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© Copyright 1999, Jim Loy
So many companies do this. Dell Magazines probably doesn't even realize that they are stealing money from their customers. I ordered a number of puzzle magazines from Dell Magazines Direct, using a little order form, where I circled the magazines that I wanted. Two of them were out of stock (It didn't say that on the order form, by the way). I sent them a check. And they gave me credit for the two unshipped magazines. Credit! I sent them real money (sort of), and they sent me credit. I suppose you think that was not theft, or even a dirty trick, by them.
A $4 magazine costs them about $1 to print and mail. That is a guess. OK, they have to pay wages, and pay for electricity, and rent. So the magazine cost them almost $4, maybe. But, they do make a few cents profit on a magazine. By sending me credit, they are making a profit, by not having the magazine in stock. They provide no service, no product, and they still make profit.
OK. I kept the credit slip tacked to my wall for over a year. It is gone now. My fault, I took it down to order some magazines, and then misplaced it. For all I know, it is gone forever. It was only about $8. Why should I care? I threw away $20 yesterday, by foolishly ordering something from a more expensive place. But, with Dell, I was tricked. I will give a stranger a dollar. But, he'd better not take a nickel out of my pocket.
I suppose they think they are tricking the customer into ordering more magazines, by sending them credit, instead of cash. I guarantee that they have lost business, in my case. If I were not addicted to Cross Sums, they would never hear from me again.