Stenehjem issues order to company

North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem recently issued a cease and desist order against Publishers Marketing Service Inc. of Pinellas Fla., and its principals, Erran O’Donnell and Ashley O’Donnell, for violating North Dakota do not call and home solicitation laws.

Stenehjem received complaints about Publishers Marketing, which sells magazine renewal subscriptions services by telemarketing.

The company sold an elderly consumer a four-year subscription for a magazine for $200. The cost of the magazine when purchased monthly at a newsstand would be $159.60.

The Consumer Protection Division initiated an investigation but Publishers Marketing has refused to cooperate.

Stenehjem is concerned that the company’s solicitations are designed to confuse and mislead consumers into believing they are renewing an existing subscription with the actual magazine when the company is charging consumers an excessively inflated price.

Consumers with questions about magazine subscription solicitations should contact the Consumer Protection Division at 1-800-472-2600.

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