Why am I getting all these magazines I never subscribed to?

[Jeff Wisnia]

Starting about a year ago I started getting easily recognizable
magazines in the mail that I never subscribed to. Mostly "men's
magazines" like fitness and sports ones including ESPN. But this week I
received a copy of Readers Digest too. I'm now receiving two or more
magazines a week that I'm not particularly interested in. They all have
my name and address in the block on the cover.

I'm pretty sure they are not "gift subscriptions" from friends as I've
never had anyone send me a card telling me that.

Is this a new advertising practice, with the publishers hoping I'll pay
them to renew the subscriptions a year after I started getting them?

Jeff

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

[Peter Boulding]

On Fri, 25 Aug 2017 14:58:14 -0400, Jeff Wisnia
<Jwis...@DUMPTHIScomcast.net> wrote in
<gomdndYeVZzb7j3E...@giganews.com>:

>Starting about a year ago I started getting easily recognizable
>magazines in the mail that I never subscribed to. Mostly "men's
>magazines" like fitness and sports ones including ESPN. But this week I
>received a copy of Readers Digest too. I'm now receiving two or more
>magazines a week that I'm not particularly interested in. They all have
>my name and address in the block on the cover.
>
>I'm pretty sure they are not "gift subscriptions" from friends as I've
>never had anyone send me a card telling me that.
>
>Is this a new advertising practice, with the publishers hoping I'll pay
>them to renew the subscriptions a year after I started getting them?

It wouldn't be the first time a publication has tried to boost its
circulation figures by pretending that free copies were in fact paid for.

All the same, keep an wary eye on your bank and credit card accounts.

--
Regards, Peter Boulding
pjbn...@UNSPAMpboulding.co.uk (to e-mail, remove "UNSPAM")
Fractal Images and Music: http://www.pboulding.co.uk/
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=794240&content=music

[Jeff Wisnia]

Peter Boulding wrote:
>
> All the same, keep an wary eye on your bank and credit card accounts.
>

I do just that Peter. I'm not paranoid about those things but I do keep
all mine and SWIMBO's credit card charge receipts until I can check them
against the card statements each month.

And, just last month I noticed that a restaurant had charged my card
$1.00 more for my dinner tip than I had written on the charge slip. Not
a biggie and more likely an innocent error on the part of whoever
punched in the data to my Amex account than a deliberate move to rip me off.

But, this month some swine south of the USA charged my Amex account for
two airline tickets on a Panamanian airline for a total of about
$1,300.00. I called Amex and they removed the charges as soon as I told
them, but they had to cancel my card and shoot me a new one by UPS. No
biggie, but it's going to take some effort by me to advise the merchants
who bill my card monthly for newspapers and such that the card number
they use for my account has changed.

[Peter Boulding]

On Fri, 25 Aug 2017 18:54:34 -0400, Jeff Wisnia
<jwisnia1...@comcast.net> wrote in
<9MGdnelTctQ0Nz3E...@giganews.com>:

>But, this month some swine south of the USA charged my Amex account for
>two airline tickets on a Panamanian airline for a total of about
>$1,300.00. I called Amex and they removed the charges as soon as I told
>them, but they had to cancel my card and shoot me a new one by UPS. No
>biggie, but it's going to take some effort by me to advise the merchants
>who bill my card monthly for newspapers and such that the card number
>they use for my account has changed.

<sympathy> That's a right pain.

When that kind of thing happens this side of the pond (thankfully, not very
often, unless you're in the habit of booking tickets, etc. over the phone
with the kind of place that employs penniless students to take said
bookings) the credit card companies usually issue you with a new card that
has the same sixteen-digit account number but a different three-digit
security code on the back.

[Jeff Wisnia]

Peter Boulding wrote:

> <sympathy> That's a right pain.
>
> When that kind of thing happens this side of the pond (thankfully, not very
> often, unless you're in the habit of booking tickets, etc. over the phone
> with the kind of place that employs penniless students to take said
> bookings) the credit card companies usually issue you with a new card that
> has the same sixteen-digit account number but a different three-digit
> security code on the back.
>

The new card I received has an account number whose first ten digits are
the same as those on my buggered card, with only the last six digits and
the security code different. The Amex customer service fellow who helped
me on the phone said something about some of the merchants billing me
monthly could still do that without my having to give them the new card
number because of the first ten digits remaining the same, but I'm not
sure that will work for all of them, I'll have to wait and see.

[Lesmond]

On Sat, 26 Aug 2017 10:28:41 -0400, Jeff Wisnia wrote:

>Peter Boulding wrote:
>
>> <sympathy> That's a right pain.
>>
>> When that kind of thing happens this side of the pond (thankfully, not very
>> often, unless you're in the habit of booking tickets, etc. over the phone
>> with the kind of place that employs penniless students to take said
>> bookings) the credit card companies usually issue you with a new card that
>> has the same sixteen-digit account number but a different three-digit
>> security code on the back.
>>
>The new card I received has an account number whose first ten digits are
>the same as those on my buggered card, with only the last six digits and
>the security code different. The Amex customer service fellow who helped
>me on the phone said something about some of the merchants billing me
>monthly could still do that without my having to give them the new card
>number because of the first ten digits remaining the same, but I'm not
>sure that will work for all of them, I'll have to wait and see.

I would be lost if they changed my main card number. I have had it for a
very, very long time. I just knocked wood.

Although they annoyed me last month by denying a charge. Didn't much
matter, except it was odd I could use my card anywhere else that night. No
biggie, my husband was there and used his card for the disputed charge.

When I called about it (after they had called me like 5 times, but I didn't
have my phone with me), They told me the purchase didn't "match my profile".
I was buying merch at an All American Rejects show. If that doesn't match
my profile I am not sure what does.

I told them that from now on, wait until I complain about a charge instead
of being so...um.."proactive. In over 20 years I have disputed a charge
exactly once.

Jeeze, guys.

--
She may contain the urge to run away
But hold her down with soggy clothes and breeze blocks

[BillT...@billturlock.com]

On Sun, 27 Aug 2017 23:39:53 -0400 (EDT), "Lesmond"
<les...@verizon.net> wrote:

>
>I told them that from now on, wait until I complain about a charge instead
>of being so...um.."proactive. In over 20 years I have disputed a charge
>exactly once.

They're not protecting *you*...