Business owners should beware of "Yellow pages" offers.
I signed up to advertise in Yellow Book (which is legit) At the same time I was getting my proofs and contracts in the mail, I got several "Yellow Pages" forms to sign.
Fine print said that signing it was agreeing to go in some national Yellow Pages directory. It looked like all of the other paperwork I was filling out. I signed it, not knowing I was about to be billed for some completely BS Yellow Pages.

Yellow Pages is not trademarked. Anyone can make a "Yellow Pages" book. Who know where this book was supposedly being sent.
I got a bill for 228 dollars for some book that has probably never been published.
After complaining to my state attorney General, the Florida Att. Gen. contacted me in regards to a class action lawsuit they had against one of the companies.

I get renewal notices from DirectTV 2 or 3 times a month which is funny because I've never subscribed to DirectTV and where I live in NYC, we couldn't have it anyway.

me: "Oh yes, I'd love to have a warranty on my 13 year old car!"

them: [*click!*]

Got a similar one that said it was from Delta Airlines. My miles are about to expire. Buy magazine subscriptions while there is still time. Of course, my miles have another 15 months before expiration.

@Dooley:
Sounds just like the Auto Warranty calls I keep recieving. My car warranty lasts until 2012 and is from the car maker, not some third party. Yet this company keeps calling saying its about to expire. Well hell a year of expiring??

So I picked up the phone one day and hit #2 to be taken off the list... hung up on. I hit #1 the next time talked to a rep and asked to be taken off the list "please hold" *click* hung up on. So third time I play their game and then say in a scared almost crying tone of voice... "I'm really scared because I thought my warranty was still good... I dont know what to do I cant think right now when did this happen did the dealer lie to me they said it was still good for another 3 years" to which the rep replied "well sometimes we make mistakes can I have the make and year of your car" but I drew a blank at the moment and just hung up.

Next time I'll be ready!!

I keep getting random 3 month subscriptions to various magazines showing up at my door. Once I get the third one, I find a "renewal notice" in my mailbox. Heh, right...renew something I never asked for to begin with.

Although some of the magazines are decent, there is no way in hell I will ever subscribe to them for trying to "trick" me into signing up.

@drjayphd:

Was it Vibe? I thought it was Jet.

I fell for one of the door knockers selling magazines. He was raising money to go to medical school in England. Yeah, right. Two years of Wired for $63. I gave him a check. The very next day realized that I could get the same 2 year subscription for $20. I wrote the company the next day and got the check mailed back to me.

I'm already subscribed. I don't need any stupid cards. I want to turn pages, yet I can't! Who the hell needs magazines? They are GARBAGE!

@Dooley: ...what am I going to do with 40 subscriptions to Vibe?

@mugsywwiii:
Cool! Thanks for the link!

Mostly the reason I waited til the last minute was because I would totally forget until it was time to renew.

I manage my company's magazine subscriptions. Almost every one starts sending renewal notices at least 6 months in advance. Yesterday I got a notice for one of our trade journals - it is due next month, but the renewal price rate is 2x last year's rate. I gave them a call to find out what the story was. Their answer? Yes, that is the rate, but I can renew you at last year's rate if you want. Uhh, yes, I want. They sent me a new invoice right away. Strange.

As much as I like the magazines, these begging renewals just make me want to scream. So I'm not buying anymore.

You can always call the subscriber services phone number (located usually on the last page of the table of contents - sometimes it's in the back) for your publication to verify when your subscription expires if you can't find it on your address label or if your mag came in a plastic bag/paper cover and you've tossed it already.

I get multiple examples of these things on a daily basis in my library. Beware, also, of Professional Courtesy Subscription Rate invoices - they trick you into thinking you have a subscription - or that it's the cheapest way to subscribe.

@Party Boy: I wonder if they truly know. I get those kind of notices for Computerworld magazine and I've never even been a subscriber.

Or your usual $12 if you want to deal with a company you know, like Amazon.com. No need to wait for them to get antsy.

I hate those things. I get them all the time. I used to just wait until the very last issue, then the magazine would panic and say "RENEW NOW AT YOUR INTRODUCTORY RATE OF $12 FOR A YEAR!!!!!!" I did that with Glamour for several years.

They don't do that any more. I think they're onto me. :P

Either that, or let it lapse and then re-order it at the introductory rate. ;)

Also - magazinepricesearch.com will point you to the best deals on magazines.

i get that mail a couple times a year at least.

That would be... Great.

Yes, they would, if your name was on a mailing list they bought and you were determined a "geek" that may subscribe to Wired...

The difference is that in my case, this company had nothing to do with Brides magazine, or any of the other magazines we "sold" ... We'd do the same thing with yellow page listings for auto repair shops, and try to "renew" their subscription to car magazines.

This telemarketing scumbag firm was nothing more than a magazine sales "middleman" who earned money on each subscription sold.

I almost wanted to tell them to take me to court over it.

Wired may very well have unknowingly given up their list to this firm. All publications "rent" their mailing list to 3rd parties, but they always get to see what the 3rd party intends to use the list for. It's not unheard of for a shady firm to get their hands on the list and use it for a promotion like this, which likely yields them a good amount of money. Wired likely had nothing to do with this, although my guess is that did rent their list to this firm and either didn't look at what the firm was planning on mailing or they just got duped.

These loser direct-marketers are spammer-scum who haven't moved into the digital age...

Trouble is, my subscription doesn't expire until Februrary of next year. Almost 16 months from the time I received this "Final Notice".

So...how did this company get the information that you were a Wired subscriber? They must have known, they wouldn't just send a Wired renewal to everyone hoping to trick the few wired subscribers they happened to hit.

Of course, after that BS I never WILL subscribe, either.

This is how they played this game....

Our shady boss would have photocopies of sections of phone books (Yellow pages) from different cities in the USA. So, for example, he would give me the pages of Wedding boutiques... We had a script to read, which went along these lines..

"Hello, my name is and I'm calling with Brides Magazine. We noticed that your subscription is about to expire. We have a special deal for renewing subscriptions at $$$ rate blah blah blah"

Either we'd get a new subscription (with them thinking that they were renewing) or we'd get "We don't subcscribe to Brides magazine" to which our script was:

"That's funny, our records show that you do, but I can still offer you the special renewal rate if you wish to subscribe."

I lasted about three weeks at that job before my conscience got to me, and I just couldn't do it anymore.

Long story short, the company was so slimy, that when I quit, they refused to pay me for the time I worked, so I had to take him to small claims court (and won)

Magazine subscription companies are notoriously scummy, and would love to fool you into "renewing" your subscription.