Guideposts - Reviews and experiences

I was honestly on the fence before hitting buy — reviews made me wary and I hate guessing about parcels. They charged my bank right away (thankfully I ordered through PayPal), but at first there was no record in my account page and the seller couldn't find any tracking info even though I paid for first-class. I waited a few days, followed up, kept checking my bank, and then the package showed up. Opened it that evening and it worked exactly as described — pretty relieved. So yeah, I’ve bumped my opinion up; product was fine. Customer service still needs work (slow replies, confusing info). I’ll keep an eye on my account, but glad the item itself turned out okay. Not ideal, but manageable.

I sent a book to my place for my mom, thinking that would be straightforward. Instead I got bombarded with junk mail and emails, and I kept having to send physical envelopes back and call. Each time customer service said they’d remove me, but the mail kept arriving. Then there was a billing mix-up for my mom’s order that took probably ten calls before it was fixed — I was turning sceptical at that point, honestly. The moment I felt relieved was when a supervisor finally confirmed the charge had been corrected and told me the mailing list entry was deleted; the junk mail stopped. The book itself has been great for her morning routine, she reads a chapter with coffee every day, so in the end the product does what it should.

the books are still in a warehouse, they’ll ship in 4–6 weeks, and once I get them I can mail them back for a refund. So they’d already taken the money but I had to wait to receive and return merchandise before seeing my cash again. That process felt backwards and a bit unfair — why not just reverse the charge right away if it was a mistake?
I get that mistakes happen, and the person I spoke with was polite, but the policy and lack of heads-up annoyed me. For a faith-based organisation I expected clearer communication and a more straightforward fix. Not a great experience overall; it left me wary of ordering from them again.

I never signed up for any of this, so when a steady stream of donation letters started showing up after we moved, it was annoying. I'm not religious, I don't do Christmas cards (estranged family, long story), and the envelopes always had two scripture-filled cards inside — totally useless to me. I called a few times, got the usual "we'll remove you in a few weeks" answer, and still got the mail. The turning point — the moment I knew I was actually satisfied — was when I finally got through to a person who bothered to look past the script, tracked down my file and confirmed they'd taken my address out. Two cycles later, no more envelopes. Relief, honestly; small relief but real. That said, getting to that point needed persistence and felt wasteful (all that paper, ugh), and their first responses were slow. Credit to the rep who fixed it, but they should sort this faster so other people don't have to nag.

There’s a little pile of magazines on my table and one of them keeps asking for money already. I’m only six months into a one‑year subscription — and I got renewal notices twice with half a year left. I don’t mind reminders, but this felt pushy, especially since I support a few dozen other organisations that get less from me. I didn’t know the magazine had a different religious slant than mine; I’m Roman Catholic, so that surprised me, but eh, it’s not a dealbreaker. The actual issues are practical and readable — helpful in a steady, ordinary way — though a lot of the spiritual stuff tastes a bit too sweet for me, too sentimental maybe. Oddly, one personal story last month was unexpectedly useful and grounded, so there’s that. I’m 79, slow with tech, still using a desktop and a landline and yes, an old typewriter for fun, so the paper format suits me. For now I’ll ignore the renewal emails and decide later.

they promised to stop, but they didn’t. I’m actually surprised someone at one branch emailed back to say they removed her, yet the mail kept coming — which is why I’m annoyed but also a bit baffled. Let me tell you what happened so you don’t have to learn the hard way like we did.
I cancelled my mom’s subscription ages ago (phone call, tired voice on both ends) after getting charged twice in two months. The rep said they’d refund and close the account. We hoped for the best. Then, last year, when another bill/renewal notice arrived, I blasted a long email to every branch the organization has, asking nicely and then not-so-nicely to remove my mom from their list. They actually replied that it was done. Great, I thought. Relief.
Fast forward: another booklet shows up in the mailbox. That’s when the “wait what?” kicked in. I scribbled “Refused — return to sender — previously cancelled” on the envelope and sent it back. Then I sent another mass email. The whole thing felt ridiculous — like arguing with an automated pen pal who keeps sending you flyers.
Two things surprised me: one, someone did respond and confirm removal at one point (so there are humans who try), and two, the mail system is stubborn — physical mail keeps turning up even after digital confirmations. So yeah, there’s a weird mix of helpfulness and sloppy follow-through.
I’m telling you this like I’d tell a friend: keep every confirmation email, screenshot every chat, and write “refused” on the envelope if you get physical mail again. If your parent is elderly, don’t assume a single phone call fixes it. Also, if you can, ask for a written cancellation and a reference number — it helps when you have to go back and prove you did the right thing.
I’m not out to torch anyone, but it’s frustrating to watch an older person get hassled with renewal letters. My wish for them: streamline their mailing list and actually fix the backend so confirmations mean something. My tiny funny note — the booklet was annoyingly glossy, like it was begging to be refused. If you’re dealing with this, be persistent and document everything. Hopefully it stops sooner rather than later.