23 February 2007
NetMagazines Is A Rip-Off
I subscribe to Wired Magazine. It’s cheap, and it’s not a bad way to kill time when you’re stuck somewhere without Internet access. Plus, in the print version, they leave out all the press releases articles by people who have no business writing about biology, one of the things that annoys me most about their web site. Anyway, time came to renew my subscription, and even though it’s only $10, I thought I’d do a quick Google search to see if I could find a deal online. Well I did. $5 at NetMagazines.com, so I went for it. Bad idea. Really bad idea.
I placed the order on August 14, 2006. That’s a long time ago. Why am I writing about it on February 23, 2007? Because today is when my first issue arrived. Over 6 months later. Half a year. My credit card, though, was charged immediately upon my placing the order—unlike most places which charge you when they ship. At order time, I was informed that I should allow 12 weeks for receipt of my first issue because of “standard publisher delay times.” Fine, I waited. 12 weeks pass. No magazine. And thus it starts.
Customer support, if that’s what you want to call it, was terrible. There’s no phone number, no way to contact them except though the stupid HostedSupport form on their site (which their CEO—more on him later—considers to be a great solution). My inquiries were met with an auto-reply stating that someone would look into it and get back to me in 5-7 business days. Not only is that a long time; it’s a lie. On several occasions, I wasn’t contacted for 10 business days. After being asked to wait longer and longer several times, I asked for my money back. Silence. Crickets chirp, tumbleweeds roll. I open another support ticket asking them to respond to the previous ticket. I wait 5-7 business days. I’m told the magazine is on its way and I should wait even longer. At this point, it has been nearly 5 months since my order, so I explain again that this is not acceptable, that I have no faith in their promises, and they need to either cancel the order and refund my money or provide a phone number where I can call them to avoid the ridiculous week-long delay between responses. Silence again, but not completely—this time I can hear the blood pounding through my ears.
I send a plea for help to the CEO at rodger@netvisionassociates.com, but he is too busy masturbating to his own greatness on his pathetic blog where he actually claims to be proud of this atrocity/scam-machine that he has created and tries to generate buzz about his next lousy project, probably equally scammy. I file a complaint with the BBB, who has already tagged the company with an unsatisfactory record. I should’ve checked that earlier. Actually, I should’ve just Googled the company, which would have revealed that mine is not an isolated case. In fact, this is so frequent an occurrence that it suggests NetMagazines’ business model actually goes something like this:
- Take the customers’ money.
- Tell them they’ll have to wait 12 weeks.
- Most of them will forget.
- If they write back wanting to know why we ripped them off, tell them to wait a little longer. Go back to step 3.
- If, at any time, they ask for a refund or a phone number, discontinue communication.
Whatever. I guess I finally got my magazine, but I’m still pissed. I’m contemplating getting revenge by submitting a bunch of bogus support tickets that will waste more than $5 of their CSRs’ time. Bastards.
Moral: Do not buy from NetMagazines. Ever. For any price.
10 Comments
Herminia Gomez
8 September 2007
Netmagazines.com is a complete rip-off. They too stole my money. I have now asked for it back or I will report them to the Washington State & North Carolina Attorney Generals, the FTC, and the Better Business Bureau.
I wish I had read your post before I had “committed” my money.
PLEASE DO NOT LET NETMAGAZINES STEAL YOUR MONEY!!!!
Trouble One
1 January 2008
San Diego Better Business Burea Report for NetMagazines
by shirleyogden, Jan 01 ’08
Folks you can’t get any better than this piece of useful information provided to the consumers by the San Diego Better Business Bureau. Check it out at bbb.org for San Diego.
http://sandiego.bbb.org/WWWRoot/Report.aspx?site=26&bbb=1186&firm=30004101
N-mom
14 January 2008
it’s FRAUDULENT.
Do NOT plance an order from here.
I placed an order 10/15/07 and have been contacting them since December.
Their phone system only allows you to enter “online” service requests.
Online services requests are met with one answer: “Dear xxxx, I will look into this and get back to you shorty”
I know of 1-2 other people with SAME experience!
BE CAREFUL!!!!
Mary B.
13 March 2008
Yeah, me too, folks, ordered magazines Jan. 10-ish, nothing yet. I’ll be talking to my credit card. What a bunch of scammers, huh?
manny
27 April 2008
I think I actually place an order with them and forgot about it…NEVER RECEIVED anythinG!!! im so mad…someone email me
manny
27 April 2008
manny@swankny.com
Rodger Visitacion
25 July 2008
Rodger Visitacion and his NetMagazines SCAM
Here’s how it works:
1) Customer orders magazine subscriptions online at NetMagazines.
2) Customer uses credit card or PayPay to purchase the subscriptions.
3) NetMagazines charges the credit card or PayPay immediately.
4) Customer is told that the magazines will arrive in 18 weeks (126 days).
5) If the magazines don’t arrive after the 126 days – please send an email to NetMagazines.
6) NetMagazines’ customer will give you lip service (via email – no phone support) and promise a refund that will never arrive.
7) The customer contacts his credit card (or PayPal) to dispute the NetMagazines subscription charge and ask for a refund.
8) Because the charges are older than 120 days the credit card company will not issue a refund.
9) So the consumer does not get his money back and does not get his magazine subscriptions.
10) The consumer has no recourse but to complaint to the Better Business Bureau, the Attorney General, and to various forums on the internet.
11) The consumer is out maybe $10 -$50. So after awhile the consumer gives up and stops his fight.
12) NetMagazines does this to thousands of people and makes hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Great SCAM Roger Visitacion – Your father, Rodrigo, and mother, Avelina, must be so proud.
Rodger Visitacion SCAM history:
HIS First SCAM:
The Subscription Connection
7603 149th Ave NE
Redmond, WA 98052-6822
He stated this scam in while in living at his mom & dad’s house (Mr. Rodrigo L. Visitacion and Mrs. Avelina G Visitacion, 7603 149th Ave NE Redmond, WA 98052-6822) and while attending high school (Lake Washington High School, Kirkland, WA, 1995-1999).
His Second SCAM:
NetVision Associates, Inc.
PO Box 7775
San Francisco, CA 94120-7775
Rodger Visitacion formed this shell company while attending the University of Washington with a major in computer science & engineering. (In 2000/2001 he received a $3,000 scholarship from Boeing Company Scholarship) It is unclear if he ever graduated. Rodger Visitacion still uses this shell company today.
His third SCAM:
Allzines
1191 2nd Ave Ste 1800
Seattle, WA 98101
Rodger Visitacion renamed his first scam (The Subscription Connection) to Allzines.com. This made it look like a new company and left any unhappy customers from The Subscription Connection.
Rodger Visitacion then move to the San Diego area and opened up a second office for Allzines.
Allzines.com
7622 Via Capri
La Jolla, CA 92037
This second office was operated out of his bedroom in a house that he rented with others.
His fourth SCAM:
NetMagazines.com
1420 5th Avenue
Suite 2200
Seattle, WA 98101
Rodger Visitacion again walked away from the unhappy customers of Allzines and stared NetMagazines.com. (This was basically just a name change from Allzines to NetMagazines.)
NetMagazines has provided Rodger Visitacion with hundred of thousands of dollars in stolen money. Currently this is his bread and butter.
But, Rodger Visitacion knows that NetMagazines will have to end just like (The Subscription Connection, and Allzines). So he has stared yet another SCAM… IletYou.
His Fifth SCAM
ILetYou is an on line rental SCAM that Rodger Visitacion started Vaibhav Domkundwar. (Why this guy, Vaibhav, would hook up with a crook like Visitacion is beyond me.)
A little background on the SCAM ARTIST RODGE VISITACION…
NAME: Rodger D. Visitacion
Born: November 28, 1980 (in Redmond, WA)
RODGER FAMILY:
Parents: Mr. Rodrigo L. Visitacion (age 51) and Mrs. Avelina G Visitacion (age 45-49)
Mr. Rodrigo L. Visitacion went to Lahainaluna High School Lahaina, HI (Class of 1976) and then went on to earn a BS in Engineering at the University of Hawaii Honolulu, HI (1976-1980).
Mr. Rodrigo L. Visitacion went to Lahainaluna High School with his older brother Jon Flor Visitacion (Class of 1974). (Uncle Jon to Rodger Visitacion.) Uncle Jon lives with at 4 OLALI ST.,LAHAINA, HI 96761
7603 149th Ave NE
Redmond, WA 98052-6822
Purchased House on 10-17-89 for $184,457
2 story house, 3 Bed, 2 Bath, 2,430 square feet, with attached garage.
HIGH SCHOOL: Lake Washington High School, Kirkland, WA, 1995-1999
College: University of Washington with a major in computer science & engineering. (In 2000/2001 he received a $3,000 scholarship from Boeing Company Scholarship) It is unclear if he ever graduated.
Addresses that he has lived at and/or used for his scams:
7603 149th Ave NE
Redmond, WA 98052-6822
1420 5th Avenue
Suite 2200
Seattle, WA 98101
7622 Via Capri
La Jolla, CA 92037
1191 2nd Ave Ste 1800
Seattle, WA 98101
1100 Olive Way
Suite 1408
Seattle, WA 98101
PO Box 7775
San Francisco, CA 94120-7775
CURRENT
388 Beale St, Apt 710
San Francisco, CA 94105-4404
Games lover
30 October 2008
Why do people like this still get to have a business??? I wish I had read this 13 weeks ago before I placed my order. It is still not here and the lame lame lame customer service choices have gotten me nowhere!!
billy/RI
17 November 2008
After 10 months of demanding a refund, I filed a complaint with the CA AG who got a response from Mr. Visitaion. He wants my credit card number so he can issue a refund! (The card has since expired). I told him to mail me a check. (Still waiting). I have also filed a complaint with the WA AG and the FBI.
Deborah
22 July 2009
These people ARE crooks!
I had placed several orders and forgotten about them. I never received them and they won’t give my money back.
I had gotten their info from magazine price search. It appears they not longer do business with netmagazines.
I do NOT trust any online supplier of subscriptions now. A lot of them seem to be onto the same con.