The Scambook Community has once again made its voice heard and helped launch another consumer class action lawsuit. After numerous complaints posted on the Scambook forum, a national class action has been filed against Direct Brands, Inc. and BookSpan, operators of such online clubs as Double Day Book Club, Columbia House, Book of the Month Club, The Good Cook, Crossings, and many others. Your willingness to share your experiences has helped push this issue to the forefront and made people take notice.
Scambook users have posted complaints about unauthorized charges , an inability to cancel, unwanted products being mailed to their homes, being overcharged for books, and several other alleged issues.
Earlier today a class action was filed seeking monetary damages and an injunction stopping Direct Brands’s alleged business practices.
We’ll be keeping track of the lawsuit and will post any updates as we have them.
Be sure to check out the link below for more information about Double Day Book Club.
Class Action Direct Brands BookSpan Columbia House Double Day Book Club
See Also
BidRack Class Action Lawsuit
Class Action Lawsuit: Double Day Book Club – Columbia House
Class Action: J.C. Penney & Stonebridge Benefit Services
I joined a few years ago and honestly forgot about the club until recently. I have been looking at my credit and have a debt from both Good Cook Book Club ( I believe this one is actually valid )
and Doubleday. My issue with the debt from Doubleday is I NEVER received the items from that order, never mind that it was one of those I didn’t ask to have sent. I never got it and now I have duplicate debts on my credit report from 2 separate agencies. Selling the debt to 2 companies at one time is a bit much and makes up my mind about ever doing business with them again.
I joined Doubleday Bookclub, payed for all my books, fulfilled my membership & then a year later was told I didn’t! They’ve been attacking my credit also! The Science Fiction Bookclub is a scam also! They charged my credit card & said I hadn’t “fulfilled my membership” so that’s why they did it! They charged me full price for 3 books when I only needed to buy one more & gave me 6 choices of books I wouldn’t ever have picked to read! When I tried to pick different, cheaper books they wouldn’t let me! Now they won’t let me get the 3 books they still owe ME! I’d like in on this lawsuit!
I found the contact phone number for Doubleday on their website at: http://www.doubledaybookclub.com/customer-service/help
on their FAQ page.
“How do I contact Customer Service?
You can call Customer Service Monday-Friday from 8:00am-6:00pm (EST) at 717-918-2665.”
I tried to cancel with book of the month. I told them I wanted to disenroll and they would not let me know they have attacked my credit.
Book club scams, etc.
Best to never give any credit card info to such places, and by al means never your SSN that way it will not go on your credit report.
Also only pay by them billing you, or you sending them a check in the mail for all orders. The way that you keep them from getting your credit card info if you change it, is to close your bank account. There is such a thing as the transactions going through on things that have been approved after the number has changed. That is why you must close the account to close the problem. That is a way to get out of most any monthly service when they will not hold up their end of the deal.
There are more and more scams, the only thing is that they are playing on is the amount is so small that you will not get a lawyer to help you go after them, even when you will win, it will cost you more to fix the problem than just paying them. This is the game, and the only way to win is not to play in the first place.
It’s really easy to cancel with the club! I’ve been a member for years and have never had a problem. I even accidentally enrolled twice on their website, and all I had to do was return the enrollment package on the one account. I just called and they provided me a return label, no questions ask. Did you complete your obligation or return your enrollment books to cancel?
I would love to have the phone number you had to get in contact with them.
I asked Double a Day for a refund for an unwanted charge and at first they said no but after i threatened law enforcement involvement they reconsidered and refunded me everything they took.
How can any credence be given your comment if you don’t even know the correct name of the company? I think at least half the “complaints” on this website are bogus.
Paulette, you are just angry that you got scammed but taking it out on other in here with the same problem is not going to help you. I doubt very seriously that people would come here to complain about a problem that did not exist.
I Had The Same Problem The Would send Me A Bill With Diffrent Amounts And I Would Try To Cancel My Account ,All The Wouth Do Send Me Extras Books Or Movies This True It Was Hard On Us To Cancel They Would;n;t Let Us Cancel There Were More Charges On My Bills.So You Get Them.
My husband and me have been harassed by the book club and the movie club. We have been billed for things we never received. We have been forced to pay for things we didn’t want. And we have not been able to cancel like we asked. I would love to join in this lawsuit. [PERSONAL INFORMATION REMOVED]
When I joined several years ago, I got what I wanted and fulfilled club requirements. Then they would send random titles that I didn’t want and I would put return to sender, unopened (you have to open the package for the address to send back, which cost money for postage). Then on my credit report, it showed that I owed money when I didn’t owe them. I tried to cancel and they continued to send me stuff. It took the last package that I mailed back (apparently they didnt credit the return), I was told I owed them money so they stopped mailing me stuff.
I SIGNED UP FOR THE MOVIE CLUB BUT ONLY AS A TRIAL BASIS THEY SENT ME TWO MOVIES, I PAID FOR THEM THEY SAID I OWED FOR A CERTAIN AMOUNT MORE FOR ME TO COMPLETE MY MEMBERSHIP I REFUSED TO PAY FOR A YEAR EVEN WHEN BOTHERED BY THEM WHEN ON MY CREDIT REPORT SHOWED THEM I WAS FURIOUS FOR IT WAS A TRIAL AND I PAID FOR AND THEN CANCELED SO A YEAR LATER I PAID THE LAST AMOUNT FOR THE MEMBERSHIP THEY SAID TO PICK OUT THE MOVIES THEY WILL SHIP LAST TIME I USED THEIR WEBSITE IT DID NOT WORK GOING TO TRY AGAIN AS $ 49.95 IS GOOD MONEY TO THROW AWAY I HOPE THEY ARE HONEST THIS TIME.
There is no “trial” period for these clubs. It’s stated right in their membership agreement. It’s the same with the Disney DVD club which I am a member of as well.
I really with I could get in on this one. They did the same mess to me. I never even received anything from them before but yet it shows I never paid for something on my credit report. How can I owe for something I never signed up for? I called customer service to speak with someone. They said they needed a written statement from me to dispute the charge. No problem. I did that. In return, they sent me a bill. Yet I explained everything quite detailed and clear in my written statement. They’re just scammers trying to get money out of any and everyone!
Just got a notice saying I hadn’t “fulfilled my membership obligations.” I haven’t been apart of this for many years and cancelled my account after buying the right amount of items. They can try to ruin my credit but it sucks already!
We tried to cancel in Nov. 2010..their own website says we fulfilled the agreement. Now here it is Aug 2011 and our back account we used for them went over drawn and they still refuse to cancel and haven’t sent us any books. We have switch credit cards twice and they keep getting the new number, bank fraud dept has been alerted. We moved July 31 and somehow they got our new address on AUGUST 4…interesting date.
If you put in a change address with the post office, it will be forwarded and any companies with direct mailing will be notified.
My Client ID number is :40149KM Please remove me from your records and refund my money. I do not think this is what I was looking for. Kathleen
I do not know the website name that was to be mine. Kathleen
Just Refund My money Please. Kathleen
I had a very similar experience. I made the mistake of getting lnvolved with Doubleday book club. After a year went by and got a notice that needed to fulfill my agreement to purchase the rest of the books or I would be charged for the books even if I did not order them. The email stated I could call if I had questions. I wanted to call but there was no phone number. I emailed them with no response. I tried to order the books but the website would not allow me to place the order. I later realized they had gone into my bank account unannounced and taking money out of my bank account. I would like to be added to any class action suit if possible. I just need some advice or guidance. Someone please help.
Their phone number is listed right on their website, along with hours of operations.
Where is the phone number on the website? I have looked it over again and again desperately trying to contact someone as the “contact us” emails I send are not being answered.
My husband and I have both received bogus bills from this book club and from Disney Movie Club. I would like to join the lawsuit.
I tried to pay off Disney Movie Club, they canceled what they said I owed then said I had to buy a bunch more movies, that didn’t even make sense. These people are crooks.
I ordered from them last year. I got all the books I ordered and fulfilled my obligation in the year time frame. When I opened my bank statement today, I realized they had charged me 5 days after I fulfilled my obligation an additional almost $60 for not fulfilling my obligation. Since I used my debit card, I have disputed the charges. Hopefully that works, I do have all correspondences from them saved in my e-mail and can prove that my obligation was fulfilled!
Make sure that the books you purchased were at the correct price! If you did not order the correct priced books, they will not count. It’s not just the number of books to purchase, it’s the purchase price of each book!
I must voice my appreciation for your kindness giving support to those people that need help with your matter. Your personal dedication to getting the message throughout had been incredibly functional and have without exception allowed individuals just like me to arrive at their aims. Your personal important advice indicates a lot to me and substantially more to my office colleagues. Thanks a ton; from each one of us.
Crap! I just signed up with Book of the Month club and my order has already been shipped. I hope I don’t get screwed!
I have been a member off and on for years… and I have never had a problem with the book club. I am sure you will be fine as long as you have read and understood your obligations. Look over it again, and if you don’t like them, just call and ask for a return label to send the books back. They sent me one when I signed up twice by mistake.
WE CAN’T CALL FOR A LABEL IF THEY DON’T GIVE US A NUMBER!!!! I EVEN CALLED MY BANK TO HELP TRACK ONE DOWN AND THEY DON’T SHOW ANY RECORD OF A PHONE NUMBER!!!
I doubt this lawsuit will go anywhere. It seems that the main complaint is that somebody did not know how the club works. Many times people create their own problems. It clearly specifies the dollar amount of the books that you have to buy to fulfill your membership. They do have sales, but to fulfill your membership it only counts for books with a minimum specifieId price. The website clearly shows what and when you have to buy your books to fulfill your membership. As far as people being charged year or years later in error, it seems odd that customer service would not be able to rectify that. I have joined over and over with these clubs for years and I have never had a problem so far….
I am hoping it will not go anywhere. I do not know what I will do without my book clubs! I am amazed that people are having an issue. I have always had good experiences with the book club, and if I have had an issue, their customer service has been able and willing to help me through it.
When I ordered my books I triple checked that they qualified for the enrollment requirements so I wouldn’t be charged more than neccessary. My account billing history says I was charged $24.08 but my bank statement says $47.24 for the same books. I haven’t even been signed up for a whole month so there is NO WAY I should have been charged for books that I didn’t order. If you are defending this site Willow, please explain to me the reasoning behind this discrepancy!
How do you join the class action lawsuit??
Somehow I’ve also managed to get a call from a collections company called Takhar Group about this saying that I owe Double Day Books $86. They were not able to provide me with any information about when the purchase was made or what was purchased. When I told the woman that I’ve never heard of Double Day Books nor have I purchased anything from them she said that someone had made a payment in my name and that this would still go against my credit if I refused to pay it. After expressing my concern about this being a scam she proceeded to tell me that she was done going around in circles with me and hung up on me!
I’m still trying to get more information but here’s what I’ve found so far in case it helps:
Takhar Group — 1-800-620-0371
Double Day Book Club — 717-918-2665
Direct Brands Inc. — 212-596-2000
Ian,
I’ve just had the same damn thing happen to me today. They’ve been calling more for months but haven’t been answering the phone. I left a message on their voicemail one time that said if they cannot tell me what it was regarding, not to expect a return call. I finally broke down and called them today after another nasty voicemail. Lady asked if I still lived at such and such address. Of course, I’m not going to tell them anything until they tell me what they want. Said she collecting a $72 debt from the Double Day Book Club from charges in 2009. Tried to tell me it was opened with a Visa card. I tried to explain to her that I have never had a membership with Double Day. (I’m entirely too busy to be reading books all day.) Told I wanted a letterhead sent via standard mail (letter of validation of debt). Told her I was going to contact Double Day (which I’m still waiting for a reply). Also told her not to expect a dime from me and that I was going to dispute this to the fullest extent of the law.
If this was a true collection, it would’ve been on my credit report, which it still is not. Just got through checking all three bureaus. There are all kinds of reports all over the web about these three companies and how fraudulent their operations are. I’ve already reported them to the FTC, FBI, and State Attorney General. I would strongly advise others to do the same.
DO NOT PAY THE TAKHAR GROUP ONE CENT. IT IS A FRAUDULENT COLLECTION AGENCY!
I have a collection on my credit reports that I’ve tried to dispute. I have never received anything from these people. I couldn’t win the dispute so now I am calling them directly. Very frustrated with these people!
I got involved with Double day unaware that the website is a scam. I ordered 5 books for what I thought was $.99 plus the cost of shipping. I ended paying over $70. Then they send me two books that i didn’t order and charged my account again. I really don’t have the money to pay such expensive fees. I also tried calling them and cancelling my membership but the phone number they gave me was unavailable and I am still a member. Someone please help me I need to cancel my membership as fast as possible. I can’t afford losing anymore money.
Their number is directly on their website, along with their hours of operation. (717) 918 2665
Maybe I am the odd one in the group. I saw this site while searching because I wanted to enroll in the book club again. I’ve been a member in the past, and I have never had a problem with Book Of The Month Club, or even the Literary Guild. I have never had nothing but a positive experience with the clubs over the years. I had even accidentally enrolled twice on their website and all I had to do was call the customer service number when I received the duplicate books, they sent me a return label to send one back so that the account would be canceled. Replying to their “featured selections” can be annoying yes, and I tend not to join when I know there are months that I am too busy. Occasionally I may have missed one, but all I had to do was return the book that was sent. I had one issue where I had returned and item and never received a refund for the book. I called customer service and they issued me a credit without question or demanding that I prove that I even returned the item. When it came to cancelling my account, as long as I had completed my purchase obligation, I was able to return. I really hope that this class action lawsuit you have filed does not effect the company and allows them to continue their service for people like me who can’t always get to the store and enjoy the ease of having my books sent directly to me.
Columbia House is trying to make me pay $75 after a year. I asked them to stop sending me the movies a year ago. I bought the 2 first DVDs and I never wanted to buy the ones they kept sending me. I had to pay the shippment of two Dvds to be shipped back as I had to open the box to see what was inside. They charged me three times in one month and messed up my bank account, I called them and theyt refunded me but not all the 3 debits but only two debits. I asked to cancell the service but the customer service told me that I can’t cancel until I buy two DVDs. This is horrible service and even I did not buy anything they are threaten to do bad things on my credit if I dont pay the $75 bill they sent me. They keep sending me this $75 bill every month trying to get my money for nothing. I need a help to make this company to be more ethical with customers and not trying to get money for nothing. What are my rights as a consumer?
It never ceases to amaze me that people are not tuned into what they are doing and that they create their own problems. It seems for some that it only becomes a scam and unethical when it comes time to pay the bills. You MUST fulfill your obligation after you enrollment titles arrive. You MUST respond and decline the featured selections if you do not want to have them shipped and billed to you.
It is not a scam when it is something that you do not like, do not understand or that you disagree with.
The book clubs offer tremendous value even when considering the books that you must buy after the enrollment titles. With the special offers from Doubleday, I got 11 really nice books for under $50.00, (this is the net price which includes the discounted enrollment titles and fulfillment of my obligation).
I am going to join again!
I contacted Doubleday regarding which books count toward my 4 book obligation. I was told books costing over $9.99. So, I found and purchased a book. And guess what? That book DOES NOT count toward my obligation because I selected a book from BOOKSEARCH PLUS. How was I suppose to know the book I paid $11.99 for was a booksearch PLUS book. It wasn’t labeled that way. There was no note attached in my shopping cart either. Heck, I found the book on their website and I was never told “those books don’t count.” I am pissed.
Contact the number up top of this page to get involved with the lawsuit
http://www.scribd.com/doc/61647140/Class-Action-Direct-Brands-BookSpan-Columbia-House-Double-Day-Book-Club
I AM A SENIOR CITIZEN WHO JOINED DOUBLEDAY LARGE PRINT BOOK CLUB. I MADE MY PURCHASES, IN FACT, BUYING MORE THAN I WAS SUPPOSED TO AND I GOT A BILL FOR $48.54 SAYING I DIDN’T FULFILL MY CONTRACT. I DIDN’T KNOW BOOKS HAD TO BE A CERTAIN PRICE. BUT I PAID BY CHECK THE $48 AND NOW THEY WANT ME TO PROVE IT OVER AND OVER AGAIN AND HAVE PUT ME INTO COLLECTION! THEY WANT A CHECK COPY THAT WILL COST ME $25. THEY ARE REALLY SCAM ARTISTS AND SHOULD BE REPORTED TO THE GOVERNMENT. AARP MEMBERS BEWARE.
I have been a member of the Book of The Month clubs (all of them) for a number of years. Some of them I cancelled after my fulfillment. I have never had any issues with over charging, returning books, cancelling or credit card issues. People need to read the rules and Terms of Service PRIOR to just signing up. The Clubs are great to get books that you want. I am still a member to 2 of the clubs.
I’m scared sh*tless. I have to buy 4 books to complete my purchase membership thingy and so far i’m having the same problems as everyone else. Like what the hell is the difference between a ‘regular book’ and a ‘booksearch’? Why isn’t that in the book category list so it would be a lot easier for the buyers. Thats what books a million does. It’s in a list where you can click on the link and know the difference. Second the TRUTH is the terms are completely f*cked up. I read that “Each book or set you buy with a purchase price over $13.98, excluding shipping and processing and applicable taxes, counts as one unit toward fulfilling your purchase commitment.” and ANOTHER term said “Each book or set you buy with a purchase price over $9.98, excluding shipping and processing and applicable taxes, counts as one unit toward fulfilling your purchase commitment.” I’m confused?
I want the truth before they screw me over as well. Please help me before I make any purchases I wil regret.
Sorry that you are scared and seem to be rather upset. The purchase requirements will vary depending on the club and the offer that you signed up for. Any book that is listed under book search plus does not count toward your obligation. I would just re read the terms and call customer service to answer your questions, if you are still not clear on what to do. It’s really not that hard to understand.
Why do people assume that the club is trying to screw people? It appears that this lawsuit has not gone anywhere either? Like I said before, I received 11 nice books for under $50.00 (including shipping), so I do not understand all of the complaints at all.
I signed up with Doubleday in Jan 2012. Paid for my enrollment $24.53. But I didn’t open the box when I received it. After that $48.12 was taken from my account from the papers on new shipment. Found out was a Featured books I was to choose/decline and I missed the date. And they AUTO-SHIPPED it. I had no idea it was in there as the books were paid for. I sent it back for a refund. I also mentioned they better not take 4 weeks to be refunded as it took less than a week to take it out. ~~ I just have to buy 4 books by Jan 6, 2013. Then my obligations are done. Their selections aren’t my type. But I’ll have it done by Christmas. MY BIG COMPLAINT IS THEY DO 1-2 featured selections every month. If you miss it…poof …they take the money out of your account. They should have it set for monthly or twice by with set dates. (Dates features set were 2/9 ,2/18 ,3/8 ,3/20 ,4/9 ,5/1 ,5/23 ,6/7 ,6/26 ,7/13) They need it have it like every 7th and 20th or 1st and 15th. The way it is is sneaky in my opinion. When I fulfill my order it I’m going to write PAID IN FULL and cancel it as I don’t like the way they have it where one has to check almost daily to make sure they didn’t toss in another selection choice.
Also comment for the “accidentally signing up twice” and it took you to cancel it and not Doubleday says a lot about them. Hope all goes well. As if there was a class action. I’d join just for the reasons I listed in my earlier comment.
Does your website have a contact page? I’m having trouble locating it but, I’d like to send you an e-mail. I’ve got some suggestions for your blog you might be interested in hearing. Either way, great site and I look forward to seeing it improve over time.
I’ve a complaint with DoubleDay Book Club, First month they sent me a cardwhere i could order my own books,after that they sent me books on there own I never ordered them. so I would return everyone of them, then i wrote them and asked them to mail me the cards every month where I order my own books,well i never heard from them again fo month till yesterday, the letter says I past owe 85.52 payby 8-15-2012, for what,once they recieve payment my selections will be mailed to me. what selections. never never get involved with these idiots.
The double day book club is most certainly a scam and anyone who says that it is not is incompetent. I purchased 4 books from them at 99 cents each. I was never informed that doing this would cause me to be put into a never ending ring of payments and shipments for books I do not want. When i tried to cancel this complete scam, it took me 6 calls to customer service to understand everything i needed to do in order to be relieved of their service. This entailed buying 2 more books at 9.99 in order to cancel. Except, they hardly had any books for 9.99 due to their “membership prices.” After searching the entire website for books that would meet these prices i finally found 2 that i would never want but bought them purely to get out of this fiasco. I called to cancel immediately afterward and was told i needed to wait until the order had processed. Now they are sending me emails about packages i returned that were unopened saying that they items are damaged and unrecognizable. How is this possible if i never opened the package. They are a scam do not be mistaken, never sign up for any reason unless you like being sent things you don’t want and being charged automatically.
I joined Doubleday and recieved my free books and they were in perfect condition. I fell into some financial hardship for several months and couldn’t fullfill my commitment. They billed me for $79.72 which was fine. My fault, not theirs. I paid the outstanding balance in full months ago. According to their agreement: “The commitment charge is calculated by taking the number of outstanding books multiplied by the Club’s average book price (including shipping & processing), currently $21.38, subject to change, plus any applicable sales tax. When we communicate with you about fulfilling your Membership Agreement, we will include instructions on how to order your outstanding selections.”
They never contacted me or credited my account. It sits at $0.00. I’ve contacted them tonight and am waiting for their response.
Disney dvd is by far the worst they sent us double copies of movies under my wifes name and she didnt order anything. there practice is so slimey that if you take the directors choice movie its almost double the cost and get this,, it does NOT count towards your purchase amount. hows that for scams? NEVER EVER BUY FROM DISNEY DVD
I signed up for the Good Cook bookclub back in January, but am unable to complete my commitment because all the books they offer are from affiliates which don’t count!! I’ve sent emails asking them to just send me a list of Good Cook offers, but they said it’s “so extensive and changing all the time” that they aren’t able to accomodate me!! I’m serious – I’ve gone through nearly every book they offer and none apply. This is outright fraud!!
Susan,
All of the books under browse by category on the left hand side, count toward your obligation. Your monthly catalog also contains books that count. I am not sure why people are so confused and struggling with this. It’s not that hard. It’s not fraud at all.
I have joined and rejoined numerous times and have a ton of cookbooks where no online seller or store could come close to the bargain prices that I have paid.
Perhaps the lawsuit is dead? I have not heard any updates about it?
CRAP!!! I just sign up because I was having trouble with Mystery Books, now what.