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

On Mon, 9 Mar 2009 19:22:45 -0700 (PDT), engineman
wrote:

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

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

"engineman" wrote in message
...
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

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. g

--
Ed Huntress

"engineman" wrote in message
...
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

Disregard all future requests 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

"Jon Anderson" wrote in message
...
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

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

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

Pete Keillor wrote:

On Mon, 9 Mar 2009 19:22:45 -0700 (PDT), engineman
wrote:

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

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

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.

engineman writes:

Why are they sending me this bill?

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?

Pete C. wrote:

Pete Keillor wrote:

On Mon, 9 Mar 2009 19:22:45 -0700 (PDT), engineman
wrote:


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

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


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.


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.

http://www.ebscomags.com/

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

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10^12 furlongs per fortnight.

engineman wrote:
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


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:

http://www.ebscomags.com/

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

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10e12 furlongs per fortnight.