Heritage Family Library
The Heritage Family Library sent me the Young Peoples’ Atlas in the mail recently. This is one of those books that they ask for money in order to put your name in them, thereby granting you some imagined fame. It infuriates me that they’ve sent a product to my doorstep, telling me nothing about it, and expecting money should I open it. I was wise enough to leave it untouched, but my problem is procrastination. The book lay on my kitchen table for 30 days before I finally received word from Heritage Family Library that I need to pay or send it back. Only there is no real information on how to send it back. I found out that the company is actually a subsidiary of Southwestern Company, a well known yearbook/annual publisher. I’ve contacted them for the information I need to return the book – I’ll post it for the world to access once I’ve received it.
*UPDATE*
Thank you so much, everyone, for your observations and experiences with this company. They’re getting a lot of flack by the looks of these comments, and I love it! Here’s the summary for those that don’t want to read the now lengthy set of comments:
1) Write “REFUSED” on the unopened carton and stick it in your mailbox or return it to the Post Office.
-or-
2) Call one of these two numbers: 800-451-5002 or 800-829-5538, to request return materials and/or the removal of your name from their future offers.
Regardless of the method you choose (I chose a mix of number 1 and 2), you should call the company to request your name be removed from their customer list.
Related posts:
I received a letter stating that I had received a book and was liable for it. I never received a book! I called the number on this site (thanks!) since there is NO number on the bill and they took the charge off and also removed me from any future mailings.
Thanks for the helpful numbers!
I have recieved these books for the last 2-3 yrs-faithfully. I have sent each one back and still keep getting them-faithfully. I have called and have asked numerous time to remove my name- faithfully. These books are like a bad penny- they keep coming back!!!!!
What a scam this company is, I am so mad that this company can do this. There has to be a way to shut it down.
I also purchased a set of books and have received two additional books without ordering them. I paid for the first because I thought it was interesting. For the second, I looked for return info, blah, blah, blah (you know the story). Then I googled the company. The first site listed was this one, the second site was Ripoff Report at http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/174/RipOff0174833.htm Someone there suggested filing a complaint with the FTC and with the Tennessee Attorney General’s office. Here’s the link for the FTC complaint form http://www.ftc.gov/ftc/cmplanding.shtm I did contact customer service at Heritage and a nice lady said I’ll be getting a return label and I’m off their list. Do you think crossing my fingers will help?
Great blog site!!! I just cancelled my acct using 800 number. I didn’t give them the benefit of sending me a sticker to return book. I’m writing “REFUSED” on box and letting the USPS collected the extra shipping charges from the shady operation. Thing is, they do provide some informative books….if you want them. I’ll go to Border’s or Amazon if I want a book.
Thanks again.
You want to hear how bad I have had it with this company? I bought a set of encyclopedias back in 1990 and they have been sending me a postcard every year saying I needed to return the postcard in 10 days or they will mail me the annual update to the encyclopedia. A couple of times I swear I returned the card and the book arrived anyway. And of course thinking that maybe, just maybe I didn’t get the card in the mail on time I went ahead and paid for the Annual. I have asked them not to send me anymore and yet every year that same card would arrive. This year, no card for sure, they just sent the darn book. You can bet I will be writing a big “REFUSED” on it. In all fairness to them, the encyclopedias were very beneficial to my kids in the pre-internet days but I have long since gotten rid of the set and my kids are in their 30′s! Enough already! It was just so nice to see this site and to allow me to vent. We all have enough stress in our lives and I know people have much more serious issues facing them every day, but having the resposibility of mailing back that stupid *&*^%$% postcard that I neither asked for nor wanted just irked me to no end!!!
I thought it was “just me”getting screwed, yet again, by some scamming publishing company(Scholastic pulls this stuff too).
I too ordered books from a young hardworking college student that landed on my doorstep one Saturday morning. I received the books I wanted and then a book I didn’t order came in the mail. Having dealt with Scholastic, I immmeditaely put “refused” on it and left it in the box for the mailperson to deal with. Well, 30 days later, Heritage House sent me a “friendly reminder” that I need to pay for the book they sent…..uh, I never even took the thing in the house…..never opened it. Now I owe $40.00
AND they’re gonna sting my credit if I don’t pay?
Thanks for the 800 #s and advice. I just called and here are their business hours:
9 a.m. -7 p.m. EST Monday-Friday;
9 a.m. -6 p.m. EST Saturday
We use the initial reference books and I’m glad I purchased them. What I don’t like dealing with the frequent unsolicited ‘additions’ to my library. After ‘buying’ several I didn’t order, I TRY returning the reply card in time to stop the shipment but it is hit or miss. I’ve ‘refused’ books without problem.
Thank you for making this information available.
I have had this unopened Atlas package for 7 months and am now getting collections notices from this company–the nerve! I called the number you gave and they are sending a return label and cancelling the account.
This is an underhanded way of doing business. Imagine giving perfect strangers your product and then demanding payment. They didn’t deserve my attention–that’s why I let the book sit there for 7 months and let them pay to mail me notice after notice. Maybe the cost will make it not worth it to continue their business practices.
Got two books today. I will call and let them know I will not pay for then and I will not make any effort to send them back. If they want ‘em back they can send the college kid back over to pick it up. Also I will write to the local paper to warn people not to be suckered in. Our paper is pretty good about posting letters with such warnings. I am sure I told the student I did not want any annual updates or any other options. If there was no way to opt out of the updates, I would not have bought the books in ther first place. Can’t beleive these people are still doing this two years after the first posting above.
Thank goodness for this site. My husband and I just opened our “mystery” gift of an atlas and crazy looking cookbook. We were trying to figure out what to do with them when I found this website. After reading all of these post we recall buying some children’s books from a “college” student going door to door. That was almost two years ago! I can’t believe that we are even still on their list.
We got no response when we called the 1800 number but will try to use the other number posted. Thanks so much.
I too thank you for the 800#. I received the same atlas and cookbook and unfortunately my teenage daughter was waiting for an order from Hollisters and wasn’t paying attention. I called the 800# and spoke with “Jim” and he was really helpful, said he would send a return label within 2 weeks, cancel my account, and was very pleasant. We’ll see what happens.
I have had one of their books setting at my house unopened for about a month now. Thanks to reading this blog and getting a contact number i now have a return label on the way. I did have a college student this past summer selling me the encyclopedia set. Which i do not regret getting. Just a note, these college kids put up with a lot going door to door so please give them the respect they deserve.
I contacted this company and they were extremely nice and i was able to cancel any further issues coming to my house. The representative on the phone is also just another employee trying to make ends meet. But it is always nice when you can hang up the phone and do it on a good note instead of having to deal with a bunch of BS before anything is achieved. So i am like so many others on this blog. Greatful to have come across it!!!a
Thanks to all of you for the information. I didn’t order the book, we misplaced it, now we have been sent to collections. We have now found the book and are sending it back. Good luck everyone!!
It’s good to see I’m not the only one that has experienced issues with this company.
I’ve had an experience with them going back to 2006: A very nice college student showed up one summer Saturday afternoon on my porch selling children’s reference books. It was 115 degrees that day and we invited him in for some tea and ended up purchasing a number of books. During the conversation, I was careful to mention that I didn’t want any more items beyond what I was purchasing from him. He laughed and suggested I write “no further orders on approval” on my check. He was a very nice young man who talked about the “training” the company had given him and he made mention of his “faith” (evangelical Christian). He struck us as very earnest and hardworking.
A couple months later I received a book (not expecting it, I opened it the cardboard package it was shipped in). I sent it back “refused” and placed a brief note taped to the book asking them not to send any further products. Over the next 12 months I received increasingly insulting letters requesting payment (one of the more memorable asked, I quote: “Are you stupid?”). I finally found this address: 2451 Atrium Way Nashville, TN 37214 Phone: (615) 391-2899- and placed a call to the state attorney general’s office, then sent a letter to them politely mentioning my frustration and my action and asking them to confirm receipt of my request. I have not heard further from them since then and hope they have not blemished my credit.
A quick search of company names via Google will show some heart-rendering stories from some of the students they employ. It seems the company policies on all angles of their business model are similarly extreme.
We haven’t had any problems with this company other than an occasional mystery package. (In the past, we’ve just marked REFUSED on the package and returned it.) We purchased the set of student handbooks many years ago from a young salesman (as many have mentioned) and now every year, we still receive an ANNUAL to keep our handbooks current. After our most recent mystery package, I started to get a little frustrated, so I Googled the company and found this page, which helped me to contact them (thank you for the numbers). My call was immediately answered and when I explained to the woman that I only wanted the ANNUALS, she very promptly and courteously offered to change my account so that I only receive the ANNUALS.
My “adventure” with HFL began with a young female college student going door-to-door on a hot summer day, selling the series. I discussed this with my wife, who also looked at the set the student was selling, and decided to get the set, and the Continuous annual book. Fast-forward several years: my son is now 13, and much of the research we do is by InterNet. I notified the company by e-mail earlier this year – 2010 – to stop further shipments. We received a note by regular mail that I was “too late” and that the Annual would still be shipped, but that otherwise further shipments would stop. Interestingly, it took more than a month (maybe two) for the Annual to get here. I am surprised that it could not be stopped sooner.
I have tried to call the 800-451-5002 and there is a recording saying that this number is not a working number. Thank you for supplying two other numbers – I will follow up, and now ensure that we (HFL) and my family are likewise not working together.
I am having the same problem with canceling my book services. I just tried to call 3 numbers, each of them are “no longer in service”… So how do I exactly go about canceling further shipments??