What would you do???
 

I'm going to post this on a couple of other forums, but I'd like to hear your response.

I recently got a subscription for Fons & Porter quilt magazine. Today in the mail I received a DVD about quilting from F&P. Thank you very much. BUT -- when you read the enclosed letter they say I can preview the DVD and if I want to keep it they will BILL me $13.95 and it signs me for future DVDs! They claim in the letter that the $13.95 is 40% of the subscription!!!!!! But NO mention of how often in the future, nor how much it will ultimately cost. I didn't order this, I know I have a right to keep it, but I don't want the hassle of fighting them. They have specific instructions for sending it back.............but that involves me driving 5 miles into town and going into the post office :(


So --- what would YOU do???

I got one of those. I kept the video and ignored everything else. Never heard from them again.

Me to! Makes me angry when they put the burden of pay up or return on me. Any thing sent to you with out ordering it is yours.

I received one a year or so ago and sent it right back. I didn't want to have to deal with them bugging me about payment, etc.

was there any mention of this being part of your subscription offer? i would contact customer service & talk to them about it- they are going on the assumption more people will accept the offer than will turn it down- but it seems like a 'shady' way to go about it.
i cancelled (let lapse) all of my magazine subscriptions because there was more & more of this type of thing going on- i would rather just pick up a mag at the store once in a while i don't think the savings from subscribing are all that great to merit the hassles involved & when i choose a magazine at the store i can choose from a variety of them- not be 'stuck' with any particular one month after month. i used to love their magazine- but after a couple years it started being (less & less) for me- i do pick one up once in awhile-but have found others i tend to choose more often....nice to have that choice.

We had a lot of posts on this very subject about a year ago. Other magazines were trying the same "tactic". YOU ARE UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO REPLY TO THE AD OR RETURN THE DVD!!!! After the negative press about these practices I'm surprised they even tried it again. The DVD you received was "unsolicited" meaning that you did not request it. Therefore you do not have to return it or even acknowledge in anyway that you received it.

This must happen to all of us... At first I returned them - paid the postage... they claim not received.... then I just marked them refused and did not open....called told them Not to send any more.... did not keep or pay for any... This is main reason I do not renew any quilt magzines -- if I want one I just buy it at Walmart or JoAnn's - they off 10% off which pays the tax. I really get worn out by scams like this don't you. It really is sad that publishers try to put this over on subscribers.

Judy in Phx, AZ

Thanks everyone.....I"m going to ignore it and not send anything back. I just tried to watch the video --- talk about BORING!!!!! I may try it again, however, and look at the PDF file for the patterns. I've seen all the patterns on this one before, so it's nothing new. :(

I just received the same thing about a month ago - well I fretted over it so I sent it back - I am like you and my post office is a 7 mile drive one way - I didn't want to mess with it and did not want to get anymore - I really did think it was illegal for them to send something and then charge us - I don't like this practice - if I wanted the DVD - I would have sent for it.

You can keep anything that you did not order. I too am letting my subscriptions lapse -- one after 20+ years. This one company billed me for a new 5 year subscription -- and said it would automatically be renewed and I agreed to this by paying the current bill. I sent a letter that would blister your ears canceling that subscription.

A couple of other magazine companies have done something similar -- one continued the subscription for 6 months after it ended and then tried to collect. I pointed out that since I did not renew the subscription I was not responsible for anything they sent after the subscription was fulfilled. The only magazine I keep is National Geographic -- at least for now.

I guess they are hard up, but I want to be able to say yes or no to an extension of the subscription.