Watch out for bogus magazine subscriptions

Guest Commentary
May 11, 2008

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Several months ago, I renewed a favorite magazine online with a discount magazine broker. Imagine my surprise when I received the magazine with an attached notice that my subscription had expired.

I contacted the magazine broker by phone and learned that it no longer processed orders for that magazine. The cost was refunded, albeit only after I called. Although the company did the right thing by refunding my money, I missed several issues before my subscription was back up and running again.

I was one of the lucky ones.

Complaints from BBB files regarding magazine subscriptions include:

»"I paid for a magazine, but never got it" or "I paid, but soon the magazine broker closed down and I can't get a refund."

»"I accepted one or more free issues of a magazine, then decided not to subscribe -- but I'm still getting the bills!"

»"Out of the blue, I started getting a magazine, and now I'm getting bills for it. Repeated cancellations don't seem to help and I can't figure out how to get the company on the phone. I never ordered this publication!"

»"I was approached at the door and asked to make a subscription purchase to benefit a nonprofit organization; I paid but never got any magazines and never heard from the nonprofit acknowledging the donation."

Because there are now so many ways to subscribe to your favorite magazines, your BBB advises that it's important to take the time to know as much as you can about the sellers -- whether they're standing at your front door or doing business online.

If you're approached at home, insist on seeing the seller's I.D. and written organizational affiliation (i.e., brochure, letterhead). If the material lacks a physical address or an area code plus phone number, send the seller away.

If the subscriptions are to benefit an organization, ask the seller to leave printed information and contact the organization yourself to verify that the magazine sales are legitimate.

When canceling a subscription, send a formal letter, not a note scrawled across a postage-paid card. You'll find the address inside the magazine, usually on the contents pages. Better yet, go to the customer service section of the magazine's Web site and follow instructions for canceling the subscription.

To avoid unwanted subscriptions, do not enter sweepstakes, contests, drawings or giveaways -- anything that further perpetuates the sharing of your address.

Start With Trust. For additional consumer tips, check out bbb.org, or phone the BBB at (970) 484-1348. The BBB serving northern Colorado and Wyoming is an unbiased organization that sets and upholds high standards for fair and honest business behavior. Businesses that earn BBB accreditation contractually agree and adhere to the organization's high standards of ethical business behavior. The first BBB was founded in 1912. Today, 128 BBBs serve communities across the United States and Canada, evaluating and monitoring more than 3 million local and national businesses and charities.