Hearst Communications
Reviews and Complaints

May name is Antonia Araujo, account # opro927419184/8# I have been trying to tell the Oprah, Hearst Corporation that I already paid my subscription to the Oprah magazine. I have send them two letters stating I have paid my subscription. I still keep getting bills. I have twice mailed you a copy of my check and you have cashed it. The number of the ck. is 605. The amount of the ck is 19.97. The date of the check is 10-21-2010. It's been difficult trying to get in touch with your magazine. Please correct this soon. I try to get online but the response is always " we can't find your account." At least send me a phone number so I can talk to a real person! Please respond by email. That you do have correct. Thank you. Will be waiting for your response.

This is true. The Hearst Corporation has no telephone number to call when you want to stop your subscription. I sent a note to their office in Iowa regarding not renewing my subscription, but they still keep sending me their magazine (Country Living). If you go to their website, there is only one telephone number, and it is not for subscriptions. I clicked on "Magazines" on their website menu, it only gave me the list of magazines and subscription menu.
This company is ripping off people by ignoring their complaints. Once you order a magazine (which I bought from school fundraiser for one year), you can't stop it. I travel a lot and have no time reading magazines which just pile up in my living room.

I never renewed my subscription to Cosmo but they kept sending it anyway and now they want me to pay for it. I get letters from the same person you listed above, but never do they provide phone numbers for me to call them to straighten anything out. I have recently started emailing them every day and telling them to call me but they won't call me. Instead they keep emailing me. Today I asked them to remove me from their list and kindly stop harassing me.

As for whether or not they care, believe me, they care when people start canceling orders. Why else would they try to back people into corners like this by saying they renewed something they haven't renewed? They will be lucky if I don't decide to sue them for harassment before this is over.

I am going through the same thing only with House Beautiful. I actually paid for 2 years in July 2012, the check was cashed, and I am receiving collection letters for non-payment. I responded with a letter explaining that payment was made, check # and date, and all I receive another collection letter. I'm sending more information AGAIN, and they can determine to either renew my subscription or refund my money. At this point, I don't care either way!

Aug 16, 2012
I have been receiving invoices now for several months about renewing my subscription for "Good Housekeeping Magazines". I have written on the invoice and sent it back stating that I do not wish to receive any more magazines, and I do not want to renew, please cancel, The company is still sending me invoices for magazine subscription. There is no phone number to call and speak to a person, and there is only a PO Box. How do you get them to stop this harassment, and threatening to send my name to a collection agency.
I have even put there name, and PO Box on the" DMAchoice.org" JUNK MAIL list through the post office which they were to contact them if I didn't stop getting these notices. A lot of good that did..
Account # [protected]
Evelyn Dunaway

If this shows up in our credit history, we will sue for damages. We did not renew our subscription and it does not expire until June of 1913. I would think that a giant corporation would seek other means to make money. Since we are in our 80's we are in an age group that experiences many types of scams. Do not renew this subscription

Acct # [protected]
Please acknowledge

This happened to me, too. The invoice had no contact number whatsoever. I called Hearst and foudn out they have a number with an automated system to remove the automatic renewal: [protected].

This should be illegal. You have paid for/agreed upon a term for receiving a service. When it's over, the customer should have to re-activate, if desired. Not discontinued or else!

I sent in a check to renew my subscription for Country Living Magazine. The check was returned
and I was told that the magazine would no longer be published. Now I am receiving letters saying my "subscription has been suspended for non-payment". Hopefully this will not affect my credit rating !

Jayne Flaherty
5 Cedar Ave.
Old Orchard Beach, Maine 04064

Contact :
Katie Brockman
Associate Publisher
[protected]
kbrockman@hearst.com

Shell help cancel that unwanted junkmail

Did not order the HGTV magazine ! Am not paying... what a scam...

Charged my card in "automatic renewal" that was not authorized to be automatic. I will be cancelling all Hearst Magazine subscriptions coming to my house as a result of this.

I was tricked by entering a sweepstakes that said no purchase necessary and immediately got a bill for Cosmopolitan that I didn't want. There is no customer service phone number and no human to connect with to resolve. I feel I was extorted. Such corporate behavior is irresponsible...I will not pay the bill and it keeps going up

Katie Brockman
Associate Publisher
[protected]
kbrockman@hearst.com

Katie helped subscribe you, she gladly will help you unsubscribe, give her a call!

Its outrageous! How can they get away with such shady bussiness practice. So I called them up. And told them I didn't wanted their calendar or any further stuff from them. And asked to be removed from their mailing list and offers. The Service Rep gave me an address and told me to send back the calendar and ignore other billing statements. Okay that was easy. But I have to pay for shipping it back myself. Resolved but still shady.

This past year (2009) I have had the EXACT same experience. Two years back I got a magazine subscription for Men's Health from a friend, and this year Rodale sent me like 3 large hard-cover books with muscle-building recipes, then a month later sent me a bill for them. I called MULTIPLE times and they keep saying it's up to ME to prove that I did not order these products they are trying to charge me for and REFUSE to give me a method of returning them without charging me for shipping and handling. I hope this scam feels the wrath of the public, who knows how many innocent people they are scamming the $60 for the books from.

You actually don't have to pay the postage. You can call or email Rodale and they will send you a return label for you to return it free of charge. Also, books are only sent if there has been an order card filled out. If you did not order the book, then someone filled a card out for you. Mens Health is owned by Rodale- when you place a magazine order, often the card will state you agree to preview an annual book series, which is sent to you to preview. If you like the book, you can pay. If you don't like it, contact them, they will send you a return label and you can cancel out of the program. Most often, people don't read the fine print and claim they haven't ordered the series-but really, they did.

Best of luck with rodale!

Over and over I see complaints similar to the one I am making. Stop using this Continuous Service Program. It is irresponsible and reprehensible. I have been billed for a Good Housekeeping subscription that I did NOT ORDER! What gall to operate in such a shady way! When I want to subscribe, I-ME-will be the one to request it or respond to an offer. I DID NOT ORDER THE MAGAZINE, WHICH YOU HAVE STARTED DELIVERING. STOP IT! To add to the frustration, you are forcing me to use MY OWN STAMP to cancel your own action which you presumptuously took upon yourselves to do. I cannot believe this "default-to-the-vendor" contract is legal. I will be contacting my representatives. By the way, this is no reflection on your magazine, run by your creative people, who do a nice job.

I received a letter from the Credit & Collections Department requesting payment for their Good Housekeeping Magazine. I did not place an automatic renewal and do not want the magazine when my subscription expires. Since Hearst Corporation did not receive a renewal check and I received the collection notice...guess who I will not do business with in the future...Shame on you for trying to bully me into paying for something I no longer want.
Johnnie of Omaha.

Country Living keeps sending a bill and I never ordered the magazine. They sent my into a bill collector to get the $10.00 due. Of course I paid it because I didn't want to ruin my credit over $10.00. Then they had the nerve to send me a renewal notice!

Same thing happened to me with Men's Health magazine.

Hi,
I thought I was entering a contest. But it was false advertisement. Marie Claire is trying to get money for an order that I didn't purchase. And when I tried canceling this. It took me to a page where it stated that I did cancel but I'm getting emails saying I have an account with them. I tried sending them emails. and no one is getting back to me.

I am also being harassed by Hearst Corporation. I have been a long time subscriber to O Magazine and always pay in advance, meaning I send payment with my subscription order. I did not renew my subscription when it ended. I am now receiving delinquent letters from Hearst. It's as if they are trying to get me to pay for a magazine that I did not order through harassment. Or they are assuming that I wanted to renew but forgot as I have been a subscriber for a little over 10 years. I have emailed the Oprah Magazine customer service and all I received was a harassing email from O magazine stating that my account is past due. What account? And I did not sign up for auto-renewal of a magazine - dumb and not convenient. Are subscription sales down that they must resort to unethical tactics to generate revenue? How do I get them to leave me alone?

I have been having the same problem and I just got off the phone with a customer service agent for Country Life Magazine. This company continues with its unscrupulous practices perhaps because it has not yet been sued.

Three or four months ago, out of the blue I received an issue of O Magazine followed by an invoice for $15 a month or so later. I ignored both as I did not nor have I ever ordered magazines online. I put the magazine in a drawer and forgot about it, I would have returned it but there was no company return address information. The invoice also did not include a customer service telephone number or address just a website address for payments...alarm bells went off in my head.

A few weeks ago, I received letter with the words "FINAL NOTICE" printed on it. The letter contained an invoice also titled "Final Notice" with a billing date of 6 March 2019 for the amount of $15 for 13 issues of O Magazine. Whaat?! I don't have time for this! Under the billing information is a final notice note which reads, "This is the last time you will receive an invoice about your UNPAID BALANCE." I'd had enough at this point, so I called [protected] (Thank you Rover for posting this telephone number).

The automated greeting message stated that the number is for Country Life Magazine (possibly a tactic to throw people off). When prompted, I entered the account number included on my invoice and shortly afterwards a customer service representative (she didn't give a name) came on the line. She asked me for my first and last name and zip code after which she stated that she could see from her records that I had a subscription for O Magazine. Before she went any further, I told her that I did not sign up for any such subscription. She immediately stated that she would void the bill and cancel any future issues being sent to me and then she tried to sell me subscriptions to other magazines! Really?!. I politely refused and that was the end of the conversation. Time will tell if the bill was truly voided.

I have also received the same and found the corporate office telephone number [protected] online and called them. They gave me the number to call and cancel [protected]. They claimed they will take care of the bill and cancel. We will see.

Hi,
I am receiving invoice for me to pay for a subscription for magazines I did not order or intend to order and want answers for I will not pay for something I did not order nor do I want so who is doing something about this? How ever I am sending back invoice stating I did not order this and had better stop with comment reporting them to BBB. If and when someone does get this resolved, please post so that we victims are aware of any actions taken.
Thank you,
Miss Logan of Rock Hill SC

I am having this same problem. Please STOP sending me these Magazine that I didn't order! Any Magazine that I have ever order I always pay for it up front! I have order from Oprah Magazines in the past but I always have paid up front! Now I'm getting bills from Oprah Magazines that I did not order and I would like for you all to stop! PEOPLE Magazine is also sending me bills and I have never order or brought a People Magazine and the bills are coming in Spanish! I would also like for these magazine to stop! You can't continue to swindle people out of their money! I would like to know one thing before I close. Can These People Be Sued For Messing Up Your Credit! Thank You Ms. Scott in Louisville, Kentucky.

I have had the same problem. i receive magazines I never ordered, duplicate copies of one I did and have been harassed regarding payment, with bills coming just about every week. The is ridiculous and there should be a class action suit.

I have had the same problem. It is becoming ridiculous. i receive magazines I never ordered, duplicate copies of one I did and harassment regarding payment. This calls for class action suit!

I have been receiving the same letters - the third just arrived! I had a subscription for a year and decided not to renew but they keep sending letters saying that they will send to collections. I know there is nothing legal here - it is simple: you pay for a year subscription and then you start receiving the magazine. You don't pay for the subsequent year they stop right where you have already paid for. Simple. But they seemed so desperate that they use any legal term to scare you. I finally found the ph # for Country Living [protected] (Say CUSTOMER SERVICE). I talked to the customer service and they said that when I did the first year subscription there was a condition stating that the subscription would be renew automatically. I asked if that was a joke and he said no. I told them to sop harassing because otherwise I would start doing the same. He said that the subscription was going to be cancelled (when there is nothing to be cancelled. really). Again you pay and then you get the magazines on the mail. So annoying!

My daughter is 13 years old and recieved an invoice from this company saying she owes $19.08 for The O magazine that she nevered ordered. I cannot get in touch with anyone to take care of this matter and I will not pay it since she didn't order it.

I am receiving the same invoices in the past few weeks. It is from P.O. Box 5474, Harlan, IA 51593. The guy who signed the letter is "Richard York". Today I received another letter that said:
"Our legal department has advised us that your name will go into our bad debt file unless we receive your payment immediately.
Please send payment now to reinstate your subscription and credit standing with Forbes. If you are withholding payment for any reason, please notify us at the address above."
Why this society is so powerless to deal with such skunk?

I just received a billing from them at P.O. Box 6093, Harlan, IA 51593 for O Magazine which I didn't order. No phone # on bill and no account # included either. Weird. After much searching, I found this phone # for Customer Service [protected], called and spoke to a customer service rep (on the automated part of the call, I told them what magazine and then when it asked what service I wanted: renewal, etc., I said Customer Service and got a real person). The rep said she cancelled the "subscription" and told me to disregard the billing. Hope this helps someone.

I was sent a letter that said the following:
Dear Subscriber:

Your delinquent account with us has been brought to my attention for collection.

"Subscription Suspended for Non-Payment", that's what our records reflect.

When we agreed to bill you later, we anticipated that you would forward payment upon receipt of our invoice. A review of our files shows that you have failed to respond to our numerous requests for payment.

Take a moment now to settle your obligation with us and we will promptly reinstate your subscription.

Sincerely,
G.L Valk
Credit and Collections Manager

I also keep receiving insulting invoices like Im the jerk not paying my bill! Theres no phone # to contact them so ive sent them back their invoice with a please cancel note on it MORE than once in fact ive got a copy of alllllll three invoces ive sent. STILL received an invoice again today 12/13/2010 telling me i owe them money! Any suggestions? I DONT want their Good Housekeeping magazines! At this point I dont care about MY good standing with them just take me OFF ur list!

I have also received an invoice for a magazine i did NOT order. Nor would I have ever ordered that type of material. There is no address, e-mail address or telephone number. What to do now? Wait until they turn it over to a collection bureau? Thanks alot!

You have to be so careful with telemarketers, billing errors and more. You would be surprised how many fee's we all pay that we shouldn't. I am tired of fighting for my hard earned money back! So I am taking a stand and telling everyone I can about Bustabill (visit www.bustabill.com). Any invoice, telemarketing or rate reducing you need verified, voided or reduced, they take care of. The best thing is that they actually contact the company for you. Posting complaints is great for others to be aware but this company doesn't push paperwork back and forth they get it done!

You will need to call their office in Des Moines, IA. I researched this thru their New York office. They make it very difficult to track them down. When they answer the phone they say THANKS FOR CALLING COUNTRY LIVING, very very deceptive company

[protected]

if you dont press anything after the menu then an operator will pickup and act like a smart A$$...good luck

I did renew my subscription to O, The Oprah Magazine. In fact, I renewed for two years and I still receive these harassing letters. I even enclosed a letter with the last letter invoice stating the date and amount that my credit card was charged for the two year subscription. I cannot find a legitimate phone number to speak with a customer service rep. Any ideas?