Complaints

This profile includes complaints for National Magazine Exchange's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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• 

  National Magazine Exchange

  1901 Ulmerton Rd STE 450 Clearwater, FL 33762-2300

• 

  National Magazine Exchange

  PO Box 9084 Clearwater, FL 33758-9084

• 

  National Magazine Exchange

  P.O. Box 9083 Baltimore, MD 21264

• 

  National Publishers Exchange

  10703 Ambergate Dr Humble, TX 77396

• 

  National Magazine Exchange

  Serving Nationwide San Diego, CA 92101

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/20/2023

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  To whom it may concern,I am a 94 year old woman that was taken advantage by this company. I have severe health issues that limit my understanding of written/spoken language. I did not consent to this action and the company has been charging money for a service I do not want. P.S. This complaint was filed with the assistance of my Peer Advocate at CHOICE of ********, a non-profit agency that helps senior citizens who are being exploited. Best regards,********************************** *************

  Business Response

  Date: 10/31/2023

  Dear ***********,
  
  The National Magazine Exchange has been sponsoring sweepstakes for over thirty years as a way to promote our consumer subscription service offerings.  The information mailed to our recipients merely welcomes them to telephone us to enter the sweepstakes.  The mailer contains the complete sweepstakes rules, including instructions on how to enter, the date of the drawing, the odds of winning, all eligibility restrictions, and the statements that there is no purchase or payment necessary to enter or to win,and that a purchase would not improve the chances of winning. After completion of the entry our callers are offered discounted magazine services as well as various products to accept, if elected.

  Upon checking your account details, it appears you called in to enter our sweepstakes on March 23, 2023. After you completed the entry into the sweepstakes you were then offered a magazine package which you accepted and then provided card details to complete billing. On May 10, 2023, you called in to our *************************** to inquire about a magazine titled Wine Enthusiast. At that time, you asked for an option to reduce your magazine package, the representative offered to reduce the account to No Further Billing to prevent future charges. You accepted the offer, the magazine you called in regarding was removed, and the call was concluded. On June 26, 2023, your daughter called in to inquire why you were still getting magazines as you thought you cancelled your account. We discussed the previous call and that the magazines were not cancelled but reduced. At that time your account was cancelled as requested and a refund of $19.98 was issued to the card we have on file.

  As of now we have entered your information into our Do Not Contact database to prevent future correspondence. If you need any further information or assistance, feel free to contact us at *************.
  
  Best Regards,
  Quality Manager
  National Magazine Exchange

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/18/2023

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I started receiving Architectural Digest, which I did not sign up for. When I reached out to the publisher and asked them to cancel, they did agree to stop sending me the magazine, but told me it had been ordered by NATIONAL PUBLISHERS EXCHANGE ********************************************************************** ************. I called the number and received no answer. I never gave this company my information consensually, I never signed up for a subscription through this company, and I never received any notice of a subscription created by this company. I want to ensure the company deletes the account they created under my (maiden) name and I want to ensure that they never place subscription in my name again or attempt to contact me or extort me in any way. I am also creating this complaint as documentation that I have clearly asked them to cease using my information in case I need to escalate this further. I have attached a photo of the label from the magazine I received but did not sign up for or consent to.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/18/2023

  Dear Better Business Bureau, 

  We are writing this response to Complaint Case #********,filed by **************************** We want to ensure that all necessary information is provided to follow up and resolve this complaint. 

  National Publishers Exchange is a magazine clearinghouse that processes and fulfills magazine subscriptions to publishers on behalf of multiple third-party agencies. With that being considered, National Publishers Exchange does not sell or solicit the sale of magazines or any other types of products to consumers. Additionally, our office does not handle any type of consumer billing or payment processing.

  Your current, and any future complaints regarding this customer, should be directed to Family ****************** Service. You may contact them at **********************************************************************, ************ or by visiting their BBB website at - ************************************************************************************************************************************************************************.

  We have taken the liberty of canceling the customers subscription to Architectural Digest magazine and after the last printed issue is mailed, no additional copies will be sent.

  Best Regards, 
  Quality Manager
  National Publishers Exchange

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/18/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  ******************************************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/10/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  They took $700 off my credit card for magazines that I didn't order. They called and told me that they were going to do it again. They told me that I couldn't cancel the whole thing, only half which would still be over $300.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/27/2023

  Dear ************,

  Our records show that we contacted you on 9/25/2023 to inquire about your magazines to gauge your happiness with the package and to exchange titles as needed. We did offer you an extension on that package, as well as complete another entry into the sweepstakes. After your entry was completed the Representative and you discussed the package extension, and a payment plan was arranged and agreed to. You provided your billing details, which subsequently never successfully remitted payment for the magazines agreed to. Our records also indicate that you called in on 10/9/23 to cancel the magazines, which the **************** Representative did for you on the call.

  To confirm your account is cancelled and no payment of $700 was made with our company or any account you have had with us. Be advised you may receive one or two more issues of the magazines as the publishers pre-label them for shipping. You may keep or discard them at your convenience. If you may have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to reach us by emailing ********************************* or by calling our **************** at **************.
  
  Best Regards,
  Quality Manager
  National Magazine Exchange

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/03/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I was receiving magazines from the national magazine exchange for the past year. They called me and wanted me to renew, but I didnt want to, I now have a debt collector *************************** *** sending me letters saying i owe $639.40, I paid my past years subscription in full and i really dont use the magazines I was getting so I did not want to renew. The guy told me I could update the magazines I was currently receiving to ones I would use until my subscription ran out, and now I have a $639.40 bill

  Business Response

  Date: 10/24/2023

  Dear ****************,
  
  The National Magazine Exchange has been sponsoring sweepstakes for over thirty years as a way to promote our consumer subscription service offerings.  The information mailed to our recipients merely welcomes them to telephone us to enter the sweepstakes.  The mailer contains the complete sweepstakes rules, including instructions on how to enter, the date of the drawing, the odds of winning, all eligibility restrictions, and the statements that there is no purchase or payment necessary to enter or to win,and that a purchase would not improve the chances of winning. After completion of the entry our callers are offered discounted magazine services as well as various products to accept, if elected. After reviewing the contacts and account associated with your information we have concluded the following. On July 10, 2023, you were contacted by a representative to offer a continuation of your magazine package that you had purchased on October 21, 2022. You did accept and elect to continue your package and the representative proceeded. After selecting the magazine titles you preferred to receive the billing details discussed and agreed to, and the transaction was concluded. As of now we have cancelled your account fully and notified the collection agency to cease attempts to collect on the remaining balance. Please note that neither our collection agency nor us report any information to the credit bureaus, and no negative impact on your credit has occurred. You have also been added to our Do Not Contact database to prevent further correspondence.
  
  Best Regards,
  Quality Manager
  National Magazine Exchange

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/25/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/02/2023

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I received two GQ magazines in the mail - one in September 2023 and one in October 2023 - back to back. I did not order them, and I don't know who did? I called GQ to ask why I was receiving them and they said they couldn't tell me... only that they were ordered through a third party called the "National Publishers Exchange." After much needed persistence on my part, the supervisor at GQ said she would cancel the order for me. I also told the GQ supervisor I would call *** myself too to make sure it was cancelled properly. When I called the **** they said my account was not in their system, and it was not them who ordered the two magazines. They said it was "probably" the "Publisher's Clearing House" who ordered them, as they are always getting confused with this other third party *** So I then called the *** and the lady said I wasn't in their system either. At this point I have spoken to five people - all giving me the run-around. So I called GQ back again, and the agent and supervisor told me they had cancelled the subscription for me, and that I would receive the magazine up until November 2023, and then they would stop arriving - Why they couldn't just stop it there and then, I don't know? They again said it was the 'National Publishers Exchange' that had ordered the magazines, even though the *** said I wasn't in their system. Whether they will stop coming or not is anyone's guess. So I wanted to file a complaint today with BBB just for the record... A. I believe it's predatory B. I don't know why or where they got my information from and why they are sharing it without my consent? C. I never got an answer from them whether it was promotional or someone is being charged? D. I think it's an infringement upon my privacy, and E. I think the government should stop these practices from happening. I see many more carbon-copy complaints here about the same companies. So, F. Why is the Better Business Bureau not taking action against these entities, and why does the *** keep posting the same generic response here to these complaints without any apparent need for accountability? This whole exchange via phone today took 2 hours of my time. it's so ridiculous. And it's wrong.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/16/2023

  Dear Better Business Bureau, 

  We are writing this response to Complaint Case #********,filed by *************************** We want to ensure that all necessary information is provided to follow up and resolve this complaint. 

  National Publishers Exchange is a magazine clearinghouse that processes and fulfills magazine subscriptions to publishers on behalf of multiple third-party agencies. With that being considered, National Publishers Exchange does not sell or solicit the sale of magazines or any other types of products to consumers. Additionally, our office does not handle any type of consumer billing or payment processing.

  Your current, and any future complaints regarding this customer, should be directed to Family ****************** Service. You may contact them at **********************************************************************, ************ or by visiting their BBB website at - ************************************************************************************************************************************************************************.

  We have taken the liberty of canceling the customers subscription to GQ magazine and after the last printed issue is mailed, no additional copies will be sent.

  Best Regards, 
  Quality Manager
  National Publishers Exchange

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/17/2023

   
  Complaint: 20675903
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  The publishing exchange company doesn't take responsibility for their actions. They are fulfilling orders from a third party vendor that was unauthorized by me, and without my consent. Also my personal information like name and address is being shared without my consent. And, they provided incorrect information to me when I asked them where the original order came from... They basically didn't know... and they sent me on a run-around / wild-goose-chase phoning other agencies, trying to track down the originating party.... which I couldn't find after several attempts at calling different agencies.... *******,  basically washing their hands of any obligation. The whole thing was a huge waste of my time and resources. Bottom line.. Don't send magazines out to people who didn't order them. It's as simple as that. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/18/2023

  Type:Delivery Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  STARTED RECIEVING MAGAZINE THAT I DID NOT ORDER, CALLEX TO CANCEL WAS TOLD BY SPORTS ILLUSTRATED THAT ORDER CAME FROM NATIONAL PUBLISHERS EXCHANGE,I HAVE NEVER CONTACTED THEM ABOUT ORDERING ANY MAGAZINES LOOKED ONLINE AND THEY HAVE MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT FRAUDLENT ORDERS

  Business Response

  Date: 09/19/2023

  Dear Better Business Bureau, 

  We are writing this response to Complaint Case #********,filed by ****************************** We want to ensure that all necessary information is provided to follow up and resolve this complaint. 

  National Publishers Exchange is a magazine clearinghouse that processes and fulfills magazine subscriptions to publishers on behalf of multiple third-party agencies. With that being considered, National Publishers Exchange does not sell or solicit the sale of magazines or any other types of products to consumers. Additionally, our office does not handle any type of consumer billing or payment processing.

  Your current, and any future complaints regarding this customer, should be directed to Family ****************** Service. You may contact them at **********************************************************************, ************ or by visiting their BBB website at - ************************************************************************************************************************************************************************.

  We have taken the liberty of canceling the customers subscription to Sports Illustrated magazine and after the last printed issue is mailed, no additional copies will be sent.

  Best Regards, 
  Quality Manager
  National Publishers Exchange

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/19/2023

   
  Complaint: 20614646
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/31/2023

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have been receiving magazines for the past year or longer that I did not order. They are random magazines example Forbes, business magazines cooking etc. Never knew where or how they were being sent to me until I received a letter wanting my information after I changed my debit card. Would like for this company to stop sending magazines and no contact. I don't know if they took money from me or not. Just want the magazines to stop being sent.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/21/2023

  Dear ***************,

  Thank you for taking the time to escalate your concerns to us so we can investigate and take the appropriate action. Unfortunately, we are unable to locate any active or inactive accounts with the current information you provided us. We have attempted to reach you via email to inquire about additional information but have received no responses. It is possible that we may have your account information under a different address, if you have lived at a different residence prior. If you have any additional information that could help us identify the correct account, please feel free to respond here or email us directly at ********************************* or by calling **************.

  Best Regards,
  Quality Manager
  National Magazine Exchange

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/31/2023

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I received a GQ magazine in the mail that I did not order. On the magazine there is a mailing label with the customer identification number *************, along with my name and address. This disturbed me greatly. To resolve the matter, I contacted GQs customer service department, who informed me the subscription was through a third party named National Publishers Exchange. The customer service representative gave me a phone number to call and said that any cancellation of the magazine subscription would need to be done by National Publishers Exchange. I called the number I was given but nobody answered. My initial concerns only grew when I searched online for the company and found many cases like mine. Immediately please stop sending me magazines that I neither requested nor ordered. This is type of activity is fraudulent and predatory.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/01/2023

  Dear Better Business Bureau, 

  We are writing this response to Complaint Case #********,filed by ************************ We want to ensure that all necessary information is provided to follow up and resolve this complaint. 

  National Publishers Exchange is a magazine clearinghouse that processes and fulfills magazine subscriptions to publishers on behalf of multiple third-party agencies. With that being considered, National Publishers Exchange does not sell or solicit the sale of magazines or any other types of products to consumers. Additionally, our office does not handle any type of consumer billing or payment processing.

  Your current, and any future complaints regarding this customer, should be directed to Western ****************** Service. You may contact them at *******************************************, PMB *********************************, ************  or by visiting their BBB website at - **************************************************************************************************************************************************.

  We have taken the liberty of canceling the customers subscription to GQ magazine and after the last printed issue is mailed, no additional copies will be sent.

  Best Regards, 
  National Publishers Exchange

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/17/2023

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Unsolicited delivery of magazines (Vanity Fair)

  Business Response

  Date: 08/17/2023

  Dear Better Business Bureau, 

  We are writing this response to Complaint Case #********,filed by ********************* We want to ensure that all necessary information is provided to follow up and resolve this complaint. 

  National Publishers Exchange is a magazine clearinghouse that processes and fulfills magazine subscriptions to publishers on behalf of multiple third-party agencies. With that being considered, National Publishers Exchange does not sell or solicit the sale of magazines or any other types of products to consumers. Additionally, our office does not handle any type of consumer billing or payment processing.

  Your current, and any future complaints regarding this customer, should be directed to Western ****************** Service. You may contact them at *******************************************, PMB **********************************, ************  or by visiting their BBB website at - **************************************************************************************************************************************************.

  We have taken the liberty of canceling the customers subscription to Vanity Fair magazine that began September 2022 and after the last printed issue is mailed, no additional copies will be sent.

  Best Regards, 
  Quality Manager
  National Publishers Exchange

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/01/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I was a kind of national magazine Exchange I received magazines for one year and ********* they called to renew my account and I told them I couldn't no longer afford it that I had to cancel my account I canceled my account a year ago because I could no longer afford it

  Business Response

  Date: 08/21/2023

  Dear *************,
  
  Thank you for taking the time to escalate your concern so that we may investigate the matter and take appropriate action. After reviewing your account and the calls associated, I have identified the following. You called on August 23, 2021, to enter our sweepstakes. After submitting your entry,you were offered a magazine package. After some discussion a one-year subscription was selected, and the billing details were discussed and agreed to.

  We did contact you on May 20, 2022, as your magazine subscription was about to expire, and we extended another offer for continuing the magazine subscription you had. After some discussion on this occasion, you agreed to continue the subscription and the billing details were discussed and agreed to. You did contact our *************************** on August 29, 2022, to discuss the subscription, amount due, and to request to cancel. The specialist did explain the bill and total amount due and after there was some discussion about cost and ability to continue the specialist offered to reduce the order to a paid in full status and explained that you would not be billed any further for the order. You agreed to the paid in full offer and the call was concluded.

  On May 22, 2023, we contacted you again as the subscription which had been reduced to paid in full was about to expire. At that time, we offered you a magazine package that you did accept, and through discussion decided to have the bill invoiced and sent to your home address. The billing terms were explained, agreed to, and the call cordially concluded. This subscription never received a payment which subsequently caused us to send it to the collection agency we partner with.

  As of now all magazine orders have been cancelled and we have also placed you on our internal Do Not Contact database to prevent further correspondence. We have also notified the collection agency to cease attempts at collecting the amount due for your order. Please also note that we do not report any matter to the Credit Bureaus so there is no impact on your credit.If you should need any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact our *************************** at ************.
  
  Best Regards,
  Quality Manager
  National Magazine Exchange