Windows 7 Upgrade

I installed the Windows 7 upgrade yesterday. The HP Upgrade Assistant hung in the Post-Installation step while installing the driver for the graphics card. I ended up having to reboot in the middle of Post-Installation. So far, everything seems to be OK, but I haven't tried anything graphics-intensive yet.

March issue of SmartMoney Magazine

The March issue of SmartMoney Magazine arrived today. This should be the last issue. If another issue arrives, it means they have ignored my three cancellation requests.

Another SmartMoney Magazine Renewal Notice

I received another SmartMoney Magazine renewal notice today. "Your low rate: $19.97"

I am writing "cancel" on the notice and mailing it to

SmartMoney
P.O. Box 8466
Red Oak, Iowa 51591-5466

I am also writing, "this is my third cancellation request" on the notice.

Another issue of SmartMoney Magazine arrived today

I just received the February 2010 issue of SmartMoney. Still no acknowledgment of my cancellation request.

Invoice from SmartMoney Magazine

Just as I feared, my cancellation request was not acknowledged.

Today, I received an invoice from SmartMoney. It says the following:

Thank you for choosing to be part of our Continuous Service Program. As we recently notified you, your renewal to SmartMoney has been processed.

By renewing your subscription, you have guaranteed yourself considerable savings off the newsstand price, hassle free service and uninterrupted delivery. you won't miss a single issue!

Payment is now due. Please enclose your check with the invoice below and return it in the pre-addressed envelope. Thank you again.

G. L. Walk

Vice President

I will write "cancel" on the invoice and will mail it today. Given what I have seen so far, I would not be surprised if the following were to occur: I receive a second invoice, a third invoice, then finally a letter from a collections agency. I think most people would just pay the $12 at that point. However, if I get a letter from a collections agency, I will proceed to sue SmartMoney in small claims court.

I scanned an image of the invoice with "cancel" written on it in case I need to use it as evidence in court. This blog should also serve as a useful record of events. I'm not going to use certified mail, so I suppose they can claim that they never received my mailing.

Also, it looks like I'm not only person encountering problems with SmartMoney subscription services. See http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2009/03/21/continuous-service-dumb-moves-from-smart-money/

SmartMoney Magazine

There's probably not much more to say about the HP Windows 7 upgrade fulfilled by Arvato - unless the upgrade doesn't work. I haven't tried it yet because right now isn't a very convenient time for me to make significant changes to my computer system. The fulfillment was rather slow and the communication leading up to the fulfillment was poor, but it did come through in the end. Still, I will never go for a "we'll send you the upgrade once it become available" offer from HP ever again.

I have another complaint - this time about the magazine SmartMoney. This doesn't have anything to do with HP or Arvato, but it is the same general area of "consumer complaints." I might try to make another blog later on.

I just received an issue of SmartMoney that has the following on the cover: "This is a reminder that your current subscription term is ending, but as part of our Continuous Service program, your subscription will automatically renew unless you tell us to stop." So, I went to the Magazine Customer Service section of the website, entered my account number, and clicked on Cancel My Subscription. I indicated that I was cancelling because of Continuous Service. I was then presented with an offer to cancel Continuous Service, but to keep my renewal order. I chose "No, thank you. Just cancel my subscription." The result was "Your order was placed through one of our agents and cannot be cancelled automatically. Please contact customer service." However, the Contact Us page on the SmartMoney website brings me back to the Magazine Customer Service section of the website. I'm getting the e-runaround.

The notice attached to the front of my magazine does list two alternative ways to cancel, and I'm about to try one of them (I'm going to write a letter to SmartMoney, P.O. Box 8464, Red Oak, IA 51591-1464.) It would be nice if their website could handle my request or if I could just call SmartMoney Customer Service. If they ignore my letter, then I will need to use the third cancellation method - writing "cancel" on the invoice.

Received upgrade package

I received the Windows 7 upgrade package on Dec 12, 2009. This happened 44 days after my second proof of purchase upload.