[McClatchy Report] In its newsletters and magazines, in congressional testimony and on its website, AARP warns seniors about deceptive direct mail and other dubious marketing come-ons as part of its mission to protect members from financial abuses.But the huge lobbying group’s own aggressive efforts to coax seniors to join or renew their memberships also have drawn a burst of criticism this year.
Angry members say AARP’s barrage of solicitation letters and social media posts can mislead or confuse aging consumers, some of whom struggle with memory and managing their financial affairs. Hundreds have complained about getting false warnings that their memberships would soon expire, and at least some people have unwittingly paid for duplicate memberships.
The critics include Kathy Portie, senior editor of the Big Bear Grizzly weekly newspaper in Southern California. In January, she received a sponsored post from AARP in her Facebook feed that read: "Your membership is about to expire. ... ACT FAST ‐ Time is running out."
Her terse reply, mirroring the grievances of dozens of others who received the same post, was, "No it’s not. It is valid through 2020. So stop it."
Wendi Fein fumes about the experience of her octogenarian parents, Ruth and Richard Schwartz. She said the two, who live in Nevada City, Calif., have cognitive issues but, like many in their generation, pay their bills promptly without asking questions.