Adam’s mom recently received an AARP invitation, which is not surprising since she’s nearing fifty. But we think AARP may want to pass a better filter over the address lists they’re buying, because a few days later Adam received the same invitation. Maybe AARP is trying to expand to seniors and their admirers—sort of like a backwards NAMBLA.
Adam writes:
I’m beginning to think that AARP is getting desperate for members. Roughly a month ago, my mom who is only 47 received a letter from AARP offering her a membership already. I looked at their website the night that we got that letter and from what I can tell, you have to be 50 or older to join.
Now let’s fast forward to today. I just brought in the mail and the attached letter was sent to me. It is IDENTICAL to the one that my mom received but this time it is addressed to me. There was even a “membership” card included with my name printed on it. Now you are probably wondering how old I am. As of today (August 26) I am 20. I’m not even old enough to purchase alcohol but yet AARP wants to sell me a membership.
(Photo: Getty)
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Yeah, the AARP sent me not one packet but two packets in 3 weeks of one another trying to get me to sign up. I’m 26 and a democrat. WTF?
I started receiving AARP invites back in 2004 when I was 22. I think it was the area I was living in, which was full of elderly/seniors/retired types.
My wife got applications to join when she was 25. I told her she should, we would get great discounts at restaurants and some really good life insurance for pennies a day.
Funny story, when my mom turned 50, she joined AARP. My dad got one of those cakes from a local bakery where they ink-jet a photo on the cake, only instead he had them put her AARP card on the cake.
They invited me to join when I was 13. Yes, 13. Nothing confusing about my name, nobody with the same name in my family, never falsified my date of birth. I figured that they were just hard-up for members.
If there’s one thing you can count on it’s that people will get old… Especially with the baby boomer generation nearing retirement in the coming years, I don’t think AARP has anything to worry about.
My guess is that they saw the same last name and assumed the OP was the husband instead of son.
This happened to my brother. He will be turning 21 in November. As of yet, he is the only one in our household to receive a membership offer.
I received an invite when I was 26 (last year), and sent it in with my actual birthday (1981). Three weeks later they sent me a card in the mail, I’m now a member of AARP.
There are ZERO benefits for someone my age. The life insurance is cheap, but I can buy insurance cheaper. Also I called to get an auto quote and was denied for not being over 55.
Really all they want is constituents. Also they make so much more money on their prescription and medicare insurance payments it’s all a front really. No one cares if you’re not 55… so long as you can be claimed when they go to push legislation for higher medicare payments (to themselves!)
@mantari: I’m 13 now. They asked me to join when I was 5.
Saw this too late to add a comment where anyone would see it, but the AARP just resells other people’s insurance. You will save a bundle buying directly from whoever sells it (or their competitors!) and not paying the AARP to resell it to you. I found this out when my mother was shopping for a medicare supplemental policy and I saw the AARP info. Be advised the difference between the actual price and the AARP price is what funds these mass mailings, TV spots, celebrity endorsements, etc. No wonder they’re losing members since they don’t actually do anything and older people aren’t dumb.
I’ve been getting AARP applications since I turned 21. I now collect these envelopes and mail them a brick.
@linus: Holy crap, that’s funny! I’m going to have to start doing that. I like the person who sent a broken blender. Classic!
i’ve been getting aarp spam since i was in my early 20s as well. i’m now 33. usually it’s about one piece of mail per week. i’ve tried calling on several occasions to have my name removed from their rolls, but the spam keeps coming. pretty soon i’m just going to start using those “temporary membership” cards i keep getting and saving some money. dumbasses.
I used to get AARP membership offers frequently between the ages of 8 and 16. I’m now 28, but I haven’t seen one in quite a few years.
I did notice they were using a lot of young adults, kids & teens in their election ’08 ads over the past year; I guess I was right to suspect they’re going with the McDonalds “get them young, get them for life” approach
Well, I think they’re just buying mailing lists indiscriminately nowadays. At any rate, I signed up when I turned 50. They have a great magazine and newsletters.
The downside of AARP grabbing everyone in sight to become members is that discounts for “seniors” have all but evaporated, or have starting ages of 65 and up. What happened to all those age-55 “senior discounts” for meals and movies? Umm, the baby boom happened, that’s what.
My sister gave them my name when I was in my 30s, and we treated it as a joke. When I turned 50, I joined. The best thing is the auto insurance, which is less than half of what I was paying Geico for the same coverage. Not everything about getting old is bad.
I started receiving the invitations when I turned 30. That was 16 years and I call them to ask them to stop. I will never join the AARP because of their political stance.
I used to work for a company that had AARP as a client. From what I was told, they were specifically starting to target younger people for membership since everyone is going to retire someday. So while they haven’t sent me anything yet, I’m not surprised at all that you guys are getting letters etc.
I’m 27 and I got an AARP invite letter. Where’s my senior discount?!?
I work for an insurance company that has a partner with th AARP… so I’m kind of an expert. You can join the AARP at a younger age, but only as an associate member. Which just means you don’t get full benefits and technically you can become a full member at 49 1/2 years old.
Same thing happened to me about 8-9 years ago, I think I was 18 at the time. I was pumped to use the senior discount.
I get their stuff all the time, and have since I was in college. Only 23 now, and I regularly get mail from them.
I’ve recieved one on or about my birthday for the last 4 years, I am currently 26.
Interestingly enough, my dog started to get them when she was 10 years old, but to be fair thats like 70 in dog years, so they were actually a little late there.
I also get a letter at least every two weeks telling me I am approved to be a member and I am also only 23 years old.
AARP is dieing because of their own doing. They have been spending the last 10 years turning into a political cheerleader like the New York Times instead of working for Seniors. Seniors do vote, but spending all that time and MONEY to promote any candidate is a waste of resources.
Seniors need someone on their side no matter who they vote for.
@OnceWasCool: Eh, I got my first invitation over ten years ago when I was 20. I doubt this has anything to do with them “dying out.”
All the suckers, uhh members, will be dying over the next several years. There are many of of us who haven’t bought into their BS, so they are getting desperate.
Actually, AARP is now nothing more than just another political action committee (PAC). They legally changed their name to AARP – just 4 letters and no longer an acronym for the American Association of Retired Persons.
Just because someone is in your age-range is no reason to think you will share their political ideology or world view.
AARP just wants your dues, regardless of age or party afilliation.
heck I’m only 27 and i got an email! To quote a spokesperson in the commercial, “Sign me up!”
Yep, got mine when I was 26. That was a few years ago, so I don’t think this is a recent phenomenon.
When I called to get off their list, the agent I reached was super-apologetic.
The reason you’re getting these before the eligible age is because they are getting ripped off by list brokers, who are usually willing to “seed” a list with a bunch of random names to boost up the price of a targeted list. Now there was probably many 50+ people on the list they bought, but there was probably 20 percent of any age the list broker just added in there to increase the selling price.