RLYSLO

I haven't had any billing issues, but when I ordered my subscription, I didn't receive a magazine for like 3 months, so I called them and the lady I talked to gave me a lot of attitude trying to tell me that I did receive them. I'm pretty sure I know what arrives in the mail and what doesn't. So when mine runs out, I won't be renewing.

vettelover84

WOW!! Sounds like the VETTE magazine must be hurting for that $17... I would think it would cost more than $17 to track down the $17 owed!!!

This reminds me of when I left Redstone Arsenal. I paid my phone bill in full at the phone people's main office. Two months later I get a bill for $1.08!!! Are they serious!! My dad got the bill at his house in IL. I was in Florida!! He sent them a dollar bill and a dime, with a note saying "CHEAP THE CHANGE"

Good luck

BUBBAS 01Z06

Worst thing is ...

That trivial $17.00 "non-payment" will haunt your credit rating...

What a joke...

Good luck with resolving this issue !!

Bubba.

digivex

Vette Magainze replied to my post on their online forums: "Ask the Staff."

Below is a copy of their response and below that is my repsonse back to them. You may be able to tell that I am a bit irritated with their excuse. They also offered no assistance to rectify my situation. In fact, all they can do is to pass on my complaint "in hopes" that it may not happen to others as they "have no control" over their outsourced business partners ("subscriber relations")...

---[ FROM VETTE ] ---

I'm sorry to hear you've had so much trouble with your subscription. Like most publishing companies, Source Interlink uses an outside firm to handle subscriber relations for all of its magazines (which might explain why the person you spoke with wasn't sure which mags he actually represented).

Unfortunately, those of us who actually put the mag together have no control over this firm, or how they do business.

I have forwarded your post to my supervisor, in the hope that we might be able to prevent situations like this in the future. After all, it's discouraging to see readers soured on the magazine by problems unrelated to editorial content.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you find your remaining issues of VETTE to be as satisfying as you originally hoped.

Regards,

Jay Heath
Editor
VETTE Magazine

---[ MY RESPONSE TO JAY ]---

Jay, Thanks for the response.

How you conduct your business is just as important as the content of your publication. And, in this case, you have caused me undue hardship for which I intend to warn as many Corvette owners as possible. I am also sending a letter to the NJ State Attorney General concerning this matter in hopes that my credit is not affected for a subscription that I did not personally request, yet was put into collections within a few weeks of you cashing the gift giver's check.

There are plenty of Corvette Magazines available to enthusiasts and none of us needs a collection agency chasing us down because you don't know how to run a business properly. If you outsource some aspect of your business, that outsourcing is still a reflection of you and not an excuse for you to use when you damage someone’s credit history.

You can pass on to please cancel my subscription as it's not worth the paper it's printed on and I have no intention of doing much more than sending it to the trash can if any further issues arrive.

I'll spend the time I would have used reading your magazine to correct any issues with my credit report.

Dave

ZO6 Lee

Look on the Masthead and send a letter (not an email) to whoever you think is in charge of subscriptions. All mags are automated so the people don't know that this has happened. Let them know. They don't want the negative publicity that you have provided.
Good Luck.

digivex

Yup...

Doing that now... via US Postal Mail to Vette Magazine, the Collection Agency and the NJ State Attorney General's office.

- Vette Magazine online has since removed my post in their forum under "Ask the Staff" as I copied earlier in this thread. However, I do have it copied into my complaint going out via postal mail.

It appears that they have also blocked my access to some of their online web sites, where I get the following message when I attempt to visit their web-based forums or blogs: "The internet connection you are using is considered invalid. Please try again using different internet connection. If you have continued difficulties, contact your Community Moderators."

C5C6Norm

A lot of business' are like that now, the personal touch is gone. They just don't want to deal with people anymore, which is sad. I wouldn't be surprised if their whole operation is put together in India somewhere, then sent to the printer in the states, or maybe not.

I didn't like the way the magazine just pass the buck to an entity that you may not get any recourse from, it's frustrating, isn't it. The days of just talking to one person and handling your problems are gone.

Vega$Vette

My kid had the same thing on his Mustang Mag. Same Northshore agency and everything.

They auto renewed his subscription after he did the promo offer for $12.95. Something in the fine print that if you do not cancel after the 1st 12 issues it renews.

So he says I never renewed and didn't pay the bill. They continued to send mags and after 3 months he gets the collection letter. They said you owe it because you have already received some mags.

He just said WTF and paid the bill.

digivex

Wow, thanks for that info! That may also explain why my wife sent them a check for $12.95, which then resulted in a collection notice for $17, which we could not figure out.

I am starting to get the feeling that Source Interlink Media (see: http://www.simautomotive.com/ ) publishes or manages a number of magazines that use this scam, ending up with the recipient in collections and making payment under duress, fearing the collection agency and a negative hit to his/her credit score.

I have sent my complaint via US Postal mail, with full documentation on the entire matter including copies of anything I have on file. The original is a formal complaint to my state's (NJ) Attorney General's Office of Consumer Affairs with copies going to (1) Vette Magazine, (2) Source Interlink and (3) the North Shore Collection agency.

I guess we should all be a bit leery of the way in which Source Interlink runs their "subscriber relations."

DaBoz

I must confess, years ago I got one of these collection letters. I just wrote "Deceased" on the bill and returned it. Never heard from them again!

4DRUSH

So for $12.95 I can buy a Gift subscription for Vette Magazine and put it in someone else's name/address and ruin their credit. Think of the possibilities

Vetteman Jack

No excuse for doing something like what they did to you.

leo97

I had a similar experience several years ago. I have not or would not recommend vette magazine to anyone. I wonder how much they have lost in revenue? The bad thing was that my subscription was paid in full and still had several months to go before renewing.

rcs128

Sorry to read of your troubles, and thank you for the warning -- I've occasionally considered subscribing to Vette, but now it's definitely off my list.

Sad to say, it sounds like Vette magazine has chosen to sell out its customers in order to save a few pennies. So many companies are just shooting themselves in the foot these days -- long gone are customer loyalty and great reputations. Such shortsightedness always portends to downfall.

C5C6Norm

My sentiments exactly.

Cool Dash

I never liked that mag any.

Torchblue

Dave, sorry to read about all your troubles with Vette. Just be aware that Corvette Fever is also from the same company and if you cancel one maybe it would be smart to cancel the other, if you get it.

71corv

Thanks for the info. Will cancel my subscription along with a letter to Jay Heath.

Gene

RLYSLO

btw, you may want to call the collection agency and talk with them.
Tell them that you contacted vette magazine and paid the balance. Ask them for a letter stating that you paid the balance and that the negative entry on your credit history should be removed. If you have a letter from the collection agency stating that, you can file a dispute with each credit agency.. send them a copy of that letter and a letter requesting the entry removed from your credit report.

That's the easiest way to get that junk off your credit report.

ROJ#79

I get the same thing from Corvette Fever, notices when the subcription
is good for another year.
I guess they want to make sure you keep subscribing.