Renewal Notices

[dr42068132]

My membership is good for at least a couple of more months. I have been getting notices to renew with various offers for several months.Some of the offers/notices come with soft or hard paper/plastic membership cards. Seems to be a very expensive undertaking for AARP. Couldn't that money be used for a greater good? Also, it seems it could be very confusing for some members. It is annoying to me, to say the least.

[ma98549304]

I renewed & they have been sendingme notices to reactivate. I will not renew again.

[Epster]

I do not disagree with any of you that numerous surface mailed renewal notices is not the greenest approach and is also annoying. That said, I recall from direct mail campaigns I ran, (political, PR) that despite the obvious waste, these are some of the cheapest forms of advertising. (The cheapest and best being word of mouth). The stats from back then were that it requires getting your message in front of a person 10 times before they will respond. In today's noisy advertising landscape that number may even be bigger. 😞

I suspect AARP continues this practice because despite the inconvenience (and resulting ire) of some members, it remains their most cost effective manner to raise membership dollars.

[AnnC54038]

Is there a professional organization with oversight on AARP's activities? 

I am worried about members with memory difficulties who renew over and over again when they get these notices.  This sharp practice must surely be illegal.

We clearly need help to stop AARP from bombarding us with renewal notices.  Last year I tore each one up and threw it away.  This year I am saving every one and mailing them to AARP's CEO (not the Membership Dept.) at the end of the year.

[GreggB909137]

I am a clinical Neuropsychologist. My job is to evaluate memory disorders in the elderly. I educate patients and families regarding the utility of reminders to improve recall. I think it is OUTRAGEOUS that an organization intended to help retirees is utilizing this tactic of DECEPTIVE reminders to lock members into longer memberships LONG BEFORE memberships are expiring. My mother fell for this. I am 56 and even I get confused by these mailings. I have complained and have attempted to suppress these reminders. One more, and I’m done with the organization. I fear that we will not get help from AARP on this matter and that it may require outside action.

[ShirleyjeanH612557]

I signed my husband and myself up for AARP this February. In June I received a renewal notice. They have come every single month since then, with the one I received today (October 24) stating I risk "losing my membership" if I don't renew immediately. This practice IS completely deceptive and manipulative towards older people plus a massive in your face waste of resources. Why on earth should anyone donate to an organization who is wasting money so blatantly? 

I completely agree with you that this should be made more public; perhaps some consumer protection group or a news program that investigates such things would love to have this story to tell.  

[ph601266]

I agree, it is a great waste of money and resources, the number of renewal notices that I have received, both long before they were due, and now after I have renewed.

[rs11445102]

I agree with you. I have called and emailed AARP, but it appears this organization really doesn't care. When I email them I get no reply. When I call they make note of it and that is it. Just realize hundreds of thousands of monthly renewal notices [with new plastic cards] sent to every AARP member! Imagine the cost in paper, plastic and postage that's spent. I don't mine the reminder in emails to renew. I think AARP needs to become a more green organization and only send renewal notices in the mail a month prior to the members need-to-renew date.

[retiredtraveler]

We discussed this recently. AARP is guilty, along with most (?) organizations of continually sending notices to re-up, often many months in advance. Yeah, it isn't right, but it's one of those 'everyone does it', even though it's wrong.