Sunday, January 25, 2009

The Game...

TWX Magazines is a company with a pretty shady method of making a profit.
While the actual game they use to leverage monies is not illegal, it is earning them a top spot in the list of shady companies.

Here are the basics.
They partner up with a retailer (music store like FYE, electronics store like Best Buy, etc.) and have them push 'unbelievable magazine deals' at the checkout. Perhaps you can remember being at a checkout and having the clerk push a magazine sale on you.
Some of them are a 'free 3 month' subscription to 'up to 3 magazines of your choice' and some are variations of this.
What you end up finding out is, they charge this to your credit or debit card you are paying for your items with (originally at the store) and the card information is passed along to TWX who along the line sends you info about your new 'free/cheap' subscription in the mail.
This information will generally consist of a very nice welcome message and a 'terms' clause informing you that at any time during the offer you can cancel.
This is true, you can cancel but they also bank on the fact that you will throw away mail you perceive as 'junk mail' ... you know like one mailed from say, TWX Magazines!
After all, your brain simply remembers agreeing to get Time, Better Homes and Gardens, Hot Rod, etc. because when you signed up for them there was no mention of TWX Magazines!

48 comments:

  1. Jerry's right. In my case, it was when I
    connected to a TV satellite company. I called
    1-877-813-4977, as suggested by Jerry (see below) and they and followed his instruction. I continued to punch zero until I spoke with a 'real' person. I told her I had not authorized these charges and she took them off. She said it might take one to two billing cycles for them all to come off. Randy

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  2. They got me too. Back in December of '08 I ended up with 4 charges of $42 each on my bank account. I panicked because it was right before Christmas and my shopping was far from done. I ended up finding TWX's 800 online, called and was thankfully able to get the charges removed. However, another charge for $42 from TWX showed up on my account again on 6/5/09. I was floored and of course annoyed. I just called them using the 800# posted by Jerry above and they said that they would give me the refund, hopefully they will. I asked them to ensure that it would not happen again. So...fingers crossed! What a shady outfit...I wish I had seen this blog a year ago! Thanks!

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  3. Thank you SO much for all of this information! I went through so much trouble with these people, and your blog was very helpful in finding out the truth in the midst of all of the many many complaints out there. Thank you!

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  4. I called and the lady was more than willing to help me since I was nice about it and understood the situation

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  5. HELP INFO:::
    The company is Synapse Group, Inc. and the number is 800 607 9869. The company's address is 285 High Ridge Road, East Building, Stanford, CT 06905. They got my information from Fandango.com and charged me from a ticket for a movie that i purchased in 2006. The charge was for $29.00. If you call the number and continue to press '0' and 'no' then you should be able to talk to an operator and then ask for a supervisor, DON"T give them any more information than the authorization number from you statement then ask them to cancel it! Then please report it to the FTC.com to stop this from happening to us!

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  6. You're a savior! What's interested is they don't offer "0" for an operator anywhere in the recording. I didn't even know I could talk to anyone until I found this. Thank you so much!

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  7. Thank you SO much for the 800 number. I did NOT want the 3 mags I had been charged $29 ea for to automatically renew again, and I think their system of sending you a nondescript postcard is VERY shady. I should have found this months ago and got the ones from last year refunded, but...lesson learned. Their menu options were much shorter this time than the last time I called; they must be realizing that their "great news" gift options through 4 menus aren't fooling as many. Thanks for helping me get wise!

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  8. Thanks, I've just called 1-877-813-4977 and repeatedly pressed zero without even listening to the automated system. I "unsubscribed" (did I ever subscribe??) from two of the three magazines I was receiving. They promised the charges would be reversed and a new term would start for the remaining magazine.

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  9. Hmm.. I hear your complaints each and every single day, but you can't blame TWX for companies not telling their workers to give the proper information. It is provided for them to read to you, but it is their choice whether they do it or not. The ones you should be upset with is the people that offer half the details. The company is a legit company and provides the proper information to all customers when they call.

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  10. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  11. I only posted the above comment (from someone who works at TWX?)in order to address their beef with the people who are upset about the way they do business.
    First, we CAN blame TWX because they know full well that the method they use in order to get subscription money is shady as hell.
    I would like the above person to imagine any other company they deal with (insurance company, phone company, etc.) going about renewals in the same manner!
    I have automatic drafts from my bank account in the form of auto and business insurance, cell phone, home phone and a few others....in each case, I get an email reminding me in advance that the funds needed will be drafted from my account on a specific date! It does not come from an email address that I do not know...nor does it come in the form of a snail mail letter or card from some bizarre company I never heard of (i.e. A Sprint bill comes from an email from Sprint...snail mail from Sprint comes with the Sprint name and logo all over the place....not some crazy acronym I never heard of)
    Get the picture?
    The people here have a right to be upset because of the way your employer does business.
    I would have sent this right to you, but you posted Anonymously....go figure.

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  12. Well first off the company gives the information to let customers know that it is going to be charged a continued service. If you call companies like JCPenney's Sears Barnes and Nobles companies that are shady, then you basically are calling all business companies shady. I am talking from a personal view as a customer my self. If somebody offers me something for free, I would prefer to not take it due to the fact that their is always a catch. In every company, their is a catch. So you can't blame a company if people don't ask questions. As for the people getting given half the info, I think that is shady that someone else would do that to people. That is the world we live in though. People care only about themselves and not about others. I garentee if everyone from the companies that passes us the information gave the correct information. Their would be no complaints. So I offer my sympathies to them. I work for the company and I am giving insight from what I hear on a day to day basis. It isn't our companies fault.

    Ex. Would you blame the family if a kid makes a bad? All I am going to say.

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  13. Again, you are missing the point.
    I am going to paste your above post in this one and address each element where I feel like you are missing the issue. My words shall be inside (~parenthesis).....

    Well first off the company gives the information to let customers know that it is going to be charged a continued service. If you call companies like JCPenney's Sears Barnes and Nobles companies that are shady, then you basically are calling all business companies shady.
    (~I am not blaming those companies. It is not the business where you signed up for the mags that is the real issue)
    I am talking from a personal view as a customer my self. If somebody offers me something for free, I would prefer to not take it due to the fact that their is always a catch. In every company, their is a catch. So you can't blame a company if people don't ask questions.
    (~Again, it is not the 'auto renewal' that is the big catch....it is the fact that you are expecting individual renewal notices from the magazine i.e your trial period for Better Homes and Garden magazine is up so you should get a post card or letter from 'Better Homes and Garden' not some other company that could easily be disregarded as junk mail)
    As for the people getting given half the info, I think that is shady that someone else would do that to people. That is the world we live in though. People care only about themselves and not about others. I garentee if everyone from the companies that passes us the information gave the correct information. Their would be no complaints.
    (~I guarantee if TXW sent mailings that looked similar to that which you would get from the mag company itself, there would be no need for this blog!)
    So I offer my sympathies to them. I work for the company and I am giving insight from what I hear on a day to day basis. It isn't our companies fault.
    (~ Explain why it is so hard to find a way to contact your company? Then explain to us why its phone system is set up in a way as to frustrate the user into just hanging up. Then ask yourself why it is that your sole purpose at your company is to deal with angry people. I own my own construction company and if I did business the way your company does business, I would not have made it our of my first year!)

    Ex. Would you blame the family if a kid makes a bad?
    (~ I would if the parents reaction to the kids behavior was 'hey, its not my fault' and then they took no actions at all to fix or improve the situation...yes, yes I would blame them....wow)
    All I am going to say.

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  14. Again, I feel like you are missing the point all together.
    Your company could very easily fix the disconnect between its customers and them. I would bet that the bulk of angry calls to your phone center is the direct result of the situation described here (and think about how many never even get through due to the way the automated machine is designed to make them give up!).
    I don't know what else to say to you to help you understand where the problem is. Go back and re-read the blog itself from beginning to end.
    As far as this question..."Ex. Would you blame the family if a kid makes a bad?"....if the parents of said kid had the attitude 'hey, its not our fault' and then did nothing to try to fix or improve the situation, then yes, yes I would blame them! Wow

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  15. Thanks for this blog! I hope it will help me Do you happen to know the hours of operation? I just called the number you gave. I pressed zero and was in the queue for 11 minutes. There was background music the entire time during the cycle but it would stop for a few seconds like the call was being directed to someone, yet for a second there nothing on the other end. A few seconds later, the music would start again. Then that music stopped again and *click* silence, and finally a dial tone. It is Sunday and the day after Christmas so maybe no one is manning the phones.

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  16. Due to the Holiday, you are probably correct here.
    Try again first thing Monday morning.

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  17. Mostly same comments as others. We were charged 39.00 per year for Runners World by TWX against our credit card. Runners World is available from the publisher for 24 issues for $24.00. The agent at 800-586-2710 stated it started at Victoria's Secret. Do not know how. When we tried to cancel at Runners World they stated we could not because we purchased the magazine from an agent (TWX)
    If you want to get it done you must be persistent and keep saying "No". Do not give them any information except for your name and address and reference number for the charge. If they ask for your credit card number refuse to give it. Also refuse any offers they are trying to give you. They are not your "friend"

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  18. Update to January 5, 2011 post.
    Received from Runners World customer service
    Subject

    Magazine Subscription



    Discussion Thread


    01/10/2011

    Dear xxxxx

    "Thank you for contacting Runner's World Magazine.

    Our records show your order was placed through Synapse, a third party agency. To cancel the automatic renewal under your account, you will need to call the agency at 877-210-0582. .

    If you have additional questions, please feel free to contact us or you can visit http://www.rodaleinc.com/customer-service/frequently-asked-questions."

    Sincerely,

    xxx
    Runner's World Magazine Customer Service
    www.runnersworld.com

    This is an useless unacceptable response from RW. Poor customer service.
    The charge on our credit card is from TWX. We have no idea who Synapse is. Synapse as pertaining to magazine subscriptions does not show up when using Google.
    RW is saying you cannot stop the subscription with us. You must call the agent.
    What a merry-go-round.
    Buyers beware of TWX/Synapse/ or whoever they are.

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  19. Did you call the number I have listed and follow the directions....and if so, did they in turn give you a refund?
    If you are being charged by TWX, then the information in this blog should get you your money back (perhaps prorated if there have been issues shipped).

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  20. Jerry,
    Thank you for this list and your assistance.
    The response from Runners World came after my initial post of January 5.
    I only contacted the number listed in my first post. We are waiting to find out if a credit is issued to our card.
    As matters progress or regress we will keep you in the loop.

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  21. Ok, that is what I figured just by reading the posts.
    See what happens and if you do not get the results you want, then I would say to give the information given here a shot.
    Thanks for coming back to keep us up to date and I hope you can get this resolved soon.

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  22. Jerry,
    We have received a partial credit for the subscription to Runner World on our credit card statement. We find the credit acceptable because we did receive some issues.
    Bottom line is TWX charged us 39.00 for a 12 month subscription that one can purchase from the publisher for 12.00.
    Thank you to you and all the posters on this list. Without gathering pieces of information from different sources this task would have been more difficult.
    I hope we have added some useful information also.

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  23. I told them to cancel it and then I found out I was still charged for it!

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  24. Start the process over again. I don't know why, but sometimes they seem to drop the ball in taking care of it. Just do it again and follow all the steps.
    Come back and let us know how it works out.

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  25. Happy to know I am not alone.

    I am so careful with this stuff. I hope I am not caught in a merry go round at this point... 72 hours is the call at this point. We will see...

    Glenn

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  26. Called to cancel 4 magazine subscriptions in May 2010. Then in Oct. 2010 I had renewal charges for 3 magazines but didn't look at my stmt until today. March 2011 again, renewed 3 of my subscriptions. This is getting me very angry by now. The only magazine I liked, I couldn't afford. In my frustration, I hung up after holding 20 minutes and used the automated cancellation service. I now have a confirmation # to confirm the transaction but in all the time I spent on the phone call, they never said they would cancel immediately. They said after my subscription expired...well that's how this whole mess started and I want to get off this merry go round. HELP. I will report this to the FTC.

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  27. Thank you very much, this was so helpful.

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  28. Thank you! I also didn't know about the "0" option! I was getting highly irritated with it until I googled and found this! The guy said that the magazines would be canceled but I would still get the two months worth (I hope these are free and that they do stop afterwards) ...but ahh, I will never ever make the mistake of signing up for this stuff ever again. You live and you learn I guess.

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  29. Ran into this situation myself. I recalled the likelihood of this happening when I originally got my RW subscription for $3 or something like that but wasn't diligent enough to note the company or phone number to call about the renewal when it was due. I also forgot to note which card I used for the original subscription so it took some investigating to finally find the right account. When I called RW initially, they gave me the 877-210-0582 number to call about my subscription. Initially when I called TWX I didn't press or say anything and eventually was informed by the automated voice that I would be connected to an operator. After some clicking and buzzing my call was dropped. I then tried again after seeing this blog (which I found by Googling the 877 number) and pressed 0. The automated voice actually urged me to try the automated service in lieu of speaking with an operator but I refused and was connected with a live person shortly thereafter. The gentleman I spoke with was nice and only asked for my last name and address to verify my account. I told him I wanted to cancel my RW subscription and he proceeded to do so explaining I would receive a partial refund for the remainder of my subscription. When he asked me why I wanted to cancel, I simply told him I preferred Running Times over RW (mostly true). Finally he said to wait 72 hours for the credit to appear. Once I see the refund I intend to report my card lost so as to ensure a new number is issued for that account and thereby cutoff any chances of further charges. Fortunately the card is one I rarely use so the short period I won't have a valid card is not an inconvenience. I'll post an update once the refund has been applied and I've initiated operation Account Number Change in case anyone else wants to try the same route.

    Thanks for the posts,
    Elijah

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  30. Update from Elijah:

    Received the reimbursement from TWX for the remainder of my subscription within 72 hours as promised. Also reported the card I used lost so my card company will issue me a new one with a new account number. Should ensure that I won't get charged again in the future. Still interested if TWX will try to renew my subscription again next year "for my convenience". It would appear that TWX is responding to the onslaught of negative remarks against their business practices.

    Thanks again,

    Elijah

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  31. That is good news!
    I would agree with you in monitoring your account for new charges.
    One reader here posted a great idea which was to set a reminder on you computer for next year (say, 11 months from when your account was debited)!
    Thanks for posting!

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  32. Thanks so much for the information. I *think* I have stopped charges to my checking account by using your suggestion of "0" with the phone tree. I had bought a purchase on-line and was offered a year of four mags for $2.00. I started receiving the mags but received no information about how/when to cancel. (This was last month.) This a.m. there was a pending charge in my account, and the TWX rep said it would have been for $87.00 for one of the mags, but that it was a "mistake".... She tried many ways to get me to continue the subscriptions which are "free" for now. I told her "no", please cancel them all now. Supposedly she did, but now I have to watch my account and possibly deal with their impossible phone system again.

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  33. I'm glad I found this post as I was searching for a phone number. (877-210-0582)

    Although I'm sure this is legal, from a principle standpoint this is poor biz practice.

    I called the number, spent 15 minutes canceling $160 in subscriptions via an automated system (which by the way is very sales driven, almost pushy, itself). They ask you 4 questions trying to get you to extend before allowing you to fully cancel (which you have to do for each mag you want to cancel).

    I still wanted to talk to a human to confirm I was getting a full refund. Well, of course I was not getting a FULL refund, it was prorated (I was billed for 1 month on each of the 4 magazines). I had to request a full refund while talking to a human to get back my cash. She didn't offer this option to me either. I had to seek it out myself and ask her if it was possible.

    It's a shame that they operate like this. I wouldn't have minded extending one of my subscriptions but I don't want to support a company like TWA so I am happy to spend my money elsewhere.

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  34. Exact same thing happened to me, I paid 6 bucks or something like that for 6 months of 3 magazines. Then I get charged without authorization for 90 bucks worth of subscriptions. I pressed 0 in their stupid automated phone system and got to an operator who didn't have an excuse for the horrible company he worked for. He tried to sell me a "special deal" which I didn't even give him the satisfaction that I was listening. They tried to prorate the refund for "magazines already received" I then demanded a full refund for the unauthorized charges. 3 days later I got a full refund on my credit card. This company is scum of the earth.

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  35. I have a similar story to all those posted here except that when I called the company to have the charges explained it said that they were from an "online survey." How my taking a survey authorized them to charge my credit card after some other purchase I made I'm not sure and this is indeed a very shady way to do business. As for the "anonymous" posted from earlier, (yes I know it was years ago but I simply must say it) the assertion that it is the consumer's fault for not asking the "right" questions and being misled into accepting auto renewal is like saying a patient is at fault when a doctor fails to notify them that a particular medication they are on may fix there problem now but can or will cause cancer in X amount of years. It's not really something you would think to ask if you aren't in the business of knowing about it. As for the charges I called the company and hopefully will be receiving my refunds soon (after the arduous and extremely frustrating process of the automated telephone system) but in the meantime I called my bank and blocked all further transactions with this company from ever being able to take place again.

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  36. FYI
    When I successfully cancelled our Runner's World over priced subscription held by TWC I called this# 800-586-2710.
    I talked to live person. Just keep asking for your refund and say no to everything else. When they asked for for my credit card number. I said you already have it. Use the one you are billing me on.
    Hope this helps!

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  37. I just wanted to say thank you to the blogger that posted this. I made a purchase at JC Penny and they asked me if I wanted to see if I qualified for their JC Penny card which would give me a discount on my item. I said yes, and sure enough I qualified and was also going to get 3 complementary magazine subscriptions I could cancel after the 3 month trial if I chose not to continue with them. Well, I got a discount on my item that day, still haven't received my JC Penny card and made sure to cancel all three subscriptions, getting confirmation numbers for each, after the first magazines came in the mail. I'm aware of scams, so I wanted to be sure to cancel them all to prevent any mishaps but of course, my credit card ended up getting billed anyways 4 months later. After trying to get a hold of the company and getting nowhere, I came across this and everything was handled, literally, in about five minutes. Thank you so much for taking the time out of your schedule to help other people with this problem. It helped me a bunch and I truly appreciate it.

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  38. I just called and said what you said and they were very nice and cancelled my subscriptions and said my money should be refunded so well see.

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  39. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  40. Thank you so much for The Cure. TWX said my money would be in the bank within 24-72 hours. I was waiting to file a fraud alert with the bank as my checks are overdrawn with the $119.00 charges, and I needed to wait through the weekend until it was posted to my account.

    Thank you for your blogging.

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    Replies
    1. I don't see how TWX is the scam artist. The real scam is the company who sold you the "free subscription". I signed up at second spin in Denver and the guy said I would NOT be automatically charged for additional magazines. Sure enough 6 months later I get a TWX charge. I called TWX and the operator politely canceled everything and I got a FULL refund the NEXT day. I would agree being nice to them is the best way to get your refund (catch more flies with honey). I received 6 months of free magazines from TWX, why would I be mad at them? No I do not work for them either.

      Delete
  41. Thank you for posting all this information! I called 877-463-3032 and spoke with someone within two minutes. Supposedly my account will be credited within one-two billing cycles. But based on all the people posting here about getting charged after cancellation, I will have to pay close attention to my credit card bills!

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  42. FYE are a bunch of scammers. They must have sold my CC information to TWX without my knowledge, and that's how I ended up with 4 magazine subscriptions. This has got to be illegal.

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  43. Just cancelled my RW subscription, but not without the "sales person" attempting to keep me as a paying stooge. TWX is basically a company making its money by charging "customers" (and I use that word loosely) 2 to 3 times more than the normal subscription price one can get directly through the magazine publisher. The only benefit of this type action is to TWX. To defend this business practice is absurd.

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  44. http://twxmagazines.com/ i just called the guys at this number thats on there homepage and complained i got a actual person right off the bat and i told him how dumb it is i dont want your magazine he finally finds my file after they messed up my name obviously but didnt mess it up while billing me...anyways i told this man my problem he looked at my still pending charges and said hes going to take care of it this better work or im calling back!

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  45. This was an issue for me for a long time as well! I was charged around $60 and only after calling their customer service line (two hours of run around and offers to get me to resubscribe) did I cancel all subscriptions and get a refund. And my refund was only around $45 dollars!! If the problem persists after you have tried calling and emailing TWX Magazines, contact your bank and they will pursue getting your money back and possibly take some legal action. This is what my bank told me (after an hour of working up the ladder to the head of visa services). Even after I canceled all my subscriptions, I am still receiving magazines, but have not been charged for them yet. If they charge me again I will be calling them and then calling my bank. This is ridiculous! Keep documentation of the charges, date, and names of the people you have been in contact with from TWX as well for solid proof!! Hope this helps guys! And I hope they stop sending me magazines!!!

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  46. Vielen Dank für die Ausführliche Darstellung echt einige gute
    Topics wieder dabei. Ich teile deinen Beitrag auf jeden Fall bei Facebook und Google

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    Replies
    1. Translation:
      Thank you for the detailed presentation really some good
      Topics again. I'll share your contribution with Facebook and Google

      Delete