Customer Service at Oxmoor House!! CL, are you listening??

[pmmahan]

Boy, am i mad!

I received one of those email special offers for the CL Annual 2001, so I ordered online and never received it. I called Customer Service at Oxmoor House and they said that it had been entered into the system as a telemarketing order, and that it would take 4-6 weeks for me to receive it! I was a little mad because the online order would be received in 1 week. They said they'd check into and get right back to me. A day later (yes, I guess that's getting right back to me!:mad: )
And bascially said there was nothing they could do. So I called them back today to cancel the order and apparently it is already filled and mailed and would arrive in 4-6 weeks. I said, well, how did this mixup happen? THe woman didn't even try to explain, just repeated herself that it would arrive in 4-6 weeks, and if I didn't want it, I could send it right back.

Grrr....I ordered it for the lower price, but waiting a month and a half doesn't seem like the tiny savings I'll end up getting after S&H. I'd would just go buy it at full price in the bookstore.

I am even more upset because I should not have ordered from the in the first place after reading all the bad reviews of them on this board.

CL, WHY do you do business with these people?? They are a customer service nightmare!!

Sorry, I just needed to vent. :(

[tracey67]

Patti, I second your "GRRRRR"

I've also had a bad experience with Oxmoor House. About 3 months ago I received a book package in the mail. Since I hadn't ordered anything lately, I couldn't imagine what it could be. Not wanting to open the package (because then YOU have to pay to return it) I was able to peek inside the billing envelope just enough to see that it was the CL 2000 Annual.

Problem is... I never ordered the 2000 annual! I did order the 1999 annual, but I wasn't planning to purchase the 2000 because I decided that I just didn't need it (since I have all the 2000 monthly issues). However, Oxmoor House, in all their glory,
must have put me on some "automatic ship" list for all future volumes -- just because I ordered ONE volume ONCE!

So...I'm pretty annoyed at this since now it means that I have to make a trip to the post office to return it (granted, I was lucky enough not to open it and could return it shipping free - but it still required me to run an unnecessary errand).

So a month goes by after I returned it, and I get a letter in the mail from Oxmoor House reminding me that I haven't paid for this book. Assuming that the book and their letter just crossed paths in the mail, I ignore this letter and go on with my life.

Another month goes by and I get a second - angrier - letter from them saying that I must pay this bill. So...because there is no phone number listed on their letter, Oxmoor AGAIN wastes more of my day since I now have to write them a letter explaining that I returned the book and that I don't want to receive any future books.

ANOTHER month goes by and I get a THIRD - really angry - letter from them threatening me if I don't pay this bill. Obviously, they don't check ANYTHING that comes into their mail room. Frustrated and imagining some horrible awful mark on my credit history, I decide that I have to call them. Once again, no phone number on their letter. This means that I have to log onto Yahoo yellow pages to find their phone number.

After being on hold for about 10 minutes, I talk to someone who, after hearing my story (which I somehow told in a very calm and not angry voice), says that he will credit my account and that everything is taken care of. I'm HOPING that this IS the end of the story and that some big scary man doesn't show up at my house next month and break my legs.

;)

Even though everything is supposedly taken care of, I'm still really annoyed that this book, which I never ordered in the first place, has managed to consume (counting a trip to the post office, letter writing, and phone calling) quite a bit of my time and life.

GRRRRR!!!!

tracey

[mcraig13]

The same thing happened to me--they will just keep sending you things--whatever they publish with the CL name on it. I finally sent one back with a note to NEVER SEND ME ANYTHING ELSE. Apparently it worked. By the way, I have seen the Annual Cookbooks at Sam's for a very good price.

[luv2cook]

I hate them, too. I would get bills from them about stuff that I paid - I used to get those disks every month and I would try to call and there was no phone number. That is SO irritating.
I refuse to order anything else from them.

[AmyO26]

I had the same experience as Tracey (receiving nasty letters saying that I hadn't paid for a book that just "appeared" on my doorstep), so I ended up calling Oxmoor House. To make a long story short, it took their billing dept. a MONTH to credit my account for a check I had sent. Their excuse was that "we don't always get our mail!" HOW LAME IS THAT?!?!

I also told them that I did not, under any circumstances, want another book sent to my house. I have ordered many items from various catalogs and on-line retailers, and Oxmoor House has been the only one that's been a problem.

Amy

[Jewel]

A lot of us have had the Oxmoor House Blues. Most of us have refused to deal with them ever again. I personally have written little nastygrams on each and every bill I receive from them, telling them that they may as well take me off their mailing list, because all they are doing is wasting postage and paper. They must like getting my nastygrams, 'cause they keep sending me more stuff.

Beware of opening even the envelope affixed to an unordered package. I did this once to find out what it was, found it was something I didn't order/want/need and sealed the neat little slice on the top of the envelope up with tape, and tossed it back into the pile after writing 'refused' on the package. I continued to get invoices from the Oxmoor House Gestapo for the next few months demanding payment for the book, and when I finally got someone on the phone she told me that I had opened the package. I argued that no, I had not opened the package, only the envelope to see what was IN the package. She said same thing...I took possession of the book when I opened it. 'Scuse me? Was she there?

I have asked Oxmoor House to remove me from their Database. Once you order ANYTHING from them, the fine print states that you agree to periodically 'review' books sent to your home automatically. I want nothing to do with underhanded business practices. The CL books sell themselves. They don't need a sleazy publishing house resorting to unethical tactics to sell the books.

[Wendy w]

Originally posted by mcraig13
The same thing happened to me--they will just keep sending you things--whatever they publish with the CL name on it. I finally sent one back with a note to NEVER SEND ME ANYTHING ELSE. Apparently it worked. By the way, I have seen the Annual Cookbooks at Sam's for a very good price.

I have had the same experience and have done the same thing. Never again! I only order from half.com, buy from Costco or my favorite booth at the local swapmeet.

[Peeps]

FYI - Both the 2000 and 2001 Annuals are available on Ebay and Half.com...

Ebay:
(2001) http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1454509554
(2000) http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1453290568

Half.com:
(2001) www.half.com/cat/buy/prod.cgi?cpid=5110594&domain_id=1856&meta_id=1
(2000) http://www.half.com/cat/buy/prod.cgi?cpid=794203

[Wendy w]

Originally posted by mcraig13
The same thing happened to me--they will just keep sending you things--whatever they publish with the CL name on it. I finally sent one back with a note to NEVER SEND ME ANYTHING ELSE. Apparently it worked. By the way, I have seen the Annual Cookbooks at Sam's for a very good price.

I have had the same experience and did what you did and it has worked. Never again! I will stick to Costco, half.com and the book vendor at my local swapmeet where I got some cool Southern Living books very reasonably.

[Jewel]

All I have to say regarding Oxmoor House is two little words...

NEVER AGAIN!!!

[SandyM]

I received a mailer last year for the CL Complete cookbook, bought it, received it, paid for it, (all in a matter of about 2-3 weeks) and I haven't heard from them since.

Not bragging, mind you, but just offering another side. After hearing all of this, however, I will definitely steer clear of them from here on out.

[gertdog]

Has anyone located a phone number for Oxmoor House? I ordered the 2001 Annual from them, and I'm thinking perhaps a phone call could prevent future, unwanted books from coming my way (wishful thinking, perhaps, given people's experiences with them, but worth a try...)

Thanks!

[AmyO26]

It's 1-800-633-4910 (this appeared on my statement from them)

[Cookie_Mom]

Wow, its nice to see I'm not the only who felt this way about Oxmoor House! I ordered a Southern Living annual cookbook from them and the bill is so confusing about how much is left on my balance! I think I'm pretty smart, but I can't figure it out. I just got one last week and it looked like the same bill they had sent the month before, I had made a payment and it wasn't credited. I tossed it, and I'll wait for them to send another and then I'll call and find out the true balance. Gosh, what a headache!

Amy:)

[Svadhisthana]

Someone should e-mail them a link to this thread. :p :D

[ClaireM]

I had the same experience as Tracey. But, somewhere in between all the threatening letters (after I had sent the book back), I called the California Department of Consumer Affairs. They told me that anything unsolicited sent to me by mail, I should consider a gift. I should ignore all those nasty notes, because the publisher can't extort money from me, and they wouldn't really push it. But so many people get scared and send the money in, it's worth it to the publishers to pursue it. I was sorry I had sent the book back, and am still waiting gleefully for another unsolicited one to arrive! Don't know if this is just a California law, but it might be worth a phone call to see if you can keep your new, free book!

[aggie94]

I've never ordered anything from Oxmoor House, but it's my understanding that when you do, you agree to review other books that they automatically send you. If that's the case, I'm not sure that you can consider those books "gifts" because they're not really unsolicited (you've previously agreed to look at them). I'd be careful keeping anything they send you.

[Julia1Pin]

I ordered the 2001 annual as well. Let's see what they say.....

1) Apparently they show me as having ordered it again 3 days ago over the phone. Uh, no!!!!!! So, the woman on the phone is deleting that order.

2)They didn't find me real order, even though I told them what day I ordered it on.

So, I guess I'll just have to buy it at Costco or Barnes and Noble.

In a way I'm sort of relieved. But I'm also bummed that I'm not geting it right away. :(

[Grace]

For those of you worried that you'll get a bad report on your credit report if you don't pay a bill for something you didn't get/want/order, etc., don't worry. First of all, they CAN'T report you to the credit agencies - it's all run by Social Security number, and you don't give your SS# when you order a book. Secondly, no one is going to go to the trouble to report you for $20 or $30 dollars, and no loan officer is going to reject you for that amount either, even if they COULD report you! What they can do is send your bill to an outside collection agency, who might hound you from now until kingdom comes, but even that's not likely. (Collection agencies run on commission. They get a small portion of what they recover. Do you think they're going to spend a lot of time hounding you for $10 or maybe even less?). So while it's annoying as heck, to be sure, don't fear your credit report being ruined.

[Beth]

Claire, I'm afraid you didn't get all the info. As a marketing tool, publishers may offer you a reduced price on a publication, then in the bottom of the fine print many folks don't read will be a statement that you will receive future mailings from them, which you agree to review and either purchase or return to them. You are not obligated to keep it, but you have agreed to return it to them and that agreement and oblilgation will prevail over the general rule. He was correct if you receive something out of the blue from someone who merely gets your name off a mailing list, etc. Also, I believe this issue is goverend by federal law and will be the same in all states (it could be modified but not toally changed by state law).

So, if you want to be able to keep the next book that appears, call them, better yet send a letter or e-mail too (keeping a copy of course), telling them you do not want to receive any future books and to take you off their mailing list. Then watch the postmark dates. You could even ask them if they have anything already on its way to you to be sure. Just don't want you to get yourself in a jam.

Jewel, the issue about whether the letter or package was opened has to do with whether the post office will accept it for return mail without new postage, not whether you have to pay for the book or not. If they got the book back, credit the account! End of story.

This is not a problem unique to publishers though. I rencently got a call from a company that wanted to know if I wanted to extend my warranty/service plan. Probably not, but I wanted to know which machine they were talking about. They had a serial and model number that were impossible for the manufacturer. Two very nice people tried to help but had only the info on their computer. They told me to call the main customer service number, where I talked to a beligerent "young lady" who insisted that the numbers were correct and did I want to buy the service plan? For what, I asked. She repeated her wrong number of digit numbers and I asked her how either of us would ever know which machine was covered when I brought one in for service. She asked if there was anything else she could help with, and when I asked to speak to a supervisor, I was put on hold and left to float for eternity in the ozone. I thought about calling back and talking to a supervisor, but decided that if I didn't think I'd buy the extended plan anyway giving her a headache was enough for one day.

Customer -- Service: seems they have forgotten which word is the noun in that phrase.

Sorry, guess I'm in my long-winded phase.

:o :o

[Missi]

I had the same problems when I agreed to preview a Martha Stewart book from this company. (sent it back, but they said I didn't, took forever to resolve).

I'm posting not because I think my comments will really help anyone else (pretty obvious this company sucks), but because maybe the more people who post about their bad experience, CL will maybe look into using another company. Here's hoping so!!

[Jasmine-Rose]

Just checking in to thank all of you for sharing your experiences with Oxmoor House. I've never done business with them and you can be sure I never will now. My first choice would be eBay or half.com, but failing that I'd rather pay bookstore prices than endure the aggravation you've all had heaped upon you! Thanks for the warning.

[Vanessa]

I just got the COmplete CL today. They called to offer it for 30 days to look at it. I did not see a return label but DH said if I don't want to keep it he will call to get a shipping label. I don't get on book clubs etc for that reason that books keeep coming and the trip to post office etc. I have not looked at the book yet as we have company visiting but I will soon. Hope I don't encounter problems.

[Beth]

To be fair, I should tell that I ordered the Complete Cooking Light when it was offered at half off or whatever the special price was. When the box got here, it had come open and the book fallen out. They sent me another right away, got it in a few days with no problems. But I think there are better ways t o preview a book than to mail them out and hope a certain number don't return them. I agree with the person who said the CL books will sell themselves, and probably at a better price if those of us who buy them weren't also paying for the mailing and returning costs.

[JanetB]

If you want to return something - just go to the Oxmoor House website - e-mail them - and they will give you a link for return mail postage paid.

[Abby]

They don't need a sleazy publishing house resorting to unethical tactics to sell the books. [/B][/QUOTE]

I think Oxmoor House is the book division of Southern Progress, which owns Cooking Light, Southern Living, Coastal Living, etc. so I'm guessing CL doesn't have any choice but to use Oxmoor House.

[luv2cook]

I received a mailer last year for the CL Complete cookbook, bought it, received it, paid for it, (all in a matter of about 2-3 weeks) and I haven't heard from them since.

That's probably because you asked for it! Then you paid for it. They like that. But watch out, you might get the 2002 without asking for it...

[Norma]

I agree with Aggie94 and Beth. I'm on their mailing list also, but I expect to receive these books to preview because that's what I agreed to when I signed up. Know what? I'm not gonna do it any more. They're expensive, and we can get them alot cheaper elsewhere!

[marshalynne]

I have had terrible luck with them! During the holidays they were running a special that if you renewed your subscription you could have a complimentary one sent to a friend. Well my friend got billed for not only her subscription but mine as well! It gets better...mine was already paid! After much searching I found the number for customer service. I had to speak with 3 different people and was then told I would be gotten back to. Never happened. I called an additonal 2 times and was finally put through to someone who stated that the offer should have never exisited but that they would correct the problem. They acted like they were doing me some type of favor! If the offer should have never existed...they shouldn't have sent it to me! GRRRR! Hope CL finds someone new!

[BosunsWife]

Well, not that I'm saying that Oxmoor House is a good deal, but I have ordered things from them, paid for them and have never received anything unsolicited. Sometimes their bills are screwed up, but I keep track of what I have paid and what I owe in my bill calendar so I can do the calculating myself.

Now that I know I can get my Cooking Light Annuals at Costco, I will never again have to order from them anyway.

[Jewel]

Originally posted by Abby
I think Oxmoor House is the book division of Southern Progress, which owns Cooking Light, Southern Living, Coastal Living, etc. so I'm guessing CL doesn't have any choice but to use Oxmoor House.

I believe Abby is right, in that CL doesn't have a choice. I think it's also why we don't hear a lot of responses to our rants and raves from CL about Oxmoor, like we have on a few other issues.

So if Oxmoor is their owners own book division and it's not CL's choice on who handles their publishing, then I don't think we can do much about it. All we can do is warn each other about this company's somewhat underhanded practices and slow customer service, and let each other know about sales of these books elsewhere. It is Oxmoor House who sells these books to Sam's Club, Costco, and whichever other bookstore that carries them...so I don't feel like I'm taking money out of CL's hands when I purchase the book from someone other than Oxmoor. Oxmoor and CL get the royalties either way, but I don't have to put up with Oxmoor's lack of customer service. They make good books, I just don't want to order directly from them!

[lisas3575]

Wow, Chill Out... Chill out. I see this is your first post. You might want to try lightening up a bit and putting away those claws! Sheesh!

[lisas3575]

Errrr.... I apologize! My post came off just as harsh as yours. Let me try again. Ahem.

Welcome Chill Out! Glad that you've had positive experiences with Oxmoor House-- shows that they can be a good source for lots of different book interests. Thanks for sharing your experience, perhaps it would be better received if presented in a more helpful, positive way, rather than attacking people who have had a different experience or different opinion than yours.
Lisa

[luv2cook]

whew! glad we got that worked out.

[Beth]

Ditto. As I was reading through the thread, I was about to say that one who is sick of hearing about something shouldn't go pulling out threads that have been buried for 2-1/2 months to complain about it. Let them sleepin' puppies lie!

But good information and a happy ending. Now, chill out, you wouldn't happen to work for one of said media companies? :D Welcome anyway.

[schuh]

I do want to thank you all for posting this (and past) info on this Web site.

Even though it may not have disassociated CL from Oxmoor House, it has succeeded in keeping business away from Oxmoor House. I've never purchased anything from them and after reading these postings, I never well. So you succeeded in preventing at least one person from ordering from them.

How anyone remains in business with such terrible customer service is beyond me.

Thanks again.

[Linda in MO]

Hey, what happened to the posts from "chill out"? :confused:

[Abby]

I'm confused!

[Little Bit]

Originally posted by Linda in MO
Hey, what happened to the posts from "chill out"? :confused:

It seems likely that either they thought it over and decided to delete their own post, or that it got deleted for them by the good people who help keep these boards such a nice place to visit.

[Jewel]

Only the administrator can delete entire posts, we can only go in and 'edit' our own posts. Thanks Maelynn!! ;) I was really getting worried about another Crab Apple coming in and messing with our friendly group!

[SandyM]

I missed the juicy stuff, but in reading these posts, I'm wondering if Chill Out was actually a person FROM Oxmoor house, trying to be slick, sticking up for the company......

Just a thought.

[AmyBeth73]

I almost never let a telemarketer get past "hello," but in a sleepy stupor one morning I agreed to review the CL annual. I don't mind paying for it, because I want it and I haven't seen it anywhere else. I don't want future mailings, though, and at no time did the telemarketer tell me I would receive any. Thoughts on how to avoid dealing with this company after I pay for this book?

[Jewel]

Originally posted by AmyBeth73
Thoughts on how to avoid dealing with this company after I pay for this book?

Place a very nice note inside the envelope wrapped around your check that says "Thank you very much for the prompt shipment of my CL Annual. Please remove my name from your mailing lists and delete my account from your database to avoid future mailings."

That's what I did, but I wasn't as polite when I did it...I sort of wrote it in black Sharpie and it had a lot of exclamation points sprinkled through it... :rolleyes: It worked though! :)

[Peeps]

Originally posted by Jewel
Only the administrator can delete entire posts, we can only go in and 'edit' our own posts. Thanks Maelynn!! ;)

Actually you can delete your own posts - just go into "edit" a post and at the top there is a box to check and next to it a button that says "delete." I discovered this when I had an accidental double post from pushing the "submit" button too hastily a few times! You can also delete an entire thread if you were the one who started it. Just another function of the new and improved board. :)

[Beth]

Originally posted by AmyBeth73
I almost never let a telemarketer get past "hello," but in a sleepy stupor one morning I agreed to review the CL annual. I don't mind paying for it, because I want it and I haven't seen it anywhere else. I don't want future mailings, though, and at no time did the telemarketer tell me I would receive any. Thoughts on how to avoid dealing with this company after I pay for this book?

You can call the 800 # and ask that they not send you future publications unless you specifially order them. Check the invoice too: it could have a spot to check to receive or not receive future mailings.

[lisas3575]

I PM'd with Chill Out for a while last night-- he/she said that they have relatives that work for Oxmoor and that is why he/she is sensitive about it. Didn't sound as though they personally worked there though.

We had a nice, mellow conversation. Hopefull they'll be back! Now I feel really guilty about yelling back, but I was mad. :o

[BarbaraL]

Amy Beth, as Jewel said, I'd enclose a letter with my check. Except, after instructing them not to send any additional books, I'd say "In light of these instructions, any additional books I receive from you will be considered a gift." That's always kept me from receiving anything else! And I keep a copy of the letter, as proof in case I do receive something!

[Beth]

Lisa, you may not have seen chill out's reply to me -- said 17 years old and hope to intern there when in college. Obviously knew some things about the company the ordinary 17 yr old would not.

[NydiaC]

You know, a weird thing happened to me a couple of days ago. I got an email to my personal account from someone with an email address that looked like a spam address (something like SellMore2000 - that wasn't it, but it was something like that). Anyway, I almost deleted it without reading it because I don't read spam. However, the subject was 'hello', so I decided to read it in case it was someone I knew who had gotten a new email address or something. Turns out that this person was explaining to me that it was OK to call and get return labels for unsolicited books from Oxmoor House and that they worked; that I wouldn't be charged for the book and if I was, they'd credit my account, blah, blah, blah. Well, then I remembered that sometime last spring (before I moved into my new house) I had posted a question/comment on these boards about returning books because I had gotten the 2000 Annuals in the mail (unsolicited) after I had already bought it at Sams.

Did anything similar happen to anyone else? I wonder if this person was searching the BB for questions/comments about Oxmoor House and maybe that's how this thread got dredged up after so long. I also wonder if the person who emailed me was the same person that had the issue on this thread. Hmmmm....

[DmOrtega]

Just received a card in the mail from Oxmoor House indicating that if I did "not" want CL 2002, then return the card, otherwise do nothing and I will receive the book automaticly. So far, I've not had a problem returning books. It might be nice if you could go online and refuse your book or cancel your subscription, like other book subscriptions.

[Grace]

NydiaC, yes, this same person e-mailed me too, babbling about something that didn't make a whole lot of sense. It was indeed the same person who posted the (now removed) post that was rather nasty. They must have been perusing the board, read the Oxmoor House thread, and felt obligated to "set us all straight" by e-mailing each of us directly regarding our posts. Then they posted to the thread too, which dredged it all up again.

I actually read my e-mail before I saw the old thread, and thought how odd? The person didn't identify him or herself, nor did they say what prompted them to write (as in, I saw your post on the CL BB) - nothing, so for me it was very out of left field, and I was for a time, perplexed. I wrote the person back saying "who are you? And why are you writing me this?", to which they responded, "sorry if I offended you". Then I checked the board, and there was the dredged up thread with the rather nasty post (which has now been deleted). I instantly knew what the e-mail was all about, and then never really gave it that much more thought.

So to make a long story short, you were not alone.....and I would venture to guess that person probably e-mailed others as well.

[Beth]

Someone had too much time on their hands and probably blew an intership if that was all the same person.

[jnelson]

I am glad that I saw this posting. I was beginning to think I had lost more of my mind. I received a bill from Oxmoor house a couple of days ago and thought maybe I hadn't yet paid for the last CL I had ordered. Today I received the Complete Cooking Light Cookbook in the mail. I never ordered this book. At least now I know the history of this company and can respond with a more unhappy tone than I usually would. Thanks!

[AmyBeth73]

Thanks Jewell, Beth, and BarbaraL for the very helpful advice!