Why The Oregonian Must Better Address Subscriber Complaints or Risk the Sad yet Funny Path of the Boston Globe

Four months ago, my wife gave me two-year gift subscription to Mix, a new monthly food magazine from The Oregonian that is mailed to subscribers. One of the enticements to subscribe was the offer of a free cookbook. I've received a few issues of the of the magazine which I like for its innovative content and attractive layout. However, today I called The Oregonian, our state's largest circulation newspaper, to ask why I have not received the promised cookbook. The service representative was nice and told me that the she was aware that the book was late to many subscribers and that the paper "wouldn't deal with the guy who did that book anymore." However, when I pressed her about when I would receive the book, she told me that she had no idea. She took my number and said somebody would call me and that they're handling calls on a case-by-case basis.

If The Oregonian knows that there is an issue following through on one of their promises, why are they waiting to hear from subscribers to react? It would be smart to send a letter of apology to all subscribers expecting the book stating that there has been an unforeseen delay yet the book will arrive. In an age of rapidly diminishing circulation numbers for print publications, proactive customer service is the best way to hang onto existing subscribers to avoid nightmare scenarios like this video spoof about the steps that The Boston Globe must take to retain a highly diminished circulation.

Comments

[Scott Avery]

That is brilliant. We are in a thinning of the herd economy and businesses that lack any sense of committment to customers beyond receiving their money will be a thing of the past.

[Patrick Galvin]

We're certainly on the same page Scott. The amazing thing about this particular case is that I still haven't received a return call from The Oregonian telling me when I'm going to receive the book that was promised to my wife when she subscribed. I'm also surprised that nobody from The Oregonian has addressed this blog post. Isn't somebody from their circulation department monitoring what people are saying in social media?

[Marsha]

We just got a notice from the Oregonian saying our subscription will change this fall to a "weekend package" or something. We've told salespeople several times that we don't want MORE paper to recycle. It may sound weird, but it takes us most of the week to get through the Sunday paper. The others would just automatically get tossed. We're probably going to drop our subscription, because it's not what we want. Not smart.

[Patrick Galvin]

Hey Marsha,

I totally understand where you coming from. My wife keeps threatening to cancel The Oregonian because she hates all the wasted paper when we can read it online. With its subscribers rapidly dwindling, The Oregonian would be wise to listen to what you want not what they want to sell.

Thanks for reading the blog!

Best,
Patrick

[Linda Condon]

AND, the Oregonian customer service denies responsibility for classified ads purchased through their online presence, OREGONLIVE. The ad I paid $131 for by credit card did not appear. The OREGONIAN and OREGONLIVE advertise and sell classifieds jointly. The Oregonian should accept some responsibility for ensuring that ads placed on OREGONLIVE are published properly or stop accepting money for ads ordered through OregonLive. Can't have it both ways.