Mar 31 2008
Newspaper Service
There’s an oxymoron, newspaper SERVICE. If you’re a busy woman like me, most of your news comes from the internet when you find snippets of time to catch up on what is happening in your surroundings. Unfortunately, if for some other reason you want the Sunday paper delivered, the Sunday paper alone, you put yourself in the precarious position of having to be interrupted more often than not to subscribe to a paper everyday of the week.
Look, I like the Sunday newspaper for a few reasons, my reasons being sale advertisements and coupons, the Parade and Neighborhood supplements, and my husband likes to read the comics. Now for those reasons alone I get one paper a week. And since I’m busy and don’t have a chance to stop somewhere during the weekend to pick up the Sunday newspaper, I subscribe. What a fool I am? Don’t chime in all at once…
Now in the last six months I had the opportunity to get the weekly newspaper for free, for about twelve weeks or so. I never read the direct mail they sent me telling me this would happen because I never wanted to buy anything else. I was busy and when I realized that what I thought was a complimentary paper for a week was running over a week I called and was told about my free newspaper that would run through the holidays.
Okay, maybe I’ll check it out and see if it is worth it. It is a free newspaper, perhaps it will pay off with extra advertisements over the holidays. Basically, we never read it. My husband wanted to put a garbage receptacle at the end of the drive for the newspaper man. I said the freebie is almost over; don’t worry about it.
Next thing I know at the start of the New Year I’m debited early for my Sunday paper with additional charges as a new weekly newspaper subscriber. Ummm….thanks, but no thanks…and I have to waste my time on another phone call. Thanks for taking my money, at an unscheduled time from my checking account for a service I didn’t want.
You think that would be the end of it. Not so lucky. I made the mistake of answering the phone one day and Mr. Newspaper-Telemarketer tells me I can get a complimentary paper for a week at of course no charge to me. No, I don’t want it. “But it’s free.” And you won’t charge me? “No, it is complimentary, please hold the line.” I really want to be on hold for a newspaper I don’t want…..the lady comes on says “Is this 123 Your Home Address?”…Yes but…. “Thank you, you’ll receive your complimentary paper starting Thursday,” click.
Yes, I’m receiving another complimentary paper that I don’t want… my No’s didn’t work so I tried to call them up today, because I’m sure it is past the week now; and I haven’t a clue when they will debit my account because it seems to be a floating algorithm based on when they want to steal my money each quarter. Low and behold they have the greatest job on earth, as the newspaper workers take calls from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. during the week.
Is it really worth it to lose regular customers over this? Are you tired of the hard sell? Are you tired of being talked down to because your idea of a free ride is different than their idea of a free ride? What is your biggest service complaint?
