Since we've been beating up XM Radio in the other thread...

I've been getting Reader's Digest on & off for years. Was going to drop my subscription a few months back, but I got a "3rd & Final" notice from them demanding my renewal payment, figured I must have renewed & forgot, so I paid it. That was then.

New issue came yesterday. Opened it up this morning, took a look at the "insert" that has the actual mailing information... it had a note that the envelope enclosed had to do with a "renewal discount." Glad I opened it...

Seems that RD has switched all of the subscriptions to auto-renew. So you have to tell them that you want to stop. Didn't know that? Well, they claim that you agreed to it on your last renewal (Bullshnitz, I say, bullshnitz) so that they're well within their rights.

And if you're like most people (myself included) and ignore those little inserts (which used to just be advertising crap), you're going to get burned.

It's not the $18, it's the principle of the thing.

So, the bill goes back marked "CANCEL" in big red letters. Should they call or write me to ask why, I'll tell them. Their short term stunt to get me for one year has cost them a subscriber for good. (That they're now giving you issues every other month instead of monthly for the same price is also a factor).

If you get RD -- make sure you read that insert, not just throw it away!