When dementia caught up with my mother and I took over her finances, I discovered she had paid nearly $2,000 in one year caving in to these tactics and "renewing" magazine subscriptions. She didn't know why she kept getting all these magazines, but if a bill came in, she paid it. Took a long time to get them cancelled.

That's interesting to me. I've subscribed to many magazines over the years and none of them automatically renewed. I always had to send in a renewal form that they sent me (months in advance of the subscription expiring). Maybe this is a new practice? At any rate, I think their apology to you Eddie was a day late and a dollar short. I'm sorry you had to go through that but it sounds like it's resolved now, so that's good.

It isn't only quilting magazines that do this...I get the same kind of "renewal notices" on our National Geographic and Smithsonian magazines. I think when they send out a renewal notice they should have to clearly state the exact date the current subscription expires. I would welcome that, but these constant "reminders" when you know you have six months or a year or more on a subscription is unnacceptable.

Wow, here I am a newbie and I just learned why it is a waste of my money to subscribe to Quilt magazine. Thank you everyone.

Eddie,thank you for the post. I get a ton of quilting magazines and decided not to renew any of them since discovering this site. Can get all the latest from here with no hassle.

What has happened to me is that when I originally subscribed, I paid for a 2-year subscription. About 2 months later I had to be out of town with a dd who was ill. While I was gone I received a bill from the mag saying I owed for my "1-year subscription"...which my husband paid without checking to see if it had been paid....so, now I have paid for a 3 year subscription.

quote=Eddie]I subscribed to "Quilt" magazine back in January 2010 for one year, and decided to let the subscription lapse when it came up for renewal. They sent several reminders to renew, etc., all of which I ignored.

Today, I get this in the mail from them:

This makes my blood boil when I see companies use threats and intimidation like this, simply because someone choose not to renew their subscription. GRRRRRRR!!!![/quote]

Send them a nice note stating you are not going to renew. As far as you are concerned, this letter is fringing on harassment and to immediately take your name/address of their list!

Ditto. And the worst one used to stick the mailing label on the front of the mag. The label showed when your subscription was up. Then they started putting the mag in a bag with the label on that. Well, that bag goes into the trash, so when the notice comes you aren't sure anymore. I have never had a quilt or any other kind of magazine auto renew me. Which one was it? Duh! I just went back to page one and I thought you were saying a quote-unquote quilting magazine, not "Quilt" magazine. Blond, mother of 4, stressed out brain.

I had subscribed to an online version of a cooking magazine. I recently got an email from them that they were unable to renew my subscription because my credit card had expired. I had lost my credit card last year and had to get another one, which is why I had different expiration date. That's very upsetting, that they would just automatically renew a subscription without asking. I was unaware that they were doing this. We subscribe to Consumer Reports, and so far, they don't do this, thank goodness. If you fail to re-up, they just don't send them to you anymore.

Someone I know found her mom had a THIRTY year subscription a to a magazine. She was getting Alzheimers, and evidently renewed each time she got a notice---she threatened legal action, but got no refund till the lawyer wrote a letter.