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Dec. Issue


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Yeah George, I'm kind of used to it too, and you're right about it not showing up all torn up. When it does eventually show up, it is usually in excellent condition (fortunately). I still prefer the subscription though... it DOES eventually show up in my mail box and most of the times it is a surprise when it arrives. I look forward to it.

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got mine Saturday:

mcmcovertorn2.jpg

Does anyone here know the rules regarding damaged mail and if the USPS is responsible in any way? I mean, the damage is obviously occurring somewhere between the time that GBP ships the mags out and when they arrive at your home... so the damage is not being caused by GBP.

I don't want opinions, but actual facts. Any of you guys work for the USPS, or know the answer?

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Gotta be in the Postal System. I've been told dumb stuff like the papers TOO thick to fit thru the sorting machines to they just get jumbled up in the mailbags. It all just comes down to doing they're jobs properly. If nobody cares about it, nobody cares about it. 'cept us.

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I don't buy the "sorting machine" story. ALL mail goes through some sort of sorting process, and I doubt that there's a special process that only MCM goes through. What about all the other mags I get that are never torn or mangled? Why do they come through whatever process they go through but MCM doesn't?

I also have my doubts about the story that they are shipped solo and not in "bricks" like other mags. There must be other mags out there that are shipped by the exact same process that MCM undergoes... but again, only MCM is constantly mangled. :blink:

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Here is the story: if you use USPS you have to package stuff correctly. Thats even if you buy "insurance". In the case of magazines they need to be put into plastic bags for shipping to prevent mangling as they get caught up in sorting equipment. Not all the time, but often enough to make it a problem with your supposedly most valued customers: your subscribers. Deny it all you want...this is from someone who supervised a mailing facility for a large scale printing outfit for a number of years. All this dancing around the facts is just BS, if you want your magazines to arrive safely, consistently, then you do what is necessary for that. If you dont care, then you keep making up excuses when confronted with the facts of the matter. The path chosen here is clear to nearly everyone concerned and it is why when my subscription for two years runs out i am done. And as i have told Harry (by the way thanks for finally following your own rules and putting your full name in your posts), when one person says it ten are thinking it and probably twenty are going to do it. And no, I dont think that it is part of my responsibility to deal with some publishing house when my magazines arrive in tatters more than once a year.

Edited by jbwelda
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Here is the story: if you use USPS you have to package stuff correctly. Thats even if you buy "insurance". In the case of magazines they need to be put into plastic bags for shipping to prevent mangling as they get caught up in sorting equipment.

I don't get any magazines that come in plastic wrappers, and none of them ever arrive damaged. That's why I wonder what's so different with whatever is going on with MCM.

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I don't get any magazines that come in plastic wrappers, and none of them ever arrive damaged. That's why I wonder what's so different with whatever is going on with MCM.

Is it possible to set up 2 online polls --

People who get mangled magazines click on the state where they live

People who don't get mangled magazines click on the state where they live

Perhaps that might give some sort of statistical clue. Or both in one poll:

I o Do o Do not get mangled MCM magazines

I live in o TN [etc]

OR

How often do you receive damaged issues of MCM?

o Most of the time

o About half the time

o Rarely if ever

o Never

I, for example, would answer Never. Mine always arrive in newsstand condition.

Edited by sjordan2
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jbwelda lives in California, I'm in Illinois, George53 is in Michigan... and we all get the magazine all torn up. We're pretty much spread across the country, so I doubt that we could pinpoint the problem to any one specific region. I doubt we'd see any geographic pattern.

Gregg explained it once... something about how six is the minimum number of magazines that the PO would "bundle" together and ship as a "brick" to a particular zip code. So if there are less than 6 magazines going to any one given zip code, they are shipped individually... and somehow, being shipped individually is what's causing the problem.

However, that doesn't explain why every other piece of mail I get comes to me in perfect condition. I find it hard to believe that MCM is the only piece of mail that goes through whatever USPS process it goes through, and nothing else goes through that same process.

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Wouldn't putting the magazine inside a plastic or even paper sleeve prevent 90% of the damage that occurs to them? It couldn't be that expensive to do when so many other magazines do it. Which would be cheaper, replacing all of the damaged copies or putting every copy inside a sleeve? Which I doubt many people actually do request a replacement copy since they have already had to wait so long to get their damaged copy. :rolleyes: So, I think I just answered my own question. Something I think would be an interesting fact to know is how many other magazines published by Golden Bell Press arrives to their other customers damaged?? No matter who's at fault, unhappy customers = no customers, no customers = no money, no money = no magazine or forum. If MCM or GBP isn't willing to insure that their magazine arrives in pristine condition, then they only have themselves to blame.

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Wouldn't putting the magazine inside a plastic or even paper sleeve prevent 90% of the damage that occurs to them? It couldn't be that expensive to do when so many other magazines do it. Which would be cheaper, replacing all of the damaged copies or putting every copy inside a sleeve? Which I doubt many people actually do request a replacement copy since they have already had to wait so long to get their damaged copy. :rolleyes: So, I think I just answered my own question. Something I think would be an interesting fact to know is how many other magazines published by Golden Bell Press arrives to their other customers damaged?? No matter who's at fault, unhappy customers = no customers, no customers = no money, no money = no magazine or forum. If MCM or GBP isn't willing to insure that their magazine arrives in pristine condition, then they only have themselves to blame.

I agree with you 100% on the unhappy customers thing. But I'm not in charge at GBP, and I don't really know how much a magazine bagging machine costs, but I assume it would be a lot. Upwards of six figures, I'd guess. And then there's the question of where to put it... they might not have the square footage available to even have one. And maybe postage for a bagged magazine is also higher, too. A big publisher that puts out several large-circulation titles can afford to do it, a small publisher like GBP, and with a small-circulation niche mag like MCM... my guess is that it's financially unfeasible. There are a lot of factors that would have to be considered... factors that the average subscriber doesn't even think about when they get their magazine all mangled. But I definitely understand why people are getting tired of the torn up thing.

No matter what the cost of putting individual magazines in either a sleeve or a plastic bag, it would be an added cost and I'm sure that cost would be added to the cost of subscriptions, which would invariably give "people" more to complain about..

Guaranteed!

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The REAL bite ,Harry is that not only have my MCM been comming in good shape recently, but NOW, my Hemmings Muscle Car magazines are comming beat up. Not TOTALLY ruined, but the front or back pages have been kinda ate up lately! I'm wonderin if that so called "Heavier Paper" thing has any truth to it!?!?

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The REAL bite ,Harry is that not only have my MCM been comming in good shape recently, but NOW, my Hemmings Muscle Car magazines are comming beat up. Not TOTALLY ruined, but the front or back pages have been kinda ate up lately! I'm wonderin if that so called "Heavier Paper" thing has any truth to it!?!?

I wish I knew the answer. But my Hemmings mags (Muscle Machines and Classic Car) have never once arrived damaged... and I've subscribed to both of them from day one. Strange.

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I really think it depends on the post office and if someone working there is reading it and passing it around before it gets to you. I had the same isseu with Mopar Collector's Guide, none of my other magazines, just that one. My borther who lives only 7 miles away would get his almost 2 weeks before mine and in much better shape. I finally paid their up charge to get it shipped in plastic, was an extra $10 but gave other on line benefits, and the first one came with the back of the plastic slit enough to tkae the magazine out and read it. Finally filed complaint with the post office and have not had any problems since. Still get in plastic, and no issues.

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