I like the magazine well enough. In fact, it's about the only magazine I read when I find myself in the waiting room on those nights that I bring Sam to speech. Of course, magazine-wise, the waiting room competition consists of some magazines about tennis, something or other about some family-type something, and Highlights magazine. Maybe this is why the magazine seems so much more appealing to me in the waiting room than it does at home.
Starting about a year ago, I began receiving renewal notices in the mail. I didn't bother opening any of these since I had no desire to renew. I figured that if I were interested in anything they had to say then I could continue to mooch off of the speech therapist's copy. But the notices kept coming and I kept tossing them into the recycling bin.
As the months went by, the pace of the renewal notices picked up - to a point where I was receiving two or three of them per week. At some point, for some unknown reason, I found myself opening one up. Instead of finding the expected enticements of valuable gifts being thrown my way, along with offers of deep, deep renewal discounts, what I instead found was a letter threatening to turn my account over to a collection agency if I didn't pay up on my well overdue bill - and pay it up promptly.
Apparently, I not only didn't remember subscribing to this magazine in the first place, but I also didn't remember signing up for their automatic subscription renewal. The problem, aside from not remembering any of this, was that the subscription payment was tied to one of the credit cards I had to cancel.
Not wanting to be declared a deadbeat (at least, not publicly) I took the conveniently, though threateningly, supplied information - and I went online to pay my overdue account - all twenty dollars of it - and to also uncheck the "automatic renewal" box.
Now, I'm starting to get letters again. This time though, the tone is different. Not only is all forgiven, but they now consider me a "Special Subscriber," someone who deserves some(more) "special treatment."
I'm touched.
4 comments:
"Special" because you are the only reader since the magazine's inception in 1927 to have actually subscribed.
After reading your comment, I now have mixed feelings about it.
On the one hand, I feel kind of bad that I'm no longer giving them my crucial financial support.
On the other hand, I kind of resent the fact that for my twenty bucks, they didn't bother to make me, if not publisher, than at least a major shareholder.
Fortunately, wavering between feeling bad and feeling resentful puts me right in the middle of my comfort zone. So, I guess I owe them for that.
Twenty dollars well spent, I'd say.
You make a good point. I think I'll subscribe too.
If you do subscribe, make sure you don't pay the bill. Otherwise, you don't receive their "special" treatment.
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