Features Whats the latest re The Rodders Journal?

I don’t recall just how @Hot Rod Ron got on board at TRJ but he has been extremely helpful to those looking for answers to questions and also getting issue #87 sent out to many HAMB’er’s but that begs the question- what is being done for those subscribers who don’t visit here? Do they just wait in limbo? Are concerns being addressed for everyone, and is a plan in place to correct the inefficiencies which naturally will help everyone?

 

probably not. I'll try again.
What I meant was that TRJ being behind 30 odd issues on a quarterly plan over their production life has meant less revenue for the magazine as there's 30 less issues that we could have bought over that time that they would have received money for.
As for me who subscribed for a year or 4 issues a few years back. I have received 3 of them & will get the 4th (87) when it gets here - (I have been in contact with Ron which was helpful)
so anyone who has annual or 2 yearly subscriptions will get what they paid for, even if it takes longer.
For those who bought life time subscriptions when it was offered either time, it could be argued they have missed out if they were counting on 4 issues a year.
Not all lifetime subscribers are bothered by this.

 

...Appreciate the explanation and I get it. I bought my Lifetime Subscription in , I believe, 2014. I do know for sure that it was $200. I'm cheap and I had been buying RJ off the shelf occasionally for the , I believe, price of $12 to $14. I guess they are what $15.99 now. Yes, I was expecting 4 issues annually and that worked out for a while. I also got a couple of t-shirts, a nice dash plaque and a "membership" certificate. I can't say exactly how many issues that I have received in the time since then but, I feel like I've more than gotten my money's worth from the deal. I have great sympathy for all of those who have been disappointed by not getting their issues or getting them late. I hope that things get better and work out for everyone.

 

Hi, I'm new here and have registered after reading a lot of the preceding pages about Rodder's Journal. I have been a subscriber since issue 9 and would like to find out if the new issue (87) will be sent to the United Kingdom.
It sounds like I need to give my contact details to Hot Rod Ron in order to have any email contact with the company. I'm not a bulletin board kind of person so this is all new to me.
Any advice is gratefully received.

 

@Brian.W Welcome to the HAMB. Hope you get this resolved and if you dig traditional rods & customs that you stick around and share your enthusiasm and any builds or knowledge you can that fits.

You have the jist of it. All of this is laid out in the threads here.

Go up to the top of the page. At the right, there is a Red Envelope design. If you hover your pointer on it, it will show Conversations. There will also be a Start a New Conversation spot. If using a phone, I think you have to tap on the icon.
Click on that and address the new conversation to @Hot Rod Ron. Type in your name, address, email and if you still have an old envelope or other records, the subscription number. Ask for help. He is helping other members.

You can also go to the site and send an email to them with the ***le "Where Is My Stuff". Again, include as much info as possible.
https://roddersjournal.com/contact-us/

 

I emailed Ron and he got back to me the next day. I gave him the requested info and was emailed by TRJ a day or two later stating I’m in the next bulk mail for #87. I’m a gl*** half-full type in life, and I appreciate Ron helping out in a tough situation….

 

They can use the Facebook page and send a private message, or they can use the customer service email address at TRJ https://roddersjournal.com/contact-us/

Either way, we need your full name, address, and email address so we can have multiple ways to find you in the TRJ system. Why is the email address so important? That is how we can track who has been taken care of and who has not, and it helps create a to-do list of what needs to be done to get everyone taken care of. When you get the email from TRJ, you may need to respond with any additional information they need. If you are waiting for a response from TRJ after that first contact, you will get one. It just takes time to try to get all the emails answered, and then re-answered with the staff who are doing that part of the work.

I do not see what is emailed to each person and have no idea what the subscription department or editors are telling you in the email. My role, again as stated multiple times, is to connect you with those departments so they can take care of you.

As for any updates, I have not been told anything new yet. The last news we were giving out was during GNRS, which is 87, will have a second bulk mailing of everyone who did not get it, or new subscribers, or renewals. We are working on issue 88, which is in layout stages and final word editing. Once that is completed, it goes to the printer for a test print, then comes back to review it on actual paper to make any changes or editorial adjustments before it goes for actual printing and binding.

As mentioned, I'll post any news here on this thread as soon as it's ready, and it usually goes out by email to everyone we have email addresses for and on the Facebook page.

 

Thank you for all the advice. I'm not really internet fluent, checking email is within my comfort zone. I'm an armchair hot-rodder really, keeping my 67 mustang running in the UK is enough to scratch the fabricate/fix/improve itch at my time of life

 

Again just a suggestion here, Ron. You are doing all you can and this is NOT a dig at you. I know you are not in on the decision making process, but this is a weak point.
In my own experience, I have had work emails, personal emails and they have all changed over time. I have moved over the decades, and the internet service providers have changed names and dropped email as a service. Names also change over time, but much less frequently.
In a perfect world, transferring contact lists and emails would be a standardized, simple process. Having the ability to populate an email with old contacts to send out updated address AND easily change this in everyone's contact list without manually doing so would be a luxury. It is not how it works and if it did, would be used by bad actors.

BTW, I always check the Privacy Policy of a site when they ask for my personal information. I just checked the TRJ site for this. There is a link at the bottom of the page ***led this. It links to a My Account page.
https://roddersjournal.com/my-account-2/
So the site requires signing up for an account before telling you the Terms & Conditions of doing this. Again, poor form.

For contrast, here is the page for Jalopy Journal. Clear, open communication of the policy without having to sign up first to read.
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/privacy.html
This is an issue that has become more common. There are appliances being sold with Terms & Conditions inside the box that you cannot read or agree to (forced arbitration) before purchase.

 

Ron is the way to go to get a response from the Rodders Journal. I had sent multiple emails since January and no response, but as soon as he got involved, Bingo! They supposedly sent 87 to my old address that I have not lived at in 5 years? I have receive multiple issues to my new address though, which is kinda weird. Any who, Ron wanted me to make a post letting you all know that it is not a "Scam." I'll post up when I receive #87, and again Thank you Ron for making something happen.

 

The reason I am asking for what you just laid out is to give us the best chance of finding the person in the system. Once they are found, the team can update the info in our system if it is incorrect and then send an email back with the exact status of one's account. If the TRJ has info about the balance of the account that is different than what an individual has, like a receipt or some other types of proof, it now opens a line of communication so the individual can send back the proof they have, and in turn helps TRJ to get everything sorted out and corrected so we can make everyone whole.

All this personal information is held in the TRJ offline server and is accessed by only two people for security reasons. The information I get is put into a spreadsheet, where the two people use it to find the account. Once I forward it, I delete it so I do not have the info in my system. I keep a spreadsheet for myself of the name of the person who contacted me and where they contacted me from, so I can check in on them in a week or so to make sure they got the email.

 

I Certainly Enjoy Reading The Olde TRJ...A Wealth Of Entertainment And History...Appreciated Steve And Crew...

 

Just wanted to let people know that "Hot Rod Ron" was very helpful in getting me in touch with HRJ. I had tried reaching them directly via email but could not connect with them. After seeing Ron's offer to help I contacted him and shortly afterward received communication directly from HRJ. He's definitely on the up and up as far as I'm concerned.

 

I renewed my subscription or I went thru the website process. Will see when new issue comes out

 

Hot Rod Ron was super-helpful for me as well.
Importantly, in the end it was my mistake not updating my address for my lifetime membership—not TRJ. They shipped it right where their records said to.

Thanks, Ron.

 

People are being told their copy will be sent in the "second bulk mailing of issue #87".
Has anyone been advised when this event will happen?

 

Why is there a second bulk? Why wasn't all of them sent at once? Who/how was the "privileged" decided to be part of the first bulk? (Apparently not the Life Subscribers) Why is the second bulk still hasn't been sent yet? Why is there a LONG gap between the first bulk and the the second bulk?
If we aren't in the second bulk will we be in the third or fourth bulk?

 

All reasonable questions, but not likely to be answered officially. No company is going to give you a peek behind the curtain at decisions like this.

As a complete outsider, I will guess at a couple, but this is just conjecture.
I'd guess they are aware that the subscription list is not complete and up-to-date. It would make sense to mail out what is their best effort to everyone, but have reserve for those who contact and are verified, along with a decent number for Past Issue sales. As has been posted here, some folks had theirs sent to the wrong address. Others had different reasons why they didn't get included in that first m*** mailing.
I won't hazard what criteria went into this selection or the problems faced.

It would make sense to have a second m*** mail, using updated info for these cases sent to the company that does this. This isn't a few people sitting in a living room pasting labels on the envelopes. It's a big job done by a separate company. Each time this happens, it costs money, so it's in their best interest to hold the line at 2 times. I'd guess the price per piece is higher for single mailings (current or past issues) rather than a bulk mailing. Same thing with printing. It's going to be cheaper per item to run off a large number instead of 2 or more smaller runs.
Again, this is speculation, not based on anything but knowing how other things work. I've never worked for a mag or a mailer.

 

Or the most logical reason they didn't have the money. I said long ago that this would happen once they collected enough money from new subscribers from the beginning of the year car shows and low and behold ..... It's not rocket science to figure out what is going on.

 

Also possible. My take was optimistic, your is pessimistic.
I still hope this isn't a case of fraud. I want them to survive and thrive.
I agree that there has been enough time and grace, and that communication still needs a lot of work. But I don't expect them to answer the questions posed by @GZ.

 

The second bulk mailing is for everyone who did not receive issue 87, whether due to expired subscriptions, an address change we weren't aware of, or new subscribers. As noted a few pages back, when you run a magazine company, you have a bulk mailing licence with the USPS. The details of what those licences include or do not include are not my area of expertise.

So far, everyone who has contacted me personally has been taken care of. Again, if you are having a problem and have not contacted me yet, do so, and I will do everything in my power to get everyone taken care of.

 

Nope I am being realistic. Lots of life time subscribers who hadn't moved didn't get their magazines in the first batch so even though I know Ron is just p***ing on information given to him and doing his best to help his list of reasons there is a second batch doesn't even check out as fully truthful. When you are given false information over and over again there is a reason for that. They don't want you to know the truth.

 

Ron......any word or idea if or when the international subscribers will have their issues posted..........or has the cost of international postage increased to the extent that its not feasible or cost effective to post our copies?..............again thanks for all your time & efforts in all this......Andy(the guy who started this thread)Douglas

 

RJ has once again failed to respond to my email

 

I will grant you that I did get an email response from the mag people once I contacted you, but it was just another delay relay. Read as: lip service at this point.
Not ****ting on you, as I can see you are doing your best, but I guess we have very different ideas on what being “taken care of” is.

I have not yet received my copy of #87, and sure would like to know when it’s coming.

I would probably be much more supportive if TRJ would just be honest and upfront about what’s really going on and what the plan really is. No more excuses and a little more humility/honesty would go a long long way.

Right now, it seems more like I’m watching ****ers play 3 Card Monte on a street corner. Entertaining if you don’t have any skin in the game, but…Oh wait, dang it, I’m one of the guys playin.
.

 

I'm a Lifer and got my copy.Which proves nothing. But I. too, choose to remain optimistic and hope everyone will get to read a great issue soon.

 

Like I said before, I have no skin in the game. But reading all the posts, this sounds like a pyramid scheme. The new subscribers are paying to send the old subscribers their magazines. This all works until you run out of new subscribers, who will waite for months to get the magazines they paid for.

 

You are absolutely correct.

 

Ron, again a suggestion;
Has the international chunk gone through the process? The ETA will vary depending on distance and customs, but where are those in the pipeline?
What is the status of the second mailing? At the shipper, sent to USPS? Were international orders in that too?
Rather than individual copy answers, let people know where things stand overall.