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From: neves@uwai.UUCP (David Neves)
Newsgroups: net.consumers
Subject: re: mail order scam
Message-ID: <360@uwai.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 8-Mar-86 12:34:16 EST
Article-I.D.: uwai.360
Posted: Sat Mar  8 12:34:16 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 9-Mar-86 20:45:48 EST
Distribution: na
Organization: U of Wisconsin CS Dept
Lines: 27

I had this problem happen to me last week.  I received some books from
a computer book club that I didn't order.  At first I thought I was
receiving some free books from a publisher but found that wasn't the
case after looking inside the box and seeing the bill.  

I called up the post office to ask what I could do.  They said that if
I hadn't opened the box I could have refused it and it would have been
returned.  I could also keep the books and when the bookclub contacted
me I could write them and ask for return postage to return the books.

I didn't want to keep the books around and didn't want to mail them
back at my expense either.  So I placed a note in the box saying that
I did not order the books, carefully retaped it, and wrote REFUSED,
RETURN TO SENDER on it.  I assume that the post office returned it.

Unlike the previous author I do not blame the bookclub.  I doubt that
reputable bookclubs (or any for that matter) would find it profitable
to send books to people who did not order them.  I assume that a
student ordered them for me as a prank.  It was addressed to my home
address but the zipcode was the university one.
-- 
David Neves
Computer Sciences Department
University of Wisconsin-Madison

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