Incoming from all directions!

While I was dealing with the computer virus last week I was also trying to deal with another type of fraud. That was finally resolved today, so I now have the whole story.

I've been a subscriber to a particular magazine for perhaps 30 years now. A couple years ago they went to a new system in which they would not bombard us for 6 months with renewal notices, they would only send a renewal bill which I could pay or not.

Back in October I got a call from the magazine asking if I would like to renew for 3 years instead of 1. Sounded good to me. I gave my credit card number. When the bill came in November it contained an unfamiliar charge. Since the description included a phone number I called. They said they were a subscription renewal service and named the magazine (which meant the original call was from them, not the magazine). So I paid it.

Last week I got a postcard from the magazine saying to watch for my renewal notice. Huh? I called the magazine. Do they work with renewal companies? Yes. Sometimes it takes a couple months for them to receive renewals from these companies. The renewal price for 1 year is $17.

But the subscription service charged $110 for three! I called them. Yes, since I found a better deal elsewhere I would get a refund for the difference from $51 ($17 times 3). Actually, I'd like to cancel. Sorry, sir, the original order was more than 30 days ago.

Knowing magazines usually give a discount for multiple years I called the mag again. Yes, 3 years is $37. Do you work with that company? They're not on the approved list. How can I verify? Call back Monday.

So I called the mag today and got a different explanation of how the list worked. I called the subscription company with the 3 year price. Yes, I would get a refund of $110 - $37. That left me wondering why the previous refund was not recorded.

I called the mag again and got yet another story about how they use subscription services. I asked to talk to a supervisor and complained about getting so many different stories. We talked about how their subscription department worked, what they do and what they don't do. And how easy it should be to cancel. The subscription company seemed to violate several of their procedures. I finally asked should I call my credit card company and complain of fraud? Yes.

I did. At the mention of fraud credit card companies act fast. What transaction did I suspect? A refund was credited. Do you have your card in your possession? I did. We are canceling that number. Destroy the card. The new one will come in the mail in five days. A fraud report for me to fill out will come in about 10 days.

The abruptness of being without that credit card for 5 days almost made me think perhaps I was being too hasty. Besides, didn't they want details before taking such drastic action? But then I realized that if they only cancelled the charge the subscription company might resubmit. This way they can't. I do have a backup card if I need to shop during the next week. I rarely use it. And the details of the fraud aren't nearly as important as protecting the card number.