Help: contact WBM "subsciptions" dept!

[Lucky Luke]

Hello,
Could anyone help me to get a reply to my request on informations about my subsciption to WBM?
My subscription was received on 05-28-03. my money was cashed within days. As I did not receive any magazine, and never either got any reply to many mails to the "subscription" dpt. to confirm that they had the correct adress, I finally made their unpleasant beahaviour public, here, on the forum!!! Then only somebody replied instantly, and confirmed that the adress was properly recorded!
Trouble is that, four months later, I still don't receive WBM, neither do anybody at this useless departement (does it really exist??), where people don't seem to have much consideration for their customers, reply to any E-mail!
I live in a far away country: Vietnam, and mail sometimes gets "lost" (...). I have asked to the post office to investigate, and their answer is (of course) that this magazine was never sent. I would take Wooden Boat magazine people word if they tell me they had send my magazine, at the correct adress, provided they take the pain of replying.
This total lack of concern is most unpleasant, and I am sorry to make this public again, but they make themselves disreputable.
So, if anybody living not too far from the Maine could pease help me by giving a ring to somebody responsible in the office of this otherwise so loveable publication, I would very much appreciate.
With many thanks,
Luc

[Clipper]

I think the hitch is in Nam. Probably some one reading your your WB and forgetting to deliver it.

[Pagie]

We can't get a reply from them either.

[Scot]

Hello Luc:

I've popped a note to Jessica, who can determine all the ins and outs on your subscription. She'll be able to let you know what is what. Sorry you didn't get a reply on your email.

FYI to all: There are two basic ways via the Net to find out about your subscription. Click the WoodenBoat Subscriptions link from our homepage, http://www.woodenboat.com. There you will find several links for subscribing, AND a link to check on the status of your subscription. You can even change your address there. The nice thing about this is, it goes directly to the subscription fulfillment house, so it is tapping the most up to date information.

The other thing to do, is email our subscription department, which is bona-fide good folks right here in Brooklin. Here's the link for that:
http://www.woodenboat.com/htreach.htm

-Scot

ps: Pagie... I've also asked them to check on yours!

[ 10-05-2003, 08:10 AM: Message edited by: scott ]

[Lucky Luke]

Thank you Scott for your kind help. I am now hopeful to get a reply.
Concerning the way to get information about a subscription, the trouble is that you need a subscriber's number....which I, of course, never got either!
I am -alas- not that surprised to see that other people do not get reply to their mail...it's a shame, as I'm sure that there are some really nice people there...but where / who are they? (I don't care for who are the "other ones"...).
With such publications of International reknown, incl. "professional Boatbuilder", things like this should not be: quite possibly, yes, someone in reading my WBM somewhere in VN (or has sold it in the street...!), but I just want to make sure, my requests do not stay ignored, and be able to eventually go back to VN post office with WBM's reply.
Anyway now, whatever may have happened, I just regret to have subscribed!

[Lucky Luke]

...and a little later, the story goes on: to nowhere!
No mail, no reply of any kind, no concern for these folks who, from far away where they are, can do nothing! But where they are, they can't buy WBM either, and nobody cares.
Shame on you!

[NormMessinger]

Ah, if only the world could be perfect....

[paladin]

...if I recall....from past experience.....you could subscribe to a dozen magazines and they probably would not get through the Vietnamese mail.....I gotz 11 years experience at that.....The Vn Government has a "fee" for commercial mail of that sort...or at one time they did....and held up magazines for a fee of about double the magazine sale price......

[Lucky Luke]

Yes Paladin, that was the case, and still does happen, but quite rarely nowadays as the VN govt. is very concerned by the tanished image image of VN in foreign countries, and long term jail sentences are now common for officials who do anything like that.
I did inquire at the VN post office, and they did effectively seem to take the thing very seriously, but (to save face) asked me to come back with a confirmation from the sender that this magazine was effectively send. That's all what I was asking to WBM people...with no success at all until....: Scott replied, and even by a direct mail to day.
I still can't know whether the last issue was effectively send or not, but things are moving!
And that's very much thanks to you fellow forumnites.
I am sure - to make that clear - that many people at WBM try their best to make this nice publication work and everything go smooth, but there is obviously a grain of sand in the machinery, somewhere!

[paladin]

Send me a valid mailing address to paladinsfo@olg.com and I will send a spare copy of my rag and see if it gets through.....

[Pagie]

Thanks Scott, I have sent them emails and have had no replies.

[Lucky Luke]

Yes, Pagie, things do move when contacting the right people: not only Scott was kind enough to go through all the hassle of tracing my subscription and all that, although this is not the departement he works in, but I had mail from <jessica@woodenboat.com> as well, who was the only person who replied after my posting on this forum e few months ago, and worked with Scott of this inquiry.
Scot will air-mail me the "missing" issues.
The snag in all that was, apparentely, due to a "confirmation" of my address which got recorded as a "changed" address, which postponed sending the magazines (for some administrative delays-dates-periods-aso...).
So, no surprise I did not receive something which was never sent!
Well, I am watching the postman now, and hope this story is over, but will not delete the topic as not only it shows that some care for us... and that some others care...less!
That subject had to be addressed.
And we shall follow your story, now, Pagie...

[daddles]

Well you can stop blaming the Vietnamese post because new subscriptions aren't getting to South Australia either. I haven't been mad enough to bug the Wooden Boat people but am not far off it - they got my money in June and still no rag. Perhaps I'm too patient. Note, I'm only mentioning this now because someone else mailed and the common reaction seemed to be to blame the Vietnam post.

As Luke suggested, the website is useless because all Wooden Boat have ever done is cash my credit card - they've never given me the magic number you need to use their 'service'. I'm sure I'll get my magazines eventually. I'm sure that once they start flowing, there'll be few hitches.

But, regardless of the excuses, you don't take a bloke's money and then delay shipping the goods.

Richard

edited to change the payment date to MAY. Now I am pissed off with the service and an email has been sent to the subscriptions dept.

[ 10-15-2003, 07:41 AM: Message edited by: daddles ]

[paladin]

well...folks...on the other hand.....I have sent out gift subscriptions from WB, including Oz...and they all went through fine and with no hitches.............. smile.gif smile.gif

[Pagie]

I'll keep my fingers crossed. Great site Richard. you forgot to mention that if bit by a redback you have to find a friend to suck out the poison. Thats why most people die.

[Graeme Forrest]

Perhaps Luke and the Aussies having subscription problems could try contacting Boat Books in Sydney
(enquiry@boatbooks-aust.com.au). They are the subscription agents for WB in our part of the world ( to the annoyance of NZ subscribers). I have been a subscriber since the early 80s. For many years the magazine used to appear in my mailbox fairly consistantly during the second week of the cover months (ie the Sept, Oct issue would arrive the second week of Sept), the mag being posted from somewhere in the middle of the US, Illinios I think, definitly not Maine. However about five years ago they changed the system and now send the Australasian subscription copies in bulk to Boat Books who then mail them out to the individual subscribers. The result is that the mag now arrives approx the third week of the second month of the cover date (Sept Oct issue late Oct, current issue is an exception, #174 arrived today). What is annoying to NZ subscribers is that the ship carrying the mags to Oz calls at NZ first and offloads copies for the local retail distributor, and the mag is frequently on sale at magazine retailers up to three weeks befor the subscription copy arrives !!!! Dont know is the subscription copy is significantly cheaper as the retail price varies each issue due to exchange rate fluctuations.

[daddles]

G'day Graeme,

The wallys on the west island causing strife again eh? Yeh. I'd be a wee bit annoyed if that happened to me too. Isn't it funny how the more global the world economy (read "big business") gets, the worse the service is. In my neck of the woods, the term 'user pays' is asking for punch on the nose. Look at this way, you kiwis are still beating us in the V8 Supercars.

I don't know about sucking out the Redback poison Pagie - the song that inspired the name refers to a part of the anotomy I ain't kissing for no-one. I've got to update that site, except the bits all look the same, just coated with epoxy now. Better get a hurry on - the weather's a warming and the winds are moderating.

Cheers
Richard

[Steve Paskey]

It's nice to see Scott's response to this, but when I had a problem with my subscription two years ago I e-mailed the subscription department up there in Brooklyn and got no response at all. Nothing, zip, nada. How's that for customer service?

So what did I do? I cancelled. Instead of subscribing, I thumb through the issues on the news stand, buy the better ones and skip the others. I seem to buy about half the issues in a given year -- less money than a subscription, and only half the shelf space.

It wouldn't work for someone in Vietnam, but it works well enough for me.

[ 10-20-2003, 10:02 PM: Message edited by: Steve Paskey ]

[Pagie]

Jessica and Scott have both contacted me and Jessica says I will soon get the mags. Apparently I was to get mine after Xmas. but am now going to get Sept/Oct and Nov/Dec issues. Can't wait. thank you all.

[Lucky Luke]

I received the "missing" issues, sent by Scott, a week ago. I fell that things will go smoothly now, and want to thank publicly both Scot and Jessica for their kindness and efficiency.

[Scott Haddad]

Apparently when a friend made a gift subscription for me a few months back, the first thing that the wooden boat folks did was to give my info to a bunch of tool cataloge companies. I have so far received three different issues of tool cataloges but no wooden boat mag....... What's up with that??? Oh and by the way, You can't do crap without the customer I.D.number which I never received so the website thing is a bust......

[ 11-05-2003, 10:01 AM: Message edited by: Scott Haddad ]

[Scot]

Hi Scott Haddad:

I believe your comment about the WB Subscription look-up is incorrect. I found Lucky Luke's info without the code number, and just did a test on a staff member without the code. I DID input last name, street address, State, and zip.

Regarding your getting tool catalogs, you should just email subscriptions@woodenboat.com and ask them to flag your account so as to not make your name/address available to others.

Cherio,

Scot

[Scott Haddad]

Hi Scott, Thank you for your timely reply. I guess that i'm too much of a computer dummy and I still cannot access any account info for myself. I filled in all of the fields and still got the error message. As far as the tool cataloges go, I'm not complaining about getting them, on the contrary I like them. I guess that I just need to let the Woodenboat wheels turn a little more. I love this site and your mag is fine, I just had a high frustration factor yesterday......Scott

[Pagie]

I got my mags. thanks Scott and Jesica. I still don't know my number. Got last months and next months. I don't have a zip code. I just tried to check my account and was told my state and zip don't match.

[ 11-07-2003, 04:03 AM: Message edited by: Pagie ]

[Scott Haddad]

Jessica and Scott have outdone themselves by figuring out my situation. Thanks guys! Scott smile.gif smile.gif

[ 11-10-2003, 03:02 PM: Message edited by: Scott Haddad ]

[Bob Adams]

Good Luck. I gave a gift subscription,2 years running. 6 months into the 2nd year I found none had been delivered. My renewal check sure got cashed though, and the order form showed the recipients correct address.Finally found they were sending them to the wrong address, however they would not send the back issues he missed nor would they credit my account or make a refund. Great publication. Rotten customer service.

[Bob Adams]

An update! The day after I posted the above, I recieved an e-mail addressing this issue. The person saw the posting. Maybe I should have come here 1st!

[Lucky Luke]

...the thing is, still, that we are now well into December, and, besides Scott's sending, nothng has reached my mailbox yet...well, I'm suppose to learn patience, Zen, and all this sort of things here, isn't it?