called my credit card company (after going through the very confusing TWX phone menu). I was surprised when the rep from the dispute dept said that he couldn't help me, and had to transfer me to a "third party vendor rep". I asked for clarification as to the role of this rep, and was told that he was also an employee of the credit card company, but it had to be handled by them. VERY strange in my experience.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, this rep was able to remove the charges from my credit card.
Has anyone taken up this issue with a state or federal attorney general's office? This is such a blatant SCAM that these guys should be shut down in my opinion!
THANKS for providing this blog as a forum for dealing with TWX!
Keep an eye on that account, I have a feeling they will try to post these charges again if they were removed by the credit card company.
ReplyDeleteI would follow my steps 'exactly'.
You need to resolve the charges with TWX, else they are going to try to charge them again I would bet.
Keep us posted on your progress and good luck.
i googled TWX magazine the first thing when i saw it on my account statement.
ReplyDeletethis blog was the first thing i found. so helpful!
hi i just saw new charges as well, and I couldn't believe it because the credit card was cancelled. Have no idea. I called the number and they told me that if i accept this new deal. I have to continue the subscription and then call by December 20th, 2009 to get my full refund. That if I cancelled right then on the phone I wouldn't. so I am going to wait 24 hours and then call back to cancel. This company is unbelievable!!! but thanks for the number.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for posting this! I had my debit card cancelled by the bank back in april, and thought that it had taken care of the charges until they showed up again a couple of days ago. When I saw your blog, I tried calling the number you posted (which unfortunately had been disconnected, but i got this contact number from my bank and tried it- 1-800-321-6247) and it worked after pressing zero a million times to get an operator. But I was very nice, explained my situation and they were very nice as well, assuring me that my money will be refunded in 1-2 buisness days. But thank you so much for this post because otherwise I probably would have just cancelled my card again, which does not work :)
ReplyDeleteI am not sure what happened, but upon reading your post I tried the number that I have listed and it worked fine. I then tried your number and it seems that it directs you to the same automated magazine assistant so either number should work out.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear that you were able to resolve this!
Thank you so much for your help, I think this is going to work! *sigh of relief*
ReplyDeleteIt worked! Thank soooo much! We'll see if I get my money back in 2 days
ReplyDelete* As a note, I read all posts and try to research any information given in that post.
ReplyDeleteThe reason I do this is simple...I want to help people going through this unfortunate situation and the last thing I want is to have misleading info posted here. As this blog started to grow, I began thinking "wow, what are the odds that this blog is discovered by the people behind this whole thing and that they make attempts to pollute the comments with bogus information?". So I started moderating each and every post with the hope that I could sift out any 'saboteur' or general 'trouble maker'.
I am starting to get lots of input from visitors and some have alternate avenues of solving the TWX issue. There is even a person who works for one of the Mag companies that found the blog and reached out to offer tips on how to end the charges.
That being said, I am putting together a separate section with these hints and ideas offered by visitors who have tried, and by their accounts have succeeded, in ending these charges.
Stay tuned!
I had two charges from them and when I called the number they said the order was submitted by Time magazine. I do not subscribe to Time but I do subscribe to Sports Illustrated but I always call them directly. I have no clue how they got my cc number but they said I would be reimbursed in 72 hours. Thanks
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot for this helpful information! I was very frustrated when I noticed a charge that I had never authorized. I already called them, and they even tried to get me into a new subscription. The guy didn't confirm that he canceled all my subscriptions, so I had to ask him several times to make sure he does! Unbelievable, but I really hope that's it and I'll get my money back!
ReplyDeleteThese "comments" are obviously self generated. Has anyone actually received a refund?
ReplyDeleteSelf generated?
ReplyDeleteIf you have been taken by TWX, then follow what I have posted here and then come on back and tell us about how you got your money refunded.
Also, many people post 'Anonymous' (such as yourself), I felt no reason to put limits on who can post to this blog. I only moderate the posts to stop abuse.
So do us a favor, follow my steps and when you get your money back...do the right thing, come on back here and tell everyone about it.
You see, that is a part I have no control over. People get taken by TWX and then go seeking answers. They find this blog, follow my steps and then post about it. That is all well and good but then they get their money refunded and we never hear from them again :(
It would be nice to have people come back and let the folks out there know that they did manage to use this system to get their money refunded.
Give this a try and then come back after you get your refund and post about it!
Was charged $142.95 for 4 mag subs....took the advice and was extremely pleasant with my interaction w/the rep....she was confused as to my insistence of crediting my account the full value of what was charged (tried to run figures quickly by me but I was too quick for her!)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the heads up...never again....
Hey Jerry,
ReplyDeleteQuestion for you, I just signed up for this garbage two weeks ago... I was hurried and being a former (but honest ) telemarketer, I got to admit the guy at the electric store. was a good seller, though again very pushy...
Anyways, here is my question... you wont see any charges until 2 months after your purchase date right, since they dont charge your card until the two months is up.... If this is true, then I should go ahead and cancel my card now as a pre caution dont you think???.... i honestly dont use that thing a lot, and there is no charge for a new card... this way I am definatly preventing any charges happening to me a few weeks down the road...
The 0 thing works btw, I called after hours, but will cancel tomorrow... though
So to further advise anybody reading this... if you recently agreed to this "free trial" like me, you may want to cancel your card as a pre caution, if its free and you dont use it a lot and can wait for a new card to come in the mail... you never know if you cancel on the phone but the operator makes a mistake (by possibly typing in a wrong letter by accident) and then you are charged again in the future
Your best bet is to cancel by phone.
ReplyDeleteMake sure that you follow what I have posted here exactly, including asking them to check that all subscriptions in your name are canceled.
Please stop back and let us know how things turned out for you!
Thanks for the guide. I called in today and they cancelled it no problem. They said they are sending a refund and it should be in my account in a few days. Also, I received an overdraft because of this and so I needed to send a copy from the bank of proof the overdraft was because of them so hopefully they will repay me the entire cost for their scam!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the information! I just canceled my pending subsciptions!! Happy Holidays :).
ReplyDeleteI subscribed to 4 different magazines last year through this company. And noticed about a week ago that they took out $55 for one and $44 for another. I saw this blog after doing a google search and followed these directions... and it worked perfectly. While the girl i talked to talked really really REALLY fast, i got her to slow down to explain to me what was going on. I also told her i wanted the other 2 magazines cancelled before i get charged for them. After i got off the phone with her i wasn't sure if anything was going to come of it because she didn't give me a confirmation # and she said it would be refunded to me within one billing cycle... Well, i called on december 2nd and i looked in my bank account today and the money was refunded.
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot!!! :)
I just went through the same routine as everyone else before me. It was a painless process, especially considering the chills that went down my spine when I noticed these charges. The girl was very helpful and again said that in 72 hours the funds will be returned. Now I just have to wait and see. Thanks again for this post.
ReplyDeleteI'm just following up to say that my money was returned to my bankd account and I am so happy to have my money back. I have to admit I was skeptical because of how easy this process was but it really worked! Thank you! One note though however I noticed that I was not returned the full exact amount, rather I was charged $44 and got $42.24 back. Not sure why this happened but I'll take the $42. Any idea why this happened? Again, thank you!
ReplyDeleteHey that happened to me too. i got charged $44 and $55. But, they took away a few cents, close to a dollar, from each charge because there were magazines that were already shipped, from the money that they already took out of my account. So, it's basically a prorated refund. It sucks but i wasn't going to argue over a dollar. I was just relieved that i got as much back as i did.
ReplyDeleteI was able to cancel my subscriptions online through www.magcustomerservice.com and confirmed it by phone with the number you provided. It took less than a minute to get to a service rep who seemed very helpful. Thanks for posting this info!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the online address....I just used it and cancelled/changed four subscriptions. When I went back a few minutes later, they had my new status for pending refunds (prorated per the above blogs) and subscription changes already logged. We will see how quickly, or if, I actually get refunded.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! Your blog saved me 29.00! :) They said they will be refunding the money with in 72 hours. Hopefully this happens!
ReplyDeleteYes that works but a year or 2 later they will do it again, with your account information not your card number. I have canceled 3 times now and they keep coming back. I am going to get an entire new account and never sign up for anything like this again.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your very helpful blog. I was able to cancel 7 random magazines today and hopefully get my money back!
ReplyDeleteIf you start getting mags a year after you canceled them, call right away (now that you have the number). This is the first I have heard of this though.
ReplyDeleteAgain, always be nice and always be thorough.
Make sure that they cancel all of them.
Thanks for this blog it saved me $38.00. All the best for 2010
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to say I really appreciate the help that this blog provided. This clandestine company seemed to hide quite a bit from me, but with the help of this blog, I was able to cancel the subscriptions and sleep a little better at night knowing that I wasn't going to be charged randomly again. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteAwesome. Followed your instructions to the T and it worked out wonderfully. I got a confirmation code from the rep as to the cancellation of the charges. Thanks so much.
ReplyDeletefreeked me out but when I called I found out it was a free 3 month subscription I had gotten and it was a test charge and they are automaticly re-depositing my money in. Thanks for the number!
ReplyDeleteThere is now a website that will allow you to cancel. Obviously if you want a refund you will have to call. But I am near the end of the year for my subscription (even though I never wanted a year long subscription in the first place, I never tried to dispute it because I couldn't figure out how) and just wanted to cancel before I get billed again. Don't know for sure if it will work, but it pulled up my information on what magazines I had and it now shows them as Active subscriptions with NO renewal. We'll see for sure come February.
ReplyDeleteIt is magcustomerservice.com
Thanks to your help (and pressing 0 over and over), I got a human, and after being very nice (which was appreciated) and explaining that I'd been through the automated system several months ago and thought I'd successfully cancelled my subscriptions only to find that only one of four had been cancelled, I got the human to cancel all four and promise to refund the two that had alreayd been rebilled. Amazing...
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your help. I just called and they said everything would be canceled and our money would be refunded. This was a lifesaver. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot!. I entered the website: magcustomerservice.com, gave the unwanted (and unsolicited) subscriptions numbers they were charging my wife`s card, and it worked!, they reimbursed the account in 72 hours. We were very worried thinking someone had robbed my wife's card identity during our visit to the US last September.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for making this blog and placing all these comments in the web!.
Yaaaaaay, you!! Thanks for the post, really helped a lot!!!!
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to say thanks. I followed your instructions and have been refunded $17.50.
ReplyDeleteJust want to say thanks. I just got off the phone with them and I should be getting almost $40 back. Whew.
ReplyDeleteAfter canceling 2 magazine subscriptions and receiving refunds last year, they continued to send the magazines and have just now charged my bank account for renewal. Went to the website and canceled again - will pay closer attention this time, if the magazines keep coming in the next couple months I will go back and cancel them again. Will come back and report on if they refund the $$ to my account.
ReplyDeleteThis might be the only down side to the website system. The phone method, in my opinion, is the best way simply because I know that I can ask the person on the line to 'make sure' that ALL mags are canceled. Please let us know how it goes and just to make sure I think I would go ahead and give them a call and do like I said...ask them to please make sure ALL the mags are canceled (and as always, be nice...lol)
ReplyDeleteI noticed a pending charge for $58.50 on my account for TWX Magazine.I followed the advice in this column and had a pleasant experience with the customer service rep. He cancelled my order and the refund was credited to my account in 2 days.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for posting this. I lost my wallet yesterday morning, and I thought it had been stolen because there was a charge on it for $24 to TWX Magazines. When it turned out to be returned to my bank, I had no idea where the charge had come from. After reading your blog, I realized what had happened. I never got the notice because I am in college away from home, and my parents didn't know about the magazine subscription. The best advice on here was to press-0; it really helped in my overwhelmed state. I did everything you said to do, and the man guaranteed a full return within 3 days.
ReplyDeleteI can't say how much I appreciate your help.
I posted on February 16, 2010 as anonymous - I had used the website - magcustomerservice.com, to cancel 2 subscriptions and request a refund. As of this morning, February 19, 2010, the full refunds have been made into my bank account. Let me just say for those that stated above that they did not receive the full refund, I believe it may be that you received at least one magazine of the subscription and that they deducted that as a prorated amount before crediting back to the customer. I noticed the charges on my bank account the day they were made and found this site and went to the magazine website to cancel the same day. I believe that acting quickly is imperative in receiving a full refund.
ReplyDeleteVery glad this worked out for you!
ReplyDeleteI agree that acting quickly is key.
Thank you for stopping back and giving us an update.
I just noticed a $1 authorization charge pending on my CC account when I was online. I was wondering what TWX was so I googled it and figured out it was my 4 magazine subscriptions that I got for $2 each. I didn't know they were going to automatically renew. I'm glad I found your site because I called and less than 4 mintues later all of my mags were cancelled and I was assured that the $1 charge would be gone within 24 hours and none of my magazines will be automatically renewed. Of course I was offered to keep my Sports Illustrated for another term for $5.95. Ummm.. no thanks. Thanks for your help Jerry. R.K.
ReplyDeletegoodness gracious...!!! I have been trying to cancel this throught the magazines for 2 years...!!! and finally your blog saved me out of this never ending loop... I am soooooo grateful... thank you
ReplyDeleteThis number still works. I was actually able to use the automated system to cancel my magazines. Thanks for digging up this information.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I found your post and decided to give it a shot, not really expecting the number to work, but it did! Pressed 0, got the operator, she was quite nice, and even though they did try to sell me more magazine crap, i politely said "no, thank you" and before i knew it it was done. I'll be keeping an eye on my CC account to be sure I get a refund, just to make sure you know? Again, thank you bunches!
ReplyDeleteAwesome made it so easy. Pressing 0 was approx. 10 times though.
ReplyDelete~ To the guy in the military that just tried to post, please read this blog from the start...if you need further help, please post again with your email address so I can email you directly (I will not display your email).
ReplyDeleteI feel for you buddy.
I think even this site is full of it. They tell you how to get your money back after they scamed you,then ask for a donation.think they are twx magizine in discize.DON'T DONATE.
ReplyDeleteI am not in any way connected to TWX!
ReplyDeleteThink about what your are suggesting...why would they show you how to get your money back (after you are mad as hell) and then hope that you will donate some of it back?
There are plenty of other blogs out there for you to be silly on. This one is meant to help people out of a jam with TWX.
I am going to remove the donate link as of right now...any thing else I can do for you? Lol
Some people...lol
I just want to say Thank You.This company is unbelievably shady.I'm sure you saved me days of trying to figure this crap out.Thanks for taking the time.....I'm now waiting for my 75 dollars to be credited back to my account.
ReplyDeleteI stumbled upon this blog as I saw two charges on my account that totaled up to $76 (gak!!) I followed exactly what you said and with fingers crossed, I hope to receive a refund.
ReplyDeleteI was honestly looking for a reason to totally close my bank account and move all my money to my credit union, and this may be the sign I was looking for. Thanks so much again and I will update as to whether or not they did indeed refund my money.
I called the phone #877-813-4977 and every time it asked me a question I would press 0. I got someone on the phone with me within 2 minutes. Very nice and helpful guy. He said the charges pf $105.00 would be credited back to my account. I had 2 more mags. that had not been charged to my account yet, and he said he would cancel those and no charges would be on my account. Thanks for all your help and information.
ReplyDeleteThe issue everyone is missing is, what gives them the authority to charge us in the first place. My time is worth something, I don't think I should have to spend it getting my money back on an unauthorized charge.
ReplyDeleteWorked for me too, just waiting for the refund, they said up to 72 hours, and that I may still receive some mags, but with compliments.
ReplyDeleteThanks
Even though the rep doesn't want to take a "no" for an answer and continues to offer extensions, stand your ground and just ask that the subscription be cancelled.
ReplyDeleteThe 'authority' (which is also why they are able to do this without lawsuit) is when they send you the cancellation card and it goes unanswered. You know the one I spoke of that comes bearing a different name than all your mags (TWX instead of Time/Hot Rod/Better Homes and Garden, etc.), so it most likely was overlooked or simply thrown away.
ReplyDeleteAt this point they feel they have served you notice that they are going to go ahead and renew your subscription automatically (full price this time though)by using the same credit/debit card number they have on file from the first time you said 'yes' to the check out person that pushed the mags to you.
It is sick the way they play the legal end of this...the best thing we can do is warn everyone we can about this.
If you want to play them...then get the mag deal for that trial period (a year I think) but be darn sure you are aware of when they expire and be ready for the notice from them that they are going to 'renew' them for you.
At that point decline. You could use the number I provided as back up I guess also.
I personally don't think it is worth the risk.
Thanx for the info. I called and had 7 magazines cancelled and had a return of over $150.00. They still try to sell you magazines while you are cancelling!
ReplyDeleteChecked my credit card balance on line and saw that all my credits were posted. It took 3 days. (Be sure to ask the rep for a confirmation number when you are finished.)
ReplyDeleteMy credit card statement contained TWX*xxxx*TOH 800-205-9198 NY
ReplyDeleteI called the 800 number, you can either use voice/touch-tone. Yes they went on with some options but effectively I cancelled the subscription (hopefully get a refund) and receive the confirmation numbers.
I called the number provided and spoke to a representative. I was very polite and friendly but firm in my request for reimbursement. I received my refund today.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your advice. I hope everyone can get their problem fixed as speedily as I did.
Whew that worked! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi Jerry....First of all thankyou for your blog. It's very helpful. :)
ReplyDeleteI was charged $31 on March 24, 2010 for only "Entrepreneur" subscription. However,since I was over seas, I noticed this charge on June 25, 2010. So I called "1 888 321 6247" today and asked them to cancel my subscription. The lady confirmed my cancellation, but said I wouldn't be getting a refund at all because, I'm cancelling too LATE. Charge was posted on March 24,2010 and now its June 25, 2010. So my question is this NORMAL? I was thinking maybe I could get a partial refund atleast, but she still said no.
Thanks Everyone for you Feedback!
You are very welcome :)
ReplyDeleteI would try the number I posted (877-813-4977).
Perhaps if you get a different person on the phone and explain (nicely)that you "had forgotten to ask for a refund in your initial phone call" they might give you a refund on the unused portion of the subscription.
Let us know how it goes please.
Jerry - I just want to say THANK YOU VERY MUCH for starting this site. So far it appears to be very helpful. In 72 hours we will see how helpful. We had a total of 4 magazines at a total charge of $121. Since the debits came out in April and we are just calling today we are getting a partial refund for the unused portion (prorated). In a way I think that is fair but of course if they were clear from the beginning of how to cancel we would have cancelled before they charged us. Anyway - thank you again for all your help.
ReplyDeleteGood work, Jerry. I was on the phone for a total of 5 minutes - definitely wouldn't have been that fast if you hadn't advised pressing 0 for every option. The operator was actually friendly and helpful. I should be getting a full refund.
ReplyDeleteI called the number posted and kept pressing "0". I eventually got a sales representative. I was polite but very firm in my request for a refund. In less than a week, I had been refunded the $72 dollars they had withdrawn from my bank account.
ReplyDeleteI hope more people see this and are made aware of this scam. Thank you Jerry!
Jerry...OMG! Thank you so much for this blog! It saved me so much time and money!! No searching for a #...I was off the phone in less than 5min and I'm getting a refund, not to mention preventing future charges to my checking account!
ReplyDeleteSeems to have worked well enough but we'll see for sure if the $ ends up back in my account within 72 hours. (I'll post a follow-up if it doesn't). Just dialed the # up, dialed through with "0" as suggested and got a very nice young guy who didn't give me any trouble. He asked for my last name & zip code, then asked me to verify my first name & full address...read me off a list of the mags that I had subscriptions to through them (Self & Women's Running) and even told me where they came from (Active.com, where I've signed up for marathons in the past, so I do remember these now). Then I just said, "Oh well, I'd really like to cancel those if I could since I'm going out of the country for a while," (yes I really am, LOL) "and I won't be here to read them." No arguments or sales pitches from him at all...just an "OK, well there you go, it should be credited back to your account within 72 hours"
ReplyDeleteIf it doesn't credit, I'll be sure to call them back (again, be nice as has been suggested!) and I'll report back here with the final result!
jerry you are the man!!!! Thank you for this blog!!
ReplyDeleteI followed the steps and got to someone but they can't find me in their system... The guy took down my info and said they have a customer service agent call me back...
ReplyDeleteI never ordered this. This is annoying and frustrating.
Hi Jerry,
ReplyDeleteAs you suggested, I called again, asking for a partial refund and by some miracle I got refunded $23 (out of $31). THanks Again Buddy.
Take Care!
THANKS! hopefully it worked! It only took 8 presses of the zero but i got through! They sure are persistent with the "free extended subscription"
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the advice. I just called them and they are canceling my account and refunding my money. I had no idea what to do so your blog was very helpful! Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteThanks for all of the information. I freaked out when I saw I had been charged for 3 magazines totaling $146.00. But I followed your instructions to press "0" twice and had no wait time for an operator who said the charges would be taken off in 72 hrs. so I will watch and see. I actually would have liked to continue one of the magazines but refused to do so because of the sneaky manner in which they try to automatically charge you without permission. Thanks again for the advice.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jerry!!! It worked just how you said. I think I was on the phone for approximately 3 minutes and it's all taken care of. He told me I would receive a refund within 72 hours so we'll see!
ReplyDeleteThanks again! It's nice to see someone using the internet to help others!
It seems they are now working a new angle to try to keep some money.
ReplyDeleteI've been working on this for nearly 2 weeks now. They said they would "fully credit" my money back when I first called - but they didn't. They only gave me partial credit back. When I called back and told them I wanted a FULL REFUND as this was an unauthorized charge and they told me I would get a FULL refund - I was told I would need to wait for someone to call me back (there justification for only a partial refund is they had already sent a first magazine out - I told them this didn't matter as I didn't ask for it). Needless to say - I have been calling them back every few days and the last time I told them there is no need for them to call me back - just refund my remaining money or I will file a dispute with my credit card company. This is rediculous.... .. They kept $4 of a $32 charge and $1.18 off another subscription - so it is only $5.18 they owe me but I'm not giving up. I will continue to call every couple of days until I get my credit card statement (I noticed the charge online) and then if they haven't refunded me by then - I will dispute the charge through my bank.
Thank you so much for this. I noticed I had three charges totaling $134... a lot of money to spend on three magazines I don't need. Anyways, I called and spoke to a very nice gentleman who said that apparently I never received my mailing that I could choose to cancel the subscriptions, and he was very helpful in quickly issuing me a full refund and cancellation. Took about 4 minutes total!
ReplyDeleteHi! Thank you for putting up this blog, I just noticed a charge on my card today from this company. I called 800-586-5092, which was the number listed on my online account, and got to speak to an agent in less than two minutes. I just nicely asked him to cancel my subscription, and he said the amount would be returned to my account, as well. I'll be checking if they return the full amount! Thanks for your help.
ReplyDeleteThanks a million...after getting frustrated with the auto operator, I stumbled onto your site...It worked like a charm and all 3 magazines have been cancelled-at least for this year-thanks again!
ReplyDeletehmm... I don't see that any of these posts actually got their money back. They say "I'll wait and see". If you wait too long you can't dispute it with your bank or credit card company so you will end up having to pay it.
ReplyDeleteThere are people posting that they did get their money back (lots of posts here to read through...lol)
ReplyDeleteAlthough part of the problem is that people come here to learn how to get their money back, then once it is returned they never re-visit the blog to tell others of their success.
Now is as good a time as any to ask, yet again, for people to do just that....come on back and let others know that you got your money back!
First, Thank you so much for your instructions and correct number to get a hold of an actual person. I talked to them on Friday and killed them with kindness, I was very angry about how money just disappeared from my account, but I refrained from yelling.
ReplyDeleteI asked to have my one magazine removed from my account and that I didn't want the subscription any longer. I also inquired about any other magazines on my account, but I didn't have any- Thank God! and then I asked to have my complete account deleted and no further contact from them. The rep took my phone number and said the money would be in my account in 3-9 business days. I checked Wednesday of the following week and the complete refund was in my account processed on Tuesday. It was successful. I will however keep an eye on my account as it is unnerving how they just took money out in the first place.
Thank you again and the refund really did work!
This was extremely helpful!!! I got them on the phone and it was exactly as you said!
ReplyDeleteI had 4 magazine charges on my credit card acct. totaling 146.95. I got them a year free for buying a phone through Wirefly. I completely forgot to cancel within a year( as my wife predicted). I called up like your "cure" said to and it worked. I got a refund of 140.63 since 3 mags had been shipped already. They did ask me to keep my subscription but I politely declined. The girl on the phone was very nice. Thank you for the blog.
ReplyDeleteThis was the right thing to do. Just keep pressing zero, tell them you would like to cancel, they will try to wrangle you into more subscriptions, just be nice and say no thank you!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great tip!
Tried it. Said they would refund my money within 72 hours... one week later and still no money. I'll call again.
ReplyDeleteRemember to be nice.
ReplyDeleteCome back and let us know how it turned out please.
you can also go to www.magcustomerservice.com and put in your name and zip code to have it turned off, you get a confirmation number that way and it worked for me.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great information!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for all of this information. I did exactly what you said and they told me they were canceling the accounts and that I would be refunded for the amounts that were already charged. (hopefully this actually happens). Thanks again!
ReplyDeletewell idk if this number has been posted or if its the same thing but i called 1-800-586-5092 n didnt go through any automated machines. i spoke right away with a person so maybe that helps others
ReplyDeleteWorked great, the rep was very friendy and did not give me a hassle at all. Thanks for the tip! Have a blessed year!
ReplyDeleteI am sooo happy to see this on here! I was freaking out!! Thanks for this blog!!
ReplyDeleteI called but they said that there was no operator at the time. I'll back tomorrow earlier in the day.
Wrote on the 17th that it didn't work. Called back and the operator was very nice and didn't try to push anything else on me. Got my refund 48 hours later! :) Thank you, Jerry!
ReplyDeleteIt worked I got the full refund back within the next few days. I'm definitely going to be going through my entire statement from here on out!!
ReplyDeleteI called 1-800-586-5298 and got my money back. Scams are lame, but at least these guys give your money back. MAKE SURE you cancel your future charges!
ReplyDelete-luck
First, this seems to have worked great. Thanks! I canceled 3 magazines with the automated system but couldn't remember the 4th that we were receiving. I then used 0 to get to the operator. That worked fine (even though she read the same scripts to try to get you into another magazine that were read by the automated system.) As a side comment, it's pretty bad when you do a web search hoping to find the company's website and all you find are a bunch of scam complaint sites. I was fortunate to find your blog on this. Thanks again.
ReplyDeleteyeah.... so after a year i guess they are still scamming people....they took money out of my account for an alleged subscription i had from 2008....ok even if i had have subscribed.....WHY ARE YOU BILLING ME 2 YEARS LATER. OKKAAAAY!
ReplyDeleteA big T H A N K Y O U to you Jerry!!!!!!!!! I am glad I found your blog. I called right after I read it. The double zeros worked and being nice made the call extremely fast and painless. I appreciate all your work and you sharing the info. Danielle
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this! I was also missing &58.50 out of my account.. called them on Thursday and they said I would get my money back. It's now Monday and it's not here yet, maybe because of the weekend?
ReplyDeleteYEA IT WORKS! Thanks Jerry!
ReplyDeleteThanks A LOT, Jerry! Folks like you ROCK!
ReplyDeleteThank you. thank you, thank you. This works and the phone operator was courteous. No problem. It worked! Awesome
ReplyDeleteJerry, Thanks so much for the advice. I just stopped them from charging me for over $100 to my account without asking!!
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU SO MUCH!
ReplyDeleteEven when you talk to an actual person on the phone they still try to scam you into "amazing deals." You're a lifesaver!
THANK YOU FOR THIS!!!
ReplyDeleteIt really helped me out.
Thank your for posting this. I hope a lot more people get help from this blog.
You are very welcome!
ReplyDeleteHelping others is the whole idea!
This is what I call helping out your neighbor! Thanks Jerry!!!!
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU! I really appreciate this information - I can't get them to stop charging me, but hopefully this time I took care of everything!
ReplyDeleteGlad to find your blog !
ReplyDeleteJust called them and did cancel subscriptions. First, tried just automated system. But it said canceled "future payment". So I called them again and press "0" for 'human' operator. The lady sounded nice and processed it. I'll wait and see when my money comes back, hopefully !! (To my surprise, payment term is only 6 months !! They charged double or more !)
Thank you, Jerry !!
Thanks so much, this worked like a charm and hopefully I get my money back. I really appreciate this posting!!!!
ReplyDeleteJerry-
ReplyDeleteThanks for putting this information out there. I woke up this morning to a "TWX" charge on my debit card. Turns out that the subscription is not even in my name, but rather that of my significant other (and her name is misspelled in their records, at that.) At least 8 months ago, she apparently signed up for the "complimentary" issues of TIME magazine while shopping at Books-A-Million. At the time of purchase, cash was used as the payment method, as she does not have a debit card, credit card, or in fact a bank account. She then cancelled the subscription within 2 days, subsequently receiving the "We're sorry you cancelled your subscription" postcards. It seems that the subscription was not in fact cancelled, but was being charged to MY debit card. We share the BAM discount card, since there's not a lot of sense in us paying for two of them. I can only assume that they got my debit card number from subsequent purchases. Now they are claiming that the subscription is cancelled, and that we need to wait for a call back from the customer service department regarding a refund. I've already notified my bank regarding this charge and deactivated that debit card, now to see how TWX handles the situation. Thanks again for putting this info out there.
Jerry-
ReplyDeleteOne tidbit of knowledge that i left out in my previous post. In the process of attempting to resolve this issue, one automaton or another directed me to a website. I saw that you had edited out a URL earlier, but thought this might be useful for some, as this site was how i determined that the account was not in my name. The URL is www.magcustomerservice.com . At the opening page, they offer a "Quick Start" option for "existing customers." Under this option, I selected "Credit Card Statement", as I had my online banking information in front of me (a paper statement would work just as well.) I was then prompted to enter either a subscription ID (they show a picture of where to locate this jumble of letters and digits) or my CC#. I entered the subscription ID from my statement, and "We've found a match!" It was at this point that I realized the subscription was not even in my name, giving me a little bit more information to work with. Hopefully you'll be able to verify and post this URL and it will be helpful to someone else. Thank you.
OMG You saved my day. I was on the phone for 2 minutes total, and got everything resolved.
ReplyDeleteMuchas Gracias!!!!!
OMG...Thank you so much. I did exactly what you said, and it worked perfectly. Cancelled 5 subscriptions and got my $65.oo debit back.
ReplyDeleteJust to add, you did a great service to me today. They cancelled my stuff and will even return to me my overdraft fee.
ReplyDeleteThanks! This got the problem resolved.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post. This company is using a sneaky tactic but I followed your advice and remained calm and polite. I asked for an explanation and he told me right away what magazine the original subscription was for and on what date it began. It so happens that it was almost exactly a year ago. He then stated that the subscription was set up to automatically renew. I told him i was unaware of that nuance and did not remember seeing it or agreeing to it during the original subscription. He did not argue simply asked me if I wanted to continue at discounted rates and I said no I do not want to do any other business with his company. He gave me a confirmation number for the cancellation and said I should see my funds back in my account within 72 hours. It seems like this company is fully aware of the underhanded nature of what they are trying to pull off but they are at least reachable and cooperative once you catch wind of their game. They hopefully wont continue this practice very long as would be return customers eventually dry up. ALWAYS BEWARE of SCAMMERS. Shameful practices.
ReplyDeleteI called the 877-813-4977 number and after pressing '0' several times was greeted by a very friendly well-spoken woman. At first she informed me that I would have to call another number (800-250-3525) to cancel since these were apparently started using airline miles. However after I asked her if she was sure - she double checked and was then able to cancel them after all. She also stated that the funds would be returned to our account within 72 hrs. She also tried to "extend the risk free trial period" and offered me another great deal which I politely declined. The whole process took less than 5 mins. While listening to the menu prior to her taking my call I was given this web address: https://www.magcustomerservice.com/wss/home.do It seems that you can also cancel the subscriptions there as well.
ReplyDeleteLarry - Thanks for the info it was helpful!
Several people have put that web address in their posts...it does seem to work but I like to be able to 'talk' to someone. Reason being, I want to be sure that they cancel each and every one of the mags.
ReplyDeleteThe choice is yours really.
I am glad I could help and remember....pass this info along to as many people as you can.
Its funny how many people I personally know that have gone through this, but the only way I ever heard about their story was after telling them about this blog!
Jerry
Thank you very much man. Just called that number and although they couldn't help me, I was directed to their 'sister' company and it was resolved immediately. Woman said 3-5 days for the refund. Probably not going to shop at Finish Line ever again.
ReplyDeleteThe internet is a treasure trove.
thank you for posting this. maybe i'm naive but i'm just shocked that ulta would scam their customers like this. the employee asked if i wanted a free 1 year subscription to instyle right before i swiped my card. just makes me sick. also, i was charged for TWO subscriptions somehow, so i was out 60 dollars. i googled twx and thankfully i found this blog. i got a woman on the phone and she says she will reimburse my money so we will see what happens. as i was getting off the phone she even tried to sell me more subscriptions! i was shaking i was so angry, but i kept my cool. anyways i hope i get my money back.
ReplyDeletei am the person who commented above and i got all 65 dollars reimbursed!!! thank you so much
ReplyDeleteYou are very welcome.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping back and letting us know.
it worked for 2 out of 3 charges. They have no record of the 3rd magazine charge for InStyle mag, which I don't even receive. When I called the # on the credit card charge description, it said the number was temporarily out of service. I will now call credit card company and dispute the charge.
ReplyDeleteI would try calling the number I have listed in this blog again. Be nice and explain to the rep you get on the phone that you called before to cancel your mags but it seems like only 2 out of 3 got canceled.
ReplyDeleteAsk them (he or she)if they can help you cancel the 3rd one as well.
See what they come up with and stop back to let us know how it went.
I just called and was able to cancel 2 magazines and mark a 3rd for non-renewal. However, they told me that my credits would be $2-3 less than the original charges (which just hit my credit card this week) due to issues they have already sent. I know it's only a few dollars - better than the $75 I was charged for the 2 magazines - but still seems sketchy since I called as soon as I saw the charges. Live and learn....
ReplyDeleteThanks for this blog. It really helped. We were hit for a little over 100.00 for three magazines subscriptions. I actually used phone numbers from my statement to get refunds, but this info was great because I was able to talk to someone to confirm the credits and cancel any future transactions. Once again, great blog. Eased my worries...
ReplyDeleteGreat Blog!! Thank you. I just got off the phone with my credit card fraud department. They are blocking all charges from TWX and reversing the last charge. In the past I had been able to call the number on my credit card statement and speak to someone to cancel the charge, this time the number I called was automated and there was no possible way I could get through to cancel the subscription because they were requesting an 11 digit subscriber number. I didn't have that on my bill or on the magazine. So I was stuck with no way to even cancel the charges and subscriptions. I had no other choice but to call my cc company. DON'T CANCEL YOUR CREDIT CARD. That will get you no where. I had to do that a month ago because of other fraudulent use, but sure enough this month with my new credit card number they gained access to it and were charging me for yet another subscription. I truly think THE MEDIA NEEDS TO EXPOSE THEM. We individuals are victims of them and they need to be exposed on a larger level. It's just wrong.
ReplyDeleteIn the past when I was able to speak to a rep, they were pleasant and cancelled the subscriptions. However over time, I was left with a toll free number that was automated and there was no way to get through the system to cancel the subscription. In the past I was able to call the number and at least cancel the subscription through the automated menu. It's just gotten worse and worse. Hopefully my credit card company can block their charges. I'll find out once they investigate. Very Helpful blog with the key being that the number given must be the one that gets you through to a live person. This is just wrong!!! If anyone has access to media, please do tons of people a favor and have them expose this company. And always do good deeds because it's so worth it to everyone involved. What goes around comes around. So sorry for so many of us that have become victimized by TWX.
called twx magazine since they charged me 29.95 through paypal. They said they didn't have any record, and told me to call Money Magazine. Turns out it was money magazine that charged me, even though my bill said TWX. It says wait 10-12 weeks for refund? Thanks for the blog, hopefully I get my refund sooner than that.
ReplyDeleteThank you Thank you Thank you!! I just noticed this morning I had 2 charges from this company. Last year at this time I was also charged but due to having a baby at the same time it was forgotten and never resolved. I thought they would be unable to charge me this year as I had gotten a new CC but it had the same number and they must have guessed the exp date and started charging again. After calling the number you provided and numerous times of hitting 0 I reached a person and hopefully have all subscriptions canceled and the two charges should be refunded to me!!!
ReplyDeleteThis worked! Well... I got a very nice guy in less than two minutes promising to give me a refund. We shall see... Thank you!!!
ReplyDeleteHi
ReplyDeleteSad to see that this blog is still going on. I too got a charge that was very random from this company. And the weird thing is I was working with the bank to close my account and the day they were to close this charge came through. I hadn't had any charges on this account in 2 months and them here they come. Luckily my bank is going to take care of this, but I'm glad to see that there is a blog with good advice. Thank you and good luck to all.
R
I received a miscilaneous $15 charge on my checking account, titled "TWX*MAG 800-586-5092" -- This, I discovered was linked to a promotion at Leohmann's, in which they offered a "FREE 3-month subscription," with the choice of 3 magazines. They continued to charge my card after the 3 months without my authorization.
ReplyDeleteThe phone number listed in association to this transaction is faulty -- the line rings then picks up for a second, then falls silent.
Thanks to the person who posted above, the real number is:
877-813-4977 - keep pressing "0", or you will get the runaround.
The girl who answered the phone asked me for my address, zip, first and last. She was confrontational, asked me to have my bank call for me, and hung up on me. I called back with my bank on the line and she astonishingly pulled my account and ended the cycle without incident.
(Talk about a shitty job! -- can you imagine the phone calls this chick deals with?!)
The company's website is:
https://www.magcustomerservice.com/wss/home.do
so helpful thank you sooooo freakin much! i was so frustrated with the voice autimated thing i wanted to kill something!!!! the 0 trick is just what i needed
ReplyDeleteThanks I appreciated this assistance. I got an estimated 160 dollar charge for 3 magazines. I followed the instructions here and the operator was very nice and helpful. Said I would receive a refund in 3 days, although I did enjoy reading Sports Illustrated, I really did not need to pay 46 dollars for it. Thanks again hopefully I will see the refund soon and before x mas.
ReplyDeleteI followed the same approach to get a refund for four subscriptions at a total of $158. One twist that I encountered is that the operator was very willing to give me a refund of "$138.55". I had my credit card statement in front of me when I made the call, and I could see that the refund offered was less than what I had been charged. I asked the operator about that and he told me that this was a "prorated" refund and that I had already received two issues after the renewal (even though I had just been billed on my latest statement). I reiterated that I had not renewed these subscriptions, and the operator told me that he would see if I was eligible for a full refund. I was put on hold for at least five minutes, and I believe that this was a deliberate ploy aimed at having me hang up in frustration with a less than full refund. The operator finally came back on the line and told me I would get a full refund within "72 business hours". My advice is to listen closely to the offered refund and challenge it if it's not in full.
ReplyDeleteI got the same smugly nice SOB. Point is they accessed and stole my money without authorization...right before Xmas and I'm broke.
ReplyDeleteI just called and, boy, what a runaround. The woman just kept throwing confusing counteroffers back every time I said I'd like to cancel. I had to bite my tongue a few times, but just kept saying CANCEL.
ReplyDeleteHope it works.
I just called as well, she said I will never be charged again and all 4 magazines charges will be refunded. Let's see how it goes!
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot Jerry for your valuable info! Merry Christmas!
its simply great ! I just called and cancelled my three orders, even though they were very tiny amounts but I just wanst happy learning all that. Also, its been a month and I didnt receive a single issue so I thought this thing might be scam. With my surprise when I called I came to know also there there were some other upcoming charges that I never even ordered or thought off and luckyly was able to cancel all of them
ReplyDeleteJust an update, I have received the refund from all 4 magazines after 3 days of calling. The total charge was $127 and I was refunded $116. So I lost $11 even though she said I would have a complete refund.
ReplyDeleteJust a suggestion, the representative told me I could have 3 months extra for free, I can still cancel it then and get my full refund (she said so). Maybe you should do that and call before it ran out. Logically they wouldn't charge you anything at all, but you should ask to clarify.
My problem is that I NEVER had a trial subscription, nor did I receive any magazines. I called my bank and told them about the charges and that I googled the company and found it was a scam. They are going to credit my account, but how can I call TWX to cancel a subscription I never had? Or tell them that I "enjoyed the magazines" when I received none??
ReplyDeleteThat is a strange one. One that I have not come across.
ReplyDeleteI think it might still be worth calling them and seeing if they can look you up via your personal information, because if it happened once, it will happen again a year from now!
Just call me Mr. Very Angry...
ReplyDeleteCalled the number on 12-29-2010 after receiving two charges to my Chase account. The message says "due to severe weather in the Northeast your call may not be answered in a timely manner" (or something to that effect). Waited half a minute or so, an operator picked up, asked for my last name and zip code. I told them they were not authorized to make charges to my account, they said it was from a Steinmart purchase and that the first three months were free. They requested my full name and address which I reluctantly gave them, they pulled up all of the magazines associated with the address. I told them to cancel all of them and to reverse any charges. They said they would only be able to cancel the subscription and gave me a confirmation number (I worked for a telemarketing company, this is a number that merely refers back to your account records and is designed to appease you).
Filed with Chase as a fraudulent charge and requested they block all future transactions with them.
Going to call Steinmart and find out more details asap.
Will check back with you guys in about a week to let yall know the results.
WHAT AN OPEN-ENDED SCAM!
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!! perfect advice. you are amazing.
ReplyDeleteEven 2 years later, it still worked great! Spoke to an operater within seconds of requesting. He tried to get me to reconsider or try other options, but just be firm. State that you would not like to continue and would like a full refund.
ReplyDeleteThank you!!
You are a lifesaver! Thank you so much
ReplyDeleteI just called to clear up a $45 charge. It went very quickly. Basically I said I got charged $45 and I wanted to know what it was for. He told me. Then I asked him to cancel all of my subscriptions (even though I only have one to my knowledge). He immediately said I would get the money back with 72 hours and I would not receive any more magazines.
ReplyDeleteNOTE: I called these bastards several months ago to clear up 3 charges and asked them to cancel all subscriptions at that time. They actually credited me all of my money except for $7.xx. I ended up paying the 7.xx because I didn't want to mess with them anymore. I wonder if this has happened to anyone else...
Anyways, I have learned my lesson and I am canceling the credit card they have been charging, I don't use it anymore.
Just want to say thank you to the creator of this blog. Rock n Roll.
Thank you so much. I had actually called the automated line to cancel these magazines and received a cancellation number and everything. I called the number you provided and he said they spelled my name wrong so one magazine did not get cancelled but he went ahead and acancelled it and is refnding my money. Thanks again for the information.
ReplyDeleteJust to follow up with more information, apparently, there are multiple outlets that work under the TWX designation. The 888 number given above is one, but the one that most seem to need is for Time/Life. It is 800-541-1000. I called this number and was satisfied with the result. PLEASE, PLEASE make sure to follow the wording given in the origingal response. Make sure to have the operator repeat that there are NO more chagres pending and that there will be NO future charges to your CC.
ReplyDeleteGot my refunds! Thanks for the blog - very helpful.
ReplyDelete