Car magazine subscriptions

[Jeffrey B.]

I subscribe to a very popular Corvette magazine who's title starts with the letter V. I don't understand why the June issue is in my hands in March with a cover that says it's my last issue and I need to renew my subscription. What ever happened to the days when you received a magazine in the month that was printed on the cover?

[Patrick H.]

Re: Car magazine subscriptions

I subscribe to a very popular Corvette magazine who's title starts with the letter V. I don't understand why the June issue is in my hands in March with a cover that says it's my last issue and I need to renew my subscription. What ever happened to the days when you received a magazine in the month that was printed on the cover?

Those days are long gone.

First, the subscribers need to get the issue before the newsstands. You don't want the subscribers to feel like they're behind. As a result that adds a few weeks - unless we're discussing Auto(no longer)Week(ly).
Second, the "monthly creep forward" started years ago in an effort to get a head of the other magazines. I even recall when a magazine purposely skipped 2 months in order to match their competitors.

So, now you get June's issue in March.

[Jeffrey B.]

Re: Car magazine subscriptions

Interesting; Thanks for your reply.
Jeff

[Stuart F.]

Re: Car magazine subscriptions

I've learned to keep close tabs on my subscriptions because soon after I'd renew, I would get another renewal urging me (in fine print) to "extend" my subscription. I found myself extending years out. Now I keep a file on each magazine renewal writing down when I renewed and for how long and how much I paid. recently I got a renewal notice from R & T. I ignored it as it was one I'd planned to drop. Next thing I get is an "invoice" for the renewal, followed a few months later with another with a further out "pay by date". It's a racket.I recently came about a subscription for "Autoweek Magazine". This one magazine fulfills all me needs of keeping current on Detroit, all the racing series, as well as the new car scene. As a result, I'm "trying" to drop C & D (which I never liked, but it was cheap), R & T, and MT (the latter comes in second place). There is nothing I hate worse than a multi car test that I can always predict the #1 test car, i.e. Honda or BMW. I get sick of it and all the excuses they use to justify their conclusions are just so much BS.Stu Fox

[Jeffrey B.]

Re: Car magazine subscriptions

Some subscription services that represent magazine publishers like to see credit card subscribers. Many times the fine print on their advertising says they will automatically renew your subscription when it expires unless you notify them and tell them you do not want a renewal.

[Reba W.]

Re: Car magazine subscriptions

Stuart has a good idea in keeping a personal log of subscriptions. Dick has even received renewal notices for magazines he doesn't subscribe to. We also wound up paying for a year of XM Radio when the unit was sitting on a shelf because of the automatic renewal policy.

[Paul H.]

Re: Car magazine subscriptions

We just went through a big hassle with AUTOMOBILE MAGAZINE. They cashed our check for 3 years of a subscription to their magazine and never sent us an issue over the next 6 months. When we called they claimed we needed to address it with their subscription provider. After over a month of them both pointing the fingers at each other and NUMEROUS phone calls and threats to go to the Attorney General's Office they agreed to start sending us the magazine. I told them I wanted my money refunded if this is the way they do business. Well, several more phone calls later and the check is supposedly in the mail. We'll see.

Corvette Enthusiast sold many subscriptions on the premise that it would be a dedicated Corvette magazine. They morphed into Auto Enthusiast, a Ford/Chevy/Corvette/Mopar publication with about 8 pages of Corvette material and then refused to refund any money.

Kind of makes you shy away from the print media.