Stereophile: Pay your Bill???

Andyman

Scroungus Stereophilus
Subscriber
For the last few months I've been getting emails and notices to "pay my bill" to Stereophile....

"Thank you for your subscription to Stereophile magazine. As a special subscriber service, you can now pay your bill online! "

Problem is that I don't see where I owe them. My subscription is ending next month and this seems to me to be a new renewal tactic. I have no recollection of renewing recently, but Stereophile is implying that I may have.

I find this tactic sneaky and less than I would expect from them.

I have no problem with the magazine aside from the fact that I never read it. I've subscribed for 6 years I think and rarely have read one through. Usually, I glance through them and set them aside. May 2015 is sitting on my desk a foot away and has been for a month or more.

The only reason I renewed last time was because they made it so damn cheap; like 3 year for $10 or something like that.

I just unsubscribed from the emails and will toss out the letters. If I took the time to read the mag, I probably would renew, but since I've read like 2 in the past 3 years, I'm going to face reality and pass.

That and the fact I dislike the sneaky tactic....
 
Sometimes with some magazine subscriptions you have to uncheck the automatic renewal box. Many magazines are going to this method. I was shocked the first time I received notice of late payment.
 
This sounds like nothing more than the typical mass mailing/e-mail to subscribers to announce a new service or feature -- in this case, the ability to pay your bill (if you have one) online. There's nothing in that wording that implies that you owe anything. You're still an active subscriber, so you get the e-mail.
 
Andy:

I subscribed via Amazon and have them handle the re-up automatically.

You might want to let the direct script lapse for a week and sign up via Amazon IF THEY ARE OFFERING A BETTER DEAL than you are currently getting.

If not and/or you are happy the way you subscribe now, no worries. Just ignore this glitch and carry on.

Enjoy.
 
It's just a new billing technique. I get the same thing from Road and Track, where they call it "continuous service program." I think the goal is sort of make you feel like you're obligated to re-up.

Anyway, Andy, Pay Your Bill! :)

Murray
 
Drop the magazine and subscribe to Playboy.

I heard recently that Playboy was thinking of dropping pictorials altogether in the magazine and focusing on articles only (cuz, you know, that is what everyone really reads anyway).

:D
 
I still subscribe to a magazine, Popular Mechanics. They recently sent me a postcard(cheaper than a letter I suppose) that said my subscription was almost up and they were renewing it on my credit card. If I didn't want that, please let them know. Now, some may find that underhanded, but I don't. It's easier that way and I have no desire to end our relationship.

I suspect that since the OP's subscription is ending, the magazine is attempting to get him to renew, and they have a new internet payment to make it easier. No where do they say, we've received your payment.
 
I let one long time subscription run out and they kept sending magazines for a couple more months . I guess trying to entice me .

I am about to let Car & Driver go after 30 plus years . Boy , you ought to see the whining I have been getting in the mail .
 
It's some sort of corporate program much like the old record clubs where renewal is the default and you have to manually opt out. Negative option or domething like that.

I called them several weeks ago and told them to cancel and since then I've only received one further inquiry and one magazine, so it appears they have my "unrenewal" updated.
Then again, I could get a letter, email and magazine tomorrow too. :D
Who knows????
 
I have no problem with the magazine aside from the fact that I never read it.....

I laughed when I read that; then thought, hey, I get digital Stereophile, thru Zinio which I haven't downloaded since.... January!

I don't want hard copies of magazines anymore, but I rarely look at the digital iPad version. If I did have a hard copy, I would at least skim through it.

I am illogical.

Off to check out my digital Autoweek, which I'm sure I haven't looked at in over a year...
 
So I get a third party sending me reup offers for Stereophile. So do I want to give out card number info, relying that it is legit? Maybe not.
 
Times are getting worse and media publications need the support of hobbiest to stay afloat ! From what I have seen of this rag, it is one sided and has no historical articles.
 
Times are getting worse and media publications need the support of hobbiest to stay afloat ! From what I have seen of this rag, it is one sided and has no historical articles.

I guess you really miss Stereo Review. I started reading it when it was HiFi Review. I remember two name changes. The first was to HiFi Stereo Review. By the time they renamed it Stereo Review I'd moved on to High Fidelity and Audio. I subscribed to Audio until they ceased publishing. I've been a subscriber to Stereophile since the late 70's.

Even if they did "historical" articles they would be about gear that they covered back then. Since that rules out receivers and most mainline Japanese gear it wouldn't do much for all the vintage fans. You could always read old issues and articles. There are plenty of reviews and articles on gear from the 70's and 80's in the web site's archives.

The two major US audio publications (Stereophile, The Absolute Sound) don't cover or care about vintage gear. That doesn't bother me because I don't either.

The cost for a years subscription is roughly the cost of two newsstand issues. I've just added a subscription to The Absolute Sound to go along with the one for Stereophile. At 14.95 a year for each IMO that's a bargain.
 
'The Absolute Sound' sent me a notice that my subscription was about to end. I told them, "Thanks."
 
Ha! Today's mail had a we want you back offer from Stereophile.
$7/year for two years and a free set of Stereophile earbuds. Not bad.

I'm kinda wondering what the earbuds would be like. I'm expecting them to be cheap crapola like these promos usually involve, but I would hope Stereophile would avoid the irony of branding crap...

I dunno. I probably won't read them, but $0.58 an issue is attractive.
 
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