Outside magazine scam

“I ordered, what I thought to be, a free introductory subscription to Outside magazine, with no obligation to subcribe beyond the 2 freebies. I am now looking at a collection notice for the "subscription" I ordered for $7.90 for 2 issues. It seems preposterous to me that I would order, sight unseen, a magazine for $3.95 an issue.

I asked them to produce proof that I did order it, and if they can (meaning they got one by me), I would pay them. So, either they are scumbags trying to extort money out of me, or they had a pretty deceptive ad to "get one by me".

Anyone else familiar with the magazine? Had any similar problems? Any comments on the magazine, pro or con?

BTW, I found the magazine somewhat interesting (Skeetah Bait really liked the bare chested he-man hunk on the cover), but I did not find it interesting enough to shell out for it.

Comments, please.”

“This happened to me years ago.I got the Freebies from Outside, and then the collection notice. Since then, I've never looked at an issue.”

“Is possibly tells you how to cancel. Try sending the bill back with "Cancel" written across the front.”

“This is a common magazine scam. Backpacker tried similar crap with me, only by the time it was over, I was getting notices from a collection service. I wrote them a nasty email and it stopped.”

“The deal is you write "cancel" in big letters on the first bill you recieve. All magazines do this.”

“Forward the bill to the white house.”

“" RTS. Addressee moved. No forwarding address."”

“Also, is it directly from Outside? Or from some third-party marketing company??”

“I think that mag sucks!!!!

8|”

“I LOVE THAT MAG!! just so you have a second opinion!! lol”

“I gotta say, the magazine makes some interesting reading while I'm on the cross trainer, so I don't feel it's a worthless mag. But I just didn't want to buy it, and really did not appreciate the heavy handed tactics.

The collection notice was directly from Outside.”

“I ordered Backpacker for my son and myself and then got an unsolicited free trial issue of Outdoor magazine. At first I thought it was a catalog because of all of the ads, so I discarded it. They kept trying to get me to buy the subscription, which I am not obligated to buy, regardless of fine print.
Now they have NORTH SHORE AGENCY collecting a debt for the subscription I didn't order, or receive.

STAY AWAY FROM BACKPACKER AND OUTDOOR MAGAZINE. THEY ARE SCAM ARTISTS.
I have reported them to the FTC and my state attorney general, I suggest you do the same.”

“Essentially the same thing happened to me when I got a 1-issue free trial of Backpacker.

Another good reason to stay away from Backpacker magazine.”

“Oh wow, I said that on this thread already. Oops.”

“Many years ago(10-15) I experienced trouble with several free trial copies from backpacker magazine I even received a bill for a year's subscription before the first free copy arrived. Their efforts to collect were more humerous than the magazine.”

“Dang dawg, good to know, thanx.

Yaknow back when I was young and dumb I used to absolutely love that magazine...... but I grow'd up. hehe”

“I really like both of those magazines, and haven't had a problem with them yet. I got my subscriptions through Clymb.

I have run into this situation (or one similar to it) before. At the time I was told, (and successfully fought the bill with) if they don't have your signature, they don't have the right to collect the money.

IANAL, and laws may have changed, but it is something for you guys to check into.”

“I signed up for the same deal using my dogs name, they're trying to collect from her, lol.”