I was recently notified I would start receiving
Better Homes and Gardens instead of my beloved
ReadyMade magazine. I cancelled the susbcription, of course, but before leaving their website I was motivated to type a little note to customer service to inform them that I was, in short, unhappy.
An hour and a half later I had typed up the letter that follows. In a final humorous touch, my rant was too long for their only means of communication, the "contact us" box.
So I'm posting it here. Take that, Meredith.
--
Just a note:
I just cancelled my subscription. We had a subscription to ReadyMade magazine, and were recently moved to “Better Homes and Gardens” after Readymade was suddenly closed this summer by Meredith. At the risk of being melodramatic, I can't find the words to express the depth of my disappointment in this decision. ReadyMade, the product itself, was magnificent. It felt as if it was published just for my wife and I. To the best of my knowledge, there isn't another magazine like it, one that focuses on our age group and culture. You didn’t even need to be a hard core DIY-er to appreciate ReadyMade, it appealed to anyone with a passion for good design and reusing things instead of throwing them away. In short, ReadyMade was a beautiful thing in a world running out of beautiful things, and Meredith killed it. That's my view.Of course, that's because I don't know any better. The way the closing was handled was so quick, so secretive, and came with absolutely no warning. There was no “farewell” issue, just a note on the ReadyMade blog. To a fan, the last issue, with no mention of the impending end, was cruelly unceremonious.Maybe attempts were made to sell ReadyMade, but the poor economy made it difficult to do so? Maybe there was a conflict between the editors of ReadyMade and the publisher? If the ReadyMade community (and community it was) had been kept in the loop even a little, I don't think I would have such a lingering resentment for Meredith Corporation. If choices are made for good reasons, why not communicate them?The only alternative, then, is to assume that the decision was made for a bad reason, one that is embarrassing to share with loyal customers like me. (I would have subscribed to ReadyMade until death. Probably after that for those I left behind.) Investment didn't turn out as profitable as you'd hoped, tough economy, etc - better to focus on titles like "American Patchwork and Quilting" instead? I couldn't help but wonder: why buy ReadyMade in the first place? It’s like you bought my house, said you’d make some improvements, and then burnt it to the ground.Suffice it to say, the letter I received detailing the "courtesy" subscription to Better Homes and Gardens for the remainder of my ReadyMade subscription felt like adding insult to injury. Not only did I have to pay for the surprise and undesired issue delivered to my door, I also got this quaint little letter with it that, frankly, was insulting. I took issue mostly with its overwhelming robo-letter cluelessness.According to the welcome letter, [BHG] "Helps you treat your family to delicious, quick fixing dinners. And shows you how to create a home that's a loving reflection of you." I know these things are standard subscription jargon, but it was the last straw. HOW OUT OF TOUCH ARE YOU PEOPLE? ReadyMade represented ME. Clearly, Better Homes and Gardens represents my GRANDMA. (Whom I love). Honestly, why ignore people like my wife and I? We are the IDEAL target demographic! We are 28-year-old married YUPPIES with money to burn! Plus, you should never start a sentence with "And!"Put another way, I subscribe to a lot of magazines: Wired, GQ, Esquire, Communication Arts, Metropolis, and my wife subscribes to BUST. Of course we also occasionally pick up a Vogue or The New Yorker or Vanity Fair (can't resist that Annie Liebowitz!) A little research reveals that ALL of these titles are published by ... oh, someone else. You had one title that I was absolutely devoted to. Now you don't. Whoops. This seems ridiculous, now that I've spent so much time on this little futile message. Who do you tell? How do you communicate to the world that a light went out in the universe that didn’t need to? A light that stood for good design, good food, and environmentally responsible DIY-everything? Attention must be paid!This is probably not the way … but it’s something. I even got all capsy on you. I think it helped me let go, so I guess I can thank you, customer service, for that. I hope this finds its way to someone in your organization who cares about making beautiful things.Thanks,Nathan
