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I don’t read magazines. Never have. Not even if I am sitting in a waiting room somewhere and they are on the table. Couldn’t tell you why, but I just don’t like magazines. The single exception is Entrepreneur Magazine and that I do subscribe to.
So imagine my surprise and considerable irritation when for the past 2 or 3 months I find my business P.O. box crammed full of magazines that I know good and well that I did not, and would not subscribe to. And to make matters worse, I was never able to contact any of these magazines and tell them to leave me alone!
- Rolling Stone
- Golf Digest
- ESPN
- Entertainment Weekly
- Newsweek
- US Weekly
- Shape
I hated to toss them into the trash, so my habit has been to remove the mailing label and simply leave the stacks of crappy magazines on a table in the Post Office for somebody who could get some use or enjoyment out of them.
Then… came the day where I figured out their dirty plan. Now the magazines are arriving sealed in plastic bags with an invoice included. If you read it carefully, you can understand that it is not an actual bill, but rather a wish and a hope on their part that many of us will be unaware enough or cowed enough to actually pay it and then be stuck with the stupid magazines for life. Do I sound irritated? I am. Quite.
They are loading me up with what I consider junk mail. They are wasting enormous amounts of paper and ink. I rather suspect that they are inflating their circulation numbers with this kind of ”sales” tactics. And worse of all, they are clearly tricking people into paying for something they did not order and more than likely do not want. It is shameful behavior.
Here are some things you can do if you get spammed by these dishonest magazine companies:
- Check your credit card statements as soon as you begin getting these magazines. If there is a charge, contact your credit card company and dispute it. They will probably want to know if you have followed the steps below first though.
- Watch your mail for invoices and do not ignore them. Read the invoices and look for information that will enable you to contact the magazine publisher. If you do find a contact telephone number, call it and explain that you did not order the magazine and you do not wish to receive it. If you cannot find a telephone number, write “Do not wish to receive—cancel subscription” on the invoice and mail it back to the publisher. Be prepared to send back more than one invoice with this message, if necessary.
If anybody from their Department of Dirty Tricks happens to read this, I hope they can see me making a rude gesture at them. And no, I WILL NOT be sending a check.