HandyMan Club of America / Scout.com review: lifetime membership renewal? 140

I have been was a life time member since the company started my # [protected].i have not received any magazines for a long time now and cant even get any body on the phone .what a scam, there has to be some kind of law suit against this company ?

I joined as a Lifetime Member, paid in full, and then upgraded to Master! I received the patches and some junk. For the first few years, I received and enjoyed Hany magazine, the trial test product section, although I was never selected to test, and continued to receive the magazine! Suddenly, the magazine stopped coming! I found that Handyman Club had been sold to something called Scout!I researched Scout and found nothing but complaints about the organization, and several civil lawsuits over false advertising and misleading statements! They even claimed to have won a suit, that upon my calling the State of Michigan, I was informed it had not yet been to court! I to date, have never received any correspondence from Scout, Handyman or anyone affiliated with the organization. Upon contacting the California Department of Consumer Affairs, I proceeded to file a claim against Scout, who accepted all agreements made by Handyman when they purchased the Club! The States Attorney General office has informed me that they will begin attempting to contact Scout, and get everything resolved, or if they are unable to do so, the State will file a suit on behalf of members in California, to refund all monies and ask for damages, as well as punitive damages! I have no idea how many people are or were members who lived in California, but if the number is high enough, ma class action suit could be filed against Scout. Since I paid in full for the entire Master Club membership, I feel justified in getting a full refund! I have also spoken with two attorneys I keep on retainer, and asked they look into the matter. One is a criminal credit fraud attorney, and the other a civil and criminal prosecuting attorney! If I pay to sue Scout, it will be for significantly more than just a refund! It will be to close their doors!
I am the owner of an extremely large privately held corporation, and do not take kindly to being taken for any amount of money! I also will not tolerate false claims about my credit worthiness!

I have been a life time member for quite a few years and shortly after
I sent in my lifetime dues I quit receiving their magazine... I never received
any products to review as was promised in their literature... It has now been years since I heard ANYTHING from this club... I wrote several times asking for products to review but heard nothing in return... This club, I'm afraid is a scam... I would like to retrieve my club dues, if possible...

I too have a Lifetime Membership" maybe it means someone else's life and they died because I also have not seen a magazine since 2014. A previous writer mentioned and editor named Larry. What happened to him and how do we get him back. This present editor doesn't seem to know what he's doing or not doing as the case may be. There has to be a way to get to the bottom of all our lifetime problem with this company. I think each person should contact their state's Attorney General's Office. They have the power to pursue an inquiry that we all don't. I'm going to try it with CT's office. This whole thing really stinks.
Mary Stebbins #[protected]

I am a lifetime member for over ten years. After a couple of months I stopped receiving the magazine. Attempted to contact with the Handyman Club and they told me it will be taken care of. Nothing was done, so considered this a SCAM and never contacted them again.
The problem I'm having now, is that I get up to 4-5 phone calls per day looking for the Handyman Club. I keep telling these people that I'm not the Handyman Club and ask them where they got my phone number. They tell me that the number was given to them by the Handyman Club..This has been going on for at least 9-10 months.
As of May 06, 2016 I will be telling the callers that this is a SCAM and to report it to the Better Business Bureau.
I'm requesting that someone from the Handyman Club send me an e-mail telling me that this was taken care of. I will wait for a response until May 06, 2016. If I don't receive an adequate answer, I'm telling them as per above.
The telephone number they're calling is [protected], which is my HOME PHONE NUMBER.

I am a lifetime member [protected] and have stopped getting anything from Handyman for over a year. What has happened to my lifetime membership. I'm still living I expect to receive my benefits until then

my name is Tony Pitts I have a lifetime membership with you and I have not got magazine or the free test tools I was promised when I got the lifetime membership with you can tell what is going on with it? If you don't want to do your part in the membership I should get some of the money back that I paid to you or start getting all the magazines and test tools you owe me.
you can reach me at pitts_tony@hotmail.com

I am a Lifetime club member and was supposed to get the club magazine for life. I am not getting it. This is a not what I was promised. Also I was supposed to get trial tools, etc., not happening.

I have paid for my life member ship and there saying my member ship is canceled but Im still alive I paid in full. Life to me means till I die. NOT TILL THEY GET MY MONEY AND CANCEL ME.

i have not received a magazine in two years or more i think i received one or two after i paid the lifetime fee no one will answer us back this bull crap

To all the comments I have read I have to admit they are all exactly right! I myself have been a so called master life member since 2005! This was supposed to be the gold membership with these people! It untitled you to any and all offers handyman had to offer, the test tools, freebies, no more paying the yearly subscription for the magazine not to mention all the various discounts that a master life member was supposed to be intitled too! I quickly realized this was all a big joke have not heard from them since they got my money! Here in the last year they have started sending me notices telling me I need to renew my subscription! What? Lifetime membership ment never having to pay that again! But don't worry they will never get any of my money again and if anyone reading this has any smarts they will do the same, run away fast as you can it's all a money scam and don't worry when you tell them you are not satisfied you will not see a dime back you can count on that! 12 years and still waiting on my money back from these crooks! Thanks for nothing DScearce master life member since may 2005!

My husband had a lifetime membership. Stopped receiving magazines. Same thing happened to Gardening club of America for me, and North American Fishing Club for him. I think they were reputable companies that closed due to low funding. We have the internet now. But I still love my print and read books and magazines every day. SAD.

As a life member I have not received a mag. in over 3 years / What the HELL is wrong with your ccompany. I'm still alive and kicking Glyynn Price

I was also a Life Member and can't remember how much I paid for it. I think around $200 or maybe more. I got it by paying payments. I was one of the charter members of the club. I liked the magazine and a few years ago I started missing the magazine. No notice, but went to the site and found they had gone to an on-line only magazine. Not what I had signed up for, but still had access so I was ok with it. I just found a sticker I got from them and thought I'd look up the site. I don't remember going to scout before, but my link in Last Pass took me there. Nothing about Handyman Club of America. It's all sports related stuff now and nothing I am interested in. It really ticks me off that they did all these changes without even notifying Life Members. I paid for Life and thought I'd enjoy it until I died. I agree this was a total rip-off and someone there walked away with all of our money and left us High and Dry. Wish I could get a refund of at least half of the money I paid them, all of it would be better. Wish I could remember for sure how much it was, but that was a long time ago.

Same old story! There is only one thing you can do (and it will work). I talked with everybody I could and the company finally let me alone! When you talk with the collection agencies, warn them that they are about to be pulled into this mess, and it is going to get expensive. That's what I did, and they backed off BIG TIME! Collection agencies rely on threats, but their true colors shine through when THEY are threatened. Also, I notified Handyman IN WRITING that my attorney was advising me and what he said.I quoted them all the illegal things they were doing, and backed it up with dates and the law as it applied to this situation.BE TOUGH AND DON'T GIVE UP! Now, believe this! You will not get your money back; the best you can hope for is that they will leave you alone. I'm sorry, folks, but you have been screwed without even a kiss! I was too! Don't let anyone make you feel stupid. You aren't! Some of you are quite intelligent but this kind of crap happens all the time. It's just this evil world we live in. Get over it and move on. I'm angry too, but I can't fix it and I refuse to allow someone else to control me! That's what happens if we don't let it go! A very smart person once said "Be angry but do not sin"! Love and respect to all. geb

I too am pissed of the way they ran this organization into the ground. I complained years ago calling the club a farce.. promising this that and the other and then find out that it was not a club like the name implies... and the officers / presidents secretaries and treasures.. all in the same person... ran off with the money.. so now the promises made by the club's... handyman club of america and the north american hunting club and the north american fishing club and the north american cooking club are all defunct.. and they are now owned by some scout organization that has no money cause they pocketed all the monies sent to them and this all became a scam... one person and I wrote back and forth several times him telling me to calm down that the defunct clubs... not clubs.. organizations.. he was a well paid officer who accumulated wealth and many hunts and free tools and hunts... are al broke because some okried? fella escaped the world with all the money... and that scout will now be doing the new give away junk... no hunts.. no tools.. no guns... no safes... no freebies... just junk if you keep up with there lists and sign up everyday... like what in the hell... they knew who stole the money.. they know him and her by name... they know the accomplices... they know where they went... sounds like they all got a share and we all got the shaft... where are the free hunts.. where are the free tools.. where are the free hunting equipment... where are the free carpenter tools and other trips... where is the [censor] law... sounds like another [censor] trump deal and we all got the fake beads for our land... and as for the magazines we were getting? it went from paper to computer to nothing... sounds to me kemosabi that we got junk for our gold... while with the handyman club they offered a small but useful pull saw for a price? I have one that has seen its usefulness and would love to have another or a new blade... any help there handyman club of america? or did that get stolen also...

I have tried to phone, tried to find out how to change my address and there is no humanly possible way to do it on this web site, or any other I have tried, I finally found this, is there a possibility that I can change my address here? I am giving it to you in the hopes it can be done, thank you: Old Address::: L. B. Miller 55 Marmora St. Trenton Ontario Canada K8V 2H8 Life member # [protected]...New Address::::::::::
Valleyview #9 2736 19th Ave. S.E. Calgary Alberta Canada T2B 0A3 Again if you can help, it would be most appreciated, I have been everywhere trying to get this done

Ok, I have been a LIFETIME member of this club for over twelve years...It has been over three years since I received my bi-monthly LIFETIME Handyman magazine.
So, fearing to lose my membership, which has to be completely illegal, I went to the site and did what I needed to do, to locate some one to help me and would just get passed around.
I still have not received any magazines or free products as stated in the club membership. Please some one help me.

hing I have paid for?

I am really getting sick of these companies offering LIFETIME or UNLIMITED products only to try and screw you down the road!

since the handyman club was taken over by scout I have not received my magazine or even heard from them..

These people can't even talk to you li mom and live on the phone. What are we as LIFE TIME MEMBERS A BUNCH OF COMPUTERS ? We are human not computers. I've been a life time member for years and have wondered what happened to the communications that I have been receiving. Membership [protected].

There are only so many handyman tasks and project that can be written about before a handyman mag has used and subscribed itself out of business, which is what happened to HCOA; only they did not know or plan for such an eventuality. Hence they now find themselves chasing after customers and customer payments in hopes just of staying alive. It is doubtful anything resembling a dunning or collection notice is in anyway genuine and not just scare tactics. After all, HCOA is out of money and collectors do no work for free, even without results.

I am also a lifetime member and haven't received my magazine and can not contact you by phone. I have no email access, A friends is using her computer, which you may use to contact me, with your new phone numbers. Or any other contact. I would like all of my back issues of the magazines. I have moved and have also been suffering with medical issues, so it's possible you may think I've passed away. LOL As I mentioned I do not know how to do email, so you can contact me with my neighbors email: ineichen.kim@gmail.com I enjoyed the magazines and really enjoyed the testing.
Do you have any testing kits to sound proof a wall. If not, do you have any ideas that might help.

Thank you, Rodney Weninger.

I have also been a life member for over ten years. Each time I moved I sent my label and new address and the magazine followed. Last time I did this I was told the magazine was no more. I received no other communications from these folks NAHC and NAFC dropped their magazine too. What good is a life membership if they drop the main reason you bought the life membership? I miss my magazine and all the offers to sell me stuff I may or may not need in my workshop.
Dennis Cornell
Hot Springs, S.D.

My Uncle was a member. He passed away and left me all of his tools and remodeling equipment. One of the items is a Handyman Tough Test Plunger Router, 2hp, 12 amp. I cannot find the manual for this tool. All parts appear to be present including a set of 20 router bits.
The model number is QD6802R. Can anyone help me find a manual for this router? Thanks very much...
Tom Austin --- email--- tsaustinjr@justice.com

I have been a Lifetime member since May 2000. This was good the first year but after that it was a rip off. Like others I was billed for the magazine and I had to call to get the billing cancelled. They should have to refund the money I paid for the membership. Has made me leery to join any Lifetime membership ever again. I did not think it was legal to take the money then to stop contacting me.

I have same problem, I cannot find how to reactivate my lifetime membership. I have been a lifetime member since 2002 paid in full, have my membership number and all. I haven't heard anything in years.

Same condition...lifetime membership...approximately 9 years ago...no magazine or response for several years. Is this company still working? How to contact service department, how to get my magazines?
Charlie R Christian, 5680 Rachel Court, Hilliard, OH 43026

Just found my card.I have been a life member since 96 and was going to update.I haven't been to the site in over 8 yrs and am not sure if I updated after I moved or not.I can't find a page for the either. I haven't rec'd anything from the in at least that long. I just started to look up the site this morning when I see all these complaints.WOW spent a of money for something that does me no good now. Scott Hopkins Gibsonburg, Oh.

I had a Life Time membership since 2000 #[protected]. Handyman had dropped me around 2005 or 2006 time frame; not hearing anything from them. No magazines nothing. I always wondered what happened, but never reached out to see WHY, I was dropped. Maybe Life time membership, means a 5 year life span? I had a number of issues going on in that time frame and was in an accident with a long recovery. But I would like to see if they can reinstate me.

I am a life member, and have been since, well about 20 yr. then they just quit sending .I quit buying all there stuff so this club quit sending my magazines. When i try to contact them all i get is the run around, Just a pack of crooks, but that is my opinion. my member # [protected].

If I'm a Master Lifetime Member! Why should I have to RENEW? I have Paid my dues for this..
The last thing that they sent me was in 2010.. I want my magazines.. Mr. Larry Okrend, Executive Director for Handyman Club of America.. You need to something about this.. And soon.. Or send me my Money back.. Thanks G. A. Pitre

I have been a lifetime member and like others have received nothing in longer than I can remember.I wish I had a clue how to get in contact with these people ...seems like ownership has changed maybe that is when it all went south...Robert ..San Diego California

Wow, I'm surprised that you found a club website! I haven't found it.

I, too am a Life member. As I recall I paid $400 for my membership. I don't remember what the other premiums were, but they sent me leather jacket with the HCA logo embroidered on the front. I found a Cleveland Browns "helmet logo" (a big one ...5" inches in diameter) patch and had a professional leatherworker sew it on. So now I have a leather jacket with the Brown's patch covering the Handyman logo. Oh well, it's something any way