Question about Backpacker magazine sub...

[freefall]

Anyone paid for their subscription/ renewed online and seen the link towards the top to Earth-Smart continuous service renewal program? I just clicked on it to see what it was and it took me back to their homepage without an explanation. When I did a search for it, no results were found. When I went to look at my account on Backpacker it says their are two (2) transactions pending but they do not list what they are.
I submitted a info request along with stating not to charge my card until I knew what the hell I was paying for and how much but most likely the credit card server will update tonight but I won't receive an answer until at least tomorrow.
Any one know what this is/ how much it costs?

thanks:

[River Runner]

They keep sending me letters wanting me to renew on some sort of perpetual basis. I declined to renew at all.

[freefall]

They keep sending me letters wanting me to renew on some sort of perpetual basis. I declined to renew at all.

Yeah, I get those too. I was a subscriber some years ago but let it lapse. Then I saw an article that actually grabbed my attention so I decided to renew again. I just can not figure out what this "Earth-Smart continuous service renewal program" is.

[DuctTape]

Magazine subscriptions are evil. They don't know what "cancel" means.

[max patch]

Its almost certainly an automatic renewal where every year your subscription is automatically renewed without sending you any renewals in the mail. Thats the "earth smart" part.

Makes you fell good cause you didn't kill any trees with all the renewal forms coming in the mail.

Makes them feel good because you always renew at the highest price.

Lot of magazine deals out there. I don't use any of the automatic renewals.

[Bearpaw]

Pay by check. It's hard to renew those.

[Lone Wolf]

real backpackers don't read that rag.

[Blue Jay]

real backpackers don't read that rag.

I did not know there was such a thing as fake backpackers, but I like the concept.

[Sly]

I get BPM free with a membership to American Hiking Society.

[Lone Wolf]

I did not know there was such a thing as fake backpackers, but I like the concept.

packsniffin' cyberhikers

[Toolshed]

There are also predator companies that use "Backpacker" logo and try to sell you subscriptions for up twice what a renewal through Rodale (or whoever owns them now) will cost. If you flip the invoice over, you will see in small print that they ar a 3rd party non-affiliated merchandiser who will renew for you through BP magazine. Bunch of snakes.

[Skyline]

Magazine subscriptions are evil. They don't know what "cancel" means.

Neither do cell phone companies or cable providers.

[Skyline]

There are also predator companies that use "Backpacker" logo and try to sell you subscriptions for up twice what a renewal through Rodale (or whoever owns them now) will cost. If you flip the invoice over, you will see in small print that they ar a 3rd party non-affiliated merchandiser who will renew for you through BP magazine. Bunch of snakes.

Kinda like the abusive "shipping and handling" charges that come with products you see advertised on infomercials. Sometimes they cost nearly as much as the product itself.

[Lyle]

I get BPM free with a membership to American Hiking Society.

I know, this is annoying as H#@*. I canceled my subscription to BP, then renewed my membership to AHS and started getting BP again. Had to cancel again, go through the emails back and forth with them trying to convince me to stay. Now I have to renew with AHS with STRONG instructions that I want no part of the BP subscription. This is actually an annoyance with AHS, and detrimental to my renewing with them.

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

packsniffin' cyberhikers

::: Packsniffin' cyberhiker looks over her trifocals at LW and wishes she could be him :::

I agree BP magazine is more about selling gear - much of which isn't suitable at all for BPing - than about hiking or BPing these days. Pretty worthless - and it is really, really hard to get them to leave you alone once they get you on a subscription list. I make all contributions to AHS anonymously for this very reason.

[sonic]

If I can take a banking/Compliance approach to this. Hey don't rag on me, we all have to do something to support our hiking habit. Anyway, it is not legal for them to debit your checking account or charge your credit card without first disclosing how much and what for. If they do you can easily get this refunded by notifying your bank that it is in error. They should open up a dispute, and given the small amount (under $100), probably won't do anything but give you your money back. Your banker can be your friend in this transaction if it does go wrong.

[freefall]

::: Packsniffin' cyberhiker looks over her trifocals at LW and wishes she could be him :::

I agree BP magazine is more about selling gear - much of which isn't suitable at all for BPing - than about hiking or BPing these days. Pretty worthless - and it is really, really hard to get them to leave you alone once they get you on a subscription list. I make all contributions to AHS anonymously for this very reason.

I swore off BP for a long time but came across one and it had a decent article. So I mailed off a sub. form. So far the only charge to hit my card has been the charge I agreed to so maybe, hopefully, I am over-reacting.

[Toolshed]

Kinda like the abusive "shipping and handling" charges that come with products you see advertised on infomercials. Sometimes they cost nearly as much as the product itself.

::DSoTM shakes head in disbelief and wonder as he comprehends that he and Skyline agree on something::

[partinj]

Bacpack Mag. is now just a yuppie think

[Bob S]

I know in today’s electronic money world it’s real easy to whip out the card and buy or pay for something. But what I do for things like this when I see no good reason to give people my card numbers, I use a money order. Years ago I had a subscription to an amateur radio magazine I let it run out because was going into areas I had no interest in. I did not want to renew it any more so I just let it go. Well somehow they were able to add the next year on to the card. Sent them letters asking for a credit on the card and to stop sending the magazine and found that they use a third party for billing and never got anyplace. Since then I have used money orders for things like this. It’s kind of hard for them to run a money order through again. Not quite as easy for me as a credit card, but it stops them or their agents from abusing my card.

I also find backpacker magazine has little that interests me. It seems they leave the normal backpacker behind and every month go for the once in a lifetime trip to places that 99% of us will ever go to. That’s ok once in a while, but not every month, month after month.