well, it was definitely worth it for me, but i can see how it hasn't been for others. here's how i fared:

purchase at valuemagas for $1111 (reduced to ~$900 some after discount). apprarently they 'lost' the transaction and had no record of it. after 30 days i faxed in the screen shots and printouts (with gross amount) and they posted (on the gross amount).

i now have 125,000 miles in my BA Executive Club account. exactly enough for that Concorde trip i've always wanted to take.