Bicycling Magazine

[The Saint]

I have a subscription to Bicycling Magazine albeit without my authorization. I have two issues with these guys. (Scuse the pun)

1) On first taking out my subscription I received my mags no problem. In the last month when my subscription was due to expire a kind lady used to phone me and ask me if I wanted to renew my subscription. When I said YES she then asked for permission to debit my credit card. The kind lady has not phoned me for quite awhile now and my credit card gets debited with said amount without my authorization when my subscription is about to expire.

2) On originally taking out my subscription I recieved a free gift from Bicycling magazine an offer which is still applicable today. This would be something to the effect of a pair of Bicycling socks or a watch or whatever.

Now my gripes are.

1) Is bicycling so self conceited that they think that I just automatically want to subscribe to their magazine because they have my credit card details? Apparently authorization from the holder of the credit card holder is no longer important or necessary for them to debit an amount.

2) Why do only new subscribers who send in a form get a free gift? Surely a renewal of subscription shows more loyalty and should also be subject to the free gift rather than just an unauthorized debit of your credit card and an assumption that you are happy.

So do any of you out there have the same problem and does anyone have a contact number of somebody at Bicycling Magazine that I could speak to in order to find out exactly what their business principles are? However as sarcastic as this may sound "authorized or unauthorized" they have never missed delivering me my issue.

[Jaco Steyn]

PM the editor (Tim Brink) of Bicycling magazine. He is a hubber as well, and his username is timbrink.

[timbrink]

Please email me all the details and I will get the folk in charge of subs to cotact you to answer youtr questions!

 

 

 

Thanks

 

 

 

Tim

 

 

 

tbrink@touchline.co.za

[The Saint]

Thank you for the quick response, I will do so.

[Pantani]

I sincerely hope that hasn't happened to me... Was surprised when a copy of Bicycling was on my desk at work when I was sure that I did not renew my subscription. Besides the marginal discount I can't see the benefit of subscribing since I get my magazine usually 2 weeks after it's been in the shops... 

[phoenix]

I agree Pantani. My mag also tends to arive a week or so after release in the shops. And now that Mux has mentioned the free gift for new subs, I also have a new gripe with them. Maybe we should end our subs every 6 months and re-subscribe to qualify??

 

[Nix M2]

I got phoned a couple of years ago about setting up a bi-annual debit order, i think it has a really reduced rate, never really noticed, but i'm quite happy not receiving all the "your subscription is about to expire" letters and emails and phone calls!  although i'm not too chuffed with the issues arriving late, or not at all sometimes. the post Argus issue arrived a month after it was in stores - to the Post office...very inconvenient!

[Pantani]

Yes, one issue never arrived at all and the Argus issue was really late! That did grate my carrot somewhat... 

[EarlyBird]

Well I am a new subscriber.  Received my second magazine a few days ago and I didn't even receive a free gift.  Any answers to this?

 

[Ti-ny]

As far as I know you get the option to get no gift but rather the gift exhanged for reduced rate. so you choose. So pay normal rate and get a gift, or pay less and get no gift.

Dont even say that it's not a gift because you are paying for it, as the reduced rate is actually a cash gift?

[pastapouch]

according to law, if they have voice recording OF YOU AGREEING it it as valid as your signature.

[Zaskar]

What gets to me is that you subscribe for a year, which in this case is 8 issues i think.  But then if enter the argus, your R210 odd entry fee includes the march copy of the magazine, which is sent to you along with your entry details.  so you would think that maybe because you are a subscriber that you would get 2 issues, one with the race entry and one as part of your normal subscription, but no, they obviouslly check the subscriber data base, and you only recieve one issue. but do they extend your subscription for an extra month? nope. when i had a lady who called me to renew my subscription i explained this to her, and she could not answer my question. eventually they got back to me telling me they would extend my subscription by a month, so come august i will know if they did or not.

 

I just think this is wrong, and that they make a fortune off us by not sending us the issues we pay for.

[butafly]

the mag is just not worth the money. not enough local or o/seas content. its just full of rehashed advice , buyers guides and adverts. just a scan of the cover on the book shelves tells me its not worth buying. do their "writers" ever go out and look for "stories" or do they kust cut and paste from other cycling mags? here are a few issues i would like to be investigated.....(1) access to the Bellville Velodrome. is the PPA a national or provincial body? why does it not work together with the WPCA in Western Province. What is the state of club cycling in SA and the various provinces? we have Olympics and Cwealth Games soon are we going to see the same names riding for us?  

[AndreZA]

I really finish the magazine in a 15 minute session in CNA. Absolutely nothing of interest. I subscribed the first time they came out just to get the socks and that took 3 months to reach me. You must read the small print regarding "free" gifts. They also say "while stocks last".

 

 

[scotty]

The whole thing about renewing and not receiving anything (i.e. staying loyal) sucks, but most places like Mweb and Virgin Active and the Star do the same. For me its not so much the freebie, but the principle involved and once they have you hooked as a subsciber they know its more of a schlep to cancel and rejoin than to renew in order to get the freebie.

Still i'm hopeful of winning one of the MTB's advertised

[Frosty]

I agree with Mampara, literally flip through the mag in a few minutes. But thanks to Discovery Vitality, I get to subscribe to Bicycling for only R80 per year. If it weren't for the good price, I wouldn't subscribe.