Magazine subscriptions/publishing clearing houses!!!

[Miss Mary]

We subscribed to Reader's Digest 2.5 years ago, when my then 7th grader was selling them in a mag drive at school (August). She is in High School now, a 9th Grader! It was 2 year script but we keep receiving monthly magazines. With notices that this last issue will be the final one but they keep coming. I've allowed it to expire, in fact we've let all our magazines scripts expire but Consumer Report's.

That said, I have had no less than 6 calls to renew my RD subscription. From different publishing houses. During each call I ask to not be called again, but new calls/sales pitches come in.

They are relentless! I'm told the original subcription is sold to other pub. clearing houses. Hoping you'll cave and renew.

I'm so fed up with it, I'm not budging!!! I guess once they have you, recent customer, they can call you all they want to, legally that is.

Does anyone else get annoyed by these magazine subscriptions? The other thing that annoyed us was we would renew them when the next school year started, so the PTA received 50% of the proceeds (now I just donate directly to the PTA, giving 100% of what I would have spent). However we began receiving calls within 6 months of the newly placed order, asking us to extend it to 2 years, not 1. Then when the new school year starts up, they're hoping you'll take out another, new magazine order. Ugh! Before long if you're not careful, you're receiving 15 monthly magazines (exaggerating, but I can see a family getting so many).

Consumer Report's does none of this. We renew our order with them, and they leave us alone. Very professional. In fact one year we tried renewing our usual CS order, via a college student selling magazines. The magazine that showed up was Consumer Digest. Boy was my hubby livid! He said never again, we will always renew directly with CR.

Mary

[Skywatch_NC]

My folks did the Publisher's Clearinghouse for several years...never did win the Jackpot...but just some lame cheap complimentary gifts for our effort at entering!

Sometimes I wonder if more folks win the Lottery or Lotto than a magazine sweepstakes by FAR!

No...I've never played the lottery...but just mentioned the above anyway.

Eric

[streetsoldier]

PCH NEVER gives up; they're worse than bill collectors that call five times a day, even when one has made arrangements.

[Miss Mary]

The other thing is if you agree to a 1 year subscription, that's never enough. The calls start soon after you sign, to up it to 2 and 3 years.

My last call was to thank me ever so graciously for paying my Reader's Digest subscription in full (August of 2002!) and I knew that "would you like to renew" schpeel was about to start up. I asked once again to not be called back, we'll see. I'm sure within a few weeks I'll get another call about Reader's Digest. I can read it at the library I'm going to say!

Grrrr.

Once I did the pub. clearing house jackpot thing. Took 30-60 minutes to fill it all out. What comes in the mail but the next sweepstakes entry form that required lots of time to fill out, b/c I was bumped up to another level. The winner(s) must have lots of time and patience on their hands is all I can say, to keep filling these forms out, to hopefully win.

Mary

[HurricaneGirl]

Last year Readers Digest kept sending me books and music tapes I didn't order. I would not open them and put "Return to Sender" on the box. They kept sending me bills and statements even though I sent back the books and tape sets. They even went so far as to get a collection agency after me. I finally got it straightened out after several phone calls to their Customer Service and after I threatened to sue them for harrassment.