newspaper vent

[dreamer]

Grr I have had my newspaper subscription for local paper for 20 yrs. I have seldom had problems with the delivery. But this morning I cannot find my paper out there. So I called. Used to be they would bring another if it was before 10 am. Well, they also used to deliver it to the porch, and now they deliver it anywhere in yard or driveway..... They said the manager did the route this morning. They said they no longer bring out papers. They said they are trying to keep costs from gas down. So they will extend my subscription by a day. Todays paper has all the new movie listings and all the events for the weekend. The garage sales. etc. I cannot access my paper online with my web tv.
GRR I am SO frustrated.

 

[nvts]

We've gone through that as well. My dad is 78 years old. His newspaper lands everywhere but on his porch. Since I live across the street, he'd check to see if I got mine, and if I did, I'd just give him mine.

One day I was walking up the stairs and I happened to notice a "hole" in the bushes under his front window. I parted the branches and sure enough there were over 15 newspapers throughout the bushes.

I put them all in a bag and the next day waited on the porch for the paper kid. I handed him the bag and told him that my Dad was to get free papers for two weeks and they were to be delivered by putting it between the screen door and front door. If this wasn't possible, I'd simply call the route manager and check about being reimbursed for the 3 weeks and hand the manager the bunch that I'd found.

Well, the mother came to the house and was all prepared to have a hissy fit until I showed her the bag of papers and the holes in the bushes.

My dad's paper is between the doors now.

But I'm getting sick and tired of "gas saving" measures at the expense of the customers. We still get prime service from the pizza guys because as gas was rising, we'd throw an extra buck or so over the normal tip because the kids pay for their own gas around here. But we made sure we said so. Now they wait to get a full load of orders before they send them out for deliveries and we're ALWAYS the first delivery on the round.

I'd send a letter to the circulation dept. and the editor and see what's going on. But I'd make a call this morning to the circulation manager (over the route manager) explaining that they refuse to accomodate you.

Call, call, call! It seems that that's all we're constantly having to do!

Beth

 

[dreamer]

When we first got the paper subscription, they used to always deliver it to the porch. Then they started to "miss" becuz adults do the route and deliver from their car, they give it a good toss, and where ever it lands, it lands. Then when I was at my most ill, I called and said Hey, I cannot walk, and I want it delivered to my porch, cuz I cannot get down my steps to go crawling thru my bushes or under my car looking everywhere for it. I sent extra large tip to try to make them honor that..it did no good.
Now that I can walk etc again, I kinda let it slide. I hoped that maybe if I did not need mine so precise, maybe they would extend the energy to someone else who might need it closer.
My kids used to deliver the weekly paper here, they sure did not get paid much. Lke $2 a week? for like 100 papers? My husband also delivered the weekly on the rural route by car, it was a free paper, and it cost him more for his car gas than he made delivering, but I insisted he do it, cuz it got him out of the house one afternoon a week, and *I needed him out, so I could have a break from him. LOL. But then our car ins co said they changed their rules and if he had an accident while doing the papers, they would not cover it......and the ins for delivery was prohibitively high, would cost much much more than husband made delivering the papers, so he stopped.
Several of my friends over the years have delivered our local paper, and I swear they said they must put the gas in the cars out of their own pocket.....so- I am not sure how the paper is saying the paper is trying to cut their costs?
I am getting so as it disturbs me even the higher ups do a lax job...at the paper, at fast food etc.....seems like nearly anything these days can be a fight to get people to do their job. Seems even when I ask for someone higher up- they all just simply stand there and shrug or just blow things off. I wish I did not like reading my darned paper so much, LOL. I wish I did have the ability to just read it online. Seems to me since it IS online and "free" they SHOULD treat those of us who still PAY for a subscription a little better.
Goodness it can be a full time job plus just trying to get people to do their jobs, I swear. Oh my, I could go on and on..LOL.but I guess I will stop here for now, DHs HS reunion is this weekend, and county fair is in town, and easy child is still sick, so I better get going around here.....But I feel like a part of the day is missing or undone without my morning paper. <sigh> LOL. Such a little thing in the big picture, but gosh.....it is important to me.

 

[trinityroyal]

Dreamer, sorry they're not responding well to your complaint.

I have a very big problem with poor customer service. It irks me to know end, and I'm prepared to be vocal about it.

You're right that local papers are struggling to keep paid subscribers because there is so much competition from free online services. If you're not getting satisfaction from the Route Manager, speak to the Circulation Manager. If that doesn't work, go higher up the chain until you find someone with enough power that he or she can bring the hammer down.

Keep detailed notes of every conversation. I have found that writing e-mail is the best way because then you can forward the whole conversation to the higher-up, who can see everything that was said on both sides. Be sure to keep your correspondence clear and polite, and just ask for what you want.

It stinks when people think it's no big deal to do their jobs badly, but the only way it's going to change is when those of us who suffer from it let management know what's going on at the front lines.

Hope you're able to sort it out.

Trinity

 

[meowbunny]

Strangely, I live in a community where we HAVE to have the newspaper. Online doesn't get all the info about upcoming events, etc. Our paper has a circulation of 37,000 and growing daily. Newspapers are delivered to our driveways. No exceptions (supposedly). They are delivered by adults. Obviously, if the newspaper chose to be petty and have bad customer relations, we'd be hostages to it and have no choice. Yet, if we don't get a paper for whatever reason or it gets soaked because we didn't pick it up fast enough, they will deliver a new paper to us. Not only that, the person making the drop off will only drop it off if we are home to personally accept it and he'll come back 10 times if necessary.

Our delivery person is a very nice lady who does not live in our community, has a large SUV and pays her own gas. I've seen her stop at certain houses that she knows has an invalid living in it and put their paper in their lanai on a table or something. I was once out on my lanai when she was delivering. She actually stopped and gave me my paper although I'm usually the last on the street to get a paper.

If my paper can do all of this and truly doesn't have to, there's no excuse for any other paper in this country to not deliver the paper. Absolutely. no. excuse!

 

[WhymeMom?]

Think I would call the paper and suggest that you will be calling advertisers because you are not receiving the coupons for their businesses. Then if no one moves on that CALL the advertisers with your story and that you would love to use their coupons, but didn't receive them because there was NO paper delivery to you.

 

[trinityroyal]

Think I would call the paper and suggest that you will be calling advertisers because you are not receiving the coupons for their businesses. Then if no one moves on that CALL the advertisers with your story and that you would love to use their coupons, but didn't receive them because there was NO paper delivery to you.

WMM, THAT is a great idea!