WTF is up with Peterson's 4Wheel and Off-Road?

[Bones]

Has anyone else received this "Special Offer"?

In the mail the other night, I get this package. On the box it says, "Free Gift Inside". As I try to open the box along the provided "pull here" strip, it self-destructs and I end up destroying the box getting it open.

Cool a video and a DVD disk covering the Top Truck Challenge and some el-cheapo metal coin. Now I am starting to wonder what kind of sh*t they are up to so I pull open the attached letter.

Wow, they want to let me know about a new "subscriber benefit".

Apparently, this new "benefit" is that they want to mail me out videos that I did not ask for, then charge me for them. They want $7.00 for this one "at the special subscriber price" of course.

If I do not want the video I can send it back to them (keeping the el-cheapo coin...thank you very much) using their postage free return label and the now mangled and useless box they shipped it in.

WTF are they trying to pull. This seems more like extortion to me. I will not be accepting their "wonderful" offer nor will I be sending anything back. IIRC postal law stipulates that this sort of thing is illegal. You cannot send someone anything without their consent, and then ask them to pay for it. Furthermore, said item in such a case becomes property of the recipient.

What Peterson's 4Wheel and Off-Road's little extortion campaign has done is cost them at least one subscriber. I do not think I am "worthy" to have such backhanded "subscriber benefits". So to Peterson's, Tab me out, I'm gone!"

F'em and their horse, and thanks for listening to my rare rant.

Bones :skull1:

 

[ChiXJeff]

Trying to get ANYTHING out of you for that video is illegal. It's yours, plain and simple.

If you get any shit from them, there's some stuff in the FAQs at http://www.usps.com . It's a PITA to have to whack them with a clue-by-four, but they will get off your back when you point out that it's a federal felony to bill you for that.

 

[TRL WGN 1]

This is nothing new to me. NRA did this same thing to me with some videos and the American Fishermen's Club tried this with some books.
I just sent the crap back. After two or three send backs, they stop sending.

 

[JnJ]

Bones, I got the same thing. Hell, I opened it, watched it, then a few days later read the letter and saw where they want to charge me for it. Bullsh!t! I'm not sending anything back and they are not getting a dime from me. If it is sent to you with out you requesting it, you don't have to pay or send it back. Stupidazzes.

 

[Eagle]

My great-grandfather the law professor used to tell the family that ANYTHING anyone sends you unsolicited is yours to keep. You owe nothing, and unless they provide a pre-paid return package you are not obligated to return it even if they ask you to, because they have no right to ask you to incur a shipping charge to return something you did not order or request.

 

[TC]

Hell Bones heres what ya do. Watch the tape, box it up, send it back to them COD along with your hourly rate for the amount of time it takes to do the work they asked of you. PLUS, you get to keep the coin! TC

 

[Yucca-Man]

The only exception to this "I get to keep it because it's unsolicited" may come in the subscription/user's agreement nobody reads. They may have a little tiny mention in there that they can chage the subscription policy at any time they choose, and this could be one of those changes. In that case, since you are a subscriber to their policies and product, you may end up having to pay for the product.

My view on it would be to see whether the video was worth watching, then use a whole roll of duct tape to "fix" that self-destructing box. Use some ballast in the box to make sure it doesn't get lost in shipping...say a hunk of angle iron or a few pounds of old bet nails and then return it to them using their pre-paid shipping label. Consider the scrap metal your gift to them

 

[Ivan]

Out of sheer ornrieness, I used their box and mailing label, and sent them back some old disc brake pads with a note thanking them for the "gifts". Also enclosed a print out from the USPS about unsolicited gifts in the mail...

Ivan

 

[BillR]

Out of sheer ornrieness, I used their box and mailing label, and sent them back some old disc brake pads with a note thanking them for the "gifts". Also enclosed a print out from the USPS about unsolicited gifts in the mail...

Ivan

So I'm not the only one that does that. :yelclap:
If I get a solicitation that's got a postage-paid envelope in it, I usually send them the outside envelope back, along with a few pizza coupons and any other stuff I have lying around. They should have throw away their own junk mail, not clog MY garbage can with it. :lecture:

 

[ChiXJeff]

The only exception to this "I get to keep it because it's unsolicited" may come in the subscription/user's agreement nobody reads. They may have a little tiny mention in there that they can chage the subscription policy at any time they choose, and this could be one of those changes. In that case, since you are a subscriber to their policies and product, you may end up having to pay for the product.

My view on it would be to see whether the video was worth watching, then use a whole roll of duct tape to "fix" that self-destructing box. Use some ballast in the box to make sure it doesn't get lost in shipping...say a hunk of angle iron or a few pounds of old bet nails and then return it to them using their pre-paid shipping label. Consider the scrap metal your gift to them

I don't think that changes in the subscriber agreement will cover shipping you something else and expecting up to pay for it. If a change would result in a financial obligation for a new service, I'm reasonably sure you've got to okay it. Raising the rate on an existing service, i.e. cable rates is a different story.

This has been a long running thread on PBB, and it seems pretty universal that Petersen's is backing down in every case.

I wouldn't even send the damned thing back. Unless they cover my minimum consulting charge.... which is 4 hours.

 

[motorcityxj]

My great-grandfather the law professor used to tell the family that ANYTHING anyone sends you unsolicited is yours to keep. You owe nothing, and unless they provide a pre-paid return package you are not obligated to return it even if they ask you to, because they have no right to ask you to incur a shipping charge to return something you did not order or request.

Yep , what eagle said. Also he maybe able to confirm this but i have heard of people keeping stuff like unsolicited girls gone wild videos, or BMG or Columbia house CD'S and movies, and they insisted that they be paid even though it was unsolisited, it went to collections and ended up on the persons credit report. Well the persons whos credit report was damaged was then able to sue for thousands or tens of thousands of dollars. :laugh3:

 

[ChiXJeff]

Yep , what eagle said. Also he maybe able to confirm this but i have heard of people keeping stuff like unsolicited girls gone wild videos, or BMG or Columbia house CD'S and movies, and they insisted that they be paid even though it was unsolisited, it went to collections and ended up on the persons credit report. Well the persons whos credit report was damaged was then able to sue for thousands or tens of thousands of dollars. :laugh3:

There's a difference between what Petersen's and BMG et al are doing. As far as your lawsuit goes, I suspect there's some more there. If you've got a pointer to this, I'd like to see it.

Bones subscribed to Petersen's for delivery of a series of magazines. He didn't subscribe for a video delivery.

With BMG, Columbia House, etc. you agree to be shipped a selection of the month and be billed. You fill out the "no thanks" card, return the UNOPENED media, or pay for it. You've already agreed to this in the subscription. This is solicited, you've told them to send you CDs, DVDs, VHS tapes, etc.

 

[Eagle]

`: WTF is up with Peterson's 4Wheel and Off-Road?

Yes, the terms jr Bookdf the Lenth Club, Colu
dia Houd and sE`h are stiff enough that I will not join. They send a card each month with their select¨on, and@pnldss xcu rend`t back pithin `e timePHEY say and check "Do Not Send," you have agreed to accept it. You canptill rrurn it`fter reeipt, but not ` you o `n ht aN` then view/read it before you return it.

Best rule of thumb is to nper sign up for anythin th`t rquires )ju to "pt out." Too many offers require this. My view is, if you want to give me the otion of buying stuff at a ddcen rate, fine. Seb me the list, and if I want something from the list I'll tell you. Don't play Dhis "Wedl send it automatiball( unless pou tel¬ us not`po" routine.

The same applies to all the "free trial" subscriptinn o&berr. "Jpst take ond [oB three] isstes Jh]ABbALUTELY @REE[/I] and if you decide you don't want to continue, you have to nntif us or we kdep r`ndhng Hp tn yo$"and we own younZ/i].

Nope. If you want to send me three issues for free, send 'em,
hd then @'ll tej you if I want to continue. None of ths "we'll continue automatically unless you cancel" stuff.

I've cnmpl `ned to my BongBess critterr tht there should be laws prohibiting any sort of "opt out" marketing, but you can probably imagine how far th`t i`a went. Frnm t` receptionhst'b+derk t the circular file is about how far, I'd guess.

 

[Georgia Mike]

I got the same dealio in the mail a while back from them. I watched the DVD,and thought it was OK,but I wouldn't have paid $7 for something like that,especially when I could go out and pay $5 at the pay station and do it myself :laugh3: I tossed the box and the coin out,kept the DVD,and never looked back. I figure it's only fair,as when I originally subsribed to the 4WOR mag,it was actually a magazine with interesting articles and cool trail rig features. Now,it's gotten so that advertising is taking up over 3/4 of the mag. Heck,even the how-to articles and featured rig pages have 1/3 page ads on 'em! Let alone the how-to articles are always misleading folks into thinking if they don't have Dynatrac's latest-greatest HP Pro-Rock,CRD,lightened out the wazzo axles front and rear on their fly-weight Samuri that they may as well not even take their junk off the trailer,'cause it won't even make it down the fire-road to the real trails. Screw that! I know it's only like $10 a year,but come on! Why would anyone want to pay even $10 a year for a mag that has *some sort* of advertising on almost every page? :wierd:

 

[sidriptide]

i always fill the postage paid envelopes with other junk mail like value-pak coupons and creditcard apps....
mike

 

[2offroad]

i subsribed to 4wheel & offroad for 10+ years and i didn't get any thing. i must smell funny.

ps ditto what G. Mike said, also glad to see you here.

 

[Tombs]

i always fill the postage paid envelopes with other junk mail like value-pak coupons and creditcard apps....
mike

I'm glad I'm not the only one. Hell, I watched the video, kept the C.D. and the coin, which by the way, I thought the vid was pretty good, Stuffed the box full of junk mail and used their pre-paid return thing and sent it all back. OOOOOPS, I was only supposed to be able to keep the coin? Dam, my mistake. Oh well, it was their mistake to send it to me in the first place.hehehe

 

[Jes]

Has anyone else received this "Special Offer"?

In the mail the other night, I get this package. On the box it says, "Free Gift Inside". As I try to open the box along the provided "pull here" strip, it self-destructs and I end up destroying the box getting it open.

Cool a video and a DVD disk covering the Top Truck Challenge and some el-cheapo metal coin. Now I am starting to wonder what kind of sh*t they are up to so I pull open the attached letter.

Wow, they want to let me know about a new "subscriber benefit".

Apparently, this new "benefit" is that they want to mail me out videos that I did not ask for, then charge me for them. They want $7.00 for this one "at the special subscriber price" of course.

If I do not want the video I can send it back to them (keeping the el-cheapo coin...thank you very much) using their postage free return label and the now mangled and useless box they shipped it in.

WTF are they trying to pull. This seems more like extortion to me. I will not be accepting their "wonderful" offer nor will I be sending anything back. IIRC postal law stipulates that this sort of thing is illegal. You cannot send someone anything without their consent, and then ask them to pay for it. Furthermore, said item in such a case becomes property of the recipient.

What Peterson's 4Wheel and Off-Road's little extortion campaign has done is cost them at least one subscriber. I do not think I am "worthy" to have such backhanded "subscriber benefits". So to Peterson's, Tab me out, I'm gone!"

F'em and their horse, and thanks for listening to my rare rant.

Bones :skull1:

I just got a DVD from JP Magazine with the same setup, $7 if I want to keep it. So, have any of you guys been harassed for not paying for it? How could they even know if you received it?!

Jes

 

[Yucca-Man]

I just got a DVD from JP Magazine with the same setup, $7 if I want to keep it. So, have any of you guys been harassed for not paying for it? How could they even know if you received it?!

Because you just admitted it? If I (allegedly) received one of these DVDs, it would seem that they are trying to clear out old inventory of the 2000 or 2001 TTC...it's quite a shame that the DVD (allegedly) shows a lot of driving and winching and spent about 4.3 seconds talking about the Technical section of judging. It seems to this (alleged) viewer that possibly pointing the camera at some of that technical work would be a lot more beneficial than watching somebody blast through the mud a half-dozen times...

 

[reson46]

They have sent me two, one last year and another just a couple weeks ago. Kept it and my money. So far no harassment. I think it is just a scare tactic that prays on those that think they have to pay for it. Kind of like the low lifes that con money out of the elderly. They should be ashamed of themselves. I am sure they made quite a bit of money off innocent people who just didn't know any better. They should be forced to send back any money they made from this scam.