I received by mail a renewal notice for Sail Magazine from a company called Magazine Billing Services. They want me to pay a renewal fee of $30 for one year or $59 for two. Reality is I'm paid up until Apr 2009 and I would never pay $30 a year for this magazine. Is this a new scam?
SAIL Magazine subscription renewal scam?
- Thread starter Monty Miller
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Same problem with Cruising World
I got a renewal notice from them last summer. I checked my records and noticed I had two more years left on my subscription. When I challenged them on it, I got an email reply saying sorry, that I shouldn't have received the notice. Then I still got another one in the mail which I promptly trashed. I think they are just trying to see if we're paying attention. Gary Wyngarden S/V Wanderlust h37.5
I got a renewal notice from them last summer. I checked my records and noticed I had two more years left on my subscription. When I challenged them on it, I got an email reply saying sorry, that I shouldn't have received the notice. Then I still got another one in the mail which I promptly trashed. I think they are just trying to see if we're paying attention. Gary Wyngarden S/V Wanderlust h37.5
Got the same mail more than once
Apparently, several magazine publishers (Sail and Cruising World among them) allow non=related companies a cut if they can get folks to resubscribe early, which locks in the readership (and revenue stream) for additional time. Your mailing label usually shows your expiration date. I believe this is more of an irritant than a scam, but it sure seems a lousy way to do business. One way to discourage this is to cancel your subscription if they keep it up.
Apparently, several magazine publishers (Sail and Cruising World among them) allow non=related companies a cut if they can get folks to resubscribe early, which locks in the readership (and revenue stream) for additional time. Your mailing label usually shows your expiration date. I believe this is more of an irritant than a scam, but it sure seems a lousy way to do business. One way to discourage this is to cancel your subscription if they keep it up.
BoatWorks magazine
Have a semi-related issue - Just got a solicitation to subscribe to a relatively new mag (Boat Works) which is oriented to DIY projects for $8/year. I almost jumped at it given the price until i did a net search and found it's a quarterly publication, not monthly which is implied in the solicitation. Beware...
Have a semi-related issue - Just got a solicitation to subscribe to a relatively new mag (Boat Works) which is oriented to DIY projects for $8/year. I almost jumped at it given the price until i did a net search and found it's a quarterly publication, not monthly which is implied in the solicitation. Beware...
Boatworks Magazine plug
I consider it a fairly good deal at $2 an issue. It kind of depends on if you find the content valuable. They usually cover basic boat maintenance tasks. Good pictures. They've done articles on nonskid gelcoat repair, and cutlass bearing replacement among others. The latest issue has articles on installing flexible tanks, building a waterlift muffler, making a hard dodger, a marine tape guide, battens and slides, solar oven, review of Macgregor 26X, Hunter 430, Ferrocement boatbuilding, etc... The articles are kind of short and to the point, usually chronicling a specific project. Interesting anyway. I'm kind of a DIY kind of guy.
I consider it a fairly good deal at $2 an issue. It kind of depends on if you find the content valuable. They usually cover basic boat maintenance tasks. Good pictures. They've done articles on nonskid gelcoat repair, and cutlass bearing replacement among others. The latest issue has articles on installing flexible tanks, building a waterlift muffler, making a hard dodger, a marine tape guide, battens and slides, solar oven, review of Macgregor 26X, Hunter 430, Ferrocement boatbuilding, etc... The articles are kind of short and to the point, usually chronicling a specific project. Interesting anyway. I'm kind of a DIY kind of guy.
I pay 42 cents an issue for Sail.
. Like Higgs mentioned below if you have been a subscriber in the past and let it run out they keep sending lower and lower offers. I throw away the $12 a year offers and a few weeks later get one for $5. That's the one I wait for. I don't know if they go any lower. .
. Like Higgs mentioned below if you have been a subscriber in the past and let it run out they keep sending lower and lower offers. I throw away the $12 a year offers and a few weeks later get one for $5. That's the one I wait for. I don't know if they go any lower. .
I personally.....
... don't think that most of the slick national sailing magazines make any money from subcribers like us and really don't care much how much we pay for a subcription -- as long that they can demonstrate to advertizers that we are "paid subcribers." Advertizers want the most exposure they can get for their ad bucks so if Sail, Cruising World, Boatworks, etc., can show they have "x" more subscribers than their competitors, they'll get the ad revenue. And I wouldn't get your underwear bunched up about all those "Magazine Subcriber Service" notices we all get. Throw them in the trash. When it's time to renew, just call the 800 number for the magazine and tell them you want to renew for whatever you think is fair. To me, a buck a copy is fair...
... don't think that most of the slick national sailing magazines make any money from subcribers like us and really don't care much how much we pay for a subcription -- as long that they can demonstrate to advertizers that we are "paid subcribers." Advertizers want the most exposure they can get for their ad bucks so if Sail, Cruising World, Boatworks, etc., can show they have "x" more subscribers than their competitors, they'll get the ad revenue. And I wouldn't get your underwear bunched up about all those "Magazine Subcriber Service" notices we all get. Throw them in the trash. When it's time to renew, just call the 800 number for the magazine and tell them you want to renew for whatever you think is fair. To me, a buck a copy is fair...
Good info.....
Thanks for the heads-up. I just received an identical notice from Mag Billing Serv. with the $30 & $60 rates. My renewal is late summer.
Thanks for the heads-up. I just received an identical notice from Mag Billing Serv. with the $30 & $60 rates. My renewal is late summer.
SAIL MAGAZINE at $10/year...
I went on line for $10/ year...and went back and added an additional year at the same price. Its a nice sailing magazine.
I went on line for $10/ year...and went back and added an additional year at the same price. Its a nice sailing magazine.
Yep, a scam. Toss it.
They charge double. They may be getting away with it because they call themselves a 'service'. That way they can claim they don't represent the magazine in question. But it's still a charlatan scam. No one shuts them down because look who's in the W,, Oops, wrong forum.
They charge double. They may be getting away with it because they call themselves a 'service'. That way they can claim they don't represent the magazine in question. But it's still a charlatan scam. No one shuts them down because look who's in the W,, Oops, wrong forum.
So you mean when they recently offered me
the "Professional Courtesy Discount Price" of $10 a year I shouldn't let it go to my head and "ask" the admiral to call me Captain in public?
the "Professional Courtesy Discount Price" of $10 a year I shouldn't let it go to my head and "ask" the admiral to call me Captain in public?
sailing mags
I get SAIL, SEA, and YACHTING free every month. I think it's because my marina sells its tenant list and these mags send them out, trying to get you to subscribe. They keep saying This is your LAST ONE, but they keep coming. Sometimes they stop for a few months, then they appear again.
I get SAIL, SEA, and YACHTING free every month. I think it's because my marina sells its tenant list and these mags send them out, trying to get you to subscribe. They keep saying This is your LAST ONE, but they keep coming. Sometimes they stop for a few months, then they appear again.
You are lucky
I some how ended up with free subscriptions to "Go Boating" and "Sea Magazine". Go Boating seems to be kind of a buyers guide for fast, sexy power boats. You know the ones, ads full of partialy clothed women. Wait! Maybe it's not so bad after all.
I some how ended up with free subscriptions to "Go Boating" and "Sea Magazine". Go Boating seems to be kind of a buyers guide for fast, sexy power boats. You know the ones, ads full of partialy clothed women. Wait! Maybe it's not so bad after all.
Was a scam
That outragious bill was most likely a scam as someone mentioned. My subscription to SAIL expired and they did not send me any notice at all, no renewals or anything. I'm probably going to resubscribe, but when I do, I get my subscriptions off ebay. Last I checked, $12 gets you 2 years of SAIL. I've bought several subscriptions from ebay sellers and they are always very cheap and work out great.
That outragious bill was most likely a scam as someone mentioned. My subscription to SAIL expired and they did not send me any notice at all, no renewals or anything. I'm probably going to resubscribe, but when I do, I get my subscriptions off ebay. Last I checked, $12 gets you 2 years of SAIL. I've bought several subscriptions from ebay sellers and they are always very cheap and work out great.
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