AMA now scaming?

Ted shuffled out of his cave and grunted these great (and sometimes not so great) words of knowledge:

ANYTHING you receive in the mail UNSOLICITED is considered a GIFT and DOES NOT HAVE TO BE RETURNED. In addition, the company/person who sent it can not dun you for payment or return of the item. That is considered harrasement.

Think it would be interesting to follow the money trail on this one?

Phil AMA609

Ted Campanelli wrote:

I wouldn't pay for it out of principle! Enjoy the DVD (if it worth anything) and use the coin for ballast!

Any way you can scan or take a picture for the rest of us to see. I can take care of hosting it. If this is true, more people need to find out. This type of thing is very low.

What's the big deal? Keep it, throw it away, or whatever. It's not worth getting all bent out of shape over.

Actually it is, it's a big deal. The AMA is supposed to be an organization that we pay to represent our interests and provide insurance, not to fleece us with unsolicited junk. It is something to get bent out of shape about indeed, if it's true.

I received my disk and medallion yesterday.

The DVD is pretty nice.

I intend not to pay for it. If I had had a vote, I would have voted against using this technique for fundraising. It's one thing to put the DVD on sale through normal means and another to send it out in a mass mailing, knowing that, on average, a sufficient percentage of recipients will pay up to make a profit on the deal.

Marty

I do not appreciate being coerced by appealing to my sense of loyalty. To me, this is the lowest form of marketing in existence.

Ed Cregger TAS

I still disagree. It says it can be kept for free. It says it can be returned, and from what I read there is a prepaid return label. I would hope people who are smart enough to make a plane fly would be smart enough to read the package and decide whether to keep the free gift, return it, or pay for it. All this fuss over something so petty is pathetic. Every organization is looking for ways to raise extra money to keep member dues down. Get used to life in the 21st century.

So it looks like it is true. AMA has adopted one of the lowest forms of junk mail marketing tricks. Send someone an unsolicited item, hopefully they will feel obligated to pay for it, hopefully they will not find the buried disclaimer about not having to return it or pay for it. Nice, very nice!

We shouldn't have to be smart enough, that's the point. If they want to raise extra money, do it honorably. The way they went about this is what's pathetic. Very pathetic. They are going to get an earful, and deservedly so. We have to deal with enough junk in our lives as it is. What's next?

It is worth getting bent about if they are spending YOUR membership money on these things!

Then I vote that they fund this mass mailing with YOUR money!

Excellent point. We paid for this crap.

deservedly so.

I agree 100%. I sincerely hope the AMA didd some serious marketing studies that showed enough members will buy that disc, and others in the series, to pay for the unsolicited mailing.

They spent mucho denario on this idea, and never asked a soul from the membership-at-large. I assume the great exalted EC voted for it.

And here's a kicker. How many of you got more than one? My wife and I are both members, and we BOTH got a disc. about 3 days apart. I wonder if my Junior member 13 y.o. daughter will get one, too?

You're right, it's pathetic!

I sincerely hope my Dist. IV VP didn't go along with this...

Dr1

My guess is that the AMA is supplementing its income with this promotion, probably by selling its mailing list (which sucks since they apparently don't provide the option for membership to NOT receive such mailings), and that this may be serving the purpose of keeping the dues as low as possible.

Texas Pete

organization

People like you constantly complain that the AMA does nothing but raise dues, and does not pursue other sources of revenue. Well, guess what? The AMA is pursuing other avenues of revenue. Guess what? You're STILL complaining.

The only people being "fleeced" are the ones that are so stupid that they blindly send money just because the junk mail says so in the first paragraph. Sorry to say, but they DESERVE what they get. Getting stupid people to pay money for stupid things should be a spectator sport, IMHO.

This is nothing new. We all get piles of junk mail EVERY DAY asking us to send in money for this or that. Unlike other junk mail, they're sending out something of VALUE, and guess what? It ain't costin' you a dime. This is some marketing company at work, paying the AMA for the right to run a campaign on the behalf of the AMA. Guaranteed that it's just a trial, and when it fails to turn a profit, the company will dump the program like a high-temperature tuber.

So, get over your wasted riteous indignation, enjoy your FREE gift, or just toss it like the rest of the junk mail you get.

Good for you. Give 'em hell. Hope you don't mind if I devote my attention to more earth shattering issues.

That't doubtful Paul. Most likely they are letting some company foot the bill in the hopes of making some bucks on the transaction.