Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
After 30+ years, I just let my subscription to the N&O expire. I really do love a physical paper to read with coffee, followed up with the NYT crossword, but it is just no longer worth it.
(Cut/paste for Millennial/Gen-XYZ to reply – “What’s a newspaper?”)
They sent the renewal notice with a rate more than twice what I was currently paying. I called and told them I would renew at my current rate. The call center agent responded with a “special” rate that was just barely better than the mailed offer. I repeated that I would renew at the current rate. After two more rounds of “special” rates, he finally said they could not offer it at that price.
I sent an email to the editor (Bill Church) noting why I was leaving, but didn’t even get the courtesy of a reply. His recent article noted he had 46 unread emails. I’m sure no one else currently working has that many unread emails.
One thing that really surprised me is how much their “extras” and “special editions” eat into your subscription. When I renewed in February, my subscription was set to expire 2/4/2024. When I recently looked, my subscription was set to expire mid-December. How did I lose over a month’s worth of papers?
I certainly have enjoyed meeting/reading the many writers that graced their pages. Some names that come to mind are Dennis Rogers, AC Snow, Barry Sauders, Caulton Tudor, Ruth Shehan and many others. I really liked how they did a page on Christmas Day, with photos of their newest 20-year employees along with the longer term ones. I doubt many today are 20+ year veterans.
Same concerns with The Charlotte Observer, sister McClatchy publication with shared content. The daily newsstand price is now $3.00 and the Sunday paper is now $5.99, with fewer sections and less content than just a few years ago. The eEdition with Extra national expanded content is good, but overpriced to renew. And the Charlotte paper is no longer delivered outside of the immediate Charlotte metro except on Sundays, where it is still sold at Publix and Harris Teeter in Asheville, and Greenville-Spartanburg. And they actually have an ad in the paper begging for donations to support the printed editions. Really? They have sunk this low, begging for money now, not unlike the infamous televangelists Jim and Tammy they once exposed. Changing times I guess, but nevertheless disappointing.
After 30+ years, I just let my subscription to the N&O expire. I really do love a physical paper ... but it is just no longer worth it.
Me too. The content and quality had steadily diminished. It is devolving into a "weekly shopper."
Quote:
They sent the renewal notice with a rate more than twice what I was currently paying. I called and told them I would renew at my current rate. The call center agent responded with a “special” rate that was just barely better than the mailed offer. I repeated that I would renew at the current rate. After two more rounds of “special” rates, he finally said they could not offer it at that price.
My experience was parallel to yours. I took my previous annual rate, added 10% to cover inflation, and offered that amount. The agent said, "I'm not authorized to negotiate."
Quote:
I sent an email to the editor (Bill Church) noting why I was leaving, but didn’t even get the courtesy of a reply.
What could he say? Maybe "I'm ashamed to be an officer on a sinking ship."
Quote:
One thing that really surprised me is how much their “extras” and “special editions” eat into your subscription.
Hidden fees. Another example: a subscriber who cancels gets no pro-rated refund. You're moving to California?!? Tough beans!
Quote:
So long N&O. It was fun while it lasted.
I was a subscriber for 39 years. No more.
.
Last edited by danielbmartin; 12-15-2023 at 03:27 PM..
Reason: Corrected a t7po.
Overall newspaper circulation is down like 60% from its peak, and advertising revenue is down like 75%. Digital isn't anywhere close to making up the difference, so their options are to squeeze as much as they can out of the remaining customers or shut down entirely. For a significant number of newspapers, it has become the latter once the former became untenable, and many others aren't far behind.
Don’t be surprised if they end up sending you bills and delinquency notices at some point, claiming it auto renewed. Unless they have cleaned up their act, a few folks I know had that happen. Some even had it turned over to a collection agency.
I cancelled my digital subscription because I read about some of the predatory practices they employed for people who try to cancel. They frequently send them to collections even after they have cancelled and they automatically renew people at a much higher rate. I recorded my call to ensure they could not claim I didn’t cancel.
I'm unhappy with the ever-escalating price, and there is a limit to what I'll pay. But so far I have stuck with the digital edition.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
