ComplaintsforM2 Media Group, LLC

• Initial Complaint

  12/07/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  M2 Marketing falsly and fraudulently signed me up for a subscription to ***** Magazine, owned by ***** ****. I received the December issue of the magazine, to which I did NOT subscribe. I called ***** Magazine and was told the subscription came from M2 Marketing Group. They provided a phone number that has been disconnected at M2 Marketing Group. I called ***** **** and asked why they are allowing fraudulent subscriptions from M2 Marketing and was told to contact M2 Marketing (again, no working phone number where someone answers the phone). This is fraud, and the company has numerous complaints about the same issue. If they read this, I want an explaination. My next step will be to contact an attorney. This company needs to be OUT of business!

  Business response

  12/21/2023

  Good afternoon,

  Apologies for the delayed response.
  

  I am responding to the customer’s statement about receiving unknown or unsolicited magazine.  Our company works with several partners to acquire circulation for top-rated consumer magazines.
  

  Magazine subscriptions through our company do not have a “bill me later” option, and they are paid upfront or at the time the purchase is made. The standard delivery timeframe for magazines is 6-12 weeks, depending on the publication frequency.  This means that to receive a magazine in December, the order should have been placed around September or October. This subscription could have been a gift from a friend or family member. 

  Based on the information provided by Mr. *********, name, mailing and email addresses, we could not locate any information in our database. So, we contacted the publisher of ***** magazine to obtain more information. They informed us that the last mailed issue was December/January and we requested to cease delivery, so no more issues should be received.  
  
  Our contact information is available online. Customers can contact us through our support page when they can submit an email or a chat from Monday to Friday from 8 am to 5 pm EST. Our support page is: **** ******* ********* ***************************

  We are very sorry for the inconvenience this caused Mr. *********. 
  
  If there are any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me.  

  Sincerely, 
  Jennie Sorrell 
  Director of Customer Success 
  M2 Media Group 
  ************  *************************

  
  

  Customer response

  12/22/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  You're a liar and a fraud!  Your comments are complete ** and you know it!  MANY others have made the exact same complaint I have made against your fraudulent, lying company.  Mess with me again, I will contact an attorney and sue you into the next century, and I will do all I can to start a class action lawsuit against you.  It's not a threat, it's a promise!  SHAME ON YOU for your fraud and lies!!

  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **** *********

• Initial Complaint

  07/13/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have canceled my magazine subscription and not received a magazine but got charged for the subscription. I would like my refund. I have contacted the company but no one answers the phone and emails have been ignored.

  Business response

  07/14/2023

   

  Good afternoon,

  I am responding to the customer’s statement about receiving unknown or unauthorized credit card charges. Our company works with several partners to acquire circulation for top-rated consumer magazines.

  As of today, Ms. ****** ****** has spoken over the phone with two of our customer service representatives and a third representative responded to her email. Please see these attached. Based on the information she provided during the phone calls, the order was placed in-store with one of our partners. As we do not handle in-store purchases we informed Ms. ****** that she would need to contact the store directly and we provided her with the store’s customer service phone number. Additionally, in our email response of 07/13/2023, we informed her that our company’s credit card will show on a credit card transaction as “************” to facilitate the identification of the charge. We also searched extensively in our databases with the information she provided us, (name, address, and email address) and we were unable to locate any orders or subscriptions.

  We reply to all our customers’ emails, calls, and chats in a timely manner. As we did with Ms. ****** ****** on more than one occasion. We hope she finds the answer and assistance she is looking for.

  We are sorry for the inconvenience she experienced. If there are any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me. 
  
  Sincerely,

  
  Jennie S******
  Director of Customer Success
  M2 Media Group
  ************ *************************

• Initial Complaint

  04/14/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased one year‘s subscription to ** ***** magazine. The year is up July 24, 2023. I did not get this weeks ** *****. I sent an email requesting that my subscription be extended for two weeks and that I get the online services of shows playing for two weeks. I got an email back that stated that **** ******* magazine/group had canceled my subscription. I had no idea who this company is and what they are doing in my business with ** *****. I tried the phone number for **** ******* and there was no way to reach anyone. I sent an email and finally got a response today. All the person who responded talked about was the label on my ** ***** magazine. I sent an email back telling them that I was going to contact the Better Business Bureau for what they had done. I also called ** ***** and they are working on getting my subscription back up so that I receive a ** ***** magazine. As an aside, when I haven’t received my ** ***** magazine, ** ***** normally gives me access to online services and adds two weeks to the end of my subscription. In terms of this company ,it's a scam company. I looked it up on the BBB website. There have been dozens of complaints about this company. I want my subscription reinstated. I also want people to know to stay away from this company and their scams.

  Business response

  04/18/2023

  Good afternoon,

  I am responding to the customer’s statement about the unsolicited cancellation of a magazine subscription to ** ***** magazine. 
  We recently became aware of multiple fraudulent accounts where individuals purchased low-cost or promotional offers and re-sell them on **** and other similar websites, for inflated prices. A real example of this is purchasing an offer for $2.00 for a magazine subscription and reselling it for $35.00.  

  In this case, the order ******** ** ***** for Ms. ***** ***** was a complimentary/free subscription. The reseller sold it to Ms. ***** for a profit. There is no credit card on file for this order, and we have not received a payment for her order.  

  Our magazine subscriptions are intended for personal use only. They are not for commercial or resale use.  As these types of orders are unauthorized, we have cancelled all subscriptions identified as fraudulent. Ms. ***** was advised to contact the seller as they’re responsible for her order. 

  Our company offers legitimate magazine subscriptions and customer support for all our customers. We are not, as described by Ms. *****, a scam. Sadly, she was scammed by someone else, who should be accountable and be the recipient of this complaint.  We provided her with the customer service solicited and replied to her communications quickly. We have included these emails for reference.  

  We apologize for any confusion the customer has experienced. 

  
  If there are any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me.  

  
  Sincerely, 
  Jennie Sorrell 
  Director of Customer Success 
  M2 Media Group 
  ************  *************************
  

  
  

  Customer response

  04/21/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  This **** **************/M2 media group LLC has been pulling this scam for awhile. There are complaints about them all over the Better Business Bureau website. They send magazines to people who have not ordered them. Then they bill the people. In my case, I paid $10 for a year subscription to ** *****. I have paid that amount before to other companies. M2 media group became angry at someone who they sent ******e to unsolicited.

  They didn’t get their money from the person who they sent ** ***** to unsolicited. Now, they are punishing me by canceling the subscription. I have nothing to do with this. The Kind thing for this company to do would be to allow my subscription to be reinstated and not be angry that the scam that did not result in them making any money. The person who I ordered my subscription from, had excellent reviews. There were no problems with him scamming people. ** ***** customer service was also aware of this **** ******* Group/M2 Media. All I want this company to do is to reinstate my ** ***** subscription and not punish me for their bad business practices that result in some people getting their hands on free subscriptions and possibly reselling them.
  Again, all I want this company to do is to reinstate my subscription to the end of the term (July 24,2024).The Better Business Bureau needs to check their website about this company. There are so many complaints that I couldn’t even get through all.

   

  Reinstate my subscription to ** ***** and we will and we’ll end this squabble .

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** *****

  Business response

  04/26/2023

   

  Good afternoon,

  I am responding to the customer’s statement about the unwanted cancellation and demand to reinstate a magazine subscription. 

  Ms. ***** ***** mentions a variety of things in her response, and some are irrelevant to her specific situation. One of her statements about our company sending subscriptions and then bills to customers is inaccurate. When customers place an order with us, they need to submit payment immediately, during the checkout process, like on most online stores or websites. We do not bill later or after the fact.  Also, we provide the terms and conditions before placing an order and after placing an order in the confirmation email. 
  

  As well as her other unfounded claims about our company being angry. We offer complimentary and great deals on magazine subscriptions.  Also, we work with several partners to acquire circulation for top-rated consumer magazines. These offers and subscriptions are intended for personal use and not resale purposes. This is the difference and what makes her order an unauthorized subscription.  And this is why the subscription was cancelled and is unable to be reinstated. We explained this in our previous direct communication via email, and in our response to this complaint.  

  In the original complaint, her desired resolution was a “billing adjustment”, and we are unable to do this as we were not paid for this subscription. Ms. ***** paid a third party or reseller for her subscription.   
  As Ms. ***** has been informed, she needs to contact the **** reseller whom she purchased and paid for any assistance. As the seller who received her payment, they are accountable. Furthermore, **** aids consumers and can easily help with this.  

  Feel free to contact me if you have any further questions. 

  Sincerely, 

  
  Jennie S******
  Director of Customer Success
  M2 Media Group
  ************ *************************
  

• Initial Complaint

  01/09/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I got a second magazine of **** ********* that I did not ever order. I called them, and they said M2 Media Group was who put in the subscription to **** ******* *********. I’ve never heard of either company and have never ordered a magazine from them. I tried to find a charge for it on my card, and have not found a charge. I’m wondering why I’m receiving this magazine. This makes me nervous what information these companies have of mine.

  Business response

  01/12/2023

  Good morning, 

   I am responding to the customer’s statement of having received unwarranted magazines. Our company works with several partners to acquire circulation for top-rated consumer magazines. 

  
  ***** ********** is receiving **** ********* magazine through a partner site, ****** ******. ****** ****** is a site designed for customers to share their opinions, and in turn, they are provided with points to redeem for magazines. As such, no payment was obtained for this order. With no payment information on file, we do not have the ability to renew a subscription, nor would we, as this would not have been the terms for her subscription.  

  
  Ms. ********** contacted us on Saturday, January 7, 2023, for the first time. As we are closed on Saturdays and Sundays, we responded the next business day, Monday, January 9th, 2023. We provided the subscription details and the order ******** for **** ********* magazine was cancelled.  See email exchange below. 

  
  For any assistance, our customer service phone number (###-###-####) can be searched online.  Also, we provide customer support via our page **** ******* ********* (bluedolphin-magazines.com). Our hours of operation are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST.

  
  We apologize for any inconvenience. Please let me know if there are additional questions. 

  Sincerely, 
  Jennie S****** 
  Director of Customer Success 
  M2 Media Group 
  ###-###-#### 
  ************************* ***** ********** ********* ******* ******* ***** **
  I did not order this, cancel and refund all that was charged to me. I did not order this magazine. 
  I called **** ********* and told them. They said M2 media group ordered it. I have no idea who that is. Please cancel magazine and refund me the total amount charged to me.
  ------------------
  Submitted from: ****************
  ***** ********** was not signed in when this comment was submitted. Learn more 
  ***** **********
  -----
  Sunday 02:30 am
  To:Customer ServiceShow more
  I don’t know where you got my name from.  I expect an answer to this problem, and it better be resolved by no later than Monday Jan. 9, 2023.
  ****
  ******** 
  Monday 03:23 pm
  To:***** ********** 
  Hello *****,
   Thank you for contacting customer service.
  Your order has been cancelled as requested. This is a complimentary subscription accepted through an email or online offer with ****** ******. In some instances, as a customer appreciation some online companies/stores will offer a free magazine subscription. It could also happen by answering a simple online survey question(s).
  
  This could have even been done by a friend or family member.  We did not collect any payment information and there are no hidden costs.
  Sincerely, 
  ******** P.
  Blue Dolphin Customer Service
  
  ***** **********
  Monday 06:00 pm
  To:Customer ServiceShow more
  Thank you for getting back to me.  
  
  *****
  
  
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  10/10/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I received several renewal notifications of magazine subscriptions I never subscribed to (****** *****, **** ******, C**** **** ********). I assumed these were all free add-on's/promos, but I didn't want them. In all cases, I did have a valid subscription to another magazine in the publishers' portfolios. Because of this, the publishers seemed to have access to my credit card, and somewhere along the line, started charging me for these bogus subscriptions. I found this out by canceling my credit card (for other reasons) and got failed renewal notices from 3 of the magazines. I went to the magazines' websites, and canceled ALL my subscriptions, even the ones I'd been receiving willingly for years. I was told I was due a refund for ****** ***** and **** ****** - now I'm digging through my credit card statements to find when they snuck a charge in. I contacted ******, ******** and ***** **** and was told by all that I was subscribed through M2 Media - which seems to be a perpetrator of vast amounts of this magazine subscription fraud. I've also filed complaints with the ** Attorney General (they have an active investigation into this) and the FTC (same). The magazine publishers are complicit in this, working with any shady operators they can to save their dying print business. Referring customers to contact M2 for a refund is entirely inadequate - M2 doesn't answer the phone number given. This is a huge scam

  Business response

  10/11/2022

  Hello,
  
  We are responding to the customer’s claims of unauthorized charges for magazine subscriptions. Based on the information provided by Ms. ******* we were unable to locate any orders. We contacted the publisher of the magazine she mentioned, ****** ***** * *******, **** ******, and ***** **** ********* The publisher informed us that the only magazine on their database processed by our agency was ****** ***** * *******. The other two magazines mentioned were direct orders placed and paid directly to the publisher. As they are not ours, we are unable to handle or answer any inquiries for **** ****** and ***** **** ******** magazines. 
  
  The publisher provided additional information for us to search by, and we were able to locate the order for ****** ***** * *******, as the address on our database was different.  This subscription was received on 08/02/2021 for 24 issues/2 years, order no. ********. A confirmation email is sent to the email address on file after an order is placed.  This order was a complimentary subscription accepted through an email or online offer. In some instances, as a customer appreciation, some online companies/stores will offer a free magazine subscription. It could also happen by answering a simple online survey question.There is no credit card or payment information on file as it was a free subscription.  
  
  This order no. ******** has been cancelled today. Since publishers print labels in advance, the customer may receive 1-2 more issues before delivery stops. 
  
  We have not received any prior communication from Ms. *******. Our customer service phone number (###-###-####) and support page can be found online: support.bluedolphin-magazines.com.Our hours are 9:00am to 5:00pm, EST.  

  Customer response

  10/12/2022

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  There seems to be an industry that has emerged sneaking "complimentary" subscriptions in with online shopping or through other means. What then seems to happen is that when the free trial period expires, and a consumer has any other magazines they've actually chosen to subscribe to (and the publisher has their credit card info on file for these), publishers run a charge through indefinitely for these unsolicited "complimentary" magazines. This seems to be a matter under investigation by several state attorneys general and the FTC. I have added my case to both the ** Attorney General's investigation and to the FTC. M2 and their partner publishers may be each skirting the law, but it is a deceptive practice by a desperate industry. I have also cancelled all my pre-existing long-term subscriptions to all magazines, even the ones I've long received. I don't want to be a party to the magazine publishing industry's practices ever again.

  ****** ***** * ******* publisher's website listed me as having subscriptions to ***, **** ****** and 2 I'd actually subscribed to (FW and MSL). That's why I assumed you were responsible as well for **** ******. I know C**** **** ******** is a different publisher. *** also gave me this contact info and told me "the cancellation must be made through the agency from which your subscription was ordered" which they told me was the below contact info. I have no idea who Blue Dolphin is, nor does *** apparently, so how on earth would I know to contact that different phone number and different organization. This is a shady business if there ever was one. 

  But I'm done with this now. I want no further contact. I'll let the states and feds deal with this issue, and I'll make sure my credit card companies deny any past and future charges to any magazines I never wanted.

  ** ***** ***** * **** ***** ***** *** ***** ********* ** ***** ************ ***************************** ***************** 

  Business response

  10/13/2022

  Good morning,

  I am addressing the customer's response to her claim of receiving unauthorized charges from different publishers.  

  We are sorry to hear about the inconvenience the customer experienced with her direct orders. We want to confirm that we do not have any payment information on file and never charged Ms. *******.  
  Also, we submitted a request to remove her name, email, and mailing address (*********, ** *****) from our database.

   

  Jennie S******* 
  
  Director of Customer Success*  ** ***** ******  *************  *************************  

*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. ↩