Annoying subscription notices

The other day I got a letter from someplace called "Readers Payment Service". They sent me an invoice for a year's subscription to Popular Mechanics magazine. I have a subscripton and I renewed it in December. Why are they sending me this bill? I have received similar letters in the past and have sent them money without checking to see when I renewed.The money was applied to my subscription but it meant having more money tied up in the subscription than I wanted. I have even received letters from them or someone similar asking for more money than the subscription price directly to the magazine. How many of you have had this experience? Is there someone I can complain to about this? I could complain to Popular Mechanics but this would do no good for the other magazines I've gotten invoices for. Some of them were for magazines I don't even subscribe to. Engineman

Reply to
engineman
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Scam. They overcharge, then forward the subscription to the magazine. They are also not authorized by the magazine. Magazines would rather you subscribe directly. Toss 'em.

Pete Keillor

Reply to
Pete Keillor

It's been a popular scam for years. It's perfectly legal; they act as agents for the publishers. Publishers usually hate it.

_Harper's_ magazine has had enough trouble with it that they publish a little fractional-page warning to their subscribers in every issue.

The best way to handle it is not to pay for subscriptions except direct to the publisher. That is, unless you're paying through some Boy Scout or kid's sport-team drive, or you're trying to boost your chances with Publishers' Clearing House.

-- Ed Huntress

Reply to
Ed Huntress

Disregard all future requests re: your subscription. The format has changed. Mail me $1,000 and I shall take care of all of your subscriptions for your lifetime. No more hassling with stamps and those pesky notices.

Small unmarked bills, please. And this service and rate are not for Engineman alone. You can all do it. Please allow 6-12 months for processing.

Steve B*&^$#% PO Box 86 Polygamistville, Utah 87554

Reply to
SteveB

I worked conventions in Las Vegas for many years. We used to give out the current magazines of whatever convention was going on. Lots of money just given away. After the convention, we could take magazines, but sheesh, after one of each, how many does a guy need? The rest would go in the dumpster. Pallets of them. I guess some entrepreneur could mail one out as a fish for some sucker who'd send back a full year's payment. It could get you time in Leavenworth, KS, but people have gone to jail for less.

Steve

Reply to
SteveB

I've gotten an invoice or two for things I never ordered. I've always thrown them in the trash, and never been harassed. OTOH, I started actually receiving a magazine, Speedway Illustrated, out of the blue, addressed to my business. I looked them up and emailed, asking that it be canceled. I clearly stated that I had not subscribed and had no intention of paying for a single issue. I got a reply that they would cancel, and didn't get any for 2 months. Then they started up again. After about a year, I got a letter saying they hoped I enjoyed the magazine and would subscribe. Tossed it in the trash. It's still showing up some 6 months later.

I still have my outgoing email stating I'd not requested the magazine and would not pay for any, as well as their reply that they would cancel, just in case anyone tries to back bill me. Being unrequested, it's a gift as far as I'm concerned...

Jon

Reply to
Jon Anderson

From other than the publisher they're scammers, skimming funds barely legally as noted.

From the publisher it's just a common scam to extend your subscription further well before it's due to expire, so they can get the money now and make the payments on their press or whatnot.

Also common is sending an unsolicited subscription for a magazine you might be interested in based on whatever demographic info they can find, and then sending you a renewal invoice in a year.

Reply to
Pete C.

The advance of every consumer technology:

First stage: expensive and used for the most valuable, worthwhile, wholesome applications.

Second stage: cheaper, used for the most trivial and low-value applications.

Third stage: free and used to create negative value: annoyances and crimes.

All this simply reflects human nature. How can anyone disbelieve original sin? Who even has a concept of "original sin" any more?

Reply to
Richard J Kinch

While those are undoubtedly scams, on the other side of the coin are subscription services like Ebsco who offer darned good rates for practically any magazine you'd want and bill you once a year for all your subscriptions.

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We've been using Ebsco for over ten years and subscribe to about 10 magazines through them. They have alway had very good and helpful telephone customer service when we wanted to add or remove a magazine from our subscription list.

Interestingly, we receive renewal notices directly from the publishers of nearly all the magazines we've gotten through Ebsco, and their renewal rates are always higher than what we've paid to Ebsco. I just toss those notices out and smile.

Just my .02.

Jeff

Reply to
Jeff Wisnia

We get all our magazines through one of the discount magazine subscription services, so I just have to pay one bill a year.

We use:

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But, every year I get renewal notices directly from nearly every one of the magazines we're subscribe to, and they're usually priced significantly higher than what ebscomags.com charges us.

Oh well, can't blame 'em for trying I guess...

Jeff

Reply to
jeff_wisnia

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