Lost customer

[toonarmy]

Well, that's GM losing not just a subscriber, but a reader in general.

I can never be bothered to pick up magazines from shops, so with the cancellation of my subscription, that's the end of GM for me.

Why did I cancel? Because new subscribers have to pay less and get a gift compared to loyal subscribers. When I pointed this out to IPC, they said I should cancel my existing subscription and take out the new subscriber offer. Absolutely ridiculous.

So rather than retain long-standing customers with their nice predictable income stream, they penalise them.

Despite posting in a subscription thread and PM-ing a member of GM, I've had no response, so I can only assume that those unsold ad spaces at the back of the mag are an indicator of fiscal solvency and not the economic difficulty that I always assumed it suggested and that GM can afford to lose subscribers so easily.

Very disappointed after several years of subscription.

 

[AuburnWarrior]

I have it on good authority that GM don't want Northerners reading the mag anyway.

Apparently they get too many phone calls asking what certain words mean........

 

[kev_off_the_tee]

I think this is common across the whole of magazine subscriptions. I havd the same thing when I used to subscribe to another mag. Freebies for Newbies with huge discounts.

It wouldn't be so bad it you got discounts for renewals where the longer you subscribe the cheaper it gets or get the latest freebie.

At least with my golf insurance I get new vouchers every year I renew

 

[Imurg]

Surely this is down to IPC and not GM in particular? Seems to be a fairly normal state of affairs in life - your car insurance goes up so you move, your gas bill rises so you move. Most publications offer a gift to entice you in. It's pretty common.
Is it really that much of a hardship to take out another subscription?
I do mine via Tesco clubcard vouchers. I get no free gift but it costs me 12.50 a year...???

 

[kev_off_the_tee]

I have it on good authority that GM don't want Northerners reading the mag anyway.

Apparently they get too many phone calls asking what certain words mean........

You mean like the phonecalls from Scousers continually asking for the work "like" to be added to the end of EVERY sentence

 

[AuburnWarrior]

I do mine via Tesco clubcard vouchers. I get no free gift but it costs me 12.50 a year...???

Dear God!! This forum really is dropping in standards!! A TESCO shopper??

Next you'll be telling me you drive one of those Chrysler 300C monstrosities........

 

[Imurg]

I do mine via Tesco clubcard vouchers. I get no free gift but it costs me 12.50 a year...???

Dear God!! This forum really is dropping in standards!! A TESCO shopper??

Next you'll be telling me you drive one of those Chrysler 300C monstrosities........

No - I don't live in Watford

Don't have a decent sized Sainsbury and Morrisons is always full of the great unwashed...

 

[toonarmy]

Surely this is down to IPC and not GM in particular? Most publications offer a gift to entice you in. It's pretty common.

Every other subscription I have had has used the same approach; namely new subscriber gets free gift and a bit of a reduction from buying it regularly. Renewals get no gift but pay less than anybody else for the mag. This always meant that you had a good model for priority:

Most expensive - buy it off the shelf
Cheaper option - take out a sub and get a gift
Cheapest option - renewing your sub

Yes, I could cancel and take out the new sub but why should I as a customer have to circumvent their administrative failings? If they want my money and custom, don't make it more complicated for me than for a new subscriber.

Not GM's fault (although the lack of response is, not that they would have been able to do anything I suppose) but it's GM that ultimately suffers, along with IPC.

 

[sev112]

and Morrisons is always full of the great unwashed...

Youre missing out there then - best supermarket butchers of the lot.

 

[chris661]

Surely this is down to IPC and not GM in particular? Most publications offer a gift to entice you in. It's pretty common.

Every other subscription I have had has used the same approach; namely new subscriber gets free gift and a bit of a reduction from buying it regularly. Renewals get no gift but pay less than anybody else for the mag. This always meant that you had a good model for priority:

Most expensive - buy it off the shelf
Cheaper option - take out a sub and get a gift
Cheapest option - renewing your sub

Yes, I could cancel and take out the new sub but why should I as a customer have to circumvent their administrative failings? If they want my money and custom, don't make it more complicated for me than for a new subscriber.

Not GM's fault (although the lack of response is, not that they would have been able to do anything I suppose) but it's GM that ultimately suffers, along with IPC.

You should try living over here, it is cheaper to be a subscriber in the USA than in Ireland. How does that work?

 

[Imurg]

Surely this is down to IPC and not GM in particular? Most publications offer a gift to entice you in. It's pretty common.

Every other subscription I have had has used the same approach; namely new subscriber gets free gift and a bit of a reduction from buying it regularly. Renewals get no gift but pay less than anybody else for the mag. This always meant that you had a good model for priority:

Most expensive - buy it off the shelf
Cheaper option - take out a sub and get a gift
Cheapest option - renewing your sub

Yes, I could cancel and take out the new sub but why should I as a customer have to circumvent their administrative failings? If they want my money and custom, don't make it more complicated for me than for a new subscriber.

Not GM's fault (although the lack of response is, not that they would have been able to do anything I suppose) but it's GM that ultimately suffers, along with IPC.

I have at one time or another subscribed to all the Golf Mags and they all do the same. I would have thought all the mags in the banner on the right do the same thing.
IPC are not going to suffer because you don't want to have to spend 5 minutes renewing your subscription. You're the one not going to read it so it looks to me that you're the one who'll be missing out..

All for 5 minutes once a year.....

 

[johnboywalton]

Unfortunatly...."New customers only" is the way of the world, I do not overly agree with it(well...I do in this case as I have 12 new balls in my draw ) but...they have said you can cancel and re-subscribe which 90% of Companies will not let you do!

 

[Scouser]

I have it on good authority that GM don't want Northerners reading the mag anyway.

Apparently they get too many phone calls asking what certain words mean........

You mean like the phonecalls from Scousers continually asking for the work "like" to be added to the end of EVERY sentence

What do u mean.....like p

 

[bigslice]

I do mine via Tesco clubcard vouchers. I get no free gift but it costs me 12.50 a year...???

Dear God!! This forum really is dropping in standards!! A TESCO shopper??

Next you'll be telling me you drive one of those Chrysler 300C monstrosities........

No - I don't live in Watford

Don't have a decent sized Sainsbury and Morrisons is always full of the great unwashed...

i prefer harrods delivery service, nice jap wedges aswell

 

[thecraw]

I did the same with Sky a couple of weeks ago. I wanted their broadband and was offered it at £7 a month for the first year. I was then told "sorry you dont qualify for that, thats for new customers taking out a package, you'll be £16"

I swiftly moved my phone and broadband to another provider! France them. Happily taken my money for 15+ years.

 

[kev_off_the_tee]

brilliant I knew I wouldn't be let down haha

 

[Scouser]

We are a helpful lot

 

[Crawfy]

I have it on good authority that GM don't want Northerners reading the mag anyway.

Apparently they get too many phone calls asking what certain words mean........

You mean like the phonecalls from Scousers continually asking for the work "like" to be added to the end of EVERY sentence

Aye aye, calm down ,calm down

 

[boosh]

Your obviously a tit with a name like toonarmy. So no loss, bye bye.

 

[slugger]

Exact reason I cancelled my subs a year ago. Prepare for the follow up phone call pleading you back. I now subscribe to hunkered mag and got a nice letter from them yesterday offering the same offer to current subscribers as new customers... Two free rounds of golf - turnberry kintyre and st Andrew's dukes course..