What I have to say has been discussed before but it never happened to me until today.
Like many of you I received an unsolicited video several months ago. They have come before and I watched and then disposed of them. Obviously you aren’t responsible or owe for something some one sends you on their own and I never paid for them.
Today for the first time I received an invoice asking for payment by January 17th. or within three days to Modler’s Showcase CS. If I mailed a check immediately it wouldn’t be received within that time period.
If this was from any one other than MR I’d terminate all dealings with them immediately and not look back.
However, MR and this forum means too much to me so I will ignore what they have done, but it sure makes me wonder about the intelligence of MR’s staff. From now on when I see MR’s employees pictured in the magazine and in on line videos I won’t think of them same, Guilt by association, I guess you could call it.
Invoice or not - you’re still NOT obligated to pay anything that is unsolicated, Bob. I received one of those invoices myself a few years back and gave it the attention that it deserved. [X-)] I think the DVD is still sitting on a shelf down in the basement somewhere.
Yep invoice means nothing if you didn’t order the DVD that was sent to you. You should call them and tell them what you think about there practices regarding un-authorized DVD and invoice.
If they do that to me, I’m calling MR to speak to a manager and tell them my disgust with their business.
Sending DVDs is ok, but trying to sneak one on us by sending an invoice demanding payment immedately? Come on man…
Personally, I would just recycle it with the other junk mail. Since I’m sure they know that you are not responsible for any unsolicited merchandise, this is likely the last you willhear about it. If you get a second notice, then it’s time to take action. But really, why be disappointed in MR? They’re just doing what all the other mass marketers in the country are doing --gotta keep up with the Jonses.
Are you sure the fault lies with Model Railroader or Kalpubco. Whenever I have received an invoice it clearly identified one or the other.
Some bottom feeder might have intercepted a shipment of complimentary CDs, copied the addresses and then sent a followup invoice. Check with Kalpubco/MR customer service and ask them if they ever heard of the company named. (I wonder if they manufacture and distribute those mailings…)
I will run the risk of having thoughts the King doesn’t like and say this. MR and Wallthers are not the same as when Al Kalbach and WK Walthers ran them.
Wow, quite the dramatic reading. I notice that you do a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth about Kalmbach on this forum.
Since you admit that you have read the many previous discussions, you know that you can just throw the invoice away since you did not request the video.
Get over it (and yourself), toss the invoice, and move on.
Just today? MR/ Walthers add company ticked me off years ago. They were the first to lose my subscription that was ongoing for nearly 35 years. From the yearly price increases and Walthers adds on every other page I strongly felt that this was the end. The quality of the articles was lax and the authors were just recycling older stuff. The straw was the five page article on modeling discarded ties. Really? It took five pages to say stain some sticks and glue them willy nilly along the tracks? You can’t possibly tell me that the reviews are unbiased. Like they would ever print a bad review of a Walthers kit.
I kept the video and my money. Nice of them to give me the free video. If I remember, the invoice asked for payment or return of the video. I was obligated to do neither. If they want to send me another free unsolicited video, they will have my thanks, but not my money.
Ireceived a video about a year & a half ago & got a few notices to “pay up.” Also got one a month or so ago but no notices yet. Both are still un watched. Just proved to myself that i really wouldn’t have time to watch any more. They may be feeling their way with the subscriptions, digital version, video plus & DVD’s. Things are changing so fast today that you have to keep up or be swept under.
Just read an article on the first library in the US with NO books, just some monitors & WiFy to download books. Seems you could do all this at home & close all the libraries.
I get the printed version & the digital because it was only $10 more a year & thought I would give it a try. I look at it once & go to the printed version. Will drop it when it runs out.
I have no way of knowing this for sure, but this sounds like simply something that happens when a publisher hires a third party to handle a marketing idea.
I doubt that someone at kalmbach is mailing out invoices.
The entire production of the DVD and payment system (get the first one free, then pay for the next…and so on) seems like service an independent company would create, then offer to all different kinds of publishers for a fee or a percentage cut of the gross sales. They handle the development of the program and collecting the subscriptions (to the dvds). And the service may even be computerized…automatically sends out invoices to everybody who was mailed a dvd instead of somebody determining who needs an invoice and who doesn’t.
I wouldn’t be too hard on kalmbach, they may have little to no idea this is happening.
Just throw the invoice in the trash and move on with enjoying the hobby.
Kalmbach is continually disappointing me. 3 years ago, I sent them an invoice for $1,000,000. Nothing. I’ve sent them reminders to pay up nearly every day since then. I reckon I’ve spent over $2,000 on postage and still I’ve received nothing.
They did it to me a few years ago with the DVDs. I just ignored it. Regardless of who is responsible, or who did it, it’s a lousy way to treat your customers or subscribers. There seems to be a complete lack of ethics, across the board, amongst todays corporations.
Geez, guys…it’s all be done and said, many times over the past eight years. They are unsolicited, so there’s no legal or moral obligation. They lean on you a bit and hope you’ll pay them so you don’t have to breathe their breath. Why not call customer service and ask that you be removed from the mailing list for all unsolicted mailings, regardless of type? Tell them you’ll contact them if you find something they’re offering that appeals to you.
It’s been years since I got one. But the disk came with a letter explaining that I was under no obligation to do anything. So I don’t see the problem here.
If I wanted them to continue send $9.99 for the first one. Initially, I bought some, but after awhile I sent too many back and they dropped me. No hard feelings on my part - hopefully none on theirs.