Motorhome Magazine/Affinity

[beaverjim]

affinity has finally sunk lower than a rock! we just got back home from a week outing and found in my mail what looked like a past due bill. all it says on it is the word MOTORHOME. its from QUALITY COLLECTION SERVICES. well right away i'm thinking somehow we might have forgot to pay something. nope! its from a marketing company for motorhome magazine. no explanation just an amount due! i wonder how many people they are sucking into this deal? when i called the # the lady said oh! just disregard the notice. when asked about the name of the company QUALITY COLLECTION all she had to say was i guess they had to name it something! jim ps. when i asked her how she sleeps at night she didn't have answer.

[AFChap]

As much as I dislike Affinity, and agree they are pretty much lower than a rock, I suspect the notice you received may not have been from them. I have read of similar scams in the past couple of years where you get a bill for a magazine you have subscribed to, and you pay it, but it wasn't from the magazine at all. It was a scam from a third party just to get your money.

[Hitchhiker]

Paul is right, it's likely a scam. I copied and pasted the following from Scambusters.org:

Scammers Send Fake Renewal Notices for Magazine Subscriptions

Thanks to ScamBusters reader Bill for suggesting we write about a widespread, but under-publicized, scam. In a recent email, Bill wrote:

"I have recently noticed that I am receiving multiple renewal letters on the magazines I subscribe to. They are all very official looking, and all say 'Your subscription is about to expire' or have some kind of special renewal offer.
"There are multiple 'companies' doing this under the guise of publishing firms... If you don't keep a record of which [magazines] you have really renewed you can be bilked out of a lot of money..."

According to ConsumerAffairs.com, a number of scammers are sending magazine subscribers across the country VERY realistic-looking subscription renewal notices -- some of which offer deep discounts for re-subscribing by a certain date.
The logos, typefaces, print quality and paper stock used to create these phony renewal notices are so close to what the actual publishers use that few (if any) consumers can tell the real deal from the fakes.
But there's often one obvious tip-off: Some scammers offer ridiculously LOW renewal prices. One scammer requested just $5.00 to renew a yearly magazine subscription that cost many times that.
Not surprisingly, people who fall for this ruse don't receive renewed subscriptions and never see their money again.
Such scams operate under a variety of different company names, which makes it hard for law enforcement agencies to catch the culprits. According to ConsumerAffairs.com, "Sometimes the scammers pretend to be from a collection agency, collecting money on behalf of the magazine."
Naturally, legitimate magazine publishers aren't too happy about having their money siphoned off to scammers and getting unfairly blamed for the problem. Therefore, many recommend that readers follow these tips to avoid getting ripped off:

1. If you don't remember the renewal date of your magazine subscription (how many of us do?), check the renewal date on the mailing label of your magazine. Be VERY suspicious if you receive a renewal notice when your subscription isn't due to expire for quite some time!
   (Unfortunately though, many magazines and newsletters do try to get you to renew early. So this isn't a foolproof red flag.)
2. Many magazines include a renewal notice in the final issue of your magazine, so you'll know it's genuine.
3. If you get a random renewal notice, compare the address on the form to the subscription mailing address in your magazine. The real mailing address is located on what's known as the "masthead" (usually on one of the first few pages), which also lists the publication's editors, reporters, etc. Don't send money to an address that doesn't match the one inside your magazine.
   (Unfortunately though, some magazines and newsletters use a special PO box for their renewals. So again, this isn't a foolproof red flag. If in doubt, see the next tip...)
4. Contact the magazine publisher directly if you have any doubts or questions.

As you can see, this is a reasonably easy scam to avoid, as long as you're aware of what the thieves are up to.

[Dmiles]

Geeez a whiz...if these folks would only put their efforts toward doing something productive instead of ripping peopl off...

I didn't realize it until now, but I got one of these myself for Scuba diving magazine. Since it was only 2 or three months after I had already renewed, I just threw it in the trash.

[becks]

I got one of those awhile back also to renew motorhome mag. Seems we have to be more diligent each day as time goes by.

[Rom]

As much as I dislike Affnity, and agree they are pretty much lower than a rock, I suspect the notice you received may not have been from them.

I second this comment since I also received renewal notices not from Quality Collection Services but from Motorhome itself. I know it's from the real one because it's the third one I've saved. And the price is always the same, ie $19.95 for 1-yr; 34.95 for 2 yrs.