Just be more careful with Reader's Digest Sweepstakes

[Carmaniac]

A few weeks ago, my father received this letter from Reader's Digest stating that he has been shortlisted for some Reader's Digest Sweepstake and he has to reply to get a place in the sweepstakes and so on...

 

Because of greed and naivety (I have to insist that this is an overstatement), he replied to the mail through some some fancy ways which were required, like some sticker pasting thing, returning this envelope with this piece of paper inside saying that he wants to take part in the sweepstake and you know lah.. Then he did not read some of the terms which were stated as every mail would come with many different pieces of paper (letter of 'congratulation', paper needed to be submitted such that he gets a place in the sweepstake, etc.) though it is still carelessness on his part which led to this.

 

Then came the first Reader's Digest mag. Then the second. At first we thought that it was a scam and didn't bother to foot the bill of 57 bucks.

 

To our surprise, a cd of Mozart's music was found in our mailbox a few days ago. But still we didn't bother.

 

Today, this parcel with some glass ornament and some rather thick book was found in the mailbox.. So I got a bit worried and went to the actualy Reader's Digest website to check if my father's subscription account stated in the bill existed.. And it does exist. So I went through the mails and read whatever sh!t that he had to pay for and they were as follows:

 

-$57 for Reader's Digest magazine subscription

-$9.90 for that thick book

-$56 for every other thick book which they will send to my house every 10 weeks (the thick books belong to some Select Editions thing)

 

There are maybe more that I am unsure of at this point in time.

 

This is the email that I sent to them not too long ago..

 

Good day,

 

I represent my father, Leong - - (subscriber of Account Number x-xxx-xxx-xxx-x) in this email and this email is typed from Leong - -'s perspective. However and regardless of my position as a minor, any allegation or criticism will still be born by me. I am one of those customers whom somehow signed up for Reader's Digest unknowingly for having misunderstood the terms and conditions laid by Reader's Digest (or rather attributed to the ambiguity of the terms and conditions which were buried within the heaps of letters which seriously gave me false alarms of me having won this particular incredible prize). But anyway, let's get to the main purpose of this email.

 

1. I would like to terminate my subscription to the Select Editions, as long as no conditions and penalties are attached to this action. Judging from the words as quoted from the letter of 'Closing notice for Golden Number issued above and transfer of S$10,000' - 'We will send you a new volume approximately every ten weeks for just S$56 with FREE postage and handling. If you ever decide that they're not a superb way of staying well-read (and well-informed) - just drop us a line to say so.' - I believe that I am not obliged to stay as a subscriber or the Select Editions. Hence, I will certainly appreciate the effort on Reader's Digest's part in terminating my subscription to the Select Editions - as long as I do not breach any of the terms set forth by Reader's Digest.

 

2. Questions on the billing of returned products.

a. Will I be entirely spared from the bill of the product if I were to return the same product (reflected in the bill) to Reader's Digest?

b. Are there any terms and conditions attached to the returning of products? (I.e. Penalty, return of Reader's Digest free gifts)

c. What does the word 'products' encompass? Does it represent anything that is mailed to me by Reader's Digest - books, free gifts, magazines?)

d. If I have the liberty to return products to Reader's Digest and have the bill for the products cancelled with no other conditions attached, can I do so with the postage costs paid by Reader's Digest, and how? (You know, postage costs are really unbearable nowadays especially for those from humble backgrounds.)

 

These are all of the questions I have at this point in time. I hope none of them sound too atrocious or reflect my naivety and poor articulation as a teenager. Your effort to provide answers/explanations in accordance to the format above will certainly be appreciated. I am looking forward to a quick and concise reply. Thank you and have a good day!

 

Yours truly,

 

Leong - -

 

Dunno if my way of inquiry sounds too childish.. First time sending this kind of email lah[laugh]

 

The purpose of this thread is not to criticize Reader's Digest's marketing strategy or degrade their products by making them seem so unwanted (fact is that my family speaks Chinese at home and we don't really need the magazines and books), but just to send out a gentle reminder to fellow forummers to think and read thrice before taking any actions.

 

Have a good day ahead

[Shull]

haha...i never bother with the sweepstakes..

 

have been receiving it for every single year..

[King]

ur england so powderful

[Carmaniac]

haha I think you should never bother with it liao.. feel damn suay lah

[Carmaniac]

their england more powderful ah, can phrase their words as though you won something

[Hondacub777]

nearly got duped when i was still studying(naive) .reply them by post which seems never ending(6 months)in the end gave up ,till then ,they still post to me saying u left with 2 more stages and u be a millionaire soon .may be greedy but not silly ...

[Nicz]

I find it rather weird on your decision to unnecessarily present yourself explicitly as a teenager in the letter. May i ask why.

[Carmaniac]

Just in case they find anything defamatory or derogatory in my email... Then the person who gets slapped would be me and not my father

[Nicz]

I can see your point. You can state your identity as your father's son, but i don't understand the purpose of presenting yourself as a teenager in the letter.

 

Don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to cause a stir. Just curious...

[Apollo]

yes beri sneaky. the discovery channel magazine (under them???) also tried a stunt free magazine for 1 year... beri if read the fine line carefully is only free 1 copy

[Carmaniac]

wah nbz next time mus charge them 2 dollar for toylet!!

[Ecaf]

Are u still going to subscribe to the RD magazines? If you don't wish to continue the following year, remember to write in a request to cancel the sub.

 

If I recall, they employ the "auto opt-in" subscription.. meaning if you don't write in your intent to cancel, they automatically renew your subscription.

[Carmaniac]

Yup I've read from the FAQs page on the RD site and realized that subscribers have to ask for the termination of the subscription themselves. Thanks for reminding me also

[Carmaniac]

Also I just realized that they employ this kind of marketing strategy in which you don't have to sign on any black and white but you will still get hooked as their subscriber.. Imo this kind of 'agreement' will normally make people think that as long as they do not sign on any dotted line, then it implies that they cannot be held responsible for violating any regulation of the 'agreement'. But I think the truth is the otherwise?

[Lv3338]

wasting papers to paper these rubbish...everyday....(don't seem to change their marketing strategy...)

feel they are one of most enviromental unfriendly companies..

 

For me...i will boycott this company of it's cheap policy...

[Johnyeow]

hold on a second. how old are you this year ?

 

you are of a legal eagle material la... from the way you write your email...

 

[Carmaniac]

15 going 16

 

cannot lah, I can't speak as well in real life

[Johnyeow]

one do not need to speak well to cast fears in the courtroom.

 

your england is powderthepoof