Yet Another Digital Subscription gone AWOL

[Gone AwayParticipant @goneaway]

[Gone AwayParticipant @goneaway]

My digital subscription to MEW stopped working.

 

I started it on 4 March 2011. It’s possible that the current issue is my last but shouldn’t I at least have access for the full year?

[TerrydParticipant @terryd72465]

Hi Sid,

 

Especially as there is no way of downloading a copy in order to archive it as you would a printed magazine unless you save page by page. That is the problem with this system, it is ephemeral and keeps you paying year after year.

 

Good old MHS and their paranoia.

 

Terry

[russellParticipant @russell]

i had this exact problem last year. because the ‘last’ magazine of your subscription has been delivered, you are turned off. Never mind you didnt have time to read it.

 

If you continue your subscription there is no problem. If you dont, then i’d think you have a case for non-delivery.

 

(the only official way of getting a copy to keep is of course print edition. They aren’t really selling ‘digital copies’ – just online access)

 

 

edit: just checked my access – its gone too. No reminder, but it looks like i renewed last January.  nothing like great customer service to keep your customers. Whats EIM like these days? 

 

 

regards

 

russ

Edited By russell on 05/02/2012 06:30:16

[David Clark 13Participant @davidclark13]

Hi Sid

Looks like a problem with your subscription.

There is no expiry date on the system but it is showing as lapsed.

I can check it out tomorrow.

regards David

 

 

[TerrydParticipant @terryd72465]

Hi,

 

Other online editions of popular magazines usually offer it as downloadable pdf and give permission to keep a hard disk copy and one backup. I know that EPE (Everyday Practical Electronics) certainly does, along with other magazines from the same publisher – albeit with a copyright caveat like DVDs etc.

 

This publisher appears to be paranoid about piracy. If someone wishes to profit by piracy they can still do so, admittedly with some difficulty, but if the profit was great enough they would be prepared to do it. However the attitude of MHS is having a very negative and alienating effect on many customers as frequent comments on here shows, and how many others don’t we hear about.

 

The music industry worries about piracy yet will sell me copies of music which, if I was so inclined, I could make many copies and sell, but I don’t. Why are MHS so paranoid?

 

T

[John Stevenson 1Participant @johnstevenson1]

Posted by Terryd on 05/02/2012 09:59:28:

Hi,

 

This publisher appears to be paranoid about piracy. If someone wishes to profit by piracy they can still do so, admittedly with some difficulty, but if the profit was great enough they would be prepared to do it. However the attitude of MHS is having a very negative and alienating effect on many customers as frequent comments on here shows, and how many others don’t we hear about.

T

 

 

I don’t know why they are this way. There is evidence out there that shows if a product is affordable then it doesn’t get ripped off. One example is Autocad and solid works, thousands of bootleg copies flying about. Now try finding a coy of Deltacad or Viacad ?

Don’t exist because they cost less tan £50 – £75 and it’s not worth anyone’s effort.

 

First thing I do when the mag comes out in electronic format is to copy it to my hard drive, takes 5 minutes and don’t ask how. This is purely for my own use, in fact the last three mags are still in their grey bags, put them away yesterday.

I have from issue 1 to 186 all stored on the hard drive and backed up on two DVD’s.

 

I also have from issue 1 to 186, in print, over in the workshop office.

 

I am not the only one who is capable of doing this but all it takes is some enterprising oik in India to spot the niche and the genie is out the bottle.

 

There will always be people who want the printed copy and will pay the subscription but there is a market for back issues that can’t be supplied in print format, is say N0#23 available as a back issue ?

 

We are nearly up to No# 200 so how about 2 DVD’s, 1 to 100 and 101 to 200 for £29.99, the same as a subscription ?

 

John S.

Edited By John Stevenson on 05/02/2012 12:20:57

[Gone AwayParticipant @goneaway]

Posted by David Clark 1 on 05/02/2012 08:44:22:

Hi Sid

Looks like a problem with your subscription.

There is no expiry date on the system but it is showing as lapsed.

I can check it out tomorrow.

regards David

 

 

Thanks, David …. ‘preciate it.

[David Clark 13Participant @davidclark13]

Hi Sid

All sorted.

I thought we had cured this a while back.

When the last issue is available the subscription changes to lapsed so this gives you no time to read the last one.

 

They will sort it out again.

I think the only way is to give 13 months access to digital subscriptions which would give you 12 months and one day.

regards David

 

 

Edited By David Clark 1 on 06/02/2012 09:36:33

[Brian BParticipant @brianb]

Hi everyone.

 

Last November my Model Engineer subscription ran out. I decided to ‘go digital’, so I paid my money on line and waited, and waited. Eventually I received a subscription number which I typed in, you’ve guessed it, it didn’t work. I sent an email to the subscriptions department. It goes without saying that they didn’t reply. I decided to phone them and after several attempts someone answered.

 

It was explained to me that my card had been rejected by the bank,(that’s never happened before), so I asked why they had sent me a subscription number. Needless to say they were clueless.

 

I suggest that the publishers are not paranoid, but more probably incompetent.

 

I’ve not bought a copy of Model Engineer since, and I suggest every one else does the same.Then we might see an improvement.

 

Brian.

[Gone AwayParticipant @goneaway]

David, thanks for your help.

 

Perhaps what they need to do is to start subscriptions at a specific point in the publishing process (just before or just after a new issue) rather than starting them at some random time … which might lead to some people actually getting more than a year’s worth of new issues off their year’s subscription.

 

Perhaps that’s what worries the subscription people so they cut it off after a year’s issues by reducing the overall access period. Unfortunately that also reduces access to past issues to below a year which is not really fair.

 

(Hope you can make sense of that – I can’t on a re-read).

 

[Les Jones 1Participant @lesjones1]

The way Everyday Practical Electronics do their subscriptions seems to work well.

When you subscribe you are given the option of three issues as the first one you wish to receive. For instance now you would be given the option of starting with the February (the issue that has been out for almost a month.) , The March, (Due out in the next few days.), or the April issue. They then send you an email with a code for each of the next twelve months which allows you to download the issue when it is available from their website. I have subscribed to it for several years without having a problem.

Les.

[David Clark 13Participant @davidclark13]

The way we do it is to give you access to MEW for much more than 20 years, not just 3 issues.

regards David

 

 

[David Clark 13Participant @davidclark13]

The way we do it is to give you access to MEW for much more than 20 years, not just 3 issues.

regards David

 

 

[David Clark 13Participant @davidclark13]

Hi Sid

The problem as I see it is that digital issues are based on paper subscriptions as digital was not thought ofr when the wrote the database.

(Not our database in case you suggest we alter it.)

regards David

[Gray62Participant @gray62]

I have avoided buying into the so called digital subscription for pretty much all of the reasons outlined above.

I don’t really want paper copies, and am running out of space to store both ME and MEW – BUT >>> If I cannot easily download the digital issues I have subscribed to, then why pay £30 for a years mags only to NOT have them at the end of the subscription, surely there is some legal precedence here, if you have paid for something, then you are entitled to have it – forever!!. If I buy a paper copy, I have that, and I also have access to the digital issues, If I pay for a digital subscription, I should have the same. I should have the digital issue forever.

MHS are, incompetent and paranoid to the extreme.- it took me 6 months just to get a replacement for a non delivered issue, even though they had it listed as a back issue for 5 of those 6 months!

It is a shame because both ME and MEW are generally good publications, but I am being tempted away by other publications which seem to have better respect for their customers.

 

respect

 

Graeme

[Ian OwenParticipant @ianowen39031]

I have to say that the inability of downloading the digital copy is different to every other digital magazine I get……and the conveinience of being able to read any magazine without being connected to the internet is the way of the future.

Lets face it less paper required for printing all these digital books and magazines, less storage space required, I can take all my magazines and books on a trip and be able to read/reread them at will, can't do that with a paper magazine.

For 30 pound to just have access to back issues of MEW for a year isn't bad, if you don't have all the back issues, but to pay for a digital subscription and not be allowed to download it is a pure rip off and at the bare minimum they should be advising that the digital subscription does NOT enable you to download digital copies of ANY issues of MEW, and this should be done BEFORE paying for a subscription. I wonder then how many would pay the 30 pounds.

Ian

[Michael O’CainParticipant @michaelocain78494]

Hello David, have to add that my digital subscription has gone AWOL as well. My current sub expires withthe my issue, and I have just renewed but cant get access to the digital issues. Very frustrating.

Could you pleas e check this out .

[David Clark 13Participant @davidclark13]

Hi There

Works ok for me.

I did change your name from O Cain to O'Cain

regards David

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