bogus membership renewal letters

[dbrannen1]

I have received several membership renewal letters stating that my membership has not been paid for 2022-2023 year And is expiring. However it was paid online back in September 2022. I received my new membership card today. So what gives and I don’t want to see the excuse that it’s an automated process. I am requesting of SVP Stephanie Miles that automated billing notices Be in line with reality. This is ridiculous. I don’t care if the letter states “PS please disregard this notice if you recently renewed your membership”. I’m sure I’m not the only member that gets these things which starts off earlier in the year by multiple renewal letter request months before renewal date and the associated membership cards. This is a waste of AARP’s resources and natural resources.

[jj4877]

The membership renewal marketing mailings are out of control.  I've been a member since 2010 yet AARP keeps sending me marketing mailings to join and just now a letter announcing all over the mailing envelope that its my birthday month and offering me  a discount as well as a Grab and Go Cooler.  What stupid marketing employee thought to plaster a mailing envelope with a members birthday in this day age with scammers and spammers looking for personal information?  Its the weekend and I'm typing this here because I am so furious at AARP for being so greedy for new members that they would stoop to sending this personal revealing information out to encourage a 15 year member to JOIN.  Trust me - Stephanie F. Miles will be hearing from me first thing Monday morning.  Oh - and I had to tell them to stop sending me renewal letters 6 months before my membership ended - what a way to trick a member.  I am close to quitting this organization. 

[DarrylL35959]

Hi @jj4877 ,

We hear how frustrating this has been, and we appreciate you taking the time to share it. Mailings and renewal notices can sometimes overlap or continue due to print timing and marketing cycles, but your concerns around privacy and frequency are absolutely valid.

You can update your mail and communication preferences or request to reduce or stop certain mailings by visiting https://help.aarp.org or by contacting Member Services at 1-888-687-2277. They can also review your account to help prevent duplicate or unnecessary outreach.

We value your long-time membership and appreciate you bringing this to our attention.

[JillR486843]

Just to add to this, I just got charged $12 instead of four on automatic renewal, I did not agree to this. How does membership go up so fast.?  I did see an automatic renewal letter, which was fine and buried in there near the bottom was $12. That’s a scam  I thought I was just renewing four dollars  now I’m trying to cancel and I’ve gone into my membership and all it wants to do is let me add another person to my membership. This is all a bait and switch. I’ve worked in computers for 20 years and can’t find the cancel button. I tried to call but it’s a holiday and it forced me to roadside and then membership so I waited on the phone and it turned out. It was membership for a roadside. Nothing like taking my money and wasting my time. Do not abuse elders. Now I have to call tomorrow and try to get somebody to give me back my money and not continue to charge me for 11 more months  When did this become a moneymaking deal for someone? So much for being on our side  

[AARPConsumerCare]

Hi Jill! The AARP membership has never been $4.00. The Automatic renewal for the membership is $12 the first year, then it goes to $16 a year. If you have signed up for Roadside Assistance, you may want to check with them on their pricing. If you wish to have the membership canceled please send me a private message with your full address to: AARP Main Facebook PM https://m.me/aarp. -Sue J

[BrendaF677871]

Amen

[sandymurray1234]

I totally agree.  Very unprofessional and my first reaction was that it was a scam.  I’m not going to send a voided check to ANYONE.  All of my account information is right there for the taking.  

[tinkerbella60]

VERY wise choice!

[AARPJanelleM]

@dbrannen1 Thanks for renewing your membership! I located your account and I see that it's active and valid thru 10/31/2023. Please allow up to 4-6 weeks for the renewal mailings to fully stop due to pre-printed mailing labels. AARP's Automatic Renewal option is an easy and convenient way to ensure that your membership continues automatically each year; meaning you won't receive renewal notices and you won't have to manually renew your membership. If you're interested in checking it out, I invite you to visit https://info.aarp.org/org-ttar-cust-accord/ I'm always here to help if you need anything!

[m752569f]

Recently received a letter stating it was from AARP asking us to send them a voided check instead of renewing our usual way and we would only be charged a $12 renewal. Otherwise our credit card would be automatically charged $16. Neither of us is due for renewal and we destroyed the letter. Looked like a scam.

[AARPJanelleM]

@m752569f I appreciate you taking the time to reach out! That sounds like an offer from AARP to transition your membership to Automatic Renewal for the discounted promotional rate of $12 for your first year. Mailing a voided check is one way to opt in for automatic renewal. If you're interested in learning more about Automatic Renewal, I invite you to check out our site: https://help.aarp.org/s/article/automatic-renewal-how-to-set-up

[tinkerbella60]

With all of the ramped up mail theft that's occurring, I feel this archaic renewal method is ill-advised... AARP's facilitating yet another avenue rendering Elders even more vulnerable!

[tinkerbella60]

Is the AARP Long Beach

Remit address:

POB 93132

Long Beach Ca 90809-3132?

[AARPJanelleM]

@tinkerbella60 Thanks for your interest! Yes, that's a valid AARP address for membership processing. AARP requires a voided check and the member's signature on the AARP Automatic Renewal Terms and Conditions Reply Form when signing up via mail. If you prefer to process this online to avoid mailing a voided check and the signed form, I invite you to enroll in Automatic Renewal online with your credit or debit card, e-check, checking account, or PayPal. If you choose to process this online, you will find the Automatic Renewal Terms & Conditions on the billing page. You will always have the option to save a PDF of the Automatic Renewal Terms and Conditions from the renewal screen as well. I hope this helps, please let me know if there's anything I can do! 

[tinkerbella60]

In addtion to the voided check  request, I also found fishy that the Automatic Renewal Terms and Conditions aren't on a page that we retain (or at least duplicated to be retained for our records); but instead are required to be returned with our signature authorization. VERY odd!

[tinkerbella60]

As I'll be signing off from this forum, please also either text, or email me your response. Thank you.