It's time to renew my subscription to Street Rodder. Regardless of your personal preferences, I do enjoy reading it and trade it to a friend for some of his mags. That's not the point. The point is, my loyal subscriber "BEST DEAL EVER" is $29.97 a year. However, the deal for new subscribers on both the SR website and Amazon is $24.95 and at Speedymags.com is $21.95. So my rant is why do car magazines penalize a long term subscriber, as well as patently lie about the best deal ever, and offer a better best deal ever to someone who may not even renew. This is the same **** as the "Low Introductory Offer" available only to new customers lots of businesses have. As a businessman, I love new clients, but I also prefer to keep my loyal old time clients who I know will be steady, reliable, repeat business. One price for all would be fine, and I'll renew at $24.95 if they'll agree.
I don't renew through them, I shop around for the best deal. Just like anything else, be a smart shopper. I don't even pay attention to their best deal BS, shop till you drop.
I had the same thing happen so I called Street Rodder and asked them why an existing customer had to pay more than a new customer. I also pointed out that I could get a better deal on their magazine from a third party magazine service. The customer service person really didn't have an answer other than bad mouthing the third party sellers. So I let the subscription lapse and noticed that I didn't miss the magazine all that much. Then I started getting "special offers" from Street Rodder on a regular basis. The truth is, these special offers tended to irritate me in that they reminded me of the original problem of paying to much as an existing customer. However, I finally suc***bed to an offer that came through the mail 4 months ago from Street Rodder. I got 3 years of Street rodder for $19.95 and got a free hat (that turned out to be worthless). That means that I am getting Street Rodder for $.55 cents an issue. They have to be losing money on that deal but a friend in the advertising business told me that a major consideration for the magazine is the total number of subscribers they have because their ad revenue rates are figured on the number of subscribers. So there are "deals" out there but you have to be willing to "walk away".
The same reason the phone, cable, insurance, trash, internet, newspaper, electric, gas, power etc. companies do it. GREED and a basic lack of ethics. I bailed on my SR renewal. It's one big failed project/adverti*****t tech/useless archaic tips/Hoffman Group/Helix pile of ****.
I have thought the same as all of the above. Frankly, I wonder how these magazines make it at all. I can't believe there is enough advertising to essentially print and mail copies for nest to nothing. The last "deal" I had was $44 for Hot Rod, Rod and Custom and Street Rodder, all three for 36 months each. 108 magazines mailed to my house for the cost of a single postage stamp each. Crazy.
I just wait till the notice AFTER the final one arrives, then you get a better deal...I just renewed Hot Rod for 3 years for 19.99
good for you! my subscription just ran out to and the deal they've been offering doesent sound so good. i think i'll wait a bit till they sweetin it up.got to have something to read in the john.
the money you pay usually doesn't even pay for the paper it's printed on. they make all their money from ad sales. they amount they can charge for ads is based on "paid readers" hence the cheap sub prices. cheap sub rates are still paid readers. later jim
That sort of thing always pisses me. A company will offer a special deal and then tell you it only applies to new customers. It's not fair to their loyal, longstanding customers and it's just plain bad business!
If you look at the subscription cards in the magazines they throw one in here and there for 1 year of R&C and 1 year of SR for $17 + $3 shipping. I've done that the last 3 years. 1st year was $11 second was $15 and last lear was $17. But you have to look at all of em, cause most will be the higher prices.
The thing I hate is when you have a subscription that you just renewed two months ago and they start calling asking me if I want to renew my subscription. I told the lady on the phone how could my subscription be up for renewal if I just ordered it two months ago. I have have dropped many of the magazines I used to subscribe to for this very reason. Once you sign up then they start with all the phone calls trying to get you to take it for another two or three years in advance. Remember guys once you pay in advance they now have your money to make interest off. If you say how much could they be making just remember to think in terms of 100,000 people who sign up for the next few years in advance. My local garbage company also wants their money three months in advance of any service they offer which I also refused to pay since my customers don't pay me three months in advance for something they may want to purchase. Jimbo
I have found that the subscription cards in the "news stand" copies of the mags have really cheap prices compared to the cards in the "mailed" version. I grab a card at the supermarket and stick the mailing label from an old mag to the card and send them in.
I'm old enough to remember when customers were valued instead of used. They do it thinking that they will make more money and stay in business. How long will it take them to realize that they are losing more customers than they are bringing in. I have bought my last car magazine. I know that this will not bother them in the least but it sure makes me feel better. They have ruined a huge part of my adult life. Oh well. I'll get over it.
When you renew, and the phone rings, question the caller about who they are, if you try real hard you will find they are a third party seller. Or you might want to try my approach to telephone solicitors, when the phone rings and they identify themselves, state that you have the neighbors wife lying in the bed with you, the husband won't be gone long, and if you would like to hold, I''ll lay the phone by the bed till we are through.
Same thing with my bank. I have been with them for years? New customer get a $100.00 added to a new account. Its all B S One thing I do with the phone service I call them about ever six months and tell them I'm moving on. I then get a "DEAL!"
That works for cable cos. and newspapers around here. They sharpen their pencil real quick when you threaten to cancel.
Because that billet doesn't pay for itself. Lol I'd wright them a letter of call their number and get some answers
I let all my subscriptions end. Then I wait for renewal offers in the mail. They keep getting better and better as time goes on. I then renew with what I think is their best offer. Then it seems they always start me off with 3 back issues which usually bridges the gap from when I let the subscription expire
Goddam car mags have been ruining my life since the seventies...First I read them, then I see some **** in them that I GOTTA have for some project that'll probably only run for a few months before it spits the ring & pinion out on the pavement, or lunches the sprag, or some other piece, even when it DOES run, it does nothing but eat gas, piss off the nieghbours, and earn me tickets for "con****ious displays of speed" or some similar type of BS, then my wife *****es about the amount of money I've spent and we have a big s****, Cripes, its almost a relief when they DO stop running...Yea Tommy, you nailed it. What say we file a cl*** action suit against Peterson Publishing?
Join the NRA and watch what happens. I joined and subscribed to their mag a year or so ago. Almost immediately the renewal offers and pressures for more money started. I get something in the mail WEEKLY wanting me to renew or donate! Plus phone calls, etc. I believe in preserving our 2nd amendment rights and the politics of the NRA, but the damn CONSTANT renewal ******** has soured me on renewing!
I got the 2 yrs of Hot Rod and the cap for $20, and I get a 3 yr from Street Rodder for $30, but I didn't do it...too many others right now and the wife hates my mags..lol
The one that really gets me is some bimbo with an acccent calls to ask me if I am happy with such & such mag. Then she proceeds to try to sell you if you aren't a subscriber, or renew your subscription that still has 4 years to go. Sleazy sales tactics and the small number of articles that truly interest me have caused me to let all all my subscriptions lapse. (May keep Rod & Custom). The HAMB is the way of the future. It is a real time personal, interactive magazine with almost instant feedback to your questions or comments. Also, for the "green crowd", no trees were destroyed or animals displaced in the publishing of the HAMB. I hope Ryan and crew join the ranks of the "one percenters" for creatng the HAMB.
The Jalopy Journal
