Welcome to the cruel wide world of doublespeak. India Today group has also joined the "promotion offer" fraud of offloading unsold books on unsuspecting subscribers. If you get a unsolicited VPP from Living Media group, eye it with suspicion and refuse to accept it, because they have started offloading unsold books through this new gimmick.
The surprising part is that they make no distinction and shower these offers on subscribers who have been their devoted customers for years. Why do they need t "promote" something to people who have been loyal customers for years, is the million dollar question.
When I received such a parcel with books which I classify as garbage, I wrote a strong letter to them. The total value of the books was - Rs.440/-. They added Rs. 60/- as handling charges, while the post office added another Rs.25/-.
I ended up paying them Rs. 525/-
I got a reply asking me to send them the books back by VPP and ultimately, I would get my money back. But should I trust these people who have already betrayed my trust once? I think not!
So, subscribers of India Today and it’s sister publications, BEWARE!
Do not accept unsolicited parcels.