I too got charged $7.48, and my membership is valid till March 2006.
I know I’ve got a good deal out of this, but it does rankle having had to have paid more than I was told I would have to.
Oddly enough, in the confirmation page you get after paying, the “Term” field rightly stated “1 year”, but the “Expiration” field shows “3 / 2006”.
Weird, no?
Has somebody mailed Zotti or Tuba about this as they may not be reading this thread?
Yes, this has been brought to the attention of Ed Zotti and team. We await an official response.
If I decide to subscribe using a UK credit card is the conversion from £ to $ done automatically? Or do I have to get my calculator out and do the maths myself?
V
Whatever. I got two subscription notices when I only subscribed once. I want my $7.48 back. I don’t mind paying for a year, but I’d like to hold off on paying for Year 2 until I see how the board progresses until then, which I think is fair.
Amen. Admins, you listening? I’d do it.
Please e-mail me the following info:
(1) Do I correctly understand that you paid a total of $7.48 for two years?
(2) Please send me a copy of the credit card receipt we sent you.
(3) Did anything unusual happen during the transaction, e.g., was the system slow, did you hit the “submit” button multiple times, get error messages, re-enter data, etc.?
For those wondering, $7.48 is the charter member rate for additional years of subscribing (50% of $14.95). If you wish to give us more money, click on “Subscribe” on the menu bar AFTER you have paid your initial $4.95. You will (or should) be offered the choice of subscribing for additional years for $7.48. Re-up for as many years as you want.
I never got either of these. I just got a blank screen with the Straight Dope logo at the top.
The board is letting me post, and my name has “Charter Member” under it, so I presume the transaction cleared, but I have no idea how much I was actually charged.
I just checked and you’re signed up for a year. I don’t have access to the transaction log at my location so can’t check what you paid but in every instance we’ve checked so far where people paid extra by mistake they got two years, not one. So I think you’re OK.
Thanks, Mr. Z. I’ll call my bank tomorrow just to double-check. (I’m an auditor. I get paid to be anal retentive 
)
It’ll be done automatically. When I buy stuff from non-USA sites (e.g., BBC), I’m charged in that currency. When the charges show up on my credit card statement, it’s in dollars. At some point the exchange rate is applied. I don’t know any of the details, but I don’t see why the applicable rate wouldn’t be that on the date of the transaction.
What rowrbazzle said. If you want to know what the exchange rate is ahead of time, you use XE.com.
Do I have to buy additional years now to get the 50% discount rate? I’ve paid for my first year and thought at the end of the first year, I would be able to renew at 50%, not purchasing additional years now…
No. All you have to do to be able to renew at 50% for the rest of your mortal existence is to keep your subscription paid up. As soon as it lapses, though …
Let’s not think about it.
I still have not been billed. But my subscription says I’m paid up for a year. I stll do not show that I am a charter member. Have I done something incorrectly?
All fixed yeah…clapclapclap
Thanks, Ed. Consider my mortal existence yours and Cecil’s. I know resistance is futile.