I also joined AARP with the promise of a free day bag. They processed my payment with no problem, but I have never received my free day bag or any other gift from them. This is an unacceptable practice for AARP, taking advantage of the older and elderly population. They should be ashamed of themselves and the attorney general needs to put an end to this. They will never get another dime out of me nor will I lend my support to any of their programs or endeavors. Buyer beware!

What a joke !!! It's more like a gift wallet. Sure doesn't look ANYTHING like the picture,filled with several items. I'd be lucky to get a sandwich in it !!!!!! STOP wasting our time and money on such useless trickery. I have reported you to my states BBB., for bait and switch. What has happened to you? You use to be a reputable org.,looking out for seniors' rights. Now it seems you waste OUR money on useless gifts and countless membership mailings. A forest must cry every time you do a MONTHLY bulk mailing!! Please stop this waste and become,once again, the great org. you once were and not a money grabbing SCAM !!

I have the same complaint as everyone else. We get constant hokey red cards asking us to renew, I go online and my account is paid up until September 2016 (it's June) we never got the "gift" last year, even after several email conversations and phone calls-no gift. They are nuts and for what, a bunch of dead trees because they send out far more paper than any other company I know. We will not be renewing in September. They hare not the company they used to be.

I suspected this all along and wish I had internet searched beforehand. I do not even need any of the AARP services/discounts they supposedly provide. The promotional item looked exactly like a shopping purse I use so I thought for the price of a membership it was worth it. Well after 3 months and several emails -- no gift has arrived. I just cancelled my membership so now I have to wait 3-4 weeks for my refund check since that is the way I paid. If I had used a credit card it would take 2-3 billing cycles which is ridiculous. However, I could have called Discover Card today and they would have given me an immediate refund -- so wish I had used credit card payment instead. I suspected this outfit was a scam that preys on seniors while supposedly helping them. I despise bait and switch/deceptive practices which is against the law. Anyone from AARP been prosecuted for this. I think I will contact the Illinois Attorney General. Everyone in each state should do the same. Predator companies are the lowest.

I'm puzzled. I received a "gift" today from AARP, supposedly for renewing my membership. It is four funny little mesh bags and I have no idea what they are to be used for.

Actually I'm not upset about the "gift" -- I didn't renew my membership to get the gift. What does bother me, though, about AARP is that they do not seem to keep accurate track of membership. I renewed about a month ago. Today I received a letter asking me to renew. And I know that I will receive at least one of these letters every month. And in about January they will start writing and saying I had better renew quickly -- my subscription is about to expire (in four or five months!).

I like their magazine, though.

I just opened the little mailer that included my free gift of a supposed "Insulated Travel Bag." Now I am trying to figure out what in the world anyone thought someone could do with it. It would hold a can of soda, but without there being any kind of top to the bag, it wouldn't keep it cold long. Perhaps the open pocket design was intended to allow me to put a soda bottle in instead and accommodate the height, but then the bag isn't tall enough to insulate more than the bottom half of a 20 oz bottle. And we still have the open top. Maybe it was intended to use inside of a cooler to keep the perspiration of the bottle off of other things in the cooler, so as a drip catcher. I suppose that could work, but then why is there that crazy strap connected to it? Is that so I can fish the little bag out of the bottom of a cooler?

Regardless, it would have saved me time to not have received this useless item and it would have saved AARP money to not have handled and mailed it. Please stop advertising and distributing this trash that goes directly to landfills.

I am feeling the same pain and wasted $$ as the others on this post. I think that AARP should just stop wasting their (OUR) money on such a cheap freebie that is upsetting members. In fact, I wasn't going to renew this last year and then finally decided to when I got the postcard (Another wasted postage paid item) offering the cool freebie. Well, i am using the bag (If you can call it that) with a plastic grocery bag as the liner to clean my cat box. Yup. I feel that it works perfectly for that and it makes me happy every time I empty the toilet goods from my dear cats into the AARP travel bag. The furthest it travels is from the litter box to the trash. :) Save your dough people. Use it to pay the difference if you were going to get a limited discount anyway.....

I quit this outfit several years ago. #1 - Their "hotel discounts" were exactly the same thing I can get being a veteran or using my AAA card. #2 - The cell phone company, consumer cellular, that they endorse is a ripoff too. #3 - The insurance companies they endorse are more expensive than my regular State Farm premium for nearly identical coverage. AVOID THIS aarp OUTFIT LIKE THE PLAGUE!! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!

Just received membership package to join or renew AARP but for some reason I wanted to check out the insulated Travel Bag first. The first thing I noticed were all "BAD" complaints about this supposedly free gift (travel bag). What really gets me, AARP has not responded to any of these insults. Is this company really legitimate? I need to hear something from this organization. Do they intend to defend themselves? I may never rejoin.

The" Insulated Travel Bag" I received looked nothing like the membership promotional literature. Instead I received a cheap, good for nothing bag. How can AARP stoop so low? You bet I'm not renewing my membership with such a deceptive company.

I did not receive an "Insulated Travel Bag." Instead I received a cheap bag that is good for nothing. I decided to try a membership because of the bag incentive. You can bet I'm not renewing my membership with such a deceptive company!

Thank you so much everyone for doing the right thing and posting your opinions. I was about to sign up my father in law based on the travel bag. But , after reading everyone's opinion I don't think I will sign him up with an organization that's supposed to be a well trusted organization playing marketing games. AARP just lost a potential client.

I am a bit relieved to see all these complaints because I honestly thought the same thing. I started to research online to see if I could find a photo of the item because I threw out the postcard once I filled out the application. The free gift I received for enrolling looked nothing like the photo in the postcard I received with the promo. So it was a bit disappointing when I received it.

From one marketing person to the marketing department at AARP -- no one likes to feel like they were mislead. If you are going to offer a free gift, make it a good one. The photo, if it is indeed the same item (doesn't look like it is), was a super favorable photo that must have really been enhanced with great lighting or positioning or even photoshop. It's just a bad marketing practice and my first customer experience with AARP is an unfavorable one. I will now always be suspicious of any "deals" you offer.

I am a bit relieved to see all these complaints because I honestly thought the same thing. I started to research online to see if I could find a photo of the item because I threw out the postcard once I filled out the application. The free gift I received for enrolling looked nothing like the photo in the postcard I received with the promo. So it was a bit disappointing when I received it.

From one marketing person to the marketing department at AARP -- no one likes to feel like they were mislead. If you are going to offer a free gift, make it a good one. The photo, if it is indeed the same item (doesn't look like it is), was a super favorable photo that must have really been enhanced with great lighting or positioning or even photoshop. It's just a bad marketing practice and my first customer experience with AARP is an unfavorable one. I will now always be suspicious of any "deals" you offer.

Seriously AARP, the cheap, actually VERY cheap bag I received looked nothing like what you advertised as a gift for renewing/joining. Have read previous remarks and it seem everyone has same complaint. Someone did say "buyer beware". What I find so interesting is the complaints goes back years so I guess folks at AARP ready don't give a dam. DON'T offer anything if you can't have a accurate photo with dimensions, etc. Better still DON'T offer anything. Didn't need the "travel bag" but thought it would be handy to keep in the car with some small essentials for traveling. Las t time I renewed received some piece of junk which I can't even remember what it was except what ever it was supposed to do, it didn't. Save your money and spend it on dong something useful to protect our Social Security benifits - which I myself paid into for 50 plus years.

I've read ALL the reviews. But what really caught me eye are the ones that seem to blame the consumer for not doing their "research" and maybe that's true to a fault. My question is why should they/we? First of all, AARP is a well recognized organization that is supposed to have their senior members and future senior members best interest at heart but most importantly their marketing should be something we trust. In this case, that trust was broken by their marketing ploy and a play on words. In my opionion a potental new member of an organization such as AARP should not have to scrutinize a product from AARP even if it is free. We all know what the word "Travel Bag" means. And yes they do come in various sizes and colors. Some have wheels and some don't.. However when a trusted organization such as AARP offers a free "Travel Bag" we the consumer do not expect to receive an insulated lunch bag. If AARP is going to offer a free bag then call it what it is. In this case it's an "insulated lunch bag" that the consumer can travel with. This is a plain and simple marketing ploy with a play on words. Shame on you AARP for not calling it what it actually is - a "LUNCH BAG". We are seniors who by the complaints trusted you in delivering a travel bag as we know a travel bag. When we go to a store to purchase a travel bag, we do not go in the store and purchase an insulated lunch bag. Nor do we go to the store to purchase a lunch bag and purchase a travel bag as we know a travel bag. Again SHAME on you AARP and those of you who suggest that the senior population should have done their homework. Homework should not have to be done if AARP simply called it what it actually is "A LUNCH BAG". Just call it an insulated lunch bag not a travel bag and I'm sure the complaints will stop and your senior population that has not complained (and I'm sure there a many) will not be disappointed when they receive the lunch bag when they expected a travel bag. Please stop misleading your members. PLEASE.....

Received this bag with no zippers as shown in the picture, today, 9/23/15, and it is a joke, but so is AARP. I joined only because friends have aarp and they get some good discounts so I knew I would get my $16.00 back within the year. I had second thoughts on joining even knowing about the discounts, but saw the bag and thought they might be honest this time. Well, no surprise as they were not honest with me in the past. I will take the blame, should have realized they would not change. They are not a group one can trust. I will not renew with them. I am too conservative minded and they are always throwing curve balls. Would ask for the $16.00 refund but don't believe I would hear from them.

Every time I have had to call in to ask a question on behalf of a client, they have continuously been RUDE on the phone. Very sarcastic.. don't want to deal with the problem, or give you another number to call. We try to help our older clients by assisting them with their requests only to be treated very unprofessional on the phone. I had a man by the name of Steve who was not very polite at all. And this is the 3rd or 4th time I've had someone of this unprofessionalism. AARP should understand that the older generation has many questions understanding their coverage and should better service their customers!!!

Ripped OFF! The travel bag can barely hold one sandwich!! Talk about ripping off the elderly! AARP is the worst!!

I received the travel bag what a joke. you should get A prize when if you can figure it out It is worth about $!.or less and I don't think the dollar store would carrie this item and I thought I was getting something special after Twenty yr.with AARP.
THANK U

Shame on me. I should have done my homework. I received this crappy little sandwich bag today. What a disappointment! It looks nothing like the bag I saw on the original flyer. They got me for one year. It's all good.

PS - I'm basically just sounding off. Judging by all the negative comments that I've read AARP doesn't seem to care what people think or say about their deceptive practices.

At least some people got the bag. I have been a member for 5 years and have never received a free SWAG gift from AARP even when I enclose the picture they send med during my yearly renewal.

I used to have an AARP membership which was given as a gift. When I received the renewal notice with the free insulated travel bag offer I threw it on the pile of other "l'll look at it later" mail with the intentions of maybe renewing. Next time I picked it up was to throw it away but, being like all of us, the allure of getting something free caused me to give it a second glance. After closely reading the details about the bag, I realized there still wasn't enough information to make me want to renew. My previous experience with AARP was unmemorable, as another reviewer wrote, ' I can get the same discounts with my AAA membership'. So admittedly, if I were to renew it would only be because of the gift offer. Decided to google it in an attempt to find out more details - how big, how sturdy, etc. First thing my search results brought up was the complaints, which of course I proceeded to read every one of them expecting to find maybe one or two praising the bag. Finding none I tore the offer card in half and threw it away. If the gift being offered is the only reason to purchase a membership you had better do some research into the gift, after all, you will be paying for it. If you are not in the least bit interested in what you're really paying for - the membership and the perks that come with it, why bother? Why would you send money and then complain about what was free to begin with- especially if you didn't take the time to look into it further? Everyone who has posted a complaint has access to the internet, why take the time to complain when you could have taken the time to research it first?

I agree with the other complaints, I expected a bigger bag, but when I received it I was greatly disappointed. It's a smaller version of a lunch bag, you can fit a sandwich and soda and that's it. They better explain the size on their ads so there won't be any more complaints.

Shame on me for trusting AARP. I received the free insulated travel bag with the purchase of a membership and discovered the "travel bag" was a lunch bag. It is obvious to me that credibility is not important to AARP. This membership campaign has been running for several years with many complaints, yet AARP continues this dishonest practice. I feel that I cannot believe anything that AARP claims and will pass this information on to all my friends.

I have requested my membership be canceled and refund of $49 sent immediately. Also, I have requested that any and all of my personal information NOT be shared with anyone, including AARP member products or services or selected nonprofits; and, remove my name from your mailing list.