HandyMan Club of America / Scout.com
Reviews and Complaints

I also am a "Life" member and just recently contacted the company at SCOUT and it appears that our subscriptions are now being purchesed by some other company as "SCOUT" has just gone through bankruptcy proceddings. Here is the email I recieved from Scout;
Jonathan Jacobino (SCOUT Member Services)
Feb 21, 3:23 PM EST
Dear richlilja@gmail.com,
Thank you for your email. Please be advised that on February 7, 2017, CBS 247 Inc. (“CBS”) purchased certain assets from Scout Media Inc. (“Scout Media”) in connection with Scout Media’s petition for relief under chapter 11 of the United States Code in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. If you have any issues or concerns in connection with your activities relating to Scout Media, including with respect to subscriptions purchased from Scout Media, you may make an inquiry and/or submit a claim at: http://dm.epiq11.com/#/case/SMI/info or by clicking here: CLICK HERE.
Thank you,
Scout Staff

It should be noted that at least we can still log in at scout.com for some benefits!

I also am a "Life" member and just recently contacted the company at SCOUT and it appears that our subscriptions are now being purchesed by some other company as "SCOUT" has just gone through bankruptcy proceddings. Here is the email I recieved from Scout;
Jonathan Jacobino (SCOUT Member Services)
Feb 21, 3:23 PM EST
Dear richlilja@gmail.com,
Thank you for your email. Please be advised that on February 7, 2017, CBS 247 Inc. (“CBS”) purchased certain assets from Scout Media Inc. (“Scout Media”) in connection with Scout Media’s petition for relief under chapter 11 of the United States Code in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. If you have any issues or concerns in connection with your activities relating to Scout Media, including with respect to subscriptions purchased from Scout Media, you may make an inquiry and/or submit a claim at: http://dm.epiq11.com/#/case/SMI/info or by clicking here: CLICK HERE.
Thank you,
Scout Staff

It should be noted that at least we can still log in at scout.com for some benefits!

We also signed up for the "lifetime membership", which for us as a new couple was pricey - if I remember it was over a couple hundred dollars. We haven't seen a magazine sinve 2008.

We recently got a "The Family Handyman" magazine in the mail offering us to subscribe. Uh, no thank you. There is so much information now available on the internet that a magazine is no longer useful.

I have been a member since 10/2007 and haven't seen a magazine for a few years. My member number is [protected] and I would like to know the status of my membership that I paid for.

Hi dear Berlin community, I would like to ask for a help for putting a series conman / fraud / scam artist in jail and shut him shell fraud GmbH down. As well this is true story happening now and in Berlin and victims are more than 20 people so far.
His name is called: “ Matthew Yabsley “, but you can also find the associated informations as following:
Matt Yabsley
Matthew S Yabsley
www.Handyman.Berlin
Itotallyloveit GmbH at Corinthstr. 42 Berlin, Germany
So, what is his business model?
A. He using “ social platforms (free & open) “ such as Facebook group & craigslist for looking for victims.
B. He focus on “ No-German “ speaking people in Berlin and abusing the language barrier.
C. He targets the people who has limited budget and skip the VAT, so there is no record or invoice to prove any of business agreement and design the whole thing into a grey area in front of law.
D. He assume no one will go to court nor police for such matter, because it’s a civil case.
E. He believe most people in the end will just give up as the base the theory risky control: wasting your time & money and he won't ever go to jail.
F. He is a total sham-less actor, therefore normal decent / educated people’s logic will not be able to apply for it.

So what is my story?
He started my flat renovation from 23/10/17 and until today there is still no water & heating and as his original quote: “ I can't offer you any more than what I have done. It's entirely you that is making this something more than what it is now. “
During the renovation, he was ok in the beginning for providing the trust and let down your guard. Then he start manipulating you as much as possible. He will tell you anything but nothing false and lie. He told me my neighbor said something behind my back and regarding renovation project. He told me the hausmeister close down the water of my flat and it’s hausmeister fault that there is no water. He will told you who ever did the job in your flat is bad and too expensive, he could do better and cheaper. So now, even you have a Phd, you may already believe his is a renovation angel.
Within 1 or 2 weeks, he starting gave you all kind excuses for delaying or materials missing, then he asked for some “ small cash “ to pay some materials and new machine he needs to finish the job. Totally smart, because the project is stared already and most of people will not call it off in the middle of renovation or change new guy.
The end, when you giving more and more money, he will kind of tell you, it’s almost down, made some structure or an example that he could finish next days or shortly. But he will never finished it nor reply your call (he just turn his phone off) nor e-mail.
So what are the fasts ?
1. Attached my apartment made by “ Matthew Yabsley “ ’s masterpiece.
2. He got more than 4000 EUR so far and has not met any deadline - not even close.
3. He had drunk all alcohols in my flat and leave all messes you can ever image it.
4. There is no toilet in my flat yet, so he pee in the vases & wine bottle.
5. He has not payed a worker which he has hired to help - he is desperately looking for money and he can not reach him, so he asking me where to find Matthew Yabsley for getting his salary back.
6. He ordered many materials and never pick it up, so I have to sort everything out, explain the situation and apologize for his behavior.
7. His business model is totally build on fooling people - he has never any intention to finish anything (you find multiple posts as such in the internet).
8. I have data of many many more people who have or are currently served by Matt - reporting the same issues with Matt which confirms the above internet posts.
9. Matt will answer that I have stopped the working relation with him - and yes this true - but only after after he missed multiple deadlines and I found the other evidences for his fraud games - as it always works like this - Matt waits until he get fired and leaves with the clients money and a totally damaged apartment.
10. Internet references (I am very angry with myself that why I didn’t google his name in the begging):
https://www.complaintsboard.com/?search=Matt Yabsley
https://www.complaintsboard.com/?search=Matthew Yabsley
https://www.complaintsboard.com/…
So who the [censor] is Matthew Yabsley?
His facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/mattyabsley
His Linkedin:
https://de.linkedin.com/in/matthewyabsley/de
His Quora:
https://www.quora.com/profile/Matt-Yabsley
So what I looking for now?
1. Are you the victims by Matthew Yabsley too, please contact me and we will put him in jail.
2. If any of you could give me any advice what are the best legal actions (already consult with lawyers, we think tax fraud can beat him very badly) and how.
3. Anyway contact and accurate information of right (suitable) legal authorities. (e.g.: Polizeidirektionen, Direktion Einsatz or Landeskriminalamt (LKA); Prosecutor or others?)
4. Please share this story and make sure there is no more victim.

As the complaint stated, I signed up to be a life time member and it has been more then 5 or more years since I have received any book from you all. And I really enjoyed them as I used them a lot to do a lot of projects as I really liked doing different projects. I really enjoyed building things as a side project especially for myself or my own house.

Thank you
Ernest Rangel

P.S. You can e-mail me at Califironman@aol.com..Waiting to hear from you

I'd inquired to the new company that took over (Scout), and back on June 29, 2016 their representative named Jonathan Jacobino said they would issue a check refund for the $298 I'd paid for "life membership", and would take approximately 8-10 weeks for me to receive it. Well, it's going on 21 weeks, (almost 6 months later) and have yet to receive a check. Despite many many attempts by me and my attorneys to intact them by email, all we ever get back is the automated reply message. Copy of last email sent today is attached.

Both me and my attorneys all feel like you've blown me off, you had originally sent the reply back in June 29 stating you were issuing me a refund check to hopefully get me to stop contacting you and blow it off, and that you have/had no intention of ever issuing me a refund check for my membership price for life membership in the Handyman Club of America. We have given every opportunity for you to issue and send out the check, that your representative named Jonathan Jacobino stated would take 8-10 weeks. It is now 20 weeks, and going into 6 months later.

Are you trying to blow this off in hopes of it going away? Are you ready to battle this out in court in front of a judge at your expense?

I'm still awaiting an actual reply from an actual person. Not some automated reply basically saying "Our automated reply system has receive your email, but we don't care enough to actually look at it or respond"!

I agree with Kendall De Groot's
comment
why have I not received my magazines and other
Leonard H Windisch

Hello, I have my own complaint about this LIFE TIME MEMBERSHIP. Just what is going on with this membership thing anyway. I was told a year ago that my LIFE TIME membership was not valid anymore. After years of getting my magazine and other things you are telling me I'm not a member any more. How about you giving my money back and I will give up trying. Is this what you are doing to the rest of the Handyman life members, cheating them out of what you promised us? To bad there isn't something legal we can do.
Kendall De Groot
2409 East 5th Street
Sheldon IA 51201

I fully agree, the last magazine I got was Fall 2014. I paid for a lifetime membership (assuming it was my lifetime, not theirs), and I've got a leather jacket to prove it. I don't know how long I've been a member, I'd guess 15 years at least. And I'm with Spyderdude, do we have a recourse to recoup our "lifetime" payment?

I have the same issue except I have only been a LIFE Member for 13 years. Do we have any legal recourse to recoup our membership dues?