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!!!!

Did one of the notices ask you to mark No thanks if you didn't want to renew? Most subscriptions automatically renew if you don't send in a cancellation notice. And from their point of view, you owe it per the original agreement. It is annoying which is why I seldom order magazines.

DITTO!!! :twisted:

OMG!!! Why in the world would they ever send something like that?!?!? That is an unacceptable way of doing business.

I think I would contact them. However, I wouldn't use the phone number listed on that form. Somehow this just doesn't look right.

I believe it was Andy Rooney who said that if you get this kind of mail. any junk mail for that matter and it has a paid return envelop with it, just bundle up all the paper including the original envelope and send it back to the company. They way they have to pay return postage. I have done it and it ended the junk mail.

I called them just now and gave them an earful of what I thought of it. They apologized, said it was a form letter, blah, blah, blah. I told them to cancel me and to never contact me again.

I had the same problem with Prevention magazine. They did an automatic renewal even though I sent them notices to cancel. They kept sending those threatening notices. So, I renewed another year. I was finally able to write them and tell them I am refusing any issues they have sent at the end of the last issue and if they continue to harrass me, I shall turn them into the Better Business Bureau and notify each news media of their tactics. They stopped and never heard from them again.

I also had a subscription to the same magazine. Over a year ago I also decided to let the subscription lapse and got the same notices. Here we are over a year after the original subscription lapsed and every three months or so I still get the same "unpaid notice". Guess they think senility will catch up and I will start to pay!!

Thanks for bringing this to our attention. This post will show up in the big search engines, too. I'm sure you're not alone.

Things seem to have gotten universally worse in the last few years. They're many aggressive ones out there.

I know why they think these poor business models are okay. Many of my favorite magazines have gone under in the last seven years. But I gotta tell you, nothing makes me less likely to purchase from in the future than a company who behaves like a con artist.

I had to call an automated line to "cancel" a magazine (meaning tell them not to automatically renew) and the automated responses were intentionally worded to get you to accidentally renew. I'm glad I looked it up online first. The internet complaints saved me the hassle of dealing with the magazine again later.

It's not just magazines who've gone down the toilet. Many of my definitely legitimate dealings in the last two years have felt like a con. Two of my banks are a mess.

Good luck to you, Eddie.

You could send them a "Thank you but I respectfully decline your offer as it's disadvantages of continuation far exceed the advantages of being associated with a mean spirited company such as yours"

As a true southern gentleman, I'm sure you can always call a man a cur and let them end up thanking you and smiling :)

oooh - that reminds me - I need to call and cancel that magazine. Out of the entire year, there was only ONE quilt that I would have considered making - and then 2 or 3 issues later, there was a second quilt almost identical to it. sigh. Not good at all.

I'm so sorry that they sent you that nasty gram. I need to give them a call since I don't bother to open the letters from them since I have no desire to renew...

I didn't realize that. Unless you sign a contract for more than a year, I don't think it is our responsibility to tell them we don't want to renew. By not receiving a payment should tell them, we don't want anymore magazines.
Sirus radio is real bad about that, as well. They give six months free. I say, fine and dandy. If I want it passed the six months, I will let you know. I never asked for the free six months and I shouldn't have to tell you that I don't want it anymore.

I agree it sounds like it was auto-renewed. I hate magazines that do that.

bad pay. they don't send mags unless you pay! mcCalls had me down twice. said i owed them one year and the other was paid ahead. duh!! i made them cancel and refund my money. no more subscripstions in my life.
if they continue, report them to the BBB.

The thing that bugs me about most quilting magazines is that after paying for a 3 year subscription, you almost immediately start receiving letters asking if you want to renewal.

I keep good records of what I order and how long it is for.

Lanny

I would report them to BBB anyway. This kind of nonsense has got to stop.
That's why I hesitate to subscribe to any magazine now. Too much hassle.

Wow, that's quite a hassle. I better check some of the quilting magazine notices I've been getting. I had subscriptions to a couple but decided not to renew and have just been tossing all the notices right in the recycling bin. I just figured if I didn't send them a check, they would quit sending me magazines.

Always read the fine print, especially when it is a trial offer.

I had the same thing happen with Country Living Magazine. I wrote "Cancel" on the invoice and sent it back - twice. The third time I reminded them that I had told them to cancel it two times before. I hope it worked this time.

They are trying to get people to pay with the fear of having it go against their credit rating!

As luck would have it I just got a notice in the mail about a subscription for Quilters News Letter. I looked all over the page but could not find a spot where they said automatically renew. Now I'm not so sure I want to subscribe just in case there is some print about auto renew in size 2 font that I don't see.

Good for you Ed! Unfortunately it is not only quilting mags I had the same exact trouble with "The Artist Magazine" If you don't tell them after getting a free trial and just ignore the notice they will assume you want it.
David

Country Living is the WORST! First people don't get all of their issues and then they are auto renewed even if they didn't want to be. I'll never subscribe to that magazine again.

Thanks for the warning. I'll watch for the notices from my current magazines to make sure I don't get caught on this.

I get renewal notices from some of the mags with the first issue that I receive. Very annoying.

I had the same thing happen to me they sent me a Try Me offer , the offer clearly stated if you do not like it , do nothing . Well I got the same "Nasty gram" you got. All I kept thinking was , now I 'll never subscribe. I got about 5 of those 'Nasty Gram's" and after each one called them and got the same appology ... and "oh it was an error, we will make sure it never happens again". Well I guess they must think we have all lost our memories and if we get one of those letters we will rush off to send them a check.
It is terrible what tactics some of the companies are resorting to these days.

Really? My subscriptions (and I've had a lot) ALL had a time limit. As the time came closer, they would start marking the magazine with all sorts of "NOTICES" - from "your subscription is running out" to "This is your last issue! RENEW NOW!"

I have NEVER gotten a "pay up" notice like that. Question: I assume you have not been getting the magazines?

I concur. If you pay for a year and decide not to renew then you are done with them. There is no "automatic renewal" situation here. I understand your concern.

I would still contact the BBB....this is unacceptable.

Actually, my subscription doesn't run out until April 2011. When I signed up back in January 2010, my first issue came in April 2010. So my subscription really is just now running out. Yet, they've been dunning me for months to renew, and today I got this notice saying that I was going on their "bad pay list". When I called them this afternoon, I spoke with a supervisor there and told here that I thought their notice was totally unacceptable and that I could not believe a company like them would send out something like that. She got both barrels from me.

I think I would email the editor and tell them that not only do you not appreciate their tactics, but you have posted it on the largest online quilting forum on the Internet. Like they say, make a customer unhappy, and they'll tell 10 more people.

Here's the reply I would have sent


UNPAID ACCOUNT

YOU HAVE SENT ME FOUR INVOICES AND I HAVE NOT REPLIED TO YOU YET.

EITHER:
(1) YOU SHOULD UNDERSTAND I'M NOT INTERESTED
(2) CALL ME AT #800-555-5555 TO TELL ME WHY YOU THINK YOUR PUSHY TACTICS WILL WORK.

OR I WILL PLACE YOUR NAME ON THE QUILTING BOARD SO EVERYONE KNOWS ABOUT THIS.

Thats why I just by one if they ahve something I'm really want to re or make.

Thats why I just by one if they ahve something I'm really want to re or make.

I thinkit is horrible they would do such a thing. We pay for a year [or other certain time] and if we don't renew they should leave us alone. Scares me for I have just ordered the Quilt magazine and would hate to get bills sent as you did. I think this kind of thing happens when too much is handled with machines instead of good old human beings.

Almost every magazine we have subscribed to in the last several years has been obnoxious about renewing. Most of them start sending renewal notices almost as soon as the first issue of the subscription is mailed out. Nothing on the renewal notices gives you a clue when your subscription really expires. I bet if you didn't pay attention they would let you renew into the next millenium. If you want to subscribe to any magazine, you need to keep track of what you paid and when you're paid through.

Sorry you had this happen; try to enjoy the battle.

Darren

OMG that is wonderful rofl...perfect reply

That is terrible! I think it's criminal if a company can renew anything without your written consent! That's one magazine I won't purchase.

I got the same thing...I too called them and gave them an earful...you would think they would understand what "Bad Practices" mean