SI Gimmick

I opened the credit card today and glance at the billings and see a $39 charge for a subscritpion to Sports illustrated. I called to inquire and was told that it was a subscription I had been offered and the offer said it would bill my credit card if I did not respond and inform Sports Illustrated that I didn't want the subscription. My bad. I guess it's important to not just throw away junk mail because now magazines are taking the approach they are going to bill you unless you tell them you don't want to subscribe. Maybe I'm overreacting but there is something about that approach that iritates me. Am I out of line?

 

I think this might be more of a clerical oversight on your part than a duplicitous move on SI's part.

Just me.

 

You still haven't responded to the e-mail I sent asking if you wanted to sponsor me for the price of several hundred cups of coffee per day. Expect to see substantial funds deducted from your checking account.

 

Was this a renewel thing? A lot of magazines do it automatically. Also, if you got a free offer (I know they do this at Best Buy) where you got a few free issues, that comes with a subscription if you don't cancel it.

 

I would bet that it's something along those lines. I don't see how they could just charge you for a subscription out of the blue. At some point you must have given SI your credit card information, no?

 

Plus if you call as soon as you notice the charge, they'll generally cancel it and refund the money.

 

You are not overreacting.

Netflix got into a lot of trouble for offering a 1-month trial thingy and then just signing people up for a year.

About 3 years after I quit Netflix I got a check in the mail that they were forced to send to anyone that they did that to.

I'd fight for your money.

 

No, I did not give Sports Illustrated my credit card number. I don't subscribe to sports magazines of travel. By the time I get home that can be three to five weeks old. If I want to read them I pick them up at a newstand. When I called the number on the credit card we didn't get far because Samuel and I spoke a different strand of English. When I went to the website and got hold of customer service the woman quickly said she would remove it from my charge. I just don't see why I should have to call some place to question why they are putting charges on my credit card for a subscription I did not order.

 

Tracy, there is no way they can get your credit card number if you didn't give it to them...unless someone's using the number too.

Might want to double-check your account.

 

I don't know how it would be a clerical error when I never had a subscritpion to begin with.

 

Nobody else uses the account. And I would disagree on the fact there's no way they could get the credit card number. I have had a couple instances where I have had to get credit cards changed because of charges that were not made by me. I asked how they obtained my credit card account and was told the number had been provided to them by a business partner (of SI). The woman, however, would not tell me who the partner was.

 

Um, it's called identity theft.

Pretty sure that is what IJAG is getting at.

Chill out.