Sunday, November 14, 2004

Subscription With the News and Record

Three weeks ago, I got fed up with not getting the entire Sunday paper, when I purchased it at a convenience store. I called the N&R and ordered the Sunday only subscription. I thought my problem was solved. Was I ever wrong. I get less paper now, then before I subscribed. Here is my three week account of a subscription to the N&R.

Week 1: I got up on Sunday and went outside in the cold. I went to get my brand spanking new N&R subscription. I was excited to not have to drive to the store. I was excited to read Cone's column in print. I was excited to check out what was on sale this week. Not that I could afford any of it, but it's nice to dream. No paper. I called customer service and reported the lack of said paper. They told me, "We will have someone deliver it to you by noon." It was 9:30am when I called. Noon came and went. The office for the N&R was closed. I got in my car and went to the store to get my paper.

Week 2: I called twice during the week and was guaranteed I would get my paper and it would be on my doorstep. Alas. Sunday comes and there is my paper.

Week 3: Thinking that everything has been fixed, I went to bed Saturday night without a worry. I awoke this morning, went outside, looked around.....CRAP, no paper!! I called customer service this morning at 8:30am. The line was busy for 45 minutes. I finally got through and they said, "We have had a major press failure, and we are working on getting you your paper." Alright, I can understand that. I asked when I would get my paper and they said about 4 hours from now. Unfortunately, I had to go to work this morning. I called home and then called the N&R three times today. Finally, leaving work at 5pm, I had called four times today, my wife called twice, there was still no paper. Again, I had to go to the store and buy a Sunday N&R, when it should be on my doorstep.

When I talked to customer service, I had told them that leaving my neighborhood, everyone else had a paper in their driveway. They said my carrier could have run out and that I would be getting a paper. I asked why there would be papers, in mass, at the store on the way to work. No reply really, except an apology and a broken promise. I don't know how everyone else feels, but I would think that my subscribers would come first before the newsstands. I know that while I lived in the NYC area, all the major papers would take care of their subscriptions first and then stock the newsstands. It just seems logical.

I love the direction the News and Record is going in. The paper and it's editor publicly support blogs and have blogs. It is an open minded, new age of journalism, paper. Fuck! Cone writes a great opinion piece every Sunday, and that alone is worth the buck twenty five. I guess the only direction the N&R isn't going in is the direction of my front door. Guess it sucks to be me. I will finally sit down and read my Sunday paper, two and a half hours shy of Monday.
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