MR Subscription Woes

[Anonymous]

I received mine in Valencia, CA on Monday.

[Anonymous]

Same here in Grand Rapids Mi.

Andy, we know your are watching.
THANKS AGAIN.

[Anonymous]

I got my April issue in the mail today! And it's not out on the local newsstands yet! That's improvement!

Of course, the magazine was unbagged, so the cover was scuffed and the corners were nicked. But at least it's here before mid-month (for the first time in over a year). I guess there's still hope.

[Anonymous]

My wife got me a subscription for Christmas a couple of years ago. I was both happy and sad, because it was a very thoughtful gift(happy), but she also took away my vaild reason for going to one of the local hobby shop(sad) where I would wounder around the store and look at all of the new items that they had and dream about where they would go on my future layout.

[n2mopac]

ITS HERE!!! MR and Trains both arrived in my mailbox today (3/4). I admit I was skeptical. It took a while, but it appears MR has fixed the problem with subscriptionss. I hope the fix has alieveated everyone's problems in this area. Thanks MR and Trains staff.
Ron

[Anonymous]

Andy Sperando of MR reported a few weeks backs that there is a change in the handling/distributing process that should result in a earlier MR arrival date.

[Anonymous]

I had a similar experience, which I posted in another thread yesterday. There's hope yet!

[n2mopac]

Consider yourself lucky. I received my Model Railroad Planning 2002 yesterday (3/2), wraped in plastic no less, hearkening my memories back to the good-ol-days when all my Kalmback publications came in such protective coverings. I did not, however, receive my MR or Trains yet. I am hopeful to see them Monday (3/4) but I'm not holding my breath.
Ron

[thirdrail1]

Well, someone did something. I received my regular March issues of MR and "Trains" on February 25, my replacement copies on February 28, and my APRIL issues of both magazines today, March 2nd.

Two months' worth within five days. Oh, the wonders of the Postal Service!

[Anonymous]

From what I understand, April will be one year from the previous change in distribution. Last year we were told the new process was that instead of USPS, subscriptions would be sent to distribution points around the country. From there they would come to us. Plastic wasn't needed because the new process would prevent USPS from tearing magazines as they went through the sorters. (BTW Gregg, this is probably why they can't put a postal tracer on it. It doesn't go to USPS until some weeks after it gets to the regional distributer. USPS can't trace what isn't in their system.) Andy, since it's one year later, are you really saying the contract ran out and you're going to another?

[thirdrail1]

I finally CALLED Kalmbach customer service on Friday. I was told I should have had my magazines by the 16th and that they would send new ones. I was also told the April issue is already in the mail....great, I don't even have March yet.

And they don't know why subscriptions are down????

[n2mopac]

I must wholeheartedly agree with Jim on every point. I still think MR produces possible the best product in the market for general model railroading coverage. I know that many in these forums continually ba***he content and writers. I, however, believe that MR produces a periodical that appeals to modelers of every level, beginner to advanced. Not every article appeals to me personally, but that is a standard to high for any periodical to achieve.

I also agree, however, that the subscription issue must be resolved. The above statement assures a one week speed up in production and shipping. That would still mean that I will receive my MR and Trains 7-10 days AFTER it is on the news standss. That is simply unacceptable to me. I am waiting hopefully the see when my April issue arrives, but I will not be satisfied to continue to receive it more than a week after seeing it in my local bookstore.

I have been fortunate not to have received dammaged magazines...yet!!! I certainly see how this could be a problem however. I agree that the publisher should seriously consider a return to previous shipping practices in plastic, arriving in subscribers mail boxes on the 2nd or 3rd of the month. Subscribers have long been the heart beat of this magazine, both in content and in support. Good customer service will continue that track record long into the future. Poor customer service may place it in jeapordy.

Ron

[Anonymous]

Since I'm the one who started this thread way back up at the top, I figured it was time for me to chime back in.

I did read Andy's posting about the production changes - while I was still waiting for my new issue to arrive. (I finally got it earlier this week.) But a change in the production schedule doesn't address all of the concerns being expressed in this thread by your readers/subscribers. There's still the issue of newsstand editions appearing long before paying subscribers have received their copies. And there's still the issue of magazines arriving in damaged condition, with torn, soiled covers and/or wrinkled pages, something which had not happened - at least in my case - for several years thanks to plastic bagging.

So, speaking strictly for myself, the bottom line is that I've adopted a wait and see approach. If things don't dramatically improve before time to renew my subscription, I simply won't renew. As I wrote in my original posting, I see no great advantage to a subscription, given the status quo.

[Anonymous]

Since I'm the one who started this thread way back up at the top, I figured it was time for me to chime back in.

I did read Andy's posting about the production changes - while I was still waiting for my new issue to arrive. (I finally got it earlier this week.) But a change in the production schedule doesn't address all of the concerns being expressed in this thread by your readers/subscribers. There's still the issue of newsstand editions appearing long before paying subscribers have received their copies. And there's still the issue of magazines arriving in damaged condition, with torn, soiled covers and/or wrinkled pages, something which had not happened - at least in my case - for several years thanks to plastic bagging.

So, speaking strictly for myself, the bottom line is that I've adopted a wait and see approach. If things don't dramatically improve before time to renew my subscription, I simply won't renew. As I wrote in my original posting, I see no great advantage to a subscription, given the status quo.

[Anonymous]

Tom:

I have no doubt that the Kalmbach folks have viewed this thread with great concern. I understand that you are changing your production schedule to take care of one week's worth of the problem. Nearly everyone I talk to is getting disgusted with the minimum two week delay in the delivery. Since this thread began I have received three issues. I have noted that each successive issue is delivered later than the previous issue.

Furthermore, by the time I take the magazine out of the mailbox it gets ripped or damaged. Other magazines to which I subscribe (Model Railroading and RMC) come in plastic bags and are in great condition when I start reading them. I recognize in this era of serious economic constraints that you are trying to keep your costs down. I think that based on this thread and comments from other readers in my community, what you are doing is NOT working to satisfaction of your customer base. Your product is among the best in the business, so please don't let the subscription woes interfere with your product. Thanks for listening.

Jim

[thirdrail1]

Tom, the problem is not in the production schedule, it is in the new method of distribution Kalmbach started using about a year ago when you quit bagging the magazines. Note that many are griping about getting their magazines mid-month. I seldom get mine before the 20th. It is taking three weeks from mailing date to receipt. You move production up a week, I'll get mine two weeks after it's in the stores instead of three weeks!

[Anonymous]

For you recent posters dealing with the lateness of subscription deliveries, please check out Andy Sperandeo's comments above on 2/11/02 on the change in Model Railroader's production schedule to correct the problem, beginning with the April issue. Of we're concerned about subscribers receiving their magazines late, and we believe these changes in our production cycle will improve the situation.
Tom Chmielewski
Editor, Trains.com

[Anonymous]

Agree with both of you. I have been getting my Trains subscription at minimum two weeks after it hits newstands. Was planning on subscribing to Model Railroader, but decided against it since I didn't see any advantage to having a subscription.

[thirdrail1]

Ron, at least you got yours on the 14th. Here it is a week later, the 21st, and I still don't have mine. The April issue is due to be mailed in tow days! I have repeated asked MR to put a Postal Trace on my subscriptions yet to date they have not done so.

[n2mopac]

I've been watching this forum for a while and I believe it is time for me to chime in as well. I kept asuming the subscription problems will improve, but they are getting worse. Before the change in mailing proceedure I always received my MR and Trains on the 2nd or 3rd of the month. That became the 5th, then the 9th, then the 11th. This month (March issue) it was the 14th, nearly two weeks after it appeared on the newsstands. And for those who assume the new proceedures benefit only those in the major metro areas, I live in Dallas,TX. This problem is not limited to rural areas, it prevades all MR subscribers. I love MR, but with the many recent changes in staff, I must wonder if the publisher as completely lost touch with the desires of their subscribers. Kalmbach sponsors this forum...does any one there read it?!?!?! If you guys are listening, please fix this problem quickly, before you earn the disdain of many more MR and Trains subscribers.

[thirdrail1]

Here it is February 20th and I still do not have my March MR or Trains magazines. Kalmbach told me last month they were to be mailed Feb 2. I think I could WALK from Waukesha to St. Joe Beach faster than my magazines travel via USPS. Anyone else still waiting for theirs????

[Anonymous]

I will really appreciate a more timely delivery of MR. I just received the March issue last night. I too would like to see a return of the plastic package. I save my MR issues and since the bag was eliminated, the issue always gets scrunched. Probably because my homeowners assn requires a small mailbox and I get a lot of mail. The other magazines to which I subscribe, RMC and Model Railroading come in plastic bags and are received in much better condition.

[Anonymous]

Thank You!

It really has been frustrating this past year, seeing MR on the newsstands for 2 or 3 weeks each month before I got my copy, and forcing myself to walk on by without picking an issue up to "browse." Now if I can just receive it in plastic again so it's not torn up.....

Thanks for listening to us and taking action.

[Sperandeo]

We realize that this has been a serious concern for our subscribers, and just changed our production schedule to get subscriber copies of MODEL RAILROADER into an earlier mailing group. The change will be effective with the April issue, at the printer now, and we expect that it will solve this problem.

thanks for your patience,

Andy Sperandeo
MODEL RAILROADER Magazine

[Anonymous]

Spent a leisurely Saturday at the Grand Rapids Mi Barnes & Noble reading their Mar edition of MR.
Strange that a modeler in Green River Wyoming received his Thursday and there's no mail dely today, so perhaps later this week I will get my own copy.

[Anonymous]

First of all, the convenience of receiving the magazine every month at my home outweighs going any distance to a store to buy it. I look forward to its regular appearance at my door. MR explained the no wrapper arrangement and my magazines have all arrived in no damage to little damage condition; nothing worth getting a free replacement. I am really in no hurry to get MR. If the local store has it, so be it. I won't look at it there; spoils my fun at home. The rubber cement label ia absolutely no problem; always comes off beautifully. The NMRA Bulletin label WILL NOT COME OFF!After receiving my MR, the first thing I do is go through the book and throw away and/or rip out all of those cards. That stuff is a pain, but I guess it gets results. I've been an MR subscriber since Sept. 1949, (got em' all) and still enjoy the magazine.

[Anonymous]

IT IS CLEAR THAT THERE ARE PROBLEMS AT MR. THEY HAVE GONE THROUGH SEVERAL ASSISTANT EDITORS OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS. THEY HAVE KICKED ANDY SPERANDEO UPSTAIRS AS EXECUTIVE EDITOR. WHATS THAT? THAY BROUGHT BACK RUSS LARSON BACK AS EDITOR A CLEAR INDICATION THAT THERE IS TROUBLE IN PARADISE.THE MAGAZINE HAS BECOME BORING FOT THE MOST PART,WITH ONLY OCCASIONAL ARTICLES THAT ARE WORTHWHILE. I HAVE SUBSCRIBED TO THE MAGAZINE FOR OVER 25 YEARS,BUT I AM SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING DROPPING IT UNLESS THERE ARE IMPROVMENTS FORTHCOMING. I HOPE THEY READ THIS .

[mnwestern]

As someone in the newspaper business, I understand the role of promo issues and supplements, but I've always questioned why our loyal subscribers don't benefit by getting those, too. I think Kalmbach should include anything special included in newsstand versions in the issues going to subscribers. It is only fair. And you know what, I've read enough complaints about MR, and reviewed a few issues myself, that I, too, am having second thoughts about renewing next time. And that after staunchly supporting it often on these forums. They don't seem to be listening. It appears they've gotten so many layers of upper management in place now that change for the better can't happen anymore. Anybody any good at actually writing, designing and directing the thing eventually gets bumped to a top management position to shuffle papers and doodle fantastically outrageous ideas for the magazine.

[Anonymous]

The average individual is under the dillusion that the push for higher band width (fiberoptic) is for the home user. Far from the truth. Microsoft and the rest of the industry are using that as a kind of smokescreen to get people behind the cost. It's for business to business use. It's kind of like GM & Fords giving cities money back in the 30's & 40's to tear up the interburban and iner-city tracks. They use to have public burning of the rail cars. Why? To sell more automobiles. Now that we have too many on the roads it will cost too much to put the track back in and a good deal of the right of way has been given to public use as hiking trails. Indianapolis is bemoaning that right now. They see a need for a interburban system but can't figure out where to put it as there are no more right of ways left!....Walt