What a newspaper generally does in this situation is ask for your address, begin delivery within a day or two, and then bill you 2-3 weeks later. They would not ask for your cc/checking acc't info during the all. Even if this is strictly on the up & up (and based on some of the other posts here, it may not be) it's still not a very good way to do business and I think you were wise to decline. If you have the time and/or desire to do so, you might call the News/Observer and ask them if this is their practice.
We just received a call from this number. It was a phone solicitation for the Raleigh News and Observer. The discount offered was fairly substantial, but we did not bite since they were asking for a credit card or checking account information for payment.
What a newspaper generally does in this situation is ask for your address, begin delivery within a day or two, and then bill you 2-3 weeks later. They would not ask for your cc/checking acc't info during the all. Even if this is strictly on the up & up (and based on some of the other posts here, it may not be) it's still not a very good way to do business and I think you were wise to decline. If you have the time and/or desire to do so, you might call the News/Observer and ask them if this is their practice.