Spotlight Verlag GmbH Avis 

The Magazin itself is not bad, but selling practice is an extremely unethical business. Almost scam. I got a claim from a collection agency about missing payments and addition fees, but my lawyer sent them a letter, after which the case was closed since there is no legal basis for this claim. I'm pretty sure the most of their claims are illegal.

I clicked on a banner of theirs some months ago because of the free trial of the DeutschPerfekt magazine and a week ago I received a brief where they stated that I have debts with them (even though I HAVE NO SIGNED CONTRACT WITH THEM). I really don't know what to do, if to pay these scammers or just let it be.
I'd like to know how other people have handled this situation, because it gets delicate when they start threatening you with court, you paying the whole process, etc. And all of it because of not paying for a subscription I never even ordered.

Habe eine Gratis Ausgabe bekomme und seitdem trotz mehr als fristgerechter !! Kündigung nur Ärger am Hals.
Kündigung wurde bestätigt, allerdings erst nach den nächsten 6 Monaten - nach erneuter Kündigungsmail dann für Februar und nach meiner wütenden Mail jetzt hoffentlich bald endgültig. Absolute Abzocke, zumal das Magazin mit den Vokabeln und deren Reihenfolge durchweg schlecht gestaltet ist. Schlimm, dass es sowas (noch) gibt!

The company takes advantage of unassuming customers by tricking them into buying a subscription by offering a free magazine. However, it is nowhere stated explicitly that by clicking a button you agree to subscribe. As a result, you end up with a "magically" accumulated debt for the product you haven't had any idea you were actually paying for. What is more infuriating, most people affected either don't understand German or are in the beginner stages of learning it, and it is an ordeal to figure out what went wrong when you get an invoice. This is clearly disrespectful to customers, not to mention that people are deliberately misinformed.

Ich habe bei einem Gewinnspiel ein 6 monatiges Abo gewonnen und obwohl mir die erste Lieferung auf Juli 2022 zugesagt wurde und ich x- mal nachgefragt habe, ist Stand heute im November noch keine einzige Ausgabe bei mir eingegangen.
Keiner fühlt sich zuständig für diesen Vorgang im Verlag!

They asked me to insert my email to receive a free copy at home. When I did it, they specified on a new page that the free newspaper cannot be sent out of Germany. I exit the page but they register my email for the subscription to the newspaper, never requested by me.
They sent me the invoice after few weeks. I specified that I never requested any subscription and I wanted to cancel any active one. The sent me in any case the invoice to cover the digital copies until that date, together with a 50% extra fee for the delay in the payment. Totally sneakey and scammy behaviour. Completely unprofessional.

It is a scam. They trick you into "ordering" a magazine, the website shows "No active subscription", yet suddenly you find a payment demand from an external company that the scammers sold your "debt" to. I asked them to cancel my subscription and never dare to use my personal details again. They write to you in German although it is not a language I am fluent at - otherwise I would not be learning! Avoid them at all costs, there are other ways to learn German although at this moment I don't feel like having anything to do with this language or country.

Meine Frau hat nur ein kostenloses Heft bestellt. Von Abo war keine Rede. Wir haben ihnen sofort einen Kündigungsbrief geschickt, aber die Firma verlangt immer noch Geld für nichts.

Ein halbjähiges Geschenkabo haben wir unmittelbar geküdingt, der Eingang des Kündigungsschreiben wurde bestätigt - nach einem halben Jahr wurde der Betrag für ein weiteres Jahr abgezogen. Ich habe auf die Kündigungsbestätigung hingewiesen, dies wurde mir bestätigt. Dennoch bekomme ich ständig weitere Rechnungen und Mahnungen. NIE WIEDER!!!!!!!

Ich habe ein Nachfolge Abo bei dem Verlag abgeschlossen, jetzt hält sich der Verlag nicht an die Bedingungen und verlangt von mir mehr Geld. Auf Emails reagieren sie nicht und ich bekomme jetzt Mahnungen. Unmöglich, nie wieder. Ich kann jedem nur davon abraten und werde dies auch in meinem Spanisch Kurs und Gruppe erzählen. Ich werde jetzt den Anwalt einschalten.

Ein angebliches gratis heft enpuppte sich als abo . Ging bis zum inkassobüro obwohl ich mir sicher war dass da stand ohne Verpflichtung zum abo endet automatisch nach der gratisausgabe. Nachdem ich nicht der einzige fall hier bin scheint es mir glatte abzocke zu sein. Aber naja einfach erlebnis mit Nachgeschmack. Für mich nie wieder! Lg

Volle Abzocke. Habe nie mit dem Unternehmen ein Vertrag abgeloßen und die Anfordern Geld. Die haben kein Beweis außer, dass jemand irgendwo meine Email gescheriben hat und lassen es nicht sein. Echt kein gutes Unternehmen

Excellent language magazines, reasonable customer service - once you can find them! - but impossible to navigate website that really really really needs to be fixed!!! They have details for one card, but no way for me to change that to a different card. Extremely frustrating...

Ich habe Ecos versehentlich eine Zeitschrift doppelt bezahlt. Ich wurde von Ecos benachrichtigt und habe per E-Mail dann um eine Rückzahlung gebeten. Keine Reaktion. Später bekam ich eine E-mail aus der ich verstanden habe, das ich eine Gutschrift habe und dachte dann löse ich das einmalig ein... Im Endeffekt ist das dann direkt in ein Abo für ein halbes Jahr übergegangen. Alles in allem eine unschöne und ärgerliche Erfahrung. Kann man nicht weiterempfehlen.
Jemand Zuständiges ist kaum bis gar nicht erreichbar.

Well, from what i am reading here, this company is conducting different behaviors in order to get more and more money without offering a service. I mean, some of you say the told you your subscription cannot be cancelled until paying. In my case, they cancelled my account but are still asking me for money... Funny, different procedures...

My experience:

After having a look at a trial of this magazine I decided I wasn't interested. Never again have I visited their web until some days ago when I received a postal letter telling me this was the second notice for me to pay around 60 euros plus an 8-euro charge for the letter (I don't know exactly how it works in Germany but in other European countries it is ilegal to demand any additional tax beyond the supposed debt, which is another clue on the illicit practices of this company). They claimed I was subscribed and hadn't paid and they threatened to take me to the court. For the trial no card number was requiered, something I found wiered for the times we are living today... (It's funny because for a standard subscriptions without a trial period you can use your card). So... Anybody could just write a name of anybody he would like to bother and write his postal adress just for him to receive at some moment letters from this company asking for his money and threatening him... Any other serious company could charge you after a trial taking your money from your card and, if you cancel it without using the service, they give your money back (that's the real and guess legal key, whether you've used the service or not, in order to claim for your money). Otherwise, this company ask you for your money without you signing a contract nor using their service... Indeed, after reading that threatening letter, I tried to log in and discovered that my mail didn't exist as a user when trying to recover the password, supossing I should have a user if they were trying to charge me for whatever service!! I am freaking out.

In addition, I received a second postal letter (third notice from them, they say) the 10th of this month telling me to pay before the 6th :)))). It's like moking at us. If I don't pay by the 6th, they say they will proceed legaly what will incur in addition costs for me. The funniest thing is that these letters are not registered. In the legal world, such kind of notices are always registered.

I am sure they proceed this way intentionally so as to get more money. Really unethical, cause in the end I've never seen those supposed delivery I've received nor can I do it now. Soy they are trying to charge me for nothing.

They could make more money proceeding honestly, since I am a usual language-learning products consumer and, for sure, I'll never have anything to do with this company in the future, neither will anybody around me. I ensure that!

I have to add that, unlike the comment previous to mine, I wrote to the company mail and asked for the to unsubscribe me and they answered they did it. So the debt company is really using illicit practice to make you pay. How is it possible you are not able to unsubscribe and make your debt grow up??? Haha

Like many before me, they charged me (despite the fact that I did not sign a subscription contract), and when I did not respond to their e-mails - they sold my debts to an external company that demanded> 150E from me (after roughly 4 months of "subscription"). Not bad, isn't it? You cannot cancel your subscription yourself, the employee of the collection company informed me: "Your account is blocked because of the open invoice. You can cancel your subscription as soon as the amount of 150.61 Euro is paid." This is a scandal !!

Never test anything with them, they silently sign you up. I did not see that and immediately they start sending warnings with higher and higher costs. No customer support. Ripping off people!

HORRIBLE taking my money without me being aware i was already into their subscription - not clearly stated!!!! i just wish they'd given any back to me :((( i didn't even fully understand german - logically as i wanted to learn heheh

they are taking advantage of ppl not knowing language and posting the billing in german

Ich habe ein Angebot für ein Gratisheft in Anspruch genommen und einige Wochen später eine Rechnung für ein Abo erhalten. Ich habe auf keinen Fall ein kostenpflichtiges Abo abgeschlossen und habe deswegen einen Nachweis vom Verlag verlangt, dass ich tatsächlich dieses Abo abgeschlossen habe. Ich warte immer noch darauf. Auf keinen Fall ein Gratisheft von Spotlight Verlag bestellen!