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Posted: 2/18/2006 8:02:20 AM EDT
We've had a subscription for maybe 15 years.
It was annoying enough when they would send out renewal forms starting roughly 6 months before expiration. Now, they've started this crap: A few days ago, they simply sent an invoice, that said, "As you requested, we automatically renewed your subscription. Payment for this subscription is now due." We hadn't requested any such thing, hadn't sent any card in, or anything of the kind. Discover magazine tried the same crap a few years ago. Within a month or two, they sent it to a collection agency. I just threw everything out that I got from them and never again bought or subscribed from them. I probably have a bad mark on my credit reports.  As soon as I finish this, I'm writing a letter to the publisher, and maybe the Hearst Corporation head guy as well as the FTC, to bitch...  |
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Posted: 2/18/2006 8:05:50 AM EDT
[#1]
Yea, you have to watch out for these f*ing magazines. Especially the ones where the have a card for one free issue, and tell you that you will not get a subscription unless they recieve payment. Next month comes around and your subscription has started without your consent and the collection letters have started.
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Posted: 2/18/2006 8:06:52 AM EDT
[#2]
Contrast that with Peterson Publishing. I've been getting Car Craft for like 5 years. I bought a 1 year subscription 5 years ago. I haven't paid for it since. I don't even have the same checking account or credit cards I did then. Even better, they've managed to follow me around throughout all of my moves (even from California to Ohio), and I've never notified them of an address change.
Fine by me, as it's one of my favorite magazines. It's even an even better read free of charge. 
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Posted: 2/18/2006 8:10:35 AM EDT
[#3]
The upside is Popular Mechanics is pro-gun. They caught some flack for a pro-gun article a while back from some soccer moms & the publisher basically told them to go piss up a rope.
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Posted: 2/18/2006 8:11:51 AM EDT
[#4]
I remember that. One of the reasons I like that magazine so much. |
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Posted: 2/18/2006 8:15:39 AM EDT
[#5]
Me too, and also the reason I cancelled Popular Science -- an anti-gun article or bias, I forget the details... |
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Posted: 2/18/2006 8:18:11 AM EDT
[#6]
Note to self.......on your next magazine subscription pay with a money order and have subscription in another name to your address..........
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Posted: 2/18/2006 9:53:38 AM EDT
[#7]
OK. Letter written to the publisher. We'll see what kind of response -- I gave him 15 days.
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Posted: 2/18/2006 10:56:22 AM EDT
[#8]
Seems to me that a lot of print magazines have gone to this method--of automatically renewing unless you ask to cancel....
~ |
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Posted: 2/18/2006 1:37:45 PM EDT
[#9]
It could also be one of thier tricks to get people subscribed.
At my house I've recieved various cards saying I owe payment for a subscription to whatever magazine that I've never subscribed to like PC World or something similar but I've never subscribed nor did I ever recieve any magazines. Turns out it some scam thier ad agencies do to trick people into paying them for a subscription. I've never paid and have not had any problems. |
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Posted: 2/18/2006 1:42:39 PM EDT
[#10]
I've been getting Readers Digest for 10 years now with my one year subscription.
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Posted: 2/18/2006 2:28:33 PM EDT
[#11]
I was told some years back that a print-magazines's income is +85% from advertising, and that very little of paying their costs had to do with the actual cover price. The main reason for setting the cover price was to detirmine reader demographics--which is why magazines like Robb Report cost $15 a issue.
~ |
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Posted: 2/18/2006 2:37:11 PM EDT
[#12]
Same here.. but I love Popular Mechanics |
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Posted: 2/18/2006 2:45:14 PM EDT
[#13]
I remember reading a letter in an issue about how pissed a reader is that Al Gore was on the cover. One of my dream guns was an issue of PM. The |
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Posted: 2/18/2006 2:47:26 PM EDT
[#14]
XM Radio gave me a great deal last year ($4.95/mo for 1 year). They sent me a renewal for $15.95/mo for 1 year, and said they would just bill my card "for my convenience", if they did not hear from me. Note this is still 4 months before it runs out. I called and told them no thanks, DO NOT BILL MY CARD. They billed my card anyway. |
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Posted: 2/18/2006 2:51:56 PM EDT
[#15]
Call up your State Attorney Generals office and I can guarantee you will get your money back. I was getting screwed around by Peterson publishing on some magazines I never ordered. They said they were going to ruin my credit. I called up the State Attorney Generals office and they took care of Peterson Publishing. I talked to the lawyer they assigned to my case she said they were the most arrogant bunch she HAD ever dealt with. |
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Posted: 2/18/2006 3:26:58 PM EDT
[#16]
I recieved a sub to bike magazine bike in '95 and I never asked for it or paid for it. They kept re-newing it every year with out my paying for it. Finally, they started sending me renewal notices but I still ignored them.This went on for about two years when I got 3 notices pretty close together that said they were gonna cancel if I did not re-up. My last mag came exactly 10 years after the first
 I also recieved, through some screwup in accounting, back in '96 or so my first two years of internet for the grand total of one months dues (15U$)
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Posted: 2/18/2006 3:32:20 PM EDT
[#17]
Maybe since you have been a suscriber for 15 years they thought they were doing you a favor by renewing your suscription. Hell if somebody was buying my product for 15 years straight I would assume they would again on the 16th year. |
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Posted: 2/18/2006 3:39:14 PM EDT
[#18]
No need for anythng that dramatic, the CC company took it off. This was just yesterday. |
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Posted: 2/18/2006 3:40:44 PM EDT
[#19]
Dude, that reminds me. Sports Illustrated keeps on renewing my subscription automatically. The must be billing my credit card or something. Whenever the magazine arrives, I remember to call them up, but the magazines never seem to stop coming. I'm waiting for a charge on my card to show up, but it hasn't yet.
Oh well, guess I'll just have to enjoy the swimsuit issue that just arrived.
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Posted: 2/18/2006 5:01:07 PM EDT
[#20]
Popular Mechanics did the same thing to me back in the mid 90's. Told them in writing to piss up a rope and vowed to never subscribe to their magazine again and to also urge all my friends and family to never subscribe either due to their shady tactics.
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Posted: 2/18/2006 7:12:13 PM EDT
[#21]
TV Guide does that too. Seems like two or three years ago they put a notice on the renewal form saying if you renew now we will bill you without notice when the subscription is up. Looks like a bunch of others have gone the same route.
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Posted: 2/19/2006 7:02:06 AM EDT
[#22]
$10 says almost all of these mags use an outsourced company to provide subscription services. Anyone want to bet???????
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