Time to Say Goodbye

[Colin WhittakerParticipant @colinwhittaker20544]

[Colin WhittakerParticipant @colinwhittaker20544]

An archive that can't be viewed because of obsolete software to view.

No online editions of MEW and ME for months.

And now a reminder that my subscription is expiring!

I've taken that as a reminder to cancel my direct debits.

Ant ideas for a replacement home engineering subscription?

In sorrow, Colin

[Jeff DaymanParticipant @jeffdayman43397]

It's in a sad mess to be sure.

I have had great reliability of delivery and pretty good content with Engineering In Miniature. Worth a look. Cheers.

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Have you tried viewing your subscription on Pocketmags using your ME or MEW subscription number? Seems to be the standard advice from those who know about such things.

Seems to have been extra problems reported here lately due to changeover of magazine ownership and systems etc. The company/ies don't seem to be telling subscribers up front about the Pocketmags option, which would save a lot of grief by the sound of things.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

As hopper says I always advise to view the latest edition son Pocketmags and do that on a regular basis. They are there to view on a better viewer and with the option to print and view offline.

Details of how to use the Pocketmags viewer can always be found by clicking "digital" on the black bar towards the top of the page

Edited By JasonB on 09/05/2022 07:16:48

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Just looked at your previous post Colin and not sure how you can say "no online editions for months" when it seems you have been able to get them on Pocketmags?

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

I would reckon that with the post pandemic period going straight into a takeover situation subscribers will just have to be patient and wait for the new ME gang to sort themselves out, and that could take a few months

[Maurice TaylorParticipant @mauricetaylor82093]

Hi, I have both issues upto date and can read all back issues of MEW and ME back to 4154.

using Pocketmags and 7 year old mini ipad

Maurice

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

I don't use the Internet for any regular publications but the latest printed edition of ME arrived safely last week, so the "new ME gang" are at off to a good start there, at least.

The only noticeable difference is the "Mortons" trade-mark and services addresses. Mortons are the publishers, not the printer or distributors. Those functions are handed by a Wolverhampton and a London-based company, respectively.

[KWILParticipant @kwil]

My subscriptions have continued during the changeover WITHOUT fail, so why do some appear to have a problem?

Incidently my other subscriptions with Mortons have always been prompt.

[larry phelan 1Participant @larryphelan1]

Perhaps all customers are equal, but some are more equal than others ?

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Ian, it would help to know if you have a paper or digital subscription.

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

No complaints here with either delivery or content. I prefer reading paper to a computer screen and am happy to wait for the postal service to deliver. Issues don't arrive at a precise time, so I don't get into a froth at the first sign of trouble. With one exception, the magazines have always turned up early and late. The exception was when the Royal Mail lost an entire pallet full of magazines destined for a blob of the South West covering parts of Somerset, Wiltshire, Dorset and Hampshire. Gosh it was exciting!

I don't get quite the same thrill from ME and MEW as I did when the hobby was all new and shiny to me, but both mags usually contain a few treats and every so often an edition arrives that must have been written specially for me! I guess some unlucky folk occasionally get mags with nothing in 'em. But this is down to taste and changing interest. I don't buy magazines unless they keep me happy – it's a personal choice. Jeff Dayman recommends 'Engineering in Miniature' instead – fine publication I know, but it's not my cup of tea. I've tried it!

Delivery is another issue entirely. The postal service I get is excellent – very few delays and stuff going missing is almost unknown. Not everyone is so lucky. A friend in Thailand says less than half his mail gets to him! Whether it's fair to blame MyTimeMedia or 'the New Gang' for poor delivery is a moot point, especially now. Having been involved in a few mergers and major reorganisations myself, I recommend cutting the new gang some slack. If it can go wrong, it will.

Just a fun observation: my job was so skilled and enormously difficult it's amazing how brilliantly I performed; I deserved a medal. Your job would have been done better by a demented chimp and there would be no problems if only you pulled your finger out and stopped being a total plonker; your kind deserve a good thrashing. I put it to the jury that both perceptions are wrong!

And COVID is still causing lots of workforce disruption, even though us pensioners fink it should all be over by now. It isn't…

Dave

[John HinkleyParticipant @johnhinkley26699]

Page 29 of MEW May issue says the June issue – 316 – is due out on June 20th. Is this an error or to do with the change of ownership?

John

[mgnbukParticipant @mgnbuk]

Ant ideas for a replacement home engineering subscription?

Readly ?

ME, MEW, EiM & the German magazine Maschinen im Modelbau all on there now (along with 6000+ other titles) for £9.99 a month. The latest issue of ME was posted late last week. Not much in the way of back issues for ME (current + 2 previous) & non for MEW yet (just latest issue), but EiM & MiM have both been on Readly for a while & there can be couple of years worth of older issues.

I use Readly on an old Tesco Hudl. Copies can be saved to the device memory for reading offline, but I am unaware of any print options. You can try Readly FOC for 2 months before the monthly charge kicks in & the subscription can be accessed by up to 6 (IIRC) e-mail addresses linked to the main account.

Not an option if you want to build up a paper archive, but if you read & pass on (or recycle) paper copies & have a suitable device it might be worth a look.

Nigel B.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Ian, in that case it is more likely to be a local delivery issue as all the mags are bulk posted and no other reports of missing ones so if it does not show up contact subscriptions about a replacement.

[Martin King 2Participant @martinking2]

Hi Jason,

I would like to use Pocketmags but have no idea where my subscription number might be.

I have had the digital option now for years and just use the forum viewer but it is a bit clunky so thought I might try what you suggest.

Cheers Martin

[David-Clark 1Participant @david-clark1]

Good news about ME and MEw on readly., I have been using readily for several years. I read Engineering In Miniature, Garden Rail and similar titles. My ex wife reads all the womens mags and TV guides so I save a fortune.

Right, off for a read.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Martin, the easiest way as you will have entered your subs number to view the online archive is to click "settings" top left of the green bar and just scroll down your details to the box with your subs number(s) in.

[Andy ChancerParticipant @andychancer17241]

Posted by Ady1 on 09/05/2022 08:52:56:

I would reckon that with the post pandemic period going straight into a takeover situation subscribers will just have to be patient and wait for the new ME gang to sort themselves out, and that could take a few months

No way,that shouldnt wash at all.If someone is PAYING for a subscription every month or whenever its billed,then the item should be there-no excuses.I was tempted to subscribe online myself,as i end up with magazines everywhere and its a convenient way to read,but after seeing nothing but bad comments on here i shall remain a luddite for a little while yet!

[John HinkleyParticipant @johnhinkley26699]

I'm now in a position to answer my earlier question about the June issue, as it has just plopped through the letterbox! Skipping through it, though, it seems the same thing has happened again, the July issue apparently not due until July 22nd, not June.

John

 

Edited By John Hinkley on 17/05/2022 10:53:46

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

Posted by Andy Chancer on 09/05/2022 18:33:40:

Posted by Ady1 on 09/05/2022 08:52:56:

I would reckon that with the post pandemic period going straight into a takeover situation subscribers will just have to be patient and wait for the new ME gang to sort themselves out, and that could take a few months

No way,that shouldnt wash at all.If someone is PAYING for a subscription every month or whenever its billed,then the item should be there-no excuses.

…

'No excuses' sounds good, but in this world nothing is guaranteed to happen – we might all be dead tomorrow.

Read the small-print before buying anything. For example, having a ticket doesn't guarantee your train will run on time, or that there will be a seat (even if reserved), or that any trains will run at all. The usual arrangement when things go wrong is money back or similar.

A method of guaranteeing delivery of services or products would be worth a lot of money. So far no-one has achieved it.

UK consumers have 'rights' but for unavoidable practical reasons they're well short of Andy's expectation. If the new owners can't deliver a reasonable product to most of their customers most of the time, they'll go bust. In which case, none of us get our magazines and we'd have to start our own forum!

Dave

[Andy ChancerParticipant @andychancer17241]

Youve pretty much summed up what I was saying,something isn’t delivered it will get cancelled.Using covid/post pandemic whatever the latest buzz word is today just isn’t an acceptable reason anymore.I hope the affected subscribers have their issues dealt with quickly.

[PatJParticipant @patj87806]

Hope for the best, but have a backup plan, as they say.

Edit:

I saw a comic strip one time, I believe it was "Wizard of Iz" (that sort of dates me doesn't it?).

The king was watching Rodney wage a huge battle, but they were losing the fight.

The king tells Rodney "We are losing the battle, better use the backup plan.".

Rodney says "Right………..Ok men……….BAAAAAACKKKKKKKUUPPPPPPP !!!!!!!!! ".

 

Edited By PatJ on 17/05/2022 12:35:27

[David-Clark 1Participant @david-clark1]

Hi Kohn Hinckley. July issue published 22 July is an error or total stupidity.

A July issue is usually published towards the end of June so it is not out of date on newsagents shelves. Who wants to buy a July issue in the middle of August?

[Author]

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