GM Subscription farce

[drawboy]

My subscription is nearly over for the year so I contacted ipc to extend it. I asked if I would get the balls on offer? No!
"But I'm not paying full price without my gift" I said. The upshot was if I cancelled then immediately took out a new subscription I would get the balls....Doh.
But the rub came when unlike other mags TG and GW, GM wanted £50 all in one go instead of breaking it up over a few months via direct debit. I chose to leave it. I'm happy to get all the news from my other mags and all the gossip form here. Shame I liked my GM I think they missed the boat a bit here.

 

[pokerjoke]

Usually free gifts are offered to new subscribers,and the full price subscription.
If magazines did it your way,they would get a lot of cancellations so they could renew just to get the free gift.
The free gift is to attract new subscribers.
Magazines then generally give away things to loyal customers in future mags.

 

[USER1999]

You don't think that making a profit might be a tad difficult if they gave away £40 of golf balls to every subscriber, every year? That leaves about £5 to pay for 12 issues of the magazine.

 

[drawboy]

Ah! but the thing is if I left it a month I'd be eligible for the offer again so there is always a way around it.

 

[pbrown7582]

Just the same marketing as mobile phones mortgages credit cards etc etc there is a premium on attracting new subscribers.

 

[Scottjd1]

Yeah, dont pay for the mag, but come on here and no doubt put your name down for fittings/prizes etc. Nice one.

There will be no mag or forum if we all did that!

 

[DCB]

Ah! but the thing is if I left it a month I'd be eligible for the offer again so there is always a way around it.

Think you'll find that's not the case when you try to sign up for it, regardless of what you were told on the phone

 

[stevelev]

Aren't people happy enough with getting a big reduction in the cover price?? One gift of value every 5 years should be enough, a bit cheeky to expect a publisher to give you a free gift every year.

Do TG and GW give you a free gift every year with a running subscription? I think not, they never did for me or a friend.

Me personally I'd give TG and GW a miss and stick with GM for no other reason than the content is better in the mag, the staff look after the readers far better and the forum / readers are a better community than the other mags on the market.

 

[Porno]

Not long ago businesses used to reward loyal customers, now you get the old ******** "New customers only!!!!"

 

[gripitripit]

Yeah, dont pay for the mag, but come on here and no doubt put your name down for fittings/prizes etc. Nice one.

There will be no mag or forum if we all did that!

I did not realize you had to subscribe/buy the magazine to use the forum?

 

[ScienceBoy]

I bet ol' MikeH could go look up how long we have been subscribing to GM.... and reward us accordingly

 

[Rooter]

I did not realize you had to subscribe/buy the magazine to use the forum?

Obviously you don't, however the infrastructure costs, admin costs etc are only viable if the magazine is in profit. for this to happen they need 2 things. Subscribers and companies advertising. if either of these drop (and they are linked), then management of IPC media (not GM) will simply pull the funds for the forum as its not generating revenues.

I would imagine that people join this forum however, like the place, like the banter, like the free offers (ping PYB, AG fittings etc) and then buy the mag (either one offs, or subscribe)

I suppose people that don't ever buy the magazine are the type of person that visits his local pro, gets some really sound advice or help with new gear, then goes off and buys it at the cheapest online retailer...

 

[Minhoca]

Not long ago businesses used to reward loyal customers, now you get the old ******** "New customers only!!!!"

Valid point.. Car insurance is the worst example. Sign up as new customer and get 3 months free... Nice for Mr existing customer.. 'thanks for raping me for the last 3 years' and making me have to barter over my renewal price everytime.

 

[Andy808]

I did not realize you had to subscribe/buy the magazine to use the forum?

You don't and to be honest the mag probably doesn't pay much, if anything, to the forum as it is funded by the advertising on the site. If noone bought the mag or subscribed then the magazine side would fold and the forum would quickly follow. Personally I buy my copy from my local newsagent for two reasons, first I like to help keep my local newsagent going and second I can't justify the outlay in one go for a magazine.

 

[Ethan]

Every magazine sub incentive is exactly the same - to get new subscribers. You shouldn't be surprised. It has always been thus.

 

[User20205]

I suppose people that don't ever buy the magazine are the type of person that visits his local pro, gets some really sound advice or help with new gear, then goes off and buys it at the cheapest online retailer...

no I think Homer subscribes :rofl:


It is a nonsense that you would only subscrice to the magazine for the free ball offer. Either you value the magazine or not. If you want some balls buy them seperately.

the free balls seem to a contentious point most of the time. Do they really incentivise subscribers ? or are the just offered because other mags do?

 

[Porno]

Valid point.. Car insurance is the worst example. Sign up as new customer and get 3 months free... Nice for Mr existing customer.. 'thanks for raping me for the last 3 years' and making me have to barter over my renewal price everytime.

Its a disgrace, i wouldnt blame anyone for doing whatever to get extra out of any business, they look to bum you anytime they want and certainly dont feel sorry for existing customers in any way.

And i would also sign up for GM if it was a monthly DD.

 

[Rooter]

the free balls seem to a contentious point most of the time. Do they really incentivise subscribers ? or are the just offered because other mags do?

I would say not personally, well not for me anyway. A lot of the costs for a free ball deal will be sub funded by Srixon, or whomever is doing the deal that month. Its free advertising for them also at the end of the day and what better way of getting someone to try your ball, than giving some out "for free".

A £35 box of Z stars, will not cost IPC Media £35.. i would be surprised if they actually paid much at all for them... These deals will be done by IPC management, not GM in my opinion.

 

[CMAC]

I subscribe and I get the special subscriber mag before its out in the shops, delivered to my door and cheaper than retail.........

It's a no brainer, AND it's the best Golf mag out there........

 

[FairwayDodger]

I subscribed after about a year of reading my OH's dad's copy after he was finished with it - got a bit fed up reading the Open preview issue after the championship had finished etc. But it was the free balls that clinched the deal for me - I needed to buy some anyway and decided for just a few extra pounds I could get my own copy of GM as well.

Haven't quite decided what to do when it expires.... would have been nice to get some more balls but that would be too good to be true!