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listed. Keep a copy of the signed cancellation notice for your records. Send the original notice by certified or registered mail, so you have proof of your mailing date.
• If you don’t receive a written notice of your cancellation rights, write your own cancellation notice and mail it to the seller within the required time frame. Magazine subscription companies usually don’t honor verbal cancellations.
• When you send the cancellation notice, contact your bank
or credit card company to stop any unauthorized payments from your account or to dispute any charges or debits to your account.
• The company may tell you that your cancellation request was too late and that you must pay. Check with your state Attorney General to find out what cancellation rights you may have under state law.
• If the cancellation period has expired and you paid in full, the company may not be required to refund your money. But if you don’t make the appropriate payments on time, you could face dunning notices and calls from collection agencies, threats of legal action, or a bad credit rating.
Not Just by Phone: Other Questionable Sales Approaches
While many underhanded subscription sellers rely on the phone to make their pitch, some do business in other ways. For example:
• Door-to-door sales: Beware of emotional appeals by someone selling door-to-door. For example, the student selling magazine subscriptions using the appeal that your sale will help him/her get a college scholarship or other such rewards. If you buy from a door-to-door salesperson in your home, and the purchase is more than $25, you’re protected under the FTC’s Cooling-Off Rule. The Rule gives you three days to cancel your order and
Magazine Sales Scams 45