Rodale Inc.

Carol    Oregon

Posted at 12:14pm on Friday, February 5th, 2010

Organic Gardening offered two free gift subscriptions if I renewed my own. So I sent the card in. Big mistake! Now all I get is bills for the so called free subscriptions and no help at all from customer service.

Caroline    Newtown, PA

Posted at 1:17pm on Wednesday, January 27th, 2010

I recieved a "runners world" Calendar a month ago and thought it was a freebee from my runners world subscription. Then I got a bill for $21 or they said to return it. Well, we threw it away and cannot return it. This is such a scam

Austin    houston, tx

Posted at 3:52pm on Saturday, January 16th, 2010

I got scammed for rodale, and finally paid $50 for 2 Men's Health books after having my credit threatened.

This was 1 year ago. After telling them to remove my name from all of their lists, they go and proceed to mail me another book. I emailed them telling me if they want the book back they can come knock on my door and get it. I refuse to pay and will resort to legal action if they keep harassing me.

JJ    St. Paul

Posted at 3:45pm on Saturday, January 2nd, 2010

This company doesn't stop! They have your name and will try to scam you on an annual basis...I Can't lose them.

Gary    Boston,MA

Posted at 1:34pm on Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

Total scammers. They even threatened my credit report! I never ordered the book and they tried to put the burden on me to pay for it or return it. I will never subscribe to Prevention, Men's Health or Women's health (my wife) again.

Annie    Bowling Green, KY

Posted at 10:34pm on Wednesday, August 12th, 2009

You actually don't have to pay the postage. You can call or email Rodale and they will send you a return label for you to return it free of charge. Also, books are only sent if there has been an order card filled out. If you did not order the book, then someone filled a card out for you. The order card states in fine print that by ordering whatever book (in your case, flat belly) you agree to preview the annual book-if you like it, keep and pay for it. If you don't like it, you can contact them and tehy will send you a prepaid return label-and you can cancel out of the program. Many people claim they have not ordered the series, but really they did. They just failed to read the fine print. I'm not saying it's right, but you really did order it. If you want to order a book and not get the series-just cross it out and indicate you do not want the series when you order.

Crappy, but legal.

Good luck!

L.Hopkins    California

Posted at 7:03pm on Monday, August 3rd, 2009

Rodale is the most annoying marketing company in the world at this time. I receive multiple telemarketing calls daily, and I have demanded to be removed from their database, yet they do not stop harrassing me. I subscribe to one of their magazines, I want NOTHING else from them, yet, in clear violation of State and Federal Law, they continue to barrage me with telemarketing.
I will not tolerate any more from
Until I hear directly from them that they have ceased, and they truly have ceased, I will report them to every regulatory agency on the face of the earth and will discuss their practices on every web site I can find.

Media Owners editors    Boulder, Colorado USA

Posted at 4:54pm on Thursday, July 30th, 2009

July 30, 2009: Steven Pleshette Murphy, president and chief executive officer of Rodale Inc., and Maria Rodale, its chairman, today announced that Mr. Murphy will be leaving Rodale. Maria Rodale, granddaughter of company founder J.I. Rodale and daughter of previous company chairpersons Robert Rodale and Ardath Rodale, will succeed him as CEO effective September 1.

Murphy, 55, joined Rodale as president and chief operating officer in 2000 and was named CEO two years later.

Maria Rodale said, "I have been preparing my whole life to lead Rodale. As chairman and CEO, I will work to build on the strong foundation we have established during the past ten years to take this incredible company to even greater heights."

Eric Kallgren    Boulder, Colorado USA

Posted at 11:24am on Friday, June 12th, 2009

Florida is investigating Rodale over sales tactics, WalletPop (an AOL service) reported on June 11, 2009:

"The Florida Attorney General's office is investigating the sales tactics of Rodale Inc., publisher of Men's Health and Prevention magazines, Walletpop.com has learned.

To keep private some of what has been obtained by investigators under subpoena, Rodale went to court to block its release. State lawyers and Investigators are looking into "several negative option marketing methods employed by Rodale, including automatic shipments and automatic subscription renewals, and whether the marketing materials for these methods adequately disclose terms and conditions," the Attorney General's office told Walletpop. "We are also investigating whether Rodale sends consumers merchandise that has not been ordered."

Negative option marketing means products, such as books and magazines, are sent to consumers who don't specifically decline them. It is considered a deceptive practice since consumers end up with bills for items they didn't order. The state's investigation has been ongoing for more than a year.

Rodale's marketing has come under fire in the past.

The Better Business Bureau reports receiving 219 complaints in the last year, mostly over selling practices, giving the company a D+ rating."

The full story:
www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/06/11/florida-investigating-major-publisher-over-sales-tactics

Rad Davis    Orlando FL

Posted at 4:33am on Monday, June 1st, 2009

If you ass clowns don't stop using my e-mail address to send your trash all over the internet so that it looks like I am responsible for it, I will come up there and make YOU responsible for it.