Wilma F

This review is from a real person who provided valid contact information and hasn't been caught misusing, spamming or abusing our website. Check our FAQ

Verified Reviewer

I want to find out if my membership is still active

tRtRI joined Cooking Club of America in January 2009. I received everything that came with the paid membership. Then a year or so later I heard nothing. I thought maybe it was because i moved and then I heard it was no more. So who has taken over it and what about the life memberships that were paid for? Are we out of $299/
View full review
Loss:
$299
Pros:
  • Test products
  • Lifetime membership
  • Lifetime
Cons:
  • Everything stopped
  • Magazines stopped
  • Never won anything no more access

Preferred solution: Full refund

Amrit Nnq

I have not received anything from this company in a long time and I was a lifetime member

I joined cooking club of America a few years ago like maybe 5 to 7 years ago and I received what you guys called free items and then I got one or two more magazines and after the magazines I got nothing absolutely nothing was sent to me my name is MaryJane Lopez my telephone number is 805-701-****
View full review
Ercilia P

This review is from a real person who provided valid contact information and hasn't been caught misusing, spamming or abusing our website. Check our FAQ

Verified Reviewer

What happened to my lifetime membership??

stars-rating-full stars-rating-full stars-rating-full stars-rating-full stars-rating-full
(reposting my comment bc it had the wrong name attached) Same thing happen to me and the magazine became more about ads and less about cooking/baking... Then the just stopped. No word, no correspondence, nothing!!
View full review
Loss:
$400

Preferred solution: Let the company propose a solution

Tijuana Uqw

This review is from a real person who provided valid contact information and hasn't been caught misusing, spamming or abusing our website. Check our FAQ

Verified Reviewer

If someone doesn’t call me I’m going to get a lawyer test my resolution

I have been a member of the cooking club of America for over 15 years I sent you all my new address and I still have not heard anything from you all I haven't received any products to test in well over five years now would like to know what is going
View full review
Cons:
  • Never won anything no more access
  • Getting ripped off and lifetime membership did not exist
  • Lifetime membership stopped after you paid for it
Bonnie B Llb

Membership

stars-rating-full stars-rating-full stars-rating-full stars-rating-full stars-rating-full
Been a lifetime member and the last time I got anything from them. So I paid the $299.00. Got one pot , Colander and bought many of their cookbooks. Then one day they were gone and that was in 2009
View full review
Loss:
$299
Pros:
  • Mags
  • Know hows
  • Cookbooks
Cons:
  • No longer getting the magazine and never receiving test products
  • No more magazine
  • No communication from publisher when stoppage occured

Preferred solution: Full refund

Connie W Fmp

What happened to membership

stars-rating-full stars-rating-full stars-rating-full stars-rating-full stars-rating-full
Cooking Club Of America - What happened to membership
Can't get through...number no longer in service....requesting refund of lifetime membership
View full review
Loss:
$350
Pros:
  • Great concept
Cons:
  • Membership did nothong
  • No way to contact
  • Loss of my lifetime membership

Preferred solution: Full refund

User's recommendation: Complain

vonnie w
map-marker Columbus, Georgia

Finally decided to try and contact again after ab long time. whats with the life membership with them?

Cooking Club Of America - Finally decided to try and contact again after ab long time. whats with...
Been a life member since 2006, only received a few items to test and no one ever got back with me. I gave up for a while and finally decided to contact again, company gone.
View full review

Preferred solution: Let the company propose a solution

Cataleya Day

What happens to lifetime member now left in the dark?

stars-rating-full stars-rating-full stars-rating-full stars-rating-full stars-rating-full

I was a member for a pretty long time. I first started getting their magazines back in 2000 or so.

I decided to become a lifetime member shortly after that. I did promptly receive my pots and some other items like a cutting board, apron, etc. I enjoyed getting the monthly magazines too. I would do their online giveaways, but never won a thing.

I did get a few things to try out but nothing big. Only small things, like a garlic peeler rubber tube thing, or some chicken seasoning, etc. Things easily sent in the mail. After receiving the monthly magazines for years, all of a sudden it turned into bi-monthly magazines, and then quarterly magazines.

Then, a few years ago, they just stopped coming all together. The magazine also shrank in size, even though they were sending it less often (you would think the magazine would be bigger, cosidering it went from a monthly to bi-monthly to quarterly issue). I don’t know how I feel. On one hand, I did get the pots and other items for joining up.

2 boxes full of stuff. I also got years worth of magazines. At least a decade worth of magazines. I also bought a few of their cookbooks, but didn’t complete the whole set.

Only got about 8 books. Some great recipes in there, and I’ve kept all my magazines. Can’t remember how much the books cost. I know if I had signed up for other cooking magazines, like say Bon Appétit I would have paid $20 or more per year.

So really, I guess I got my $350 or so worth (can’t remember how much the lifetime membership was since it was so long ago, but I know it was in that range). Especially once you include the cost of the pans and all those other items I have in those boxes in storage. I don’t feel like I was totally jipped, after all the pans, the other cookware, the piles of magazines...all of that stuff does have value to it. But is it worth the $350 or so I paid for the lifetime membership?

I don’t know. Maybe it is. Maybe it isn’t. It’s certainly not what I thought I’d get.

Although I feel like it wasn’t a total loss, I still paid for a lifetime membership. And a dozen or so years doesn’t constitute a “lifetime”. I thought I was signing up for something that would at least last for 25 years, or longer. Even if it moved to an online based magazine or something, at least it would be better than what it is now.

Today I tried to go onto the forum, as I had gone on it a few months ago and saw it was still around. It was the last remaining remnant of the old Cooking Club. But now that is gone too. It’s been comepletely removed from the Scout.com website.

It was probably removed within the last few weeks or months. It’s just such a shame what happened to this club. Although I didn’t have the same bad experience as some other members did, it’s still really sad. There should be some compensation or something, for those of us who signed up for a lifetime membership and got shafted.

Especially for those newer members who signed up for lifetime memberships when the company knew it was having problems and was filing for bankruptcy. Those people didn’t get anywhere near the value that us longer members received. I don’t know what, if anything, can be done. I saw on the old forum some people talking about a class action lawsuit.

I’ve seen it on some other complaint boards like this one too. I don’t know if that’s possible, considering they’ve gone bankrupt and sold the company. But I’m interested in being part of any such lawsuit anyone wants to bring up. When we signed up for a lifetime membership, we were expecting to get a lifetime worth of goods and services.

That’s what we paid into.

That’s the product they sold us. And now, there isn’t even a website or forum or anything left of the old club.

View full review
Loss:
$350
Pros:
  • Magazines
  • Cookware
  • Some of the cook books
Cons:
  • Lying about benefits
  • Loss of my lifetime membership
  • No responses
Reason of review:
Not as described/ advertised

Preferred solution: Let the company propose a solution

47 comments
Stellar Oth

I really enjoyed receiving the Pots and Pans and still use them daily. I use the Apron and other freebies that I received when I joined, often.

I regretted that they left me hanging without an explanation. I would gladly welcome the Cooking Club back into my kitchen.

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Stellar Oth

I agree. The company should have at least given members an explanation. I enjoyed the magazine and still use the apron and cutting board I got as a "lifetime" member.

Beatris Cxn

I am a lifetime member and.i to got the magazines for just a few months. Never got anything free and .people said they got pots for joining I didn't get that. I have my membership number

Guest

I was a lifetime member too and I got an apron and got a couple of cookbooks hardcover as a gift. I agree on the class-action suite.

Guest

I too was a lifetime member got a few things and then all of a sudden nothing. Must be nice to be able to do this to so many paying customers who believed in a membership.

Don’t understand how a supposed company doesn’t care what they do to people.

Such a shame. Shame on them.

Cassadee Qlw

i had the same problem and $400.00 pots later

Guest

I too wS a lifetime member since 2010. It really is too bad that it closed and without any notification.

Guest

I was a lifetime member since 2010 and didn’t receive but a thing to pour wine through, a strainer for a pot that was supposed to come the following month, never did and an apron with my name on it

Guest

Me too is it at all possible for you to send me a recipe I lost my magazine collection and I can't find any recipe like it at all. Since you stated you have a full magazine collection I'm positive you must have the drop cookie collection.

It was the triple chocolate chip, peanut butter, molasses and oatmeal cookie recipes all in one edition.

please please please if you get this message me a photo is all I need. Kristinlopoezduprey@***.com

Marcus Eld

I too am a "Lifetime Member".

View more comments (46)
Joyce B Fib

I am a lifetime member, but I never get any thing from your company

stars-rating-full stars-rating-full stars-rating-full stars-rating-full stars-rating-full
I called the number that was on your websight but it has been disconnected. Can someone call me??? 1-67*-431-****. "My name is Joyce Burrell my address is 7175 Chappell circle Atlanta, Georgia. 30360
View full review
Pros:
  • Cookware i received
Cons:
  • No longer getting the magazine and never receiving test products
  • That the magazine stopped coming
  • Never given anything to test

Preferred solution: Please treat me like the lifetime member that I am.

Janice S Mzq

This review is from a real person who provided valid contact information and hasn't been caught misusing, spamming or abusing our website. Check our FAQ

Verified Reviewer

Failure to deliver on promised benefits

stars-rating-full stars-rating-full stars-rating-full stars-rating-full stars-rating-full
Updated by user Dec 04, 2020

Had not heard from Cooking Club in years. Still no contact after submission to this site

Original review Oct 31, 2020
Second on their list of promised benefits was that I would never "miss an issue of the nation's finest cooking magazine." This is my greatest issue with the company. The fact I never received the personalized apron, culinary resource directory, cutting board, or trivet is secondary, but I did enjoy the magazine. The $299 paid for a lifetime membership certainly made the few magazines I did receive extremely expensive, and that was $299 back in 2001. My recommendation to Future customers: keep away Hang on to your money. Yes I have proof although I don't know how to send it. I do have my membership card. As to rating,I will give them a 1-1 star or less if I could. As to service quality, advertised as delivered value for money, not nearly. On affordability I can't give them less than one so I guess it'll be at 1. Customer service, the same. I never got any discounts, never got any special offer, so that also would be a 1.
View full review
Loss:
$299
Pros:
  • Magazine and its recipes
  • Magazine and features of the company it offered
Cons:
  • Being ignored no test product no more magazines
  • Lifetime member wiyh out benefits
  • No more magazines

Preferred solution: Full refund

Anonymous
map-marker Iselin, New Jersey

Lifetime membership

I have join the lifetime membership and havent received any magazine or letter from cooking club of America in years Sherry Ann Ramkaran/ Singh
View full review
Melissa J Mjq

Lost payment for lifetime membership

stars-rating-full stars-rating-full stars-rating-full stars-rating-full stars-rating-full
I joined 15 years ago &;;; paid a substantial amount of money for the lifetime membership. I received a few things but never heard anything more from them & do not know what happened to the club. Im quite frustrated about it.
View full review
Loss:
$459

Preferred solution: Full refund

Vivienne A Fpj

Lifetime Member

stars-rating-full stars-rating-full stars-rating-full stars-rating-full stars-rating-full
In the early 90s, I joined CCOA. I paid over $500 to join. They sent me the pots, apron with my name, spoon rests, and a few neat gadgets. I moved and a lot went on in my life. Divorce, kids.. I called to find why I wasn't getting my magazines nor when I tried to sign in they can't find me. 2 decades later, I am still mad as heck. I have even submitted reviews and recipes and have won little knick-knacks!
View full review
Loss:
$500

Preferred solution: Deliver product or service ordered

User's recommendation: Don't do it

1 comment
Neale Bll

I had the same problem

Heather P Usw

This review is from a real person who provided valid contact information and hasn't been caught misusing, spamming or abusing our website. Check our FAQ

Verified Reviewer
| map-marker Rochester, Michigan

I haven’t heard from them in years.

stars-rating-full stars-rating-full stars-rating-full stars-rating-full stars-rating-full
I am lifetime member. I havent received anything from them in years. I did get the pots and pans when I signup for the lifetime membership. I reviewed a couple of items, then nothing. I bought all their cookbooks. I havent received a magazine in a decade.
View full review

User's recommendation: Skip this club

Stephanie S Bpk

To ask questions

The phone said it was out of service I tried another number it was the same poor customer service!
View full review

Preferred solution: Let the company propose a solution

User's recommendation: Make sure they have a working number