Thursday, November 10, 2005

Weekend Assignment

Once again, from Blogfather John Scalzi, gives us our.....

Weekend Assignment #85: Magazines, Anyone?

Weekend Assignment #85: What magazines do you subscribe to and why? This assumes you currently subscribe to a magazine or two, of course, but I'm reasonably confident most of us do. If you don't have any current subscriptions, however, you can list some of your most recent subscriptions or magazines you want to subscribe to.

I subscribe to one magazine, Reader's Digest.  I love that magazine.  It fits in my purse easily, and if I'm stuck waiting in the car while Cliff gets a haircut, I can read one or two articles, start to finish.  It's great.

However, I won't be a subscriber much longer. 

Three years ago I got a great deal:  I could give a subscription to two people for a very reasonable price, at Christmas.  So I took them up on the offer, and signed up for my daughter and my son.

The next year, they said if I'd re-subscribe to those same people, with Christmas gift subscriptions, I could choose one more person free.  I chose Tracy, the friend I rode to work with.  It was a great deal.

But last year I got a bill for those three gift subscriptions plus my own, and it was expensive; the price had gone way up.  I didn't return the voucher I got, because I'd practically quit my job, and didn't feel I could afford it.

The subscriptions were all extended anyhow.  And I was billed.

Because I can't stand to not pay my bills, I finally paid up.

A couple of weeks ago, I got a cheerful invoice saying I had subscribed to all the previous commitments YET AGAIN.  I returned that voucher to them with "No, No, No," written all over it.

Yesterday I received a letter from Reader's Digest thanking me for renewing all my subscriptions.

WHAT?????

I carefully scanned the information on the letter, and found another address I was supposed to use if I wanted to cancel.

You don't want to know what I told them in the letter I wrote.  (No, there weren't any bad words.)

I did tell them I will NEVER subscribe to Reader's Digest again.  I'll buy it at the store's checkout counter, thank you very much.

Extra Credit: What was your first magazine subscription?

Probably Seventeen Magazine.  That was before I realized I wasn't a normal female, and didn't fit into their mold.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I too always have some book or magizine in my bag for that purpose.  Plus once you start you can't stop.  
Dianne

Anonymous said...

I also had that problem with Readers digest and after refuseing to pay they then sent me an offer to get it for one year for 10.00 and I took it again. Set tight and they will offer you a much better deal.

Anonymous said...

My daughter has a subscription to American Girl, and Discovery Kids, and Young Rider all great magazines.  My husband used to get Sports Illustrated, got it for years, but we just haven't renewed as we seem to have no time to read them lately.  I have subscribed to many over the years, but I don't have any currently.  I am doing good to have time to read the newspaper and the Market Bulletin! LOL!  

Anonymous said...

I had the same problem with them.

Anonymous said...

The subscription practices of magazines are incorrigible.
-Paul
http://journals.aol.ca/plittle/AuroraWalkingVacation/