So I recently renewed my gift of a year's subscription to my mom for her favorite cooking magazine. I tried sending them a "feedback" message. This is what I wrote.

"Hi there! My mother loves your magazine, she has been buying your magazine for about 15 years now, and reads it and enjoys it. I think it is fantastic she finds cooking and recipes so fascinating! Boy, there must be something magical in the pages of your magazine to compel her to read it daily! Unfortunately, that magic has not made it's way on to your website.

First of all, I go to your website and it does not tell me I am logged in, nor does it show anywhere my username on the screen. It does show a "log out" button however. Then it takes me to a login screen (thank the heavens that my login works! If I could give praise to that quality, I would infinitely do so). So I'm at my account info screen and it doesn't show me a: when I started subscription, b: my subscription status, nor c: when my subscription will run out. Oh, it also says I have 3 outstanding charges on the bottom of my screen. Hmm, I just paid with my credit card a non-discounted total of $28 for a one-year gift subscription. Of course I got 2 paper vouchers sent in the mail to me (which did not work).

Speaking of mail, I have had repeated e-mails from my credit card's website telling me that the payment has failed. I guess you didn't get it the first time that I had insufficient funds in my pay-as-you-go credit card, you had to keep hammering authorization on it.

I guess I may be over-reacting, because your magazine is quite a good read, and keeps Mom occupied. I hate to be so brutally honest but it's something I have to do in this "NON-SUB DONOR"'s case. Anyways, keep up the good work with the magazine. Please make sure I receive a receipt for my purchase, and please excuse my spelling and grammar, I am a Canadian suffering from short-term depression and schizo-affective disorder. Thank goodness some of my intelligence is intact to get my message across.

Your sincerely, James Snell (NON-SUB DONOR)"

I clicked on submit, and this is what I saw next.

http://i458.photobucket.com/albums/qq305/Eminutia/bonapetit.jpg

Yeah. I had to check in the mirror to see if there was smoke coming out of my ears. Thankfully there wasn't and I didn't have to hear the fire alarm go off during my delicious lunch.

I would say that is reasonably short.

Sky, I made it as short as I possibly could. There is not one word I could omit from that message that would get my true feelings across to them, without sounding overly passive or aggressive.

Sounds like breaking it up into part 1 2 3 etc time! Make sure that message gets across.

Thing is, they're still hammering the credit card for payments. Just today I got an e-mail saying there was insufficient funds. And I have no idea the details of my subscription. I'm going to call their number, hopefully I can get some help over the phone.