It all started when I was offered a year’s subscription to the Wall Street Journal for one year, an introductory rate.  The cost seemed most reasonable, just over one hundred dollars.  I said yes but after one year the cost more than doubled.   I quickly canceled when the rate went up.  In about three months, I get a call offering me the introductory rate again for one year.  I said yes but had to also say yes to auto renewal.  I was told that I could cancel when the rate went up at the end of the year.  I have a special laptop calendar devoted to yearly events ONLY.  I put birthdays, subscriptions, yearly bill notices, times to fertilize the yard, furnace filter change dates on that calendar.  I put the expected annual renewal date for the Journal on that calendar.  On that exact date I canceled the Wall Street Journal.  The pattern seems to be that I must wait about three months before I can expect a call offering me another introductory subscription rate.  I have just found out that other people I know go through this dance with other subscription publications, such as Time.

I propose that the Wall Street Journal just give up and offer a standard price of $100 per year.  It would save us from having to dance.