Cooking Club of America / Scout.com review: all they want is your money and to screw up your credit! 63

I am quite appalled by this club, as I am getting some more collection agencys saying that I owe 150.00 haven't been in the club for three years now, cleared up my account & they still have the galls to keep bothing me again!

Am about to go outta my mind with this AGAIN, what the hay is one suppose to do with all these problems. Please stop doing this to me.
Had it in Massachusetts

I received a letter in a plastic bag from the post office - it was only letters, nothing else. This was not in my P.O.Box until 10/10/08. No book or knife. Please respond to this email.
Mary Ayers
P. S. Letter had the date Sept. 10, 2008

Member # [protected]

iv'e never recieved anything from coooking club of america, and i never ordered anything, i only recieved a news letter.

This 'company' has no right to 'ruin' your credit...everything they are claiming against you is totally FALSE...they're trying to scare you...they don't have the power to do anything to you and they KNOW IT! don't fall for this scam.

I already wrote my thoughts about the complaint. I was doing the Code excerize and everything disapeared.

First of all I would like to give thanks to the lady who complained about her experience with the Cooking Club of America. She is so right about ththat business. I also had canceled my membership because they'd promised I was to pay a one time fee, then here comes another bill.

I have been trying to cancel for 2 yrs now, thought not only was i gonna get a nice mag.but test products too, got the mag's

iama lifetime member and i receive not very much from you which you told me i would get this and this and did not
i paid you a lot of money for this when i was behind you sent me letter after letter if iam not treated well please sent me all my money back

frank healy
member#[protected]
email-frankhealy@comcast.net

My sister Susan just told me the other night that she recieved a letter from a collection agency for a bill from cooking club of america and its for 29.00 She said it was for a book she never recieved and never ordered, I came to the web to see if I could get a number for the company and found this, Is there a consumer complaints dept we can all get together and file a complaint against them? this is outragious! I can see a mistake happen but there are hundreds of us having trouble with this company, Does anyone know where they are located? Lets get a bunch of people together and go picket the comp, they have to be held accountable, I have a good friend who is a lawyer I will see if he can help and I will post what can be done to see if it can help others. Where is our GOVERNMENT to protect people from these kinds of scams? Good luck to all. I will post what I find out from my lawyer. Tom DeWitt

I found this information on one of the web sites because I was looking to call and cancel my order. Hope it helps.

Member Services Representative
Toll-free M-F, 7:30 am - 6:00 pm CST:
[protected]

I have been a member for six years now. I joined the club as a life member, paying an amount that would never oblige me to pay anything again. Haven't so far. I do buy from them, and pay them for it, but never another rx. Evidently most people join for a year and when dues come up, they complain. I get the magazine monthly, get attention, sometimes. I will admit, they are prejigist, (spelling) against people that do not like what they are paid to promote. Other than that, it is a for money operation. I see very few problems with them.

I just discovered this complaints site. Regarding Cooking Club of America, the negative comments on this site really surprised me. I've only been a life member for a little less than a year, but I've had no problems go unresolved. In fact, whenever I did write to express a concern, someone from CCA always responded quickly to either resolve the issue immediately or get back to me with a proposed resolution.

I suspect that the people who have posted complaints on this site either didn't read the "fine print" or have simply decided they don't want the membership and are trying to justify cancelling.

I anticipate a long and enjoyable membership! I thoroughly enjoy the magazine that comes every two months, and the newsletter that appears in my inbox regularly. I've tried several of the recipes, and they are easy to follow and really delicious! I recently received a figurine to examine and purchase (if I desire to do so), and it is absolutely adorable! I will be paying that invoice and agreeing to receive other figurines in the set. The CCA website is also very user friendly, and the recipes I've looked for have easy to follow instructions. The tips and tricks (both in the magazine and on the website) are very helpful.

I fail to understand the complaints... I'm a very happy member!
CCA rocks!

I've already been sucked in and get absolutely nothing to test. Everything they send requires more money. My boyfriend joined the motorcycle club of america/lifetime member, which is part of the same company, as is the handyman and the garden club. He gets nothing at all from them, never anything to test. With both of us, the internet says they will send a product when they have one to fit our need. They have gotten at least $600.00 from us. I would like to know if any of the product testers or sweepstakes winners are for real, or are they employees or family members.

This letter is to complain about the way you treat your “Members”. Cooking Club of America has misrepresented itself. This was supposed to be a member’s only club about the passion of cooking. Yet you treat your members as a captive group in which you can send unsolicited items without the prior approval of members, and expect them to either purchase or return the item. This has happened to me several times and I have instructed you in the past not to continue to do this, yet you still send me items that, quite frankly, have nothing to do with the culinary arts, just some overpriced trinket or calendar.
Consistently I have returned these unsolicited items the same day I receive them yet each time I receive a notice three weeks later asking for payment. I am tired of it. According to Maryland law, any unsolicited item received is considered a gift and payment cannot be collected by the sender. It is not the obligation of the receiver to return the item, even if there is a postage paid return label provided. This is to discourage companies from doing the very same thing you are doing.
I expected a much higher level of focus on cooking than trying to sell an array of gadgets, overpriced mixers, skillets, electric pans and steamers. The Cooking Club of America is nothing more than a rouse for selling merchandise than collaboration of their members and their passion for cooking.

There are vast numbers of disappointed members according to postings on the internet. You are well known, but it’s not flattering. Many have experienced no responses from written inquires, e-mails to customer service, receiving notices from collection agencies for lack of payment even though the items had been returned.

I am upset at the way you conduct your business. Even though I am a Life Member, I am requesting to be removed from your membership list. I do not want to receive your magazine, offers, or any unsolicited “try before you buy” offers, EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY. I will state again that if I receive an unsolicited item, it will be considered a gift. It will not be returned and no payment will be made. You have been served.
538 days ago by Teri J [send email] 0 Votes
You can call [protected] to cancel. If you got the time to wait to talk to someone. Hey I just got through. I sent back everything and told them that I had also cancelled. They said the would cancel today and to disregard any billing from here on out. I hope it really works this time!

I was a member for 1 year many years ago. I never had any problems with the Cooking Club of America. I had no problems after i canceled either. I love their cookbooks. I don't know why you all are having problems.

I've been reading this and thinking of going to a major news station and getting them to stop this scam! I have a bill, i did sign up for them, but i had no clue they were a scam, well intill now! I wont be sending them money! Who is with me, and putting a stop to it? Any idea what news station should we tell?

I have not hadany trouble with the club. I love the things that they have sent me and I love the cooking pleasures magazine. I have been a club member for over two years. People need to realize that there is nothing in this world that is free. My credit is fine and every invoice they send me in the mail is explained and all of their contact info is there. If you don't want to be billed end back the products.

I too am a victim of the scam. When I sent in my authorization for a $12 one year membership with a few freebies that is what I expected. I didn't really believe I was going to get free prodect to test, but I figured $12 was probably worth the magazine and a few little freebies. But then the old bait & switch happened. I was sent only a couple of the promised freebies and got a bill for a $24 two year membership. I sent them a letter back with the billing saying that I wasn't paying it & accepting the membership because it was not what I agreed to. But alas I kept getting bills and now they are threatening a collection agency. I have very good credit and don't want it ruined because of a $24 incident so I'm paying, but they aren't getting anything more from me and I will do my best to let everyone know that they are SCAM ARTISTS!

I received a bill for $24.00...they said it was $12.00 annually in their information. I couldn't get their web site to come up. I finally called the [protected] number and got hold of an empoyee by the name of Jeff Jacobs, He wouldn't give me an employee number. I told him I wanted it cancelled. He said he would. I also told him I was sending it to the Illinois Attorney General Fraud Unit...he said that was my privilege. I'm sure it will lead to a collection notice. I told him I was taping the call...he said he was also taping my call. I am sending the bill back to them, with a USPS returned receipt required.

Carla Clemens

I am fairly new to the Cooking Club of America. But am duly disappointed in what I have gotten for my money so far. I have recieved "One'..."1" magazine. Only "one" test product. As far as the grocery gift card, that is a joke.
When a company attaches "America" to their logo, they had darn well be on the up and up. The 'patriot' side of me gets a littel testy when someone, some company uses the word "America" to make their company look/sound impressive. I am so NOT impressed with the "Cooking Club".

I recieved everything that was promised in the beginning, but after I signed on for lifetime membership I haven't recieved anythying on product testing. Why has this happened? I thought I would be testing products or recipes. But I get nothing. It appears that all you were interested in was my signing as lifetime member only for the monthly payment.

Melva M.
Life Member #[protected]

I thought they were fair at first but then whenI seen you had to pay for to be a member which I thought to myself why do you have to pay another 24.00 dollars which I thiink is crazy .so I think to myself I am not even going to do that. so they can cancel me all they want to . I think It is all a scam they just want is your money which is wrong in my eyes . they never sent me any things to test out but they did send me a cookbook that I did pay for but thats the only thing I will ever buy off them again . I don't think that was right for them to do such a thing me which I should I threw It away.

I paid my bill on June 6 and got another bill.