Hot Rods The State of The Rodder's Journal - a note from Steve Coonan

saltracer219
Member
from camas, washington
Ok, so like many others I was and still am really pissed off that TEN pulled the plug on all of the magazines especially Hot Rod Deluxe! Just before Christmas I received a letter from TEN telling me that I needed to roll my remaining sub. of HRD into their digital version of Hot Rod or Motor Trend or some 4x4 off road shit....no way! I replied with an email telling them that this was totally unacceptable and that I would not now or would I ever subscribe to a digital online magazine...period! Their reply was a toll free number for me to call so I did just that. After about a 1/2 hr wait due to "abnormally heavy" phone calls, I spent 10 minutes or so talking with a rather frazzeled marketing guy. The poor guy has been listening to complaints such as mine non stop for the last several days. I voiced my complaints to him as nicely as I could, he is a nice guy just doing his job. As I expected there is not much he can do but pass on our displeasure to his superiors which he said he would be happy to do, he then offered to send me a refund check for the remaining balance of my subscription which I accepted(my sub ran until 2022) I then asked him why just 2 weeks before they announced they were pulling the plug they sent out new discount subscription offers for all of the magazines published by TEN? He had no answer and said that people are really pissed off about this. If anyone wants to voice their opinion to them the toll free customer service number is 1-877-485-6429. It most likely will fall on deaf ears but ya just never know!

Yep whiners are gonna whine!!
Not so long ago you got your money back but were still one of the whiners, there are a lot of members on here who have no product or money back

 

Well, I think that this is a little different situation, TEN is a very large corporation and this was a corporate board of directors decision to stop production it was their choice to leave subscribers hanging, it was not because they were going through any hardship. I posted this to try and help those that had been stonewalled by TEN, and it worked for many! The choices that TEN offered at the time were not acceptable to me so I asked for a refund and got it, simple as that! Rodders Journal is an independent publication that markets only one great magazine. It HAS NOT folded and I have confidence that they will not and I am also willing to give Steve the benefit of the doubt. I choose to believe that he is working as hard as he can to get back in production and can certainly understand why he is not on the H.A.M.B. every day trying to coddle people that bitch about everything and cannot be satisfied no matter what! I guess only time will tell so keep on bitching and whining if it makes you feel better!

 

Whether your a wear a nice corporate suit and work in a nice office or wear t shirt and jeans and work in a outhouse if I pay you for something that you fail to deliver then there is no difference

 

Somewhat unrelated but I notice my last 2 or 3 copies of Hot Rod have not included the subscription cards in them as they have for years. Maybe the writing is on the wall there too?

 

I just got a renewal offer from hot rod in the mail....but didn't take them up on it....still have a year to go on my current one.

 

This Thread Has The Potential Of Qualifying As Group Therapy...Best Of Luck To Steve And TRJ...

 

I always have thought it was a dumb,unneeded expense to stick multiple subscription cards into Hot Rod. Hemming's does it,too. The offered price is usually for first time subscribers so maybe they think someone will pick the card up off the floor of the Post Office or out of my trash and order? I usually just use it as leverage to renew my subscription at the "new subscriber" price. Keep the damn hats.

 

my problem isn't the lack of the magazine (although it would be nice to get 83 , 84 and 85 to complete the set)...my problem is the bullshit spouted by whoever it is replying to DM's on instagram....first I get told to hang on as its on the way, next I get told its the UK distributor who has them but has shut up shop due to covid, then I get told theres a problem with the mail from the US and the UK distributor hasn't got them, even though a few folks over here actually received 83, I then get told they ain't coming and would be best to go out and buy one....we dont have a distributor in the uk anymore so that was out....and then on here twice we get told that delivery will start soon.....now...all those folks replying saying " stop whining ,Steve is a standup fella and will fulfil all the outstanding orders and backlog" and 'what's a few hundred bucks, I spend more than that at Starbucks each day" dont whine when you start a thread on here cause your billet keyring didnt turn up from so and so for your high end built for you street rod cause sympathy aint gonna be heading your way....this was brought to you by a whining Englishman who paid up for a lifetime sub, #104 to be exact, so I was one of the first to help them out by paying out 400 bux (please dont insult me about already getting my money's worth)...just remember your keyring might get lost in the post

 

I ordered and paid for a copy of RJ 84 back in November 2020, still not received it. I have sent them emails but they go unanswered and even tried calling and it just goes to voice mail but you can't leave a message because it's full! It's quite disgraceful service really, it doesn't matter how good the product is if the service is cr@p!

 

I got this from TRJ this afternoon:
An Overdue Update from TRJ
We wanted to contact our customers and readers with an update regarding The Rodder’s Journal. It’s been far too long since we’ve communicated with you, and we are sincerely sorry for the lapse.

The past 14 months have presented us with some unprecedented challenges, and as a result we have fallen very far behind on our magazine production. Additionally, we know there are a number of you who are still waiting for merchandise orders. We’d like to explain what has been going on and what we’re doing to get TRJ back on track.

By the end of 2019, we had completed a few big steps in our five-year plan to streamline our business—namely bringing the printing of the magazine back to the United States, and relocating our company to a more cost-effective location. Although we think the results were well worth the effort, the process proved to have been more challenging, as well as more time and resource consuming, than we anticipated. But by the end of 2019 we thought we were positioned to hit the ground running in the new year. Then the pandemic hit.

The first issue of 2020, TRJ #83, was a disaster from a distribution standpoint. Thousands of domestic copies were lost or damaged as the post office struggled with their own COVID-related problems. Many thousands of copies destined for newsstands that were closed due to local lockdowns were destroyed. And pallets of magazines destined for Australia and New Zealand were lost in transit, so not a single subscriber in those countries received #83. Add to that a year with a significantly curtailed event schedule, and we found ourselves with our resources taxed to the limit and under significant strain.

But we made mistakes, too. When we began experiencing significant delivery problems, we decided to delay international product shipments and international delivery of the subsequent issue, TRJ #84, until we had assurances that delivery could be made within a reasonable time. We didn’t communicate that decision at the time because we thought the delivery problems would be resolved within weeks, not months. We should have communicated that decision right away, and we regret that we didn’t—we truly are sorry.

We resumed international shipping in November. But between the backlog of orders, the high percentage of orders that needed to be reshipped because the originals were lost in transit, and the mounting strain on resources, we were not able to get caught up on merchandise shipping, and we weren’t able to ship the international copies of #84 to subscribers. We were simply overwhelmed, and we failed to communicate with our customers. This lapse in communication, along with our holiday catalog not reaching most customers until well into the New Year (despite being mailed in November), left us struggling through a dismal holiday season and left some customers wondering about their orders and their magazines. We have been playing catch-up ever since.

The result is that we are struggling, but we’re still here and still working to get back on track. Our absolute priorities are to ship/reship merchandise orders, fulfill our obligation to subscribers, and finish production of issue #85, which is very close to being ready to send to the printer. We will keep you all up to date on our progress on all fronts.

If there is a light at the end of the tunnel, it is that it does seem like delivery problems are waning and things are starting to get back to normal. This really boils down to what’s been a major supply chain issue for us, and it’s affected our business in ways we weren’t completely prepared to deal with. And while some customers have been frustrated with the delays, we really appreciate that The Rodder’s Journal remains a coveted and relevant product that remains in demand now more than ever. We sincerely appreciate that support, and we are working hard to get back on track.

Sincerely,
Your Friends at The Rodder’s Journal

 

same cover letter that was presented at the begin of the thread.. by Steve.. looks like the emailing issue was corrected if you received this today.

 

Jeez, to read this thread you’d think people bought a motor and it was never delivered. All this over the cost of a magazine subscription?

TRJ is by far my favorite publication. I’ll be bummed if it doesn’t survive. Not because I lost $200 bucks, but because I’ll miss the enjoyment it provided, and if it fails 20+ years of Steve’s blood, sweat, and tears will have gone down the tubes. And we should not be applauding that no matter what the cause.

I don’t need constant communication from TRJ. What would it change?

 

My .02 cents in it is I as many others hope that TRJ doesn’t go out..

I do feel for the people that have ordered thing and not received what they ordered.. I hope in the end that the people do receive what the paid for.. that’s only right..

I can’t imagine trying to run a mail based company of that size in the current times.. I have had numerous issues over the last year.. as far as the over seas shipping goes a guy on Facebook I sold some window latches it needed window rubbers but the company wouldn’t ship internationally.. keep in mind I had already shipped him the latches a week prior to him even ordering the rubbers and having them shipped to me..

I shipped the rubbers the next day... he received the rubbers first.. I started calling around to track the latches down to only be told they were in a container in Chicago and they would let me know “if” the found them.. next day he messaged me saying he received them..

I think there is/has been some communication issues within the company long before this.. I had won a little contest on Instagram they had for a picture I took.. prize was a tshirt.. they messaged me about it to pick one out.. I did and never received it.. but didn’t cost me anything so it doesn’t bother me.. but not sure where the process dropped at..

In the end I think what the worst part of all of what’s going on is if it goes out is that is one more thing out of the hobby to work towards.. I’ve heard a lot of people say I’m building this car with hopes to make it into TRJ.. when they had a subscriber contest to have your car featured into their book you bet I entered it.. and to be honest it was really exciting to wait and see what happened.. even though there wasn’t much chance at all... it runs through your mind of what if... same as winning the lottery.. just thinking of how amazing it would be to see your car in print.. so if it was to go out it’s not near as exciting to say hey my car is featured on so and so’s website.. and what kind of keepsake is that..

TRJ has changed a lot of people’s lives also.. there has been a couple small builders get their car on the cover and it really makes their business take off..

I’m a lifetime member but makes me chuckle of a saying the old guy that the guy who really got me into traditional hotrods always quoted... at my age I don’t even buy ripe bananas anymore.. and who’s lifetime mine or theirs..

Was lucky enough to buy a complete set awhile back.. so I still have a lot of reading to do.



Best of luck to TRJ and all the subscribers..


Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.

 

My new Hot Rod came today with an included subscription post card inserted. $14/1 year and $20 for two years. So, they're still collecting money.

 

TRJ is that kid in grade school who keeps promising he’ll pay you back the lunch money he borrowed. At a certain point you don’t care what’s owed. You just think he’s a dick…

 

Please explain a lifetime subscription and how does that help long term cash flow in a company. I just love the Magazine and hope it pulls thru but lifetime sub?

 

It’s called a no-interest business loan…or in the parlance of our time: a ruse.

 

IT'S A DAMN SHAME.

 

I’m still hoping for something every day when I open the mail box.
Optimism isn’t easy for me
At least as far as this goes.

 

ALL OF MINE ARE FOR SALE......

 

Okay, but you should probably post in the Classifieds.

 

OK

 

It has already gone "down." I always liked the Journal. Now its gone.
Time to let it die and move on.

 

Well at least they're honest enough to post this if you want to subscribe.

 

Maybe the folks at Jamco will take over TRJ and get things squared away!

 

I've taken the Alfred E. Newman attitude about the whole thing - What me worry?

This certainly isn't the first time & probably not the last time I will through money down a rabbit hole. HRP

 

maybe they will pull one out the hat yet

 

I don't think it's their "hat" that they need to be pulling something out of.

 

I sent my 2 year renewal to H.R.D. and shortly thereafter got the notice that I should decide which useless on-line subscription for 6 months I would like to take advantage of... I felt like sending them a bag of dog crap to show my appreciation. Hot Rod somehow dodged the bullet but is reduced to 1/8" thick... sad.
But with Rodder's Journal, I will keep the faith because they have always been a class act! Don't let us down guys!

 

As I looked into my mailbox today I experienced a brief moment of excitement

A big white envelope was under all the other mail.
When I started pulling the mail out the excitement vanished when I realized it was the wrong type of envelope and was just an insurance policy

See what you’re doing to my mental health TRJ