Magazine "subscriptions" you didn't initiate!

[Miss Mary]

I keep receiving an invoice/statement to renew my Entertainment Weekly magazine. But the credit card # they have isn't good, and they need a current one from me. Well duh! I never agreed to this subscription! The magazine just started showing up but with my name on the address label. Odd I thought but then we also received a "free" one year's subcription to Cincinnati magazine a few years ago.

The Cincy mag gave up, they knew I wasn't going to "renew" but EW keeps sending me these bogus statements. I just keep pitching them!

We only subscribe to one magazine and that is Consumer Reports. Period. Even though my HS aged daughter has a PTA magazine fund raiser, I just write them a check instead, donating right to the PTA directly (on top of my dues). What irritates me most about magazine pub. clearing houses are they begin bugging you either by phone or mail, to renew your subscription long before it expires.

Has anyone received a "free" subscription lately and then received the statement to renew? Just curious.

I think they're just hoping you'll renew, even though you never took out this subscription on your on.

Mary

[alicia-w]

it's happened occasionally. I read the free magazine and shred the bill.

[HurricaneGirl]

a few years ago i kept getting books and cassette tape sets sent to me from Reader's Digest. i kept refusing the shipments and they kept sending me bills and past due notices for the books and tapes i had refused. very annoying and had to threaten them with with a harrasment lawsuit before they finally quit sending me that crap.

[alicia-w]

and that readers digest stuff is such high quality crap too..... (being sarcastic...)

[pojo]

I have a Rolling Stone Magazine that keeps arriving at the house.... I didn't initiate it!

[Miss Mary]

pojo - I guess what really irritates me are the numerous invoices for payment. Payment you never authorized in the first place. Sure, send me a free magazine but don't expect to bully me into paying for it, to keep it coming. It's all a racket I'm told.

As for Readers Digest.....when my daughter Laura was in 7th Grade, if we bought a RD subscription she got a free calculator (school fundraiser). I caved, to child pressure - lol. Well, that subcription just kept coming and coming, she's in 11th grade now, BTW. They kept renewing it, then sending invoices and finally, about 6 sales calls. Just one after another, I threatened to report them to the Better Business Bureau. And that stopped ALL RD contact. But it does seem like once you get on the RD bandwagon, you can't get off!

Mary

[pojo]

Its probably a sales pitch called the boomerang theory....

I'm leary right now about the Rolling Stone that keeps coming.... I'm watching for a bill to magically appear.

[weathermom]

Mary, we had a similar instance with RD. Ordered it through the school fundraiser, let it expire and it just kept coming. Then the bills started, so I threw them out. Then the threatening letters started, you know...we will turn you over to a collection agency. When I called they said I had signed up for a "lifetime" membership ( to be automatically renewed every year), told me it was on the card I sent in. What card???? It was the fundraiser, not any response card. I told them what they could do with their magazine and their bills and it all finally stopped.