MagsForLess Should be Named "ScamsForLess". A Total Scam of a Website.
MagsForLess
Yikes, what an experience. I used this service a few years ago and all went more or less OK but not this time. I paid and never got a thing and no one was willing to speak to me let alone explain why.
What MagsForLess Sells
Well, the theory is that they sell discounted mainstream and hobbyist magazines. Prices are generally quite a bit less than regular subscription prices.
Navigation
The site is decent to navigate. You can do a search or just browse by category of magazine. They have a Top Seller list which has some very popular magazines named which you can subscribe to as well. There really is no hassle with navigating and descriptions.
Everything looks fine and adding a subscription to your cart is a one click process.
Often, you are given a choice of one, two, three, and even four year subscriptions at a tiered price. I implore you NOT to order for more than a year because you never know where internet sites will be in two, three, or fours years. It is very enticing to add a year on for a few bucks but you're just tossing money away as you will see later on in this review.
If you have an existing subscription, you can opt to have your new one start when the old one expires. Or you can click "new subscription" and have it start ... well ... whenever it is supposed to start. I can't give you that timeframe since I didn't get an issue of any magazine I ordered from this company when I last ordered from them.
You will be offered many other magazines and periodicals when you click to add one to your cart and you can choose to add others or move on.
Prices are often ridiculously cheap. For example, two years of Penthouse is $8.67, one year of BOTH Fitness and Shape Magazines is $6.99 (for both magazines combined), and one year of all three women's magazines Elle, Cosmopolitan, and Redbook is $14.99 (For all three for the year) and on and on it goes. These prices are so enticing, you will find yourself clicking away in anticipation of your magazines arriving and the savings racking up.
Some magazines, though, are actually more expensive than you would pay through the publisher. Glamour Magazine is $18.00 a year. It only costs $12.00 through the postcard in the magazine. I suspect those magazines will actually be sent out but why would anyone pay more than the publisher's price for a subscription?
Click to add to your cart and, when you are done, you will move to the checkout area.
Often, there are coupon codes on the net or via email that save you even more and you will add a code if you have one before continuing on.
You can opt to register with the site with a password or checkout without registering.
Fill out the shipping and billing addresses (You can opt to have magazines shipped as gifts to another address) and move on.
I must note that you can ONLY have one shipping address so, if you order a subscription for yourself and one as a gift, you need to choose where BOTH subscriptions will go. Other magazine sites have address fields for each magazine you order but not this one.
Choose to pay with a major credit card or PayPal and you're done. Incredibly simple, huh?
You will get a letter confirming your purchase.
And that is it.
You will never hear another word from this company for the rest of your life.
My Experience
You may have noticed I was a tad sarcastic above. But I am mad at myself for falling into a trap that is so obvious.
The magazines I ordered were for gifts (in my household) and for myself and were incredibly inexpensive. The ordering process was so simple. The letter I received was professional and promised that the subscriptions would start "when I receive my first issue." Duh, ya think? That is what their FAQs say and they actually mean that. That is the length of time they tell you to wait for your magazines. Until you receive the first one.
My credit card was charged the day I placed my order.
And then I waited. I did not get anything in the mail like a postcard addressed to my kids or husband telling them that they were getting a subscription nor is there an email verification to recipients. I got nothing sent to me via snail mail verifying the subscriptions I purchased either.
So I waited.
And waited.
And, you know, uh waited.
Four months into this scam, I wrote to the site asking when my magazines were coming. I checked the site for my order status and there was no record of my order although I had my email and my credit card bill.
I waited for my response.
And waited.
And you know, uh waited.
They never answered me.
Although the site says the following: "MagsForLess is committed to 100% customer satisfaction. Our friendly customer support representatives respond to every single Email inquiry or Phone call within 4 hours during normal business hours and 16 hours outside of business hours," I got no email nor any phone call from anyone from the site at any time and I wrote several times.
I checked for a phone number and couldn't find one. I checked the whole site carefully and all they had was order look up which showed nothing for me and a little email kind of form thing on the site.
I was unable to find a telephone number so I wrote one last time, threatening to get my credit card company involved if I didn't get an answer. I didn't so, five and a half months after I was charged, I went to my credit card company and filed a dispute.
I eventually got my money back from my credit card company and never got to speak with anyone from MagsForless at all.
I suspect they have about three people working there to maintain the site and take the cash. Then delete names and forget people exist. I also suspect that those who are paying the higher than publisher's prices are probably getting their subscriptions. I think those who are ordering the specials and the deeply discounted magazines are the ones getting ripped off but I can't verify that anyone is getting their subscriptions so I can't be sure it is only those who choose the cheaper mags who are the victims.
I am aghast as the blasé attitude of this company and at how blatantly they rip people off. And more than that, I am aghast that I fell for it!
I have since gone to Magazines.com and ordered gifts subs and magazines for myself and all went just fine. The prices were good and the service was and is great.
MagsForLess should be avoided. I know I am not the only person who has been disappointed in this site. I would love to be the last. If you are reading this, know that I gave this company every opportunity to answer me, to reply in some fashion as to where my magazines were, and gave them ample time to start my subscriptions. I was ignored. I wasn't even sent a letter LYING to me. They just blatantly took my money and ran.
Shipping and Returns
There are no shipping charges. The price is what you pay for each subscription. They only ship within the US.
They say they have a 30-day refund policy but I would love to hear from anyone who has actually gotten a refund within 30 days without a fight. Moreover, how can anyone ask for a refund within 30 days when they don't know when their subscriptions are supposed to start?
Conclusion
Quite a while ago, I recall ordering from this site and having the magazines eventually arrive. They took a few months to start but they did come. I also recall they stopped short of the full 12 or 24 months I paid for by a couple issues.
This time, they simply collected my money and then dismissed me as though I didn't exist. I can't imagine how a website can exist if they treat everyone the way I was treated. Or, well, I suppose I should say, not treated. I wasn't replied to or acknowledged in any way. But you better believe my credit card was charged moments after my order was placed!
I am glad I was able to finally get my money back but I just can't believe this site is still standing. I have read many negative reviews all over the net, have seen many complaints, and have heard the horror stories from consumers since I tried to order yet the site remains.
All I can say is to avoid MagsForLess and go to Magazines.com or any number of other legitimate magazine subscription sites. This site is unethical and unresponsive. You may get lucky and get your magazines or you may get just a few. You probably won't get any and will have to fight like heck to get your money back like I did.
I don't know who is behind this site except that they say they are a "New York City company" but whoever it is, isn't there for you to save money and get timely magazine subscriptions. Just look at the ridiculously low prices. Even the best discount subscription sites can't match those prices. That's because they actually SEND the magazines to you for the full amount of time you subscribe for.
This site gets a goose egg of a rating from me. I have to go with 1 star but would go with none if I could.
Avoid it and save yourself the hassles of dealing with a scam site.
Recommended:
No
