Cards Magazine Complaint!

Sorry... This is a really long rant... Gotta get it off my chest!

Left me first say this: Except for the price, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my subscription to Cards magazine (or idea book or whatever you want to call it).

There was a subscription special when I first subscribed to it last year. If I subscribed to 12 months of Cards, I could get 6 months of another one of their publications for free. I think the name of the one I chose was called Paper Trends (I received four issues and then they changed the name to Simply Handmade).

About a month before my subscription ran out, I got a message from Nik Bruce that said my subscription was about to expire, but not to worry because I was enrolled in their Platinum Renewal Plan which means my credit card will automatically be charged for another year. I DID NOT agree to be enrolled in their Platinum Subscriber Program. They did NOT bury any information about it in fine print that I failed to read. I called and placed my order on the stinkin' phone, and the woman who took my subscription information (whom I now know is Janice) didn't say a word about their stupid Subscriber Program!!!

Anyway... I called Northridge Media and spoke with Nik Bruce (the guy who'd sent the renewal e-mail). I told him it was time to renew my subscription, but I saw online that they were offering the same deal as when I first subscribed--6 months free with a paid 12-month subscription, and I'd like to get that same deal with my renewal. He said that was definitely do-able. He told me about each of their other publications, and I chose Scrapbook Trends for my free subscription. Before we hung up, I specifically asked him if I still needed to respond to the e-mail he'd sent, and he told me no that it was all taken care of on his end.

So... My April credit card statement comes in, and guess what? There were TWO $84.95 charges for the Cards subscription (one on the 9th and one on the 10th).

So... I called them the next day. Like an idiot, I didn't write down the girl's name I spoke with. She told me that it "takes awhile" to get a refund, and could she offer me six additional months for free. I told her no, I really wasn't interested in that; that I'd really like my money back. So, she ups the ante: what about twelve extra months? Of course, I had to say yes. I also asked that my name be removed from their auto-renewal program because I didn't want something like this to happen again. The note on my credit card statement says "free 3rd year instead of refund--2012."

Then, imagine my surprise when my May credit card statement comes in and there is a charge on 05/11/09 for $44.95 for Scrapbook Trends! WHHHHAAAAATTT???

So... I called them again. This time, I spoke with Janice, and I told her that I'd been charged for a 6-month subscription that was supposed to be free. She took down all of my information and told me they would take care of it.

Fast foward a couple of months... On August 24, I was busily reconciling our credit card statements in QuickBooks when I suddenly realized I'd never seen the credit for Scrapbook Trends come through. I dug out my May statement and called them back. Spoke with Janice again this time. She said something about that being a gift subscription I'd purchased. Uh... NO IT WASN'T! Anyway, she dug around for awhile, and then found my name on some kind of refund list they have, but she assured me it would be taken care of.

Then... GET A LOAD OF THIS!!! August 28, I got an e-mail from Nik Bruce that my Scrapbook Trends subscription was expiring--but not to worry because I was enrolled in their Platinum Subscriber Program! Is this a JOKE???

This time, I thought "you know, last time I called, the wires got crossed somehow, and that's why they charged me twice; so this time, I'll respond to the e-mail and that will fix everything."

My immediate response (also on August 28): ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT RENEW!!!

Whew! That's taken care of. Right?

My September 13th American Express bill comes in... You have GOT to be kidding me!!! There was a $39.95 charge on 09/12/09 for Scrapbook Trends.

Anyway... I called again this morning and talked with Nik Bruce (renewals manager). I went through the big long spiel above. He found my account and told me there are "glitches" of some sort where cancelations to their automatic renewals program don't get flagged in their database (or something like that). Anyway, he said he would take care of the refunds, but they couldn't do it until Thursday because there were so many people in front of me they needed to take care of!!! What the crap? How long's the friggin' line??? I've been waiting on a refund since MAY!!!