Friday, March 19, 2010

Not Happy, Jan!

Let me start by telling you how much I love the delicious. magazine. It has contributions from lots of my favourite foodie-types, both local and international. In every issue I can find something to make for dinner that very night, something special to serve and impress guests and something interesting that will challenge me either in the cooking arena or taste-wise. In fact I love it some much that about 18 months ago I asked Hubby for a subscription for my birthday. It was duly organised and now I get my copy of delicious. delivered to my door each and every month. And that's where I start being not quite so pleased.
There's no discount on the subscription. Lots of mags offer a percentage discount when you subscribe, you know 10% off or 3 free issues or some such. Not here, but that's okay because I love the mag so I'd buy it at full price from the newsagent anyway, right?
Generally the current issue has been in the shops several days, or on some occasions two full weeks, before my issue arrives in my mail box. I used to subscribe to a scrapbooking mag and they made a big deal of the fact that it arrived at your house before it arrived in the store. And it always did. This one? Not so much.
You know the freebies that sometimes come with mags? Yeah, subscribers of delicious. don't tend to get them. We get the odd thing - the free calico shopping bag a couple of months ago was one that we did get (nice and all but nothing I don't already have 15 or so of). But the salad servers sometime last year or the recipe booklet this month? No, they didn't go to subscribers. Why not? I don't know, but as an unimpressed subsriber I guess they figure they've already goto our money so they don't have to entice us with pretty things.
So tell me, why would I bother with a mag that treats its subscribers so poorly? Any other magazine I've bought has made a big deal of its subscribers - special offers, discounts, lots of freebies, etc. I guess it's a good thing that I really do like delicious. month after month. I certainly won't be renewing my subscription but I'll probably continue to buy the magazine. The day it comes out, with freebies attached.

6 comments:

Melody said...

*urgh* How annoying for you. Have you contacted them directly? Maybe send an email stating what you have either and I wonder what'll happen?...

Chantalle said...

I'm a big advocate for complaining, in writing, you could even send them a screenshot of your blog along with your hit counter.

Companies almost always give you something just for complaining. If there was the prospect of some free advertising here, they may be even more generous.

Give it a shot.

Chantalle said...

PS - If you subscribe through ABC there's no discount, but some of the on-sellers have a discount, eg taste.com.au - I know, it doesn't make sense. You'd probably still miss out on the freebies though.

Tracy B said...

If you have an Entertainment Book there's a discount voucher for Delicious in there. I subscribed for about five years but didn't renew last year as I got tired of the recycling of recipies and really couldn't stand Matt Preston.

Red Dirt Mummy said...

Nah, I haven't complained to them. Yet. This was kind of a heat-of-the-moment post; I was just so annoyed when I saw the new issue in the shops last week, with the recipe booklet attached, and then received mine a couple of days later with no extras. I will email them next week!

Trish said...

I have umm'ed and ahh'ed about subscribing, but you've talked me out of it. I didn't know subscribers miss out on the freebies. I thought about subscribing last month when they were giving away 15 KitchenAid mixers but I missed the deadline for that. You should definitely write a letter.