Magazine scams: Naughty Business of the Week
Door-to-door magazine sales have been around for ages, but watch out for the hard sell, warns the Better Business Bureau of Greater Baltimore.
The BBB has received more than 1,100 complaints from 46 states and Washington, DC about door-to-door magazine sales --- usually people who look like high school or college students, some of whom say they are selling to raise money for troops overseas. Or that they won't get to eat today if you don't buy now?
Common complaints, in addition to the heavy pressure to buy, include not receiving the magazines that have been paid for.
But here's a tip regarding door-to-door sales:
The Federal Trade Commission has a three-day cooling-off rule that allows consumers to cancel purchases greater than $25 not made in the seller's permanent place of business.
It won't work for cars, real estate or crafts purchased at a fair, but it would definitely cover these sorts of sales.
Here's a list of the magazine sales companies that have generated the most complaints, according to the BBB:
* Trinity Public Relations in North Carolina and Seedtime Publications in South Carolina, both owned by the same couple, registered 286 complaints. Complainants report not receiving the subscriptions they paid for and some allege sales reps used high pressure sales tactics. Trinity Public Relations was closed down by the North Carolina attorney general and Seedtime Publications has also closed in South Carolina.
* Prestige Sales, LLC garnered 33 complaints from 12 states. Consumers said they didn't receive their magazines and were told lies about what the funds were being raised for.
* Michigan City, IN-based Omni Horizons Inc., which has received 122 complaints from consumers in 17 states according to the BBB Serving Northern Indiana;* Chesapeake, VA-based True Visions Inc., which has received 82 complaints from 13 states according to the BBB of Greater Hampton Roads;
* Memphis-based Greater Image, Inc., which has received 71 complaints from 16 states according to the BBB serving the Mid-South; and,
* Seattle-based Fresh Start Opportunities, which has received 66 complaints from seven states according to the BBB serving Alaska, Oregon and Western Washington.
