Has this happened with your magazine subscriptions?

[Beth76]

Last week I got a letter from Cooking Light Magazine saying "thank you for renewing your sub., please pay xxxxx amount." I don't recall renewing that sub. I've had it for years and just decided to let my sub run out in March. BUT I suppose it's possible that I renewed, but I honestly don't think I did.

Then today we get a letter from Details mag saying the same thing "thank you for renewing...." Now this one I KNOW we didn't renew because I don't even know how we got this sub in the first place. DH just started receiving it a few months ago. We never read it; it goes into the trash.

What gives? Is this just some magazine scam?

 

[KarenB]

That kind pf happened to me with Newsweek. All of a sudden I was getting double issues. I know I paid for a short, maybe 27 week subscription, but they kept coming. It was such a waste to get 2 of the same.

Karen

 

[gshanny]

I used to be in the Jaycees. We started getting magazines and I found out the National Jaycees got the subscriptions for us. I told the company we didn't read them, they weren't our type of magazines. They let us change them to something else we would read. Maybe someone, or group, is getting them for you?

 

[cardaway]

They are getting pretty bad, and yes, I think they are taking that angle to get people to resubscribe.

They are also taking some other pretty underhanded angles. Watch out that places like Best Buy don't sign you up for magazines during check-out. The worst part is that after the free issues they send you more and bill you if you don't cancel.

It's a scam to catch people who pay first and ask questions later.

The local newsppaer tries the same thing.

 

[poohandwendy]

They are getting pretty bad, and yes, I think they are taking that angle to get people to resubscribe.

They are also taking some other pretty underhanded angles. Watch out that places like Best Buy don't sign you up for magazines during check-out. The worst part is that after the free issues they send you more and bill you if you don't cancel.

It's a scam to catch people who pay first and ask questions later.

The local newsppaer tries the same thing.

This is true.

I noticed that the Taste of Home people do this too. I had a subscription that expired and then suddenly, I started getting invoices for my 'renewed' subscription. They looked just like a bill. Even had 'due by' date's. But at the very bottom...in teeny print, it said something along the lines that if I paid, I was agreeing to renew for x amount of months.

It's really slimy and I won't ever renew with any that use those tactics.

 

[unbroken chain]

Papa Johns does the same thing if you order a pizza online and pay with a credit card. If you accidentally click "yes" instead of "No, just send my pizza" - voila - you've just subscribed to a magazine.

Or, it could be a third party that is not the magazine that is trying in an underhanded way to get you to subscribe to the magazine through them, so they can make a profit by charging you more for the subscription than they pay to the magazine.

 

[RitaZ.]

They are getting pretty bad, and yes, I think they are taking that angle to get people to resubscribe.

I agree.

I subscribed to a gardening magazine late last year. I paid for my subscription. Then a month later, I got one of those "renewal bills". I knew I hadn't renewed since I had just subscribed. Nice try! I won't be renewing the subscription because I don't like the magazine.

 

[diznygirl]

Yes, I've seen these kinds of things with magazine subscriptions. Which is why I absolutely hate getting magazines. We have two we get right now - one I will let run out (it was supposed to be free ) and the other I'll keep (because I am such a special customer I have my very own customer service rep ).

 

[MouseDogMom]

Southern Living actually sent me a notice that they were starting a new practice that they would automatically renew my subscription for me from now on and just bill me for it. It sounds like that's what most other magazines are doing. After about the third bill I decided it was a stupid policy and sent the bill back with "DO NOT RENEW" written across it. I haven't gotten any more bills!

 

[DMRick]

In really small writing, the Good Housekeeping card came and said, here is the new price, which we'll give you if you agree to automatic renewel. Or close to that LOL. New way to grab you..of course the renewel price is higher.

 

[KristaTX]

That is an annoying practice . But I must say that if Disney Magazine would send me one of those I would renew 5 years in advance . Too bad it doesn't exist anymore .

 

[Tracey1974]

This is true.

I noticed that the Taste of Home people do this too. I had a subscription that expired and then suddenly, I started getting invoices for my 'renewed' subscription. They looked just like a bill. Even had 'due by' date's. But at the very bottom...in teeny print, it said something along the lines that if I paid, I was agreeing to renew for x amount of months.

It's really slimy and I won't ever renew with any that use those tactics.

I get TOH and the Simple and Delicious one and it seems I get renewal forms every 3 months and I pay for 2 years at a time! I always keep my cancelled checks and write in the memo how long the subs is for. Also- sometimes on the address label, towards the top right, the expiration will be there in like a code. That is such a scam!

 

[Beth76]

I agree.

I subscribed to a gardening magazine late last year. I paid for my subscription. Then a month later, I got one of those "renewal bills".

That's happened to me a lot too, but to magazines that I want to keep. I've realized that DH's DISCOVER magazine is paid up through like 2009 or something crazy because I would keep renewing when they sent me forms. I finally realized that I had done that several times recently. I think the same thing happened with Conde Nast Traveler too. My own fault, I admit.

 

[Amlee]

I did the best buy thing once. Learned that lesson! I finally had my bank issue me a new card with a different number. That way they couldn't just "renew". If you look, I'm sure somewhere it says you must send in writing to cancel your sub. I sent in a one sentence request and never heard from them again!!

 

[azgal81]

Happens to me all the time your subscription will be automatically renewed here is your bill. They say it's too save you the hassle of renewing all your subscriptions yourself. Isn't that kind of them??

I also hate when the 'new' price is more then the price for the subscription on the card in the magazine. I mean if I'm a returning subscriber shouldn't I have some kinda discount not have to pay $15 more then new subscribers! I just don't get it.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

It happens. DH ended up calling them and canceling over the phone.

 

[sj&k]

I didn't know I had renewed my Good Housekeeping subscription (because I hadn't) until I got a letter from a collection agency. Amazingly enough once I paid the $10.00 they wanted (yes, a collection agency for $10.00!) the magazines started coming right on time. I still haven't decided whether I actually wanted to renew or not, but I do read it.

 

[bengalbelle]

Southern Living actually sent me a notice that they were starting a new practice that they would automatically renew my subscription for me from now on and just bill me for it. It sounds like that's what most other magazines are doing. After about the third bill I decided it was a stupid policy and sent the bill back with "DO NOT RENEW" written across it. I haven't gotten any more bills!

Southern Living did the same thing to me. Only my bill was thanking me for participating in their automatic renewal program...as if they gave me a choice...which they didn't.

I'd renew anyway because I love the magazine and I've been a subscriber for years, but I don't care for the way they're doing business.