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From: rcd@nbires.UUCP (Dick Dunn)
Newsgroups: net.consumers,net.misc
Subject: ACM membership dues scam
Message-ID: <524@opus.nbires.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 19-Aug-86 01:33:53 EDT
Article-I.D.: opus.524
Posted: Tue Aug 19 01:33:53 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 22-Aug-86 03:46:27 EDT
Organization: NBI,Inc, Boulder CO
Lines: 31
Xref: watmath net.consumers:6159 net.misc:10011

I found a pretty sleazy game being played with my recent ACM (that's
Association for Computing Machinery:-) renewal notice.  The renewal form
lists the basic costs plus the amounts for the SIGs I currently belong
to (as expected) and then totals it up as follows:

	AMOUNT DUE				$101.00
	OPTIONAL CONTRIBUTION			  10.00
	PLEASE ENTER THE AMOUNT OF PAYMENT	 111.00

The last line is right at the bottom of the form, with the "PLEASE
ENTER..." highlighted and the total in a box.  The idea, of course, is
that you'll check to see that you're signed up for the right SIGs, note
the final total, and pay it...hopefully not noticing that the "optional
contribution" has been foisted on you.

WHAT IS THIS SHIT???

I don't know how anybody else reacts to this sort of game, but I react by
crossing out the "optional contribution" bit and paying the base amount--
also making a mental note not to get caught next year.  I might have made
an additional contribution if it had just been asked of me, but no way
will I reward someone for doing anything that even vaguely resembles
trying to trick it out of me!

I would like to think that ACM is really a professional society, but
sometimes I have my doubts.  After all, they're the same professional
society which thought that life-insurance sales pitches constituted
"announcements from professional societies."
-- 
Dick Dunn	{hao,ucbvax,allegra}!nbires!rcd		(303)444-5710 x3086
   ...If you get confused just listen to the music play...