ME Subscription offers

[Allan FergusonParticipant @allanferguson31926]

[Allan FergusonParticipant @allanferguson31926]

I have been a reader of the magazine since about 1970, and a subscriber since about 1980. I've also been a subscriber to MEW for about ten years I yield to no-one in my admiration for the magazines, and I expect to be reading them on my deathbed, which I expect to be some time away. In all that time I've never had a free gift, and I observe, with a slight sense of irritation the frequent free gifts offered to new subscribers. I don't, and wouldn't buy the magazines for the free gifts, but I do resent that "johnny come lately" is better rewarded, and presumably more highly valued, than steady loyalty. Should I cancel and renew my subscription every six months?

Allan Ferguson

[Cyril BonnettParticipant @cyrilbonnett24790]

Allan

I feel the same way, in fact I feel that I am subsidising these 'free' gifts and myself have thought about cancelling and renewing every 6 months.

Cyril

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Cyril Bonnett on 06/08/2016 20:01:14:

I feel the same way, in fact I feel that I am subsidising these 'free' gifts and myself have thought about cancelling and renewing every 6 months.

Rather unfair – almost everything you scan sign up to these days has an 'introductory offer'.

All magazines have to use any trick in the book in order to attract e new subscribers without whom they would see their titles dwindle and fade away. The free gift is meant as a 'push' (or is it a pull) to attract new readers in the hope that once they see how jolly decent the mags are, they will stay…

If we didn't do the free gift offers, we wouldn't be able to reduce the cost – in fact the choices would be put up subscriptions as we would have fewer readers or (more likely) invest the cost of the free gifts in some other form of advertising or promotion to attract new readers!

However, unlike some publishers, any existing ME or MEW subscriber who wishes to have the free gift can just ring up before their renewal date and ask for the free gift instead and pay the full subs amount.

Neil

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

To put what Neil said in simple terms take a look at what you are paying when you renew your subs and the HIGHER price if you take out a new sub with the "free" gift and you will find you are not subsidising the gift.

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