Magazines

[Rayr49]

We have been receiving for the last two years magazines such as Popular Mechanics, Rolling Stone and several others that were not subscribed to. They are delivered to my home, the VFD and my career station. All are addressed to people who are retired, or have left the area. In my home case, they are addressed to my daughter in her maiden name. She has been married for ten years and has not even lived in this state in that period of time.

I have contacted the publishers subscription department who refer me to a subscription service in Florida, who in turn refers you to another service also in Florida. Out of approximately one dozen different magazines, I have gotten two stopped but had three other ones start.

Is this a local problem for us in the high plains or or others having the same problem?

Stay Safe
IACOJ

[EFD840]

Well son of a gun! Rayr49, you just solved one of our greatest mysteries.

We've been getting Popular Mechanics, ESPN the Magazine, and Rolling Stone for about 6 months now. They're coming to the station addressed to the Chief but neither he nor the department subscribed.

At first I thought it was someone's idea of a joke because once before a member had signed the chief up for a single copy of an "alternative lifestyles" magazine but using the department's address didn't fit that profile and except for Rolling Stone, there wasn't anything in the choices that would constitute a joke (the chief hates most all rock/top 40 music). The theory got completely sunk when they continued to arrive.

To make the story sound even stranger, we've never received a bill for any of the magazines. Since we haven't been billed, I haven't made any further effort to find out why we're getting them. I've been putting the tame ones in the kitchen for folks to read and tossing the Rolling Stone. Well, except for the issue with Britney Spears on the cover. It warranted further investigation

It sounds like someone is working a scam.

[Duffman]

We have been getting Rolling Stone as well. The name on the mailing label is of a former member. I am sure we never got a bill, because there is no way it would have been paid, and we still get the mag

[TCFire]

Same here.....TV Guide, Rolling Stone, and Popular Mechanics come every month, never have received a bill or figured out who or how it got started. Somebody must have signed up for TV Guide as a joke using several names at the hall....we must get 12 copies a month, they come in a bundle wrapped in plastic!

[Lewiston2FF]

We have been getting 6 issues of TV guide, and Rolling Stone for the past 3-5 months. They were arriving with a former chiefs name on them that has been known to be a prankster. When asked about it he was suprised, and wanted to know if he could grab one of the TV guide issues. Now that I see it is happening elsewhere, I wonder what is really going on?

[Lewiston2FF]

We have been getting 6 issues of TV guide, and Rolling Stone for the past 3-5 months. They were arriving with a former chiefs name on them that has been known to be a prankster. When asked about it he was suprised, and wanted to know if he could grab one of the TV guide issues. Now that I see it is happening elsewhere, I wonder what is really going on?

[12TruckIrons]

We too have been getting ESPN, Rolling Stones and Popular Mechanics at the station unsolicited and definately unpaid. I always wondered why the powers that be would get them, but then I dig through the Magazine rack we have here and I se some of the other crap they have subscriptions to.

[Rayr49]

Glad to know we are not alone. My best guess is the subscription service gets paid by the number of subscriptions they submit and they are using really old mailing lists. The magazines set their advertising rates based on the number of subscriptions.

We also keep the "general" issues for the lounge. Our clerk at my federal job considers Rolling Stone a porno mag. She almost had convulsions on the Britney Spears issue.

Stay Safe
IACOJ

[stm4710]

I would enjoy Firehouse magazine,that is if it ever arrives.

[choad33]

us too

We were wondering about that also we have been getting the same mags for free as well. For a while there we were getting 12 copies of tv guide wrapped in plastic and strapped together. We started to hand them out to the neightbors, small offering for putting up with the house whistle. I did not knwo it extended across the country. Someone was going to call and ask but we decided against it for the mags might stop comming.