BRM subscription: "Turn It On Again"

[signalmaintainer]

Update: This is Saturday, and I received not one but three e-mails from Collette Dimbleby at Warners about my missing issues of BRM. They've been experiencing, from what I can gather, some very frustrating distributor and Internet problems, and are working to resolve both matters.

 

Here's my reply:

 

Hello Collette, Just got on the family computer and see you took time on a Saturday afternoon to write me. Thank you!

I still have not received the March issue of BRM. I do understand about the shipping woes BRM is experiencing, having been on the staff of Model Railroader once upon a time and a newspaper editor for years before that. Things do go missing from time to time. You taking time to contact me on a weekend, however, is especially appreciated! Thank you for sending out the April issue as well. Best regards, Paul Schmidt

 

 

Someone taking the time on a weekend to contact me gets a tip of the hat!

 

 

Below was posted Friday, March 12:

 

"Paperlate": Back in mid-January my regular delivery of BRM ceased, even though my wife had renewed my sub as a Christmas gift. Sent the obligatory e-mail to Warner's Publications subscription department seeking help. In fact, I sent the e-mail three times: no response. Not even an automated, "We're busy, buzz off."

 

The fourth time I sent an e-mail to Richard Wilson, on the editorial staff of BRM, who quickly placed a copy of the missing January and the new February issues in the mail. (They were followed by two more copies of the January issue presumably sent by someone else at Warners!)

 

"No Reply At All": Well, March is here, the trees are budding, birds singing in the morning -- and no March 2010 BRM. Per the established postal delivery pattern, I should have received the March issue on or about Feb. 28.

 

I contacted Warners subscription department by e-mail on Monday -- no reply. Just as if they weren't there. Or didn't care.

 

"Los Endos": This kind of treatment of a customer is unacceptable. BRM can tout its 200th issue until the cows come home. But if they persist in this level of poor service, how likely is it that they will reach 300? One thing is for certain: unless something is done soon to correct my missing subscription, one of their competitors will have a new U. S. subscriber!

 

And yes, I've read topic http://www.rmweb.co...._0entry100318. Why should their busyness be my problem?

[DougN]

I find this quite strange for BRM from this side of the Earth (Australia). Once I have rung them (yes it is late in the evening our time) they have arranged a mag to be sent to me. One time they did ring me back at 4AM....Though I do find it disappointing when when it didn't turn up for 2 months. So a phone call and the issues were re- sent which I received and read. the bizarre thing was I think I received 3 issues in the one week! serious reading ensued! . SO in the about 6 years that I have had the subscription I have had about 3 or 4 issues not received.

 

Though another issue the I have is the subscription rates have jumped for over seas by a whopping 55% from 65 quid to 100quid. So my subscription days might be numbered as I can buy the mag 2 months latter for about the 65Quid mark. Airmail is not worth that much to me. However I may take out the subscription to the Hornby mag instead.

 

I still think that BRM has/ had a great collection of contributors though in the last 6months it has dropped from the high standard.

 

SO after all this my suggestion is to ring them at 8.30AM your time and you will get straight through.

[McRuss]

I'm also disappointed with BRM. I made my sucription in early December last year. And it was paid on 4th of December. I received a mail that the delivery will took up to 28 days. But in early February there was still no issue send to me, so I send them an email and asked about the status of my suscription. They told me then that the February issue should be with me shortly. Until now I havn't received any issue.

I send them another email about three weeks ago, but received no reply. So on monday I send them another one with an date to reply or to send me an issue. The mail got an automatic reply. So I know that it was read on Tuesday, but still no response from them.

May be I will made a phone call to them next week, and when the result is not to my satisfaction, maybe I choose some legal actions against them.

 

Markus

[Scottish Modeller]

Update: This is Saturday, and I received not one but three e-mails from Collette Dimbleby at Warners about my missing issues of BRM. They've been experiencing, from what I can gather, some very frustrating distributor and Internet problems, and are working to resolve both matters.

 

Here's my reply:

 

Hello Collette, Just got on the family computer and see you took time on a Saturday afternoon to write me. Thank you!

I still have not received the March issue of BRM. I do understand about the shipping woes BRM is experiencing, having been on the staff of Model Railroader once upon a time and a newspaper editor for years before that. Things do go missing from time to time. You taking time to contact me on a weekend, however, is especially appreciated! Thank you for sending out the April issue as well. Best regards, Paul Schmidt

 

 

Someone taking the time on a weekend to contact me gets a tip of the hat!

 

 

Below was posted Friday, March 12:

 

"Paperlate": Back in mid-January my regular delivery of BRM ceased, even though my wife had renewed my sub as a Christmas gift. Sent the obligatory e-mail to Warner's Publications subscription department seeking help. In fact, I sent the e-mail three times: no response. Not even an automated, "We're busy, buzz off."

 

The fourth time I sent an e-mail to Richard Wilson, on the editorial staff of BRM, who quickly placed a copy of the missing January and the new February issues in the mail. (They were followed by two more copies of the January issue presumably sent by someone else at Warners!)

 

"No Reply At All": Well, March is here, the trees are budding, birds singing in the morning -- and no March 2010 BRM. Per the established postal delivery pattern, I should have received the March issue on or about Feb. 28.

 

I contacted Warners subscription department by e-mail on Monday -- no reply. Just as if they weren't there. Or didn't care.

 

"Los Endos": This kind of treatment of a customer is unacceptable. BRM can tout its 200th issue until the cows come home. But if they persist in this level of poor service, how likely is it that they will reach 300? One thing is for certain: unless something is done soon to correct my missing subscription, one of their competitors will have a new U. S. subscriber!

 

And yes, I've read topic http://www.rmweb.co...._0entry100318. Why should their busyness be my problem?

 

Hi there,

 

First - It seems that there is some sort of distribution problem with BRM - Mu UK March copy arrived late.

 

However,

 

If you have sent email to them today - there are a couple of points that you appear to have overlooked!

 

1 - This is Friday - a specific Friday - Good Friday

 

2 - As this is Good Friday, it means it is a Bank Holiday and also Easter weekend

 

3 - As it is Easter weekend, it means that it is York Model Railway Exhibition

 

4 - As it is York Model Railway Exhibition, it means that Warners and BRM will be at York Model Railway Exhibition

 

5 - As they are at York Model Railway Exhibition, it means there may be no one at the Warners office to respond.

 

In spite of this - I agree you should have had some sort of response or solution as the problem has been a longer term situation.

 

Yes - It would be good if they put up an automated response saying something, even if it was a simple response:-

 

'Thank you for contacting us - We are at York Model Railway Exhibition this weekend and will respond once we return to the office'

 

Let's hope the solution is presented quickly and everything sorted out.

 

Thanks

[shortliner]

....and the previous week they were doing Ally Pally - however I can't believe the ENTIRE staff were there! If they were, Warners need to get some sorting out done in the offices.

[Ravenser]

In fairness , Warners organise Ally Pally, with the MRC dealing with the layouts/voluntary side . So that's one show where the whole office just might have been committed for the weekend

[signalmaintainer]

Hi there,

 

First - It seems that there is some sort of distribution problem with BRM - Mu UK March copy arrived late.

 

However,

 

If you have sent email to them today - there are a couple of points that you appear to have overlooked!

 

1 - This is Friday - a specific Friday - Good Friday

 

2 - As this is Good Friday, it means it is a Bank Holiday and also Easter weekend

 

3 - As it is Easter weekend, it means that it is York Model Railway Exhibition

 

4 - As it is York Model Railway Exhibition, it means that Warners and BRM will be at York Model Railway Exhibition

 

5 - As they are at York Model Railway Exhibition, it means there may be no one at the Warners office to respond.

 

 

 

Had you checked the date of my initial post, you would have seen the date of March 11. My communications with Warners in context with the posting occurred in early March, a good while before Good Friday.

 

And yes, everything is sorted out -- for now.

[griffgriff]

Had you checked the date of my initial post, you would have seen the date of March 11. My communications with Warners in context with the posting occurred in early March, a good while before Good Friday.

 

And yes, everything is sorted out -- for now.

 

I like their attitude...It obviously shows that they care for their customers

 

The staff on the stand tried to sell me a subscription when I bought the new issue of BRM... I wonder why I declined the invitation

[Dicky W]

Hi everyone

 

Been watching this posting with interest. Warners itself is quite a large organisation - we do have our own subscriptuion department - so don't worry when we're at shows there's still plenty of people back at the office. I'm concerned that the department is not working as well as it can. If you have any problems, let me know, or as before, contact Collette Dimbleby who is the head of the department. Warners run a mumber of their own magazines as well as offering a subscription service for others, so the staff there are under pressure, though it's still worrying that some 'slip through the net'.

 

Regards