Elizabeth Jenks got less than she bargained for when she subscribed to Cosmopolitan magazine through a charitable fund.
In July 2001, the electrical engineering junior signed up for a two-year subscription to the fashion magazine. She cut a check to a salesperson and was given a receipt - but did not receive an issue of the magazine until December.
It got worse when she discovered the subscription was canceled, she said. Jenks said she called the magazine, but had little luck when Cosmopolitan officials told her it had never heard of the charity or the subscription company, Direct Subscription.
“What gets me is that I am a college student and don’t have a lot of money,” Jenks said. “I figure it was a good cause, I was helping kids and I got a subscription out of this.”
Jenks said she discovered the charity Devoted to Saving Kids had been ordered to stop soliciting magazines by the Michigan Attorney General’s Office in September 2000. She also discovered there had been many complaints about the charity’s business practices.
East Lansing code prohibits the practice of selling items without a license from the city clerk.
“Don’t buy them because you are going to get screwed,” Jenks said.
Fred Kayne, associate director of University Housing, said the activity is prohibited to protect the privacy of students in residence halls. The regulation was enacted by the MSU Board of Trustees in 1964, Kayne said.
Kayne said food advertisement flyers generally are prohibited in residence halls. Solicitors are limited to the Union and International Center.
“We wouldn’t grant permission for selling magazines,” Kayne said. “When we become aware of this, our staff asks the people to leave the building.”
Attorney General Spokeswoman Genna Gent said experiences like Jenks’ are not uncommon.
“We see charitable fraud from Alpena to Flat Rock,” she said. “We are concerned about companies that use a charity as a front.”
Gent said the charity Devoted to Saving Kids assured state officials it would stop its deceptive practices in 2000. She said people are encouraged to ask specific questions about a charity, what it does and where the money goes, before they offer to help.
“If they don’t have any written material, that is usually a red flag,” Gent said.
She also encouraged consumers to file a complaint with the Attorney General’s Office so there can be more investigation.
“Just because you’re a student doesn’t mean the Consumer Protection Act doesn’t apply to you,” she said. “You don’t have to feel pressured to give them your money. If the need is great, it will wait for your donation.”
