Stopped subscription but bills kept coming
Civil servant also gets warning letters, one of which threatens legal action
March 19, 2009
HE thought it was 'a hiccup in the billing system' when he received bills and reminders for a magazine he was no longer subscribing to.
When he called Reader's Digest, it also suggested that he ignore the letters.
But it became too much to bear when he received letters titled 'Seriously overdue account', 'Final notice' and 'Debt recovery'.
The last threatened legal action.
Mr Tan, who declined to use his full name as he is a civil servant, told The New Paper that he cancelled his subscription last April.
He ignored the letters that followed as he 'trusted that Reader's Digest would act'.
But the threatening letters continued until September and it was only when he threatened legal action that a sales team leader spoke to him.
He finally received an apology letter cancelling the bill and assuring him that the marketing department would review its sales tactics.
But his problems didn't end there.
In January this year, Mr Tan received a flyer along with his credit card statement. It offered a complimentary copy of the premiere issue of the Discovery Channel magazine.
When the Discovery Channel fan accepted the offer, he did not expect to receive a second issue, which was followed by a subscription bill.
It was then that he discovered that RDAsia, the parent company that distributes Reader's Digest in Singapore, also distributes Discovery Channel Magazine.
He said the flyer did not indicate the RDAsia link or that acceptance of the free premiere issue would lead to a subscription.
Said Mr Tan: 'If their (RDAsia's) identity were disclosed on the flyer...I would not have responded.'
Still unhappy
He has since received a computer-generated letter 'acceding to his request to cancel', but is still unhappy.
He said: 'Such a letter adds insult to injury in view of the fact that I did not make any request to cancel, since I can't be cancelling anything that I did not subscribe to.'
RDAsia's manager of corporate communications, Ms Tan San San, said that promotional materials for Discovery Channel Magazine clearly stated the terms of acceptance of the free issue.
'If you don't wish to subscribe, just write 'cancel' on the invoice you will receive and return it to us. The free issue is yours to keep, no matter what.'
She added: 'Reader's Digest genuinely takes great care to ensure that the terms of its offers are clear.'
With regards to the continued subscription, Ms Tan said: 'Reader's Digest stipulates that its magazine subscriptions are serviced and sold on a continuous renewal basis.'
A check of the Reader's Digest website affirms that the Continuing Renewal Privilege is listed under the terms and conditions during subscription.
However, an Internet check also found many complaints against Reader's Digest and RDAsia in various forums around the world.
The Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) received 15 complaints last year and two so far this year over billing/subscription disputes for Reader's Digest, and one for Discovery magazine this year.
Case said the 'practice of billing customers when they clearly did not indicate their desire to renew the contract is certainly unacceptable'.
'Silence is not consent and Reader's Digest ought to have solicited consumer's consent before billing them,' it added.
'Under the amendments to the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act, which will take effect on 15 Apr, consumers will be able to take vendors to task for such practices.'
Source:
http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/st...96209,00.html? 
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