# Magazines.com



## boxcar479 (Mar 7, 2010)

I found this is one of the merchants in the AGR shopping website. Have any of y'all ordered from this website? did the points come thru ? Also Wall Street Journal pays 20 to 1 anyone collected these points? I read somewhere else about shoes.com or something was a slowpay/ no pay just want to check with y'all before I order anything.  Thanks


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## the_traveler (Mar 7, 2010)

I have done WSJ before, and it posted with no problem. I just did magazines.com last week, so I'm not sure how they post.


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## mj_2341 (Mar 8, 2010)

the_traveler said:


> I have done WSJ before, and it posted with no problem. I just did magazines.com last week, so I'm not sure how they post.



I always ordered from Magazines.com, and never a problem. I always get my points about two months after I ordered.

Very reliable, also, shoebuy.com gives 11 points per dollar, never any problem with posting points.


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## RailFanLNK (Mar 9, 2010)

Magazines.com has been very good to me. The price going through them is the same as going directly through the magazine itself. The points always post and you can even renew subscriptions through it. Now Shoebuy, I've had some trouble with them in the past so I always keep an eye on them. My lastest purchase came right through and the points posted rather quickly.


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## MJL (Mar 15, 2010)

Can someone provide a link to the magazines link on the guestrewards website? I'm not seeing it. Or does it only work for select members?


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## BeckysBarn (Mar 15, 2010)

MJL said:


> Can someone provide a link to the magazines link on the guestrewards website? I'm not seeing it. Or does it only work for select members?


It would be difficult to send you the link - it would have my AGR number in the link. If you scroll down on the Points for Shopping page (all merchants), Magazines. com is in the left column, between Luggage Online & Microsoft.

Sometimes I have trouble seeing the merchants name because I don't recognize their logo. Just remember they are in alphabetical order.


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## the_traveler (Mar 15, 2010)

Yeah - I just clink "all merchants" and go down the list.


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## Long Train Runnin' (Mar 16, 2010)

I used them when it was 13 points on the dollar, the points posted in about 6 weeks


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## MJL (Mar 16, 2010)

Thanks for the directions, I found it. 16*32 = 512 points, hopefully!


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## Freckles68 (Mar 20, 2010)

MJL said:


> Thanks for the directions, I found it. 16*32 = 512 points, hopefully!


"Hopefully" is right. In early January, Magazines.com was offering double points. Yes, 32 pts per dollar. So I hungrily placed two orders, one for $15 and one for $27, two days apart. Clicked directly on the AGR partner link, never left the Magazines.com site, didn't use any discount codes. Whoo-hoo, 1,344 pts!!! I hope... I use AGR partners a lot, and it's always been hit or miss, and nearly always a long, drawn-out drama. Maybe this time... ?

No such luck. _As usual_ with the AGR partner transactions, two months passed and no points. Knowing AGR would just tell me to contact Magazines.com, I did. They told me they they'd look into it.

They researched, and told me the first order didn't come through AGR site, but Upromise... which I obviously didn't even go to, and haven't shopped through in at least two years. Bye, 480 pts!! The second order, they saw no reason it shouldn't have been credited, so they contacted AGR.

A couple of days later, points appear. You know where this is headed. Yes, 432 pts... the 16 pts per dollar being offered NOW, instead of the 32 pts in effect at the time I placed the order. I contact Magazines.com again, and they contact AGR again to let them know I only got half my points, and to please correct it.

So I call AGR, and get the usual nightmare of a runaround... 45 minutes on the phone with two CSRs, who deny they ever heard from Magazines.com, and their solution is to tell me to email them my order information--which they should already have, since the transaction came through to them.  Here we go AGAIN. I already know from experience that this email (which also contained the phone number & email address of the Magazines.com contact) will go either unanswered or unread except to pull out keywords to give me an automated "please contact the merchant" response, I'll have to follow up with another call, then send another email, more calls, then a letter... which will also be ignored.

I swear, about 90% of the time I use a partner link or code, it takes months of calls, emails and letters to both AGR and the partner merchant (they both insist it's the other's responsibility) to get my points... and even then, I don't always get them. The merchants tell me there's no reason I shouldn't, because they reported the transaction to AGR. They also say other rewards programs go smoothly, and they don't know why AGR has these issues. I don't understand why this is always so difficult, and why the AGR customer service is so incompetent. I shouldn't have to chase all the time. It should just HAPPEN. (And mind you, I'd just finished going through this same nightmare with a different partner a couple of weeks ago.)


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## AlanB (Mar 20, 2010)

Freckles,

Sorry to hear about your troubles. 

If you don't mind, might I suggest that you also duplicate your post over at Flyertalk in their AGR forum. Reason being is that they now have both the head honcho of AGR at Amtrak, along with one of his assistants monitoring that forum. I'm not promissing that they'll take up your current, personal problem with getting those points posted, although they may well offer to do so.

But they should be made aware of the fact that people are still having issues with the online mall, as they are the people who can make changes both in how the staff handles things as well as the vendors (assuming that the vendor is the problem).


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## Freckles68 (Mar 20, 2010)

AlanB said:


> Freckles,
> Sorry to hear about your troubles.
> 
> If you don't mind, might I suggest that you also duplicate your post over at Flyertalk in their AGR forum. Reason being is that they now have both the head honcho of AGR at Amtrak, along with one of his assistants monitoring that forum. I'm not promissing that they'll take up your current, personal problem with getting those points posted, although they may well offer to do so.
> ...


Hi Alan,

I actually posted here because I was looking to see if anyone else had the same problem as me, i.e. ordering when it was 32 pts, but only getting 16. I looked over on FlyerTalk first, but didn't see any appropriate threads to post in. I'll check it out again, though, thanks!


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## Trainut (Mar 21, 2010)

Freckles68 said:


> AlanB said:
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> > Freckles,
> ...


You might try this: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/amtrak-guest-rewards/1059231-introducing-agr-insider.html


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## AlanB (Mar 21, 2010)

Freckles68 said:


> Hi Alan,
> I actually posted here because I was looking to see if anyone else had the same problem as me, i.e. ordering when it was 32 pts, but only getting 16. I looked over on FlyerTalk first, but didn't see any appropriate threads to post in. I'll check it out again, though, thanks!


I'm not sure that I've heard many complaints about Magazines.com in terms of points posting, perhaps a few, but certainly not too many. But there have been other problems with many other vendors from the online mall, and a few years back Amtrak dumped several of those stores.

So they do need to know and to be kept up to date on problems with stores, not to mention that they certainly need to know when people are having problems with how AGR agents handle store issues. Certainly in my mind, getting the run around from AGR agents is a problem.


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## Freckles68 (Mar 22, 2010)

aaaaaaaaaaand... SCENE

_Thank you for contacting the Amtrak Guest Rewards Service Center._

_ _

_For questions or concerns regarding your Amtrak Guest Rewards account,_

_please contact us at 1-800-307-5000, Monday-Friday 8am-8pm EST._

_ _

_Regards,_

_Kayla_

_Amtrak Guest Rewards_

Yup, typical AGR customer service. Forever on the phone with two different people, whose final solution is "please email us the information." And the email results in... "please call us." And you're right back on the merry-go-round, where you will remain until you finally give up and jump off.


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## Freckles68 (Mar 22, 2010)

Trainut said:


> Freckles68 said:
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> > AlanB said:
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I just posted in that thread, thanks!


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## Freckles68 (Mar 22, 2010)

Freckles68 said:


> Trainut said:
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> > Freckles68 said:
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BTW Alan, I was scolded on FlyerTalk for posting in that thread.


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## amtrakwolverine (Mar 22, 2010)

Freckles68 said:


> BTW Alan, I was scolded on FlyerTalk for posting in that thread.


screw flyertalk AGR undercover agents should view this forum. Its obvious railbuffs are not welcomed over at flyertalk.


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## Trogdor (Mar 22, 2010)

Freckles68 said:


> BTW Alan, I was scolded on FlyerTalk for posting in that thread.


I don't think you should post in that _thread_, because that thread is about introducing the new AGR reps to the forum, not about posting your individual issues. Instead, you should create a new thread within the AGR forum.


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## AlanB (Mar 22, 2010)

Freckles68 said:


> Freckles68 said:
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> > Trainut said:
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I see. Sorry about that, and he probably could have been a bit nicer with his comments. 

However, just for the record, I wasn't the one who suggested that topic. I only linked to the forum, not that topic.


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## Freckles68 (Mar 24, 2010)

AlanB said:


> Freckles68 said:
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> > Freckles68 said:
> ...


Sorry, I just remembered you having told me to go over there and let them know about these issues. My bad. But at any rate, I myself didn't realize that they meant the entire thread to just be dozens of "Hi Vicky!" posts, either. Whatever. Thank all of you here for being helpful. I read message boards to find out if others are having similar issues, and always find it useful to hear the details of what they're going through and what, if anything, worked to solve the problem.

Thanks again... fellow Queens-ite!


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