Ummm, this is why I always say "No thanks" to those offers. Originally, I thought he had done that, but reading the article, I don't see the giant big deal, he accepted the offer. I was thinking they just signed him up without him agreeing.

That sucks! And auto-renewals every 6 months at the current rate?! I think Best Buy and Time Magazine should both be held accountable for these undermined tactics. Buyer beware - nothing is "free"

I had this same thing happen at Blockbuster, except instead of telling me, they just signed me up for four different mags. And they were all stuff like US Weekly, Entertainment, and OK!. My wife thought I went off the deep end. I had to call three separate numbers to get those to stop. Very frustrating.

Umm...you picked a magazine - and now you're blaming BB? What did you expect? Companies always try to offer to a free whatever with a hidden subscription that you later have to go cancel. This is nothing new...nor is it something BB does exclusively.

Next time be less greedy or stupid and say "no thanks" like the intelligent people.

this happened to me one time, despite saying "no thanks" they did anyway.

This happened to me a few years ago, and it was the last time that I shopped there. Make sure you go to the website and do not call, if you do your number will be sold for more money to marketing companies. The gal who rang me up was *nice* enough to tell me after I had made my purchase.

@RurouniX: intelligent people dont shop at best buy.

something for you to consider after you're done riding your horse of smugness.

How in the hell is that legal? Using CC information from something he bought and transfering it to another company for a completly seperate purchase without telling him? How does the "Manager" NOT KNOW about this??

EPIC FAIL Best Buy.

@Oakie Pokie: So your saying the guy in this article isn't intelligent b/c he shops at Best Buy?

Well first, Best buy is not the only store to do this, FYE and other retailers do it as well.

Secondly, the cashier is supposed to clearly state first 8 trials are free and you'll be automatically renewed unless you cancel it. Obviously a minimum wage college cashier will get lazy and will only say the first 5 words.

third, Print is Dead.

I haven't had the pleasure of working at BB since 2003, but they've been making this "offer" at the register since at least then. If the manager stated that he wasn't aware of how this works then, simply put, he is a liar. I do know that the cashiers at the store where I worked were instructed to very clearly state that this was a free trial subscription.

If this isn't illegal, it should be. Yet one more reason to never shop at Best Buy.

@ RurouniX: A clerk saying that you've "qualified for a free magazine" is not the same thing as a trial subscription. Management obviously told the clerks to say it that way, otherwise no one would say yes.

@Oakie Pokie: You say "yes" to a free magazine and then cry about it when you find out you have to call to cancel. I'll reiterate for you slow people - this isn't anything new...there are a lot of "free" magazine offers out there where you have to call them to cancel after the first X free issues.

Nothing is free. Once you've finally learn that you'll be better off.

@ObtuseGoose: Let me reiterate again: Nothing is free.

"What?! A retailer purposely mislead you? That's impossible! We all know retailers are all honest kind folk!"

Next thing you know all the scammers in Nigeria will grow a conscience and start mailing everyone their money back.

I had this happen with a phone order. There was no receipt or paperwork to indicate that they had passed my info to the magazine. After getting a few copies of the magazine, my credit card was charged - I called the magazine and they told me that I had agreed to the subscription along with the phone order. After some arguing, they reversed the whole charge.

I complained to the company that had passed the info to the magazine and they insisted that I had been informed and agreed. It was a magazine that I would not have accepted even for free. I asked them to pull the recording of the phone order and they changed their stance to it being a misunderstanding, not I had agreed.

I'm sure the service rep got a big bonus for having a high number of subscriptions - all he had to do is skip asking and sign everyone up.

@Mr.SithNinja: He ACCEPTED the offer. He DIDN'T ask for details.

Signed up on his own volition? Too bad. I always say know to those offers.

@Mr.SithNinja: Managers DO know about this. This perticular manager lied to you, or if you didn't say it word for word they could have bent the truth. Though, on a moral level, you were lied to.

I would just assume getting some free magazines would mean I'm on a "trial subscription" - that's how it always works.

@Oakie Pokie: I agree with RurouniX. The guy is being a little idiotic when it comes to this. He was too slow to see this coming, even though he had 8 issues worth of time to call and cancel. Someone send in the Whaaaaaaaaaambulance.

They did this to me a few years ago. I said "No" altogether yet somehow found myself signed up for Rolling Stone anyway. Right around the time they were due to charge my card, I had some identity theft issues and had to get my cards reissued.

Bwahaha, no charging my credit card for you sketchy Best Buy magazines!

@Warbrain: I hope you don't say it in writing.

complain to your credit card company. This isn't how credit card data should be handled, and Best Buy should have their right to handle credit cards revoked.

@RurouniX: You're at the supermarket and someone is giving away free samples of their steaks or something. The little piece in a cup with a toothpick thru it sorta thing.

You decide to try it and walk on, having not bought anything. Next week a box of them shows up at your doorstep and you're magically being charged for it.

Whose fault is this?

(At any rate, you should really tone down the attitude against the poster. Comes off as really prickish.)

@spazztastic: He ACCEPTED the offer as it was STATED. If you meet a girl online and hook up and then she tries to get you to pay $300 because she's a hooker, do you think you rightfully must pay her?

YOU ACCEPTED THE OFFER OMGZ N00B! Stop being a jerk about it.

@Oakie Pokie: My horse of smugness is named Smuggypants.

@warf0x0r: 100% agreed. The manager knows whats up. They've been running this scam for a long time now.

@bbb111: Service reps get 0 bonuses, except for shrink which is when their store doesn't have as many items stolen as they budget for. The service reps get to keep their job or perhaps access to the best scheduling and steady regular hours.

Their supervisors and managers DO have bonuses they are eligible for and are pinned to metrics like PSP, PRP, Revenue to Budget, time magazines, and MSN back in the day...

There is really a sort of brainwashing that happens here and its basically,

"Some customers may want or already have the magazine, this way they get it free and if they don't like it they can call the number and cancel."

Depending on the type of manager in charge you typically get three, or so, outcomes:

1. Offer this but we're making money in another key area so it's not as important.

2. We're not making any money and the district wants to know why, so please offer this all the time.

3. We're not making any money and the district is going to blame me you had better sell this or I'll cut your hours, how you do it I don't care.

Unfortunately in some areas the third option is prevalent. I've heard stories of people using language barriers to sell these things and then claiming they thought it was asked for when offered.

All and all its an awful deal that 99% of the time benefits the retailer with subscription royalties and not the customer. From a customers point of view it should go away.

To all you 'he chose to do it' people, he did not make this choice.

He was signed up using deceptive practices. To say, "You want a free magazine? Here you go!" without telling him by doing so he was committing not to a free sample, but to a free trial subscription that would continue unless canceled, is fraud.

I hope none of you claimed that the "Here's a check for $10 (by cashing it you agree to our service we can't sell by legitimate means) was deceptive. Best Buys actions are worse, because they didn't tell you until you accepted.

This would be like going to the supermarket, accepting a free sample of the pizza rolls from the nice lady, then finding out on your receipt that you have agreed to have pizza rolls sent to you every month.

@warf0x0r: I should specify I'm talking specifically about Best Buy in terms of bonuse during my employ with them several years ago. I have no idea how a phone company runs their operation.

@RogueSophist:

RogueSophist : 1
Warbrain : 0

@RurouniX: I would have no problem with a cashier handing me the most current copy of a magazine, after asking me if I wanted a free one. I would have a huge problem with transmitting my credit card and personal info to another company without explicitly telling me before the purchase that it was a "free limited subscription" or something with more details.

@RurouniX:
Sure. Theft happens all the time. Might as well just ignore it then.

BTW, where do you live?

@Mr.SithNinja: Someday, All Credit cards will spit out a random Hugely long number and verification code that is different for EVERY transaction. Then, the number can be posted on fliers, emailed to creditors, whatever, it would only work once. Oh well, I can dream...

@SMSDHubbard: I'd agree if it weren't for the fact that it's standard practice.

@spazztastic: The offer was a Free Magazine and that's it. Best Buy should be obligated to tell you what goes with that BEFORE hand. Prining out the terms on a reciept AFTER THE FACT without saying anything to the customer is just plain wrong.

That's like the cashier saying "Hey, We wanna give you everything you are buying for half price today! Ok?" You say "Sure!" only to walk outside and see them towing your car away because you just "agreed" to sell it to them in order to get your discount.

@Murph1908:
The first few issues are free. The OP made the choice to swipe his credit card for the magazine (yes, it is a separate swipe from the purchase), neglect to read the box that says everything that later prints out on the receipt, SIGN the bottom of said box, and then cry foul when he realized he was too lazy and just wanted something free.

Yet another reason not to shop at Best Buy.
As for magazines, I have gotten some that I never subscribed to (or ever would) and never have gotten a bill for them. I am still trying to figure that one out.

@ForrestWhitakersLazyEye:

This is why you go over to the rack they have and say I want this one, that will be all, thank you.

@batsy: I've actually gotten free magazines that weren't trial subscriptions. Still a PITA that I didn't want and called to cancel, but it didn't cost me anything. So it doesn't always work that way.

I signed up for one of these promotions a few years ago. I had to review the terms of the promotion on the signature pad thing and indicate that I accepted them before the sale could get processed. If the cashier didn't tell this guy about the full terms of the promotion, that's sucks, but he still would've had to acknowledge the terms before getting signed up. If he didn't read the terms, he's at least in part responsible for whatever fees he got charged.

@SMSDHubbard: OK, your example would be more appropiate if you include this little bit.

"After trying the steak, the person asks you if you would like to try some trial steaks, and if so, what cut would you like. You say "yes", "flank". They then take your info and give you a receipt with all the details including how to cancel, which you sign, and give you a copy. After you receive your trial steaks, and the free trial is over w/o you cancelling, you're magically charged for it."

Whose fault is this?

@mrm514:

Exactly! How can I believe an OP who doesn't remember doing those steps. Is it remotely possible that the cashier did say 'Free magazine trial subscription' and the OP just heard what he wanted to hear, swiped his card without question, signed a box without reading, swiped it again for the purchase, and signed it again for the purchase and didn't question anything at the time where he had signed the pin pad twice? Something does not add up here.

This happened to me at Best Buy. I called TIME after my first charge and they refunded it immediately. I think they are quick to refund so as not to raise any red flags. It's a numbers game to them. If 20% of people never notice, they still get that many people buying their magazine.

@Murph1908: Exactly. It's hard to know what you "signed up for" when the fine print shows up after you made the purchase.

@custommadescare:

The fine print doesn't show up after. It shows up on the pin pad which you also need to sign. The OP didn't read.

@Oakie Pokie: I just got a funny image in my head of me on a horse of smugness!

Yes, if they say something is "free", then there's usually a catch. Always ask questions.

I took the bait a few years back and signed up for one of these. At the time they were pretty clear about the whole free trial converting to a subscription thing, and how to cancel it. I canceled just before it became a sub and didn't have any problems at all. That was a simpler, happier time.

Just yesterday I went to BB to buy a CD for someone and they were making the same offer... glad I paid cash.