Local Globe Subscribers

[on-reserve.livejournal.com]

Hi All. Hope this won't be deemed too off-topic. I called the Globe since my account was one of the ones possibly compromised by the January 29th breach and threatened to cancel and they immediately offered me 12 weeks at 50% off. Of course, I was so livid that a company of their size had a breach of this magnitude that I cancelled anyway. The letter they sent out offered a year of free credit monitoring service but nothing in the way of "making it up" to subscribers. Anyway, if you have no intentions of cancelling, you ought to at least call to say you are thinking about cancelling to get a discount. Why they didn't just outright offer this to everyone escapes me.

The number they provide for customers with possibly-compromised accounts is:
1-888-665-2644

Comments

[ron_newman]

I'm not going to worry about this. My credit card company (AT&T Univeral Card, but really Citibank) has always dealt quickly and satisfactorily with any erroneous items on my bill. I don't expect that to change.

[mattlistener.livejournal.com]

Also: the FTC limits consumers' liability in cases of credit card fraud to $0 when the physical card has not been stolen. (When the physical card has been stolen, consumers' libility is limited to $50 until they report the theft, and $0 after.)

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/atmcard.htm

All that said, if your credit card number gets broadcast to the world, it's still a good idea to call your provider and get a new number.

[on-reserve.livejournal.com]

Right, but you realize that potentially your name, full credit card number and expiration date were given out. This info can be used to manufacture phony cards which then can be used as "proof" to open new lines of credit in your name. In any event, I feel it is a monumental gaffe for a company of their size.

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

But why ought we? Just as retribution? I don't get this. I'm not cancelling, because I want the service provided. I'm also satisfied that my own privacy has been taken care of by actions on my own part. Why should I call to get a discount on something that already costs so little?

You know the company is not in good financial shape as it is, right? It's not inconceivable that a well placed class-action suit at this stage (which I predict they are in for) could take the Globe down, and leave us stuck with the Herald--not that they both aren't rags, but competition is good, and I would hate to see Boston join the many cities in America without multiple dailies.

I guess the point I am making is that I am pissed, yes, but I don't intend to rub salt into the wound. Mayeb I would feel differently if I'd called their hotline and found out that my credit card number had been sent out with the Sunday paper, but it wasn't. they did something stupid. I imagine that they've already paid for it in dropping stock prices. I don't need to twist the knife. It seems petty.

[on-reserve.livejournal.com]

I don't I'm being petty at all.

My time is worth something.

Because they've leaked this information I've had to spend my time filing fraud alerts with each of my credit cards as well as with each of the three credit bureaus. This is *per their recommendations* that they make in their letter to affected subscribers.

On top of that, because I had to cancel the card associated with billing for the newspaper, I now have to call up other services that were tied to that card for renewable billing (itunes, gym membership, etc.) and give them all of the information.

On top of that, I now need to be even more on top of my credit, monitoring it. I know plenty of people feel like "enough" has been done but given that identity theft is the #1 growing crime in the U.S. and seeing the complete havoc that it wreaked on several friends, I take it very seriously.

The Globe is a fully-owned subsidiary of the New York Times so they're not going anywhere, so all your doomsady crying is for naught.

They DESERVE a class-action lawsuit. What they did was completely inexcusable in this day in age. What company even *prints* manifests with full credit card numbers and expiration dates? And further, is careless enough to use them to wrap newspapers? This goes beyond egregious.

P.S. Your credit card info may have gone out with the Sunday paper. I posted this intending it for folks who got a letter that their account info may have been compromised. I received a letter in the mail saying that I was one of 212,000 "possibly affected subscribers." If you didn't get a letter then no, I don't advocate screwing with them "just because" but as a "possible affected subscriber" I felt that they owed me more than a letter telling me that they had alerted my credit card company and to watch my credit closely for the next 12 months. And when what they had to offer sucked (12 weeks at 50% off), I cancelled. I won't support businesses that treat my personal info so carelessly and then give me the brush off when they f$@! up royally.

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

the Globe and the NYT are laying people off left and right in the last twelve months. Don't be so sure of their permanence. That's like saying that nothing could happen to United Airlines.

I did all the same things you say you're now having to do, I guess I'm just not as angry as you are. It's not like other companies aren't doing it too, all the time. I just don't really see how half-off something I have to recycle helps anything.

[ron_newman]

Until or unless some erroneous charge appears on that credit card, I see no reason to cancel it or move any other recurring charges to a different card.

[on-reserve.livejournal.com]

Good for you. Some of us take a more proactive approach and I don't feel paranoid for that.

Their own letter urges subscribers to be proactive in terms of cancelling cards and filing fraud alerts.

[on-reserve.livejournal.com]

P.S. I don't know why you expect me to have sympathy for them like they're some small mom-and-pop organization that made a little boo-boo.

They're a huge company and they made a huge error. They ought to make it up to consumers. If they want to keep them that is. I don't think it's right for them to think "we're the main newspaper in town so we can breach subscribers' credit card info and they won't say word one because we're the main paper of record in town," when something like this happens. No, the right thing would have been to offer this discount up front in the letter to affected subscribers or to somehow make some sort of showing of good will other than telling me the myriad things I need to do to make sure my identity isn't stolen. Did you get a letter? It containted a laundry list of to-do items that subscribers ought to do that involved no fewer than a dozen phone calls to various companies. I don't know why they expect subscribers to do all this extra work and then think, "oh there, there, it's ok that you f--d up Boston Globe." They didn't deliver me the paper out of the goodness of their hearts, they did it for a payment and if I'm paying them, I expect a certain amount of things in return. A paper delivered to my home and the security that they won't be spitting out my credit card number on papers bundled with newspapers delivered to stores and retail outlets. I don't think that's too much to expect on my part.

Their breach made me want to cancel to make a statement that what they did was unacceptable but I was willing to listen to a reasonable offer. The final straw came when I gave my address and the operator said, "and how are we spelling [my town name]?" At that point I knew that they person obviously wasn't from MA and they couldn't even be bothered to keep the low-paying phone bank jobs in MA (after the Times buyout) and so I cancelled.

Again, why do I owe them any sympathy? Why do I owe any large multi-million dollar company that opens me up to identity theft any sympathy?

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

So cancel your subscription and stop reading their product. I don't get why you want other people to go out of their way to avenge you.

[on-reserve.livejournal.com]

I don't want other people to "avenge me." I want people to be aware that there is a discount available, *if they choose to call and ask for it.* Since it wasn't offered, I was just letting people know they could call and ask for it if they planned on keeping their subscription.

So go ahead. Don't call. Don't get 50% off for the next 12 weeks. I'm sure your doing this ensures longevity for the Globe. I really don't care. I was making a community announcement that I thought might be of some benefit not calling for a boycott or crusade.