North Shore Agency Rodale backing off of NSA harsh collection tactics - What to do Melville New York

I just received one of the letters from NSA stating that I owe Backpacker Magazine $22.94 because they sent me unsolicited issues of the magazine after my subscription had expired. I am just one of the latest. When I called the magazine they said that it would be taken care of but I am not holding my breath. Looking at the web postings it is clear that this has been going on for quite a while with all of the Rodale periodicals. For others that are just getting these notices it may be helpful to share what I have gleaned from different sources.

A few important points - Credit agencies do not accept reports for delinquent magazine subscriptions. Do not pay NSA or you will end up with a subscription to the magazine that you do not want and cannot easily cancel. Don't try arguing with NSA. You are unlikely to get through to speak to anyone and they will not be helpful if you do. Call the magazines and keep calling them as long as the notices keep coming from NSA. The magazines are paying NSA for all of this and so they are the only ones with any power over NSA to make anything happen on your bahalf

North Shore Agency is a large company and so it seems unlikely that this is a scam in the classic sense. They are too large to just disappear after pulling a stunt like this. It certainly was poorly conceived though and now they seem to be backing off. They just settled a lawsuit in NJ over a similar kind of collection program and this one is probably also going to end up in court as well.

When I called Backpacker Magazine they said it was a mistake but I believe that is very unlikely. If this was a mistake it could have been resolved long ago and there should have been an explanation in a press release. After all, Rodale is the one paying NSA for all of this. If they stopped paying then it all would have gone away long ago. I believe that this truly was an attempt by Rodale to get money from subscribers but it has backfired and now they are trying to distance themselves. Considering that this is such a "Hail Mary" kind of play I have to wonder about Rodale's finances.

Clay
Franklin, Tennessee
U.S.A.