[Area Circulation]

Originally Posted by finbogg

I recieved a phone call from Area Circulation informing me that I had been entered into a $1,000,000 sweepstakes. I have seen that many others have also been called about this offer. I was offered some sort of 3 day vacation package or something which is fine. When the operator proceded to fast talk me into signing up for, IMO, very confusing magazine subscriptions, I knew then that I was in for something I had encountered several times before.

It's more simple to read perhaps...,

I was told to edit this post because it was a sales pitch, so here is a second hand attempt to describe what we do.

The details here are not based on what our company does, but gives you the idea of why some people may be confused in talking to us.

Let's say someone offered 3 magazines a week, for 5 years, at a rate of $3 per week, for a total of $780, and then they spread that amount out over the first year of the contract, making payments $65 per month during that year. After the first year is over, you get 4 more years with no further charges, because you would have paid it all off in one year.

That is the idea of what we do.

The million dollar sweepstake is with a company that specializes in handling such things, and yes there are winners. It's similar to us buying a lottery ticket in your name. You are entered and your chances of winning are described in detail.



I highly doubt anyone has ever won any $1,000,000 prize from Area Circulation. However I have no information to support this.

I do, and will see if I can get specific information about it. But we could not offer it if it were not legitimate. We are not in a foreign country were we are not bound by U.S. laws. We would have been closed down long ago... but we've been around for 20 years.

What I do know is that this is a scam. I have visited several other websites where people have all had the same response to these phone calls. I have also seen the exact same Burt Bellows sales pitch posted on every single one of them in response to something that someone else posted. I found it pretty pathetic he would insert his sales pitch into his defensive postings.


You misunderstand. I am not inserting a sales pitch, but describing what people are offered. You are also making an illegal libelous statement, especially when stating "What I do know is this is a scam".

Please be careful to state your opinion as opinion, rather than fact. Opinions are legal, statements of fact are libelous if wrong. Since you are wrong and we are not scammers, your statement is technically illegal. But later in your letter you apologize, so thank you... venting here is probably a good thing. We learn how to fix things that way.

I offer to you to speak with me in person. Write to accountant@areacirculation.net, give me your e-mail or phone number, and we can talk over the phone if you like.



I was offered the same magazine offer I think everyone else here was offered. Had they offered me a magazine that I am interested in, instead of the ones the operator told me I was going to get (no choice in the matter) I may have considered sunscribing. Either way, I'm glad I didn't, and I feel awful the people who have been taken in by this. I have been reading stories of people who were not charges the $74 but were instead charged hundreds.

And therefore I am here fixing any true errors, and addressing the false statements.

On the 'people being charged hundreds, hearing stories and believing them is one thing, but to report that as a truth is hearsay and not worth much in reality. I can't help you with hearsay and theory, only with your account if you have one.

I'll look into the thing about someone volunteering you a magazine choice. I have no idea why they would do that yet, unless you were hesitent and couldn't think of a title. Since you can change titles (check out our list on our website, www.areacirculation.net), just call and let us know what you want...

I feel bad for these people who got scammed. Any company that has to call you uninvited during business hours (you'd think they would wise up by now) and try to sell you anything by promising that you have a slim to no chance of winning some prize that probably doesn't even exists is a sad excuse for a company.

I don't know how you can call it a scam (details edited out per request by host, it seems explaining details is 'selling our product' online... please contact me personally for details.

If you got a call at an inconvenient time, I am sorry.

We strive to get lists of people with good enough demographics to let us know the best time to call

As you know, there are a lot of people working different shifts nowdays, so 'business hours' means a lot of things to a lot of people. Admittedly, we as telemarketers do call at inconvenient times, and if there is anything we would like to change, that would be the first.

I would just like to end it by saying to anyone who may have been called by these people that it is a by the salesmans book scam. How do I know? I don't know for 100% sure, but I do know that I have been contacted by dozens of other companies trying to sell me some sort of crap that I don't want by using some sort of prize as a vessel. Here's a hint Mr. Bellows, do some research before you try to sell the same garbage to everyone you try to sell something to. We don't all want to read GQ magazine. Not everyone is the same, yet you send everyone the same offer. I'm not even a businessman and I know this. Had Area Circulation come to me with something that I wanted I may have considered the offer.

We are definitely revamping that. It may be we got a bad demographic on you that said you wanted GQ.

How do you know what I want? The operator clearly told me that the reason for the call was because I used my credit card to buy something. I'm not even going to get into how much this frightens me, but it's obvious you are monitoring our credit card purchases with out out consent since I don't ever remember entering any sweepstakes or agreeing to speaking with your company. Perhaps you could take a look at what I purchased as a clue into what I like to buy.

The language is vague because we can't get detailed information on your purchase. We wish we could do so legally, but we can't, and as a consumer I'm glad companies can't do that either. Frankly almost everyone in the U.S. uses plastic anyway, so our knowing you used a card is really not much information at all.


I'm not trying to put you or your company down. If it appears this way I apologize. I would just like for once a salesman to approach me with a "killer deal" for something I want. This has never happened to me.

We try to do just that.

Our magazine list is mind boggling. I'll apologize up front for the badly timed phone call, and tell you flat out we wanted to get you magazines and make you happy. Otherwise we don't make money, and in fact lose money.

Sorry for your experience! It's clear that you went from being upset and saying libelous things, down to apologizing if it makes it looke like you are putting down our company.

Sounds to me like we need your input so know where these crazy flaws come from. We blame ourselves of course, and are listening to and watching our salespeople very carefully to find out how misunderstandings can happen.

The 'talking too fast' seems to me where the problem may be. A human over the phone can't absorb information nearly as fast as in person. We are re-writing our scripts to make this go away as much as possible.