Got one of those carbon-paper envelopes in the mail the other day. You know the kind, tear one end off and the contents pop out with a pull. Well, the contents of this one mentioned a million dollars, a toll-free number, and an ID number to claim my prize. All this time, I’m thinking, “What the hell is this?” I check the fine print on the back; “No purchase is necessary to enter,” it says. Now I’m thinking, “OK, so I probably haven’t won anything. Might as well call to see what’s up with this.” I’m about to place the call when Angie enters the room. She want’s to know what’s going on. “Nothing,” I say. “I don’t want to get your hopes up.” I make the call and give them my ID number. They are some company in Florida and verify my name, address, and whether or not I have a major credit card. They ask me what I plan to do with the money if I win. I think, “Bingo. I haven’t won anything.” They ask my home phone number in case I win. We have caller ID, so I give them our number. They go through a speil about two magazines for 99¢ an issue, and something about a diamond watch. They ask what sort of credit card I have and the expiration date, I don’t see a problem with this either so I give it to 'em. Then they continue to add more magazines for the same 99¢ an issue. OK, I’m getting suspicous now. They finally mention what all this is going to cost me, they say it so fast that I have no idea what it was. Now I have a problem. They ask my credit card number. I wait a while, then hang up.
Except they called me.
Salesgirl calls with cheery voice, telling me that she’s verifying the subscription that I ordered a couple of weeks ago. I had just put in an order to renew my mags, so I tell her, yes, I did get my first issue already.
Well, says Salesgirl, Magazine Co., the owner of the publication I get, has a special going on, blah blah blah… So, I could get 3 magazines for X dollars, and get a 3 year subscription for Y dollars. But the figures that she gave me didn’t mesh. I did the math while she was explaining the free gifts. The magazine subscriptions came out to be almost $150 a year. For 3 magazines.
Then she proceeds to tell me that she needs my credit card number to verify it. I told her that I paid for my last subscription with a check, and that I don’t have my bank card on me. She then proceeds to tell me to find a bank statement, receipt, or anything with the number on it. I tell her that I burn all those things after I record them, and that I will have to get back to her. I tell her to call back in an hour, when my (imaginary) husband will be home with the card.
She never called back, although I did make her give me the name and address of the company. I never had a chance to check them out with the Better Business Beaureau.
Skerri
Jeff - just out of curiosity, was a picture of the guy from ‘Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous’ anywhere on the envelope? Went through something similar with those guys, but it was longer, more involved, and after I turned them down THEY CALLED ME BACK!!!
Nope, just a plain blue envelope with a return address. The sort of thing my bank sends to let me know I have an overdrawn account. BTW, in case the trolls tried to call me back, I left the phone off the hook for a few minutes. Then Angie got on that line to check her email.