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Four Wheeler Magazine shenanigans!

2K views 15 replies 10 participants last post by  Infernozx 
#1 ·
Guess what I just got?

It's a "Collection Notice" because I didn't renew my subscription to Four Wheeler Magazine. Yes, that's right. I used to get it last year, and paid in advance for a year, which ended this summer. I got a year's worth of magazines, which I paid for, and they ended right on time. Because I wasn't sure of where my job would take me, and not wanting to have the future tennants of the house receive my subscription, I didn't renew.

Well, now they (Four Wheeler) sent the matter to a Collection Agency, to try to get the money out of me. I DIDN'T RENEW! Boy, this has me steamed. This is the first anything from them since May/June when the subscription ran out.

The letter reads:

"We all make mistakes. I'm sure most of us want them cleared up as quickly as possible. That's why your name was referred to us by the publisher of Four Wheeler.

The publisher tells us you placed an order (I did not), received their magazine (I did not), and have failed to pay the $11.97.

Possibly you have forgotten to send your check. You can easily correct the situation by sending us a check or money order payable to National Credit Audit Corporation.

The publisher has turned your account over to us for collection."

I called to rip them apart, but it's only an automated line, no human available.

Now you couldn't PAY ME to get their magazine. I can see if the magazine hounds you to renew, but this is just a scare tactic I won't fall for.

Watch out for them. I've never had another magazine do this, so I'll continue with others that haven't ended yet.

Just FYI to you all.

JEEPN
Winter Harbor, Maine
'81 CJ-8 Scrambled, It's a Jeep, Chevy, IHC kinda thing!
'88.5 Zuki, 7" Lift, Locked, Swamped, Rolled, and just generally broken in right!
 
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#2 ·
That's insane. When I didn't renew my subscription (years ago), they just called and called to hound me to renew. This is the first time that I heard them doing that. If the collection agency is just an automated line, who do you call to get it straightened out?
I plan on letting my JP subscription run out and hope they don't use the same tactic.
I hope you can get everything cleared up for those jokers and nothing is shown on your permanate credit report.

Rick
80 CJ7
 
G
#3 ·
I don't think this can be handled with a phone call. The phone provides no documentation that the matter discussed.
1. Make them prove you signed up for a new subscription by sending you a copy of the document, if they can.
2. Send copies of all your correspondance with the collection agency, credit bureau or magazine to the fraud division of the state Attorney General's Office.
3. Notify the credit bureaus that the dispute is going on and copy them, too.
Mean while I'll write and cancel my subscription. Thanks for the post.
ED

 
G
#4 ·
Hey Mark, I can send you over my copies!! God knows they dont' do me any good. Why wouldn't you want to renew?? Tons of great info, Not!! Here at the hospital, I get at least two letters a month stating that I have not paid a bill of some sort for items we don't have. It's a scam. It's tough to keep track of who has paid for what. I have gotten a few bills from Four Wheeler at home too. I get them too often, and from different companies. Have to be careful who you send the checks to. I ordered a subscription through Barnes and Noble once. When it came time to renew, I got a bill from Barnes and Noble, the Magazine themselves and the publisher!!

J-ust
E-nough
E-ssential
P-arts
 
#5 ·
That sucks, problem witht hat is, no matter how much you prove them wrong, it can still show up on your credit report as something going to collections, then you have to go thru the hassle to clear that up.

pbm
There is a difference between being Educated and Intelligent!
 
#6 ·
The automated line I called was setup so when you typed in your 19 number (that's right, 19) file number, it knew what you were calling about and shunted you to several resonses. One of them was,

"If you did not renew", so I pressed it, and it said I was all set.

It's one thing to get a letter like this, it's another to not even have the opportunity to talk to a human. I was hoping to press "0" or something like that, but they said , "If you have a rotary phone or wish to speak to a customer service representative, please mail a letter". I couldn't believe it.

I agree however, that a letter should be sent and will work on it over the weekend, sending a copy both to Four Wheeler and the credit agency.

Oh yeah, I missed the portion on the back that says:

"NOTICE: This notice is given pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. We hereby inform you that unless you notify this office within 30 days after receiving this notice that you dispute the validity of this debt or any portion thereof, this office will assume the debt is valid. If you notify this office in writing within 30 days from receiving this notice, this office will: obtain verification of the debt or obtain a copy of a judgement and mail you a copy of such judgement or verification. If you request this office in writing within 30 days after receiving this notice this office will provide you with the name and address of the original creditor, if different from the current creditor. "

JEEPN
Winter Harbor, Maine
'81 CJ-8 Scrambled, It's a Jeep, Chevy, IHC kinda thing!
'88.5 Zuki, 7" Lift, Locked, Swamped, Rolled, and just generally broken in right!
 
G
#7 ·
JEEPN,

Do make sure to inform the larger credit agencies. Even though you may settle the issue w/ Four Wheeler, the credit agencies may not get informed and you may have a tainted credit history even though the matter was cleared up.

Type 6-"Woodlands" '82 CJ'7
Type 2-"Occasional 'froader" '96 ZJ
 
#8 ·
They have a number I'm sure.
Its just a matter of getting this number.
Call four wheeler if possible..I'd assume you could get a hold of someone there.
Try to talk to someone in charge..
Have them take care of it and one would assume they might even give you a free subscription and take care of it.
Call the better business bureua possibly?
Good luck
That would make me mad too

78 CJ7
Spring over 33's
4.3L V6, TH350
 
#9 ·
Another thing to look into is what happened to me. When we moved, the next tenant renting my father's house got an offer for one of those CD clubhouses where you pay for so many and get so many more. The offer was made to me, so the guy sent it in with a "pay later" checked off and signed my name and put my new address as the billing address. For some reason, the CD place sent something like $100 in CDs to his address and didn't bother to notify me until a collection agency billed me at my new place. It took the writing and requesting of documents to clear it up. You might have had the same problem. Look into it. I've had a subscription with these guys before (and still do as a present from my in-laws) and when I cancelled it last time, they left me alone.

I would check on ALL the possiblies first, but then again, weren't they just bought out....?

Fritz

Jeep...need I say more?
 
G
#10 ·
They did a similar thing with me. My subscription ended. All of a sudden I was getting overdue notices in the mail. I did plan on re-subscribing and did so, so I avoided what you went through.

But I do remember thinking how arrogant they were.

MikeG

 
#11 ·
There is one thing to understand/know/remember/beware about ANY magazine subscription... and that is often the "Deal" you sign up for obligates you to re-subscribing at the expiration of the "Deal" automatically. Here's what happens.

1. You sign up for a subscription.
2. The "deal" includes the auto-re-subcription, and you:
a. Didn't read the fine print.
b. The fine print wasn't there...
c. Read it and didn't understand it...
3. The "deal" subscription expires.
4. The company re-enters a subscription for you at "X" rate, often more than the price for which you first subscribed.
5. You get the bill on automatically on your credit card and:
a. Ignore it, 'cuz you don't look at the statements.
b. Fight it, but the find out about the re-subscription clause.
c. Get pissed (my reaction).
6. If paid by check (Checque for you Canadians) then you get a notice telling you your re-subscription has not been paid for... and is past due.
7. You didn't re-subscribe... so you ingore the next five notices.
8. You ignore the Dunning letters from the collections agency.

So much for a "good deal." /wwwthreads_images/icons/mad.gif

 
#12 ·
Petersons pulled that on me, I refused to pay it, When the "collection" notice arrived I pitched It. My wife located it, and believing that I was being Bull headded and screwing up our credit She payed it. I am now pissed I recieve 3 mags that basicaly are worthless. I am dropping my sub to all of them. I get more practical info here and this is free.

97 TJ 31's and mostly stock but seeing what I can do about that..
 
#13 ·
I've had the same thing happen with a couple of mags, I've always just tossed the collection thingie, they eventually stop sending them. Never had anything bad come up on my credit report.
Don't know for sure, but I doubt the Mags even report to the credit agencies. They don't have your SS# or any "personal" info, which it seems like would be neccessary.
Might want to call Four Wheeler and tell them to fix it.
Four Wheeler doesn't have it together anyway, I've got a friend with a subscription the gets 2 copies everymonth. Not one of those miss-spelled address deals either, exact same mailing lable on both of them.

-Derek Schwab
'97 Sidekick Sport
'83 CJ-7
 
G
#14 ·
I went thru the same crap with 4 Wheeler Mag, I renewed my subsription for two years and then they sent me threatning letters that my subscription was going to run out. So after numerous phone calls I finally got to a real person and cancelled and even got a refund, that was three years ago and to this day I refuse to buy their magazine.

Edder

Do you smell that?/wwwthreads_images/icons/tongue.gif
 
#15 ·
FYI, for subscrition inquiries phone 800-777-0555. Customer Service # is 800-274-1971. For editorial letters, write Four Wheeler, 6420 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048-5515. Should I choose not to renew, they will not get away with that crap with me.

Tim
'66 Jeepster Commando w/Buick 252/4.1L V-6
'70 Wagoneer w/Buick 350 V-8
'76 Wagoneer w/AMC 401 V-8 (sold)
 
#16 ·
SEND IT TO THE TOP!

Write a formal letter. Chew them out, in a diplomatic kind of way.
Write it clean, and with some complicated words.

Then send it to the collection agency and the mag company.
Address it to the head of the company, not the drones that sit on computers and just push paper around.
If that doesn't work, send it off to the media.
Get a big whoop-la going and companies don't like that. (You can often threaten to inform the media in your letter to get them to take notice of it.)

It's pretty pathetic sending it through a collection agency for $11.XX

I remember buying from a catalogue one time (before the net was big) and not getting what I wanted. After making the girl on the phone break down and cry because she was incompitent and refused to pass it up to her supervisor, I was proptly called back about how there would be a lawsuit because I made her cry and hurt her feelings.

Anyways. The drones on the phones have no power. They don't make decisions. But, to get what you want, document everything for yourself.
Take names of everyone you talk too. When you get rejected, or don't get your way, just politely ask them for their company info (name & serial number) normally scares the crap out of them, without even threatening them.

 
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