Magazine Problem!

[ringwraith10]

This isn't really dramatic enough to go in the WYP board but I really need advice. 

So, someone signed me up for a bajillion magazine subscriptions. I don't know who did it, all I know is that I've been getting bombarded with magazines I don't want. I even MOVED, and I thought that when I moved the magazines would stop coming to me, but the post office gave them my new address so I'm still getting them! I'm getting all of these weekly tabloids and other magazines like Glamour and Allure. I'm honestly not interested in any of it. I've been leaving the magazines out at the mailbox in case any of my neighbors wanted them, but it's getting exhausting. When I checked my mail yesterday, there were about 20 magazines shoved in my mailbox. My actual mail that I need was all crushed and wrinkled up because the mail person had had to shove all of those magazines in there.

So here's my question: what can I do to contact the magazine companies and tell them to stop sending me stuff? I mean, this feels almost like harassment. When you get junk emails, there are instructions on how to unsubscribe to the emails. How do I get rid of these junk magazines? I hope someone here knows what I should do.

[northstar3184]

Ask your post office to mark them as "refused" and return them to the senders. At the shelter where I work we send donation solicitations to previous donors, and a couple times I have gotten  mail pieces returned that were stamped as "refused", so I assume that's how that works.

I think that'd be easier than making dozens of phone calls that you shouldn't need to make and having to explain to dozens of sales people why you want to discontinue subscriptions you'd never requested.

[zombienixon]

You should be able to mark it all 'Return to Sender'. Or, if that doesn't work, bring the issue up with the post office.

Since a lot of different magazines are all owned by the same company, maybe you could make a call to their help line and get multiple subscriptions cancelled at once.

[lovesbabysquirmy]

The easiest way to get action is interestingly enough, sending them snail mail letters telling them pretty much what you have told us.  There's the address to write to, in all magazines with the publishing information, etc.  Usually in the first 10 pages of the magazine. 

[pinkkittywinks]

The easiest way to get action is interestingly enough, sending them snail mail letters telling them pretty much what you have told us.  There's the address to write to, in all magazines with the publishing information, etc.  Usually in the first 10 pages of the magazine. 

This!

I kept getting junk mail and magazines for the guy who used to live in my house after we moved in. I tried sending them back marked "moved, no longer at this address" and it didn't help, I just got more. He then died and I marked th stuff "deceased, please remove from mailing list" and that didn't work either.

One day I lost it and I wrote a letter (saying he was dead and to please stop sending stuff to this address) on a piece of paper torn from a reporters note book and snail mailed it to them.

Not got anything since!

Love pkw xxx

[ringwraith10]

The easiest way to get action is interestingly enough, sending them snail mail letters telling them pretty much what you have told us.  There's the address to write to, in all magazines with the publishing information, etc.  Usually in the first 10 pages of the magazine. 

This!

I kept getting junk mail and magazines for the guy who used to live in my house after we moved in. I tried sending them back marked "moved, no longer at this address" and it didn't help, I just got more. He then died and I marked th stuff "deceased, please remove from mailing list" and that didn't work either.

One day I lost it and I wrote a letter (saying he was dead and to please stop sending stuff to this address) on a piece of paper torn from a reporters note book and snail mailed it to them.

Not got anything since!

Love pkw xxx

Wow, amazing that that worked! I'll have to try that. I did try going onto a few magazines' websites and canceling the subscription, but they want me to create an account first so that they can send me junk email, too. Obviously, I don't really want to do that.

[northstar3184]

If you send them a request by mail, the only advice I have is make sure they know who is making the request (your name and address), so they can do the removal.

I say that because I had someone mail back a blank donation envelope recently with no return address, no name, or anything, just a handwritten note inside saying "Please remove Michael from your mailing list. He is deceased." There was no other info given, not even a last name for Michael. As much as I would have loved to have honored that request, there are dozens of Michaels in our database and no way for me to determine which one the note was in reference to.

[Taffeta]

I get this to some degree with plant magazines. It seems like magazines in the same family spawn each other. I buy occasionally from one online plant site here in the UK, now I get magazines for about 7. My Dad also gets them for the same reason, and there are about four every season. Because I do occasionally buy plants, it isn't really possible to stop them (even though I buy online and not through the magazine...? ).

So Dad's solution now is that he's using the magazines for his art projects/collages and stuff.

Which brings me to the possibility of whether there is any facility nearby you could dump the existing magazines and ones you will get before you manage to stop it with. Obviously recycling is still an option, but if there's an organisation collecting old magazines for art projects, tha tmight help too.

[Loa]

Also, kindergartens love magazines to cut up too!

[goddessofpeep]

I'd keep an eye open for any bills for those magazines.  Someone got me a gift subscription for a magazine that eventually ran out, but the magazine kept coming.  I got some bills for the magazine that I thought were junk mail, but I eventually opened one and they were about to turn me over to collections.  It took a couple phone calls to straighten it out, but some magazines will just saddle you with a debt and keep on coming if you don't pay. 

[ringwraith10]

I'd keep an eye open for any bills for those magazines.  Someone got me a gift subscription for a magazine that eventually ran out, but the magazine kept coming.  I got some bills for the magazine that I thought were junk mail, but I eventually opened one and they were about to turn me over to collections.  It took a couple phone calls to straighten it out, but some magazines will just saddle you with a debt and keep on coming if you don't pay. 

What?! That's really scary. I'll watch for them. I don't think I've gotten any envelopes from the magazine companies, but I will definitely be on the lookout.

[Kazzellin]

Makes me wonder if someone in your family couldn't decide what to get you for a present and signed you up. Mainly because you haven't found any bills for them yet. Some magazines might tell you it's a gift with the first magazine, but many companies assume there's communication and you know someone signed you up for something.

[achab1984]

That is weird that your getting all of those magazines? I was getting a skiing magazine for a year and don't understand how that happened? I cant stand skiing! LOL

[Mkia]

So weird! I agree with making sure they aren't charging you somehow! So frustrating!