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Conversational Threads

Problems with subscriptions – Australia

susannah_sews | Posted in General Discussion on

Hi

I was wondering if any other Australian subscribers have been experiencing problems with late arrival/non arrival of Threads?

I have been subscribing for about 5 years, and my copy of threads usually arrives in the second or third week of the month – at about the same time as it goes on sale in the US, and within days of the expected date of it reaching subscribers in the US.  This is the main reason why I subscribe rather than buying it from my magazine seller.  My July copy didn’t arrive, and after contacting Taunton Press, they said (and this was in mid August ) that they would send me another copy, but that it would be sent surface mail which would mean a 6 to 8 week shipping time.    I was also advised that this was the normal time, and that if I have further difficulties, I should take it up with my mail service.  (it hasn’t yet arrived). Australia Post have responded by saying that they are unable to trace magazine subscriptions for the recipient – they act as agent for the sender, so they suggested I need to take this up with Taunton Press.

The next issue is now on the website.  Looks great.  I would love to read it, but my copy is again yet to arrive.  Has Taunton changed the way it sends subscriptions to Australia?  I see little point in subscribing if it means I have to wait longer. 

So my question is – what has changed? 


Edited 9/27/2006 10:20 am ET by Susannah_sews

Replies

  1. User avater
    bevaau | | #1

    There are heaps of us in the same boat (NOT the same 'slow boat' as our magazines, unfortunately!) - have a look at the thread Gosh - are you all "know it alls?" under Feedback on Threads, especially towards the end of that very long thread. Also, the Sewing Down Under thread on Pattern Review has many messages on this problem. I am starting to get a bit upset, not only by the missing issues but the lack of any response by Threads about how they might fix the problem!  They have my money but I don't have the magazines I paid for!!     BevA

     

    1. User avater
      susannah_sews | | #2

      Thanks for the prompt response, bevaau.  I haven't had any other problems with mail delivery, so I knew it was unlikely to be an Australia Post problem.  In the past, i have only had one other copy go astray, and it was replaced very promptly (ie not sent by surface mail), so I have been a bit bewildered by the response from Taunton Press.  I get quick replies to my emails, but the answers are a bit cryptic, and there seems to have been a suggestion that the subscriptions are sent by surface mail as a matter of course, which has certainly not been the case for the past 5 years while I have been subscribing.

      Whereabouts in Oz are you?  I am in Hobart, a keen fabricaholic, who is a bit lost now that we only have Spotlight in the city.

       

      Susannah

  2. User avater
    genevieve | | #3

    Hi Susannah, I'm in the same situationm - in Melbourne - and when I queried the second successive no show - I was told they will send me a replacement and it will take "10 - 12 weeks"!!!!!!.  I am very unimpressed!  genevieve

    1. User avater
      susannah_sews | | #4

      Hi Genevieve

      I was browsing the Pattern Review discussion board - it appears that the problem is Australia wide (although the tone in the multiple emails I have had from Taunton customer service was to suggest that I was experiencing some sort of unique problem with my mail service, and the 8 to 12 weeks was the standard shipping time for subscriptions, which has not been the case in the past.  One persistent subscriber convinced the customer service contact person she was dealing with to send her both missing copies by airmail, and they have now arrived.  Maybe you and I (and all the other subscribers across the nation) need to be a little more persistent!

      Good luck!

       

      Susannah

      1. User avater
        bevaau | | #5

        I would love to deal with a customer service person. All I get to deal with is a computer!  Another thing that intrigues me is the lack of response from the Threads staff here. I know they read these posts - surely someone has picked up on this and is at least trying to do something about it.        BevA

  3. Polly2 | | #6

    Thank you fro me too for settign up this separate discussion.  I've commented once already about this over on the "Gosh" discussion group, but I'm hopeful that by you setting this up as a separte discussion we may actually get a reply from the editorial team.

    Like everyone else, I haven't received issues 126 or 127 - I've been subscribing for 2 years with 1 year to run.  I sent my first email to Taunton's on 3 September, and received a reply on 12 September thanking me for my enquiry and advising they have received reports regarding a delay of Issue #126 in Australia and that I had been ordered a replacement issue.

    I sent my second email on 26 September and received a reply on 28 September thanking me for my update (that I still hadn't received my magazines) and apologies for the delay.  A replacement of #126 was sent to me and a replacement copy of #127 has now been ordered for me as well.  "Also, a new distributor of all Taunton titles will be in place by the next mail cycle so hopefully this will no longer be an issue.   There is a 10-12 week shipping time to Australia, however most replacements arrive much sooner."

    Sounds to me like they have finally realised there is a real problem with subscriptions to Australia and maybe it is being addressed.  It better, because if I don't get issue #128 in a timely fashion, I'm asking for my money back.

     

    1. K1W1 | | #7

      I very strongly suspect that they changed the delivery from airmail to surface and thought that (1) we wouldn't notice and/or (2) were insignificant customers so even if we did, it didn't matter we'd just have to accept it.  I see no other reason for not acknowledging until this week (ie two MONTHS later) that there was a problem with all subscriptions to Australia.

      For multiple years my magazines arrived within 1-2 weeks of American subscribers receiving theirs, and quite honestly even a fast paddling boat couldn't have come across the pacific by that time.  So it's NOT plausable that previous issues were sent surface mail.  I'm pretty certain that there was an airmail mark on the wrappers, though as I don't keep them I couldn't prove it.

      It is very frustrating to constantly be told I'd never received my issues any faster and therefore wouldn't have received my magazine yet.  (cos surface mail delivery timeline is 10-12 weeks ).  In which case why send me another copy?  hmmmh. Doesn't quite add up.

      As I said in an email,  Taunton would rather insist that their Australian customers had suffered from a collective hallucination for the past number of years than admit that something had changed.It appears that only the aussie customers who complained will get a replacement #126 (even though by ship) and those who haven't noticed just won't get one. 

      If there has been two tiers of internation subscription - 1 for surface delivery, and 1 for airmail delivery - why has there never been any mention of it before now. Wasn't on the website or in the magazines.  I've been a subscription manager in a previous job so I read these things (even in magazines I have no intention of subscribing to).

    2. thurl | | #8

      Polly2, I get  regular postal deliveries from the US.  Surface mail from US to Australia very slow, generally closer to 12 weeks than 10 and if Taunton  think  "however most replacements arrive much sooner" they have been misinformed.

      I think recent service to Australian subscribers has been extremely poor. 

       Many of us have been emailing them for several months about missing issue #126 but most of us are still waiting. 

      Now #issue 127 has also gone missing. 

       

    3. Susannah | | #9

      Hi Polly

      If you have a look at a recent posting by "ctirish" on the 'Gosh..' thread, (post number 128) you will see that someone in the US is hearing us!  I think the answer is just to persist with sending emails to the customer service people, and post in this forum, so that the scale of the problem becomes apparent.  If we don't tell people that we are cross, they won't know.  If we are happy with service, we should say so, and equally if we are not satisfied, we should also point out that something has not met our expectations. 

      I suspect it is only the editorial staff that browse through 'Gatherings', and they are also probably not as involved in decisions about how shipping is handled.  Likewise, the customer service people who actually handle the email complaints may not have had enough access to information to know what the scale of the problem was (at least initially -- I am sure the message has got through now)

      I think the thing that has probably made it worse is that there are plenty of us in Australia who really enjoy reading 'Threads'.  I really look forward to receiving mine, and August for me this year was fairly difficult due to illness in the family - i would have loved to have had the distraction of an issue of Threads.   I often get out back copies just to browse through (and have orderd quite a few back issues, in addition to the subscriptions).

      So I will persist - I will remain optimistic that the current problems are of a temporary nature, and that by issue 128 I will be getting my copies in a prompt and timely fashion!

       

      Edited 9/29/2006 8:03 am ET by Susannah

      1. amm | | #10

        The international delivery service responsible for mailing our subscriber copies to <!----><!----><!---->Australia<!----><!----> has had fulfillment problems. The situation has been resolved with our carriers, and beginning with issue No. 128 (December 2006/January 2007), we should be back to our normal delivery cycle. We apologize for any inconvenience you may have experienced.<!----><!----><!---->

                                    --The Threads editorial staff<!----><!---->

        <!----> <!---->

        1. Susannah | | #11

          Thank you very much for acknowledging that this has been a problem.  Many of us have been very frustrated, because we were unable to really find out whether as individuals our deliveries were isolated problems.  I am sure that the staff at Threads have found it all equally frustrating, and I am really looking forward to catching up on my missing issues of Threads!

          regards

          Susannah

          1. AmberE | | #14

            April is the editorial secretary and thankfully she handled this editorial posting while I was away at the American Sewing Expo last week. Apologies to all and thanks so much for your persistence in alerting us. Please let me know if you have any further problems. As I understand, replacement back issues will be sent to all Austrailian subscribers. I know that you are a significant contingent and a valuable readership!

            ---Amber EdenEditor, Threads

             

            Edited 10/2/2006 3:43 pm ET by AmberE

          2. Susannah | | #15

            See my other post in  reply

             

            thanks, Amber, and keep up the good work!

             

            Susannah

          3. AmberE | | #19

            Thank you!

          4. Cherrypops | | #104

            Hello, I too experienced shipping problems to Sydney Australia. I subscibed for the first time this year. My first issue#125 arrived, then no mailout of 126 or 127. I emailed customer service and was told i would be reissued 126 - 127. Ok Great! but still nothing. Emailed again and found out the company had changed delivery companies. #128 has arrived and I am now waiting on a backissues of 126 and 127. I know they are on their way and should arrive after christams. Customer service are very helpful and were extremely quick to reply to my concerns. regards CherryP

          5. Michika | | #105

            Yesterday, 22nd Nov, My 126 arrived. Halelulah! My 128 arrived on Nov 10, which would mean that it was on time.  Post date on 126 was Aug 9 -15 weeks it took to get here and that was 19 weeks late on usual delivery.  When, and if I receive any replacement replacements they will go to a good home.  I hope that Taunton will, in future, send replacements by Air Mail as 19 weeks late is a bit hard to cop.

            Michika.

          6. thurl | | #106

            Halelulah from me too.  I received #128 last week and this week had a renewal letter extending my subscription to cover the 2 missed issues. 

            Thank you Taunton.

            I managed to buy both #126/127 while they were still available here, so if the original or replacement issues ever turn up I'll pass them on to some one else.

          7. AmberE | | #108

            This is great news! Thanks for letting us know

          8. K1W1 | | #109

            My replacement issue 126 has finally turned up in my post box. 

            In December.   

          9. AmberE | | #110

            thanks for letting me know!

          10. Susannah | | #111

            Hi Amber

            I just received issue #129, right on schedule.  Looks great.  You may not have noticed yet, but there are still some posts about subscription problems in Australia - a few posters haven't received #128 yet, which many of us received in November (on schedule).  I don't know how widespread this is, and I have encouraged those who have missed out to contact customer service.  I notice that one person has ordered back issues to replace ones that haven't arrived - surely she should not have to do this to ensure she gets the magazines she has subscribed to.

            regards

             

            Susannah

          11. AmberE | | #112

            You are right---they should contact customer service as soon as it looks like delivery is off---they will replace missing issues as well. Thanks for all your support!

          12. AmberE | | #107

            That's great---thanks for the updates

          13. thurl | | #16

            Thank you.  I'm delighted to hear that delivery problems to Australia will be resolved with the next issue.

             I have been emailing Taunton customer service since July and was finally told, last week,  a replacement copy for #126 was sent surface mail, which means I won't get it until the end of October.  A replacement copy for #127 won't reach me until late December/early January! 

            However,  an Australian friend (who has also been emailing customer service since July) tells me both her replacement copies were sent airmail and she received  #126and #127  last week. 

            Why the different levels of service?   I think airmail replacements should be sent to  ALL the Australian subscribers who have missed out on these issues.  I don't think sending them surface mail with such a long delivery time is acceptable, especially since they are already so overdue.              

          14. AmberE | | #18

            I'm checking into this with Taunton Press customer service and will update you as soon as I have info.

            Edited 10/4/2006 5:07 pm ET by AmberE

          15. mem | | #20

            I feel exactly the same way but am not going go and purchase back copies. Why have you gone to surface mail?? It obviously wasnt the case before . I would have thought that the degree of disatisfaction would be enough to maker you review this decision.

          16. AmberE | | #21

            Taunton Press customer service is actively looking for the best solution---I will keep you posted as I get new information. I would not suggest that you purchase back copies, as we plan to get your magazines to you. I'm so sorry for the inconvenience to you, as it's clear how much you value the magazine.

          17. User avater
            bevaau | | #23

            I would not suggest that you purchase back copies

            I received an email this morning suggesting I go and purchase one of the missing copies. They did say they would extend my subscription to cover it - and I don't mind doing it but it does seem that you and customer service should get your stories straight.   BevA

            (Sorry, I don't mean to sound 'snippy' but I wonder if that has not been a part of this whole fiasco - different people saying different things.)

            Edited 10/4/2006 5:46 pm by bevaau

          18. AmberE | | #24

            Hmmm---good to know! Thanks!

          19. K1W1 | | #26

            Much as I appreciate that you "plan" to get our copies (#127)  to us, the fact that we are most likely to see them in 2007 is incredibly frustrating.    Especially when that issue will be available in newsagents in the next few weeks (the air freight copies will be in Borders already).

            We get to hear about the articles on Gatherings and other online forums, but only non-subscribers can be involved in the discussion.

            Not a positive check-mark in the subscription equation.

            In addition, not everyone who has contacted customer service directly has received a response.  Hence my recommendation that a pro-active email to everyone that has enquired advising what has happened and what steps have been taken to rectify it - Have we been sent issue #127 or not?  I've never seen it, but then again I've never seen issue 126 in my mailbox.  This would address the concerns that have grown and are still growing with your customers this side of the Pacific Ocean. 

            Edited 10/4/2006 8:40 pm ET by K1W1

          20. AmberE | | #29

            I can assure you that customer service, now that they have been able to determine the exact problem, are on high alert to respond to Australian customers.  It would also probably be helpful to put that in the subject line of your email so that you can be sure of prompt attention.

            While we are happy to pass on your complaints or provide empathy,  the editorial staff and the Gatherings site are not customer service. Perhaps the option of extending your subscription would be the quickest way for you to get issues. Do write Taunton Press customer service at [email protected] and let me know if you don't get a prompt response.

            I have to get back to working on closing 128 so that you'll get that issue too! Keep me posted on the outcome.

             

             

             

             

             

             

             

            Edited 10/5/2006 9:28 am ET by AmberE

          21. AmberE | | #25

            <!----><!----> Dear Australian Readers: I have a memo update from customer service  While I don't mind answering questions on this, it would be more efficient if you direct your questions straight to customer service at [email protected]. This issue is a top priority for them and they are vigilantly checking emails for notes from Australian readers<!---->

            <!----><!----> 

            <!---->Now I can get back to finishing up 128! Thanks again for being so dedicated! Amber <!---->

            <!----><!----> 

            <!---->The memo from customer service is as follows:<!---->

            <!----><!----> 

            Dear Threads Readers: When we replaced issues via airmail, we thought the situation was an isolated late delivery incident.  We never intended to treat any subscriber differently than any other subscriber.  It takes weeks to identify that there is a problem with the general or mass delivery of our magazines.  Our international shipper did recognize that there was a problem with the subcontractor handling Australian deliveries and arrangements were made with a new company.  The new company is responsible for all future magazine deliveries beginning with THREADS issue # 128 and we have been advised that delivery times should be back to normal.<!----><!---->

            <!----> <!---->

            We are still investigating the problem and when we determine what happened, we will have a complete answer to all questions and we will address the needs of the subscribers affected by this situation. If you have further questions, the email address is [email protected]. For those of you who have purchased replacement issues, please write customer service at that address and we will extend your subscription accordingly. <!----><!---->

            <!----> <!---->

            Thank you for your patience and understanding while we work to resolve this issue.

             

            --Taunton Press Customer Service

          22. Susannah | | #27

            Hi Amber

            Thanks for the update - much appreciated.  I am however a little concerned about your comment about directing inquiries to customer service.  I did this numerous times through August when it became apparent that issue 126 had not been sent (I am fairly confident now that it has not just been late).  Many other subscribers did as well, and we apparently all got fairly varied responses.  It appears that it was only after we all got rather bolshie on Gatherings that the magnitude of the problem became apparent to Taunton. 

            Should there be a next time, I will of course direct my query to Customer Service first, but unless I get very prompt service, I will commence daily postings on Gatherings, as it seems it was only through this that we aussies finally got some attention.

            I'm sure it is very frustrating for you, but there it is.

            Susannah

          23. AmberE | | #28

            I don't mind at all being of service. But I can assure you that while it can take a while to realize the magnitude of the issue when a distributor doesn't distribute, customer service is on high alert for this concern.

            You can, however, post to your heart's delight---that's why we're here. Although we aren't customer service, we can sometimes help to bring attention to a problem, and I hope we've helped here.

          24. Susannah | | #35

            Hi Amber

            I received my copies of issues 126 and 127 by air delivery on Friday.  I had spotted issue 126 in the shops, but had not purchased it, and I knew it had some good articles in it.  Issue 127 was a delight! 

            I trust all my fellow australian subscribers will be getting their issues in the very near future, and will also enjoy catching up.  I look forward to issue 128 arriving as well.

            best wishes

            Susannah

          25. thurl | | #36

            Susannah,  I'm delighted to hear you have received your missing issues.

            For me the outcome is less satisfactory.  Taunton have extended my sub  X2  issues for which I thank them, but I've been told #127 will be arriving very late (replacement copy sent surface, so late Dec/Jan) and they suggest that I buy a copy here. 

            I've given up waiting for #126 and bought what was probably the last copy available here.

          26. Susannah | | #37

            I think that all aussie subscribers should have had the same treatment. I know of at least one other subscriber who posted on the pattern review discussion board that she had received both issues, presumably by air mail as well.  My two copies were sent air express, which I would have thought was a bit of overkill.  I know that printed matter can be sent within and from Australia by airmail post for a reasonably inexpensive fee.  Surely the USA has something similar?

             

            susannah

          27. AmberE | | #39

            Unfortunately, as we explained ealier, customer service did not realize the magnitude of the problem, as they only received isolated reports at first. The first few did receive air delivery, but once it was realized that this was affecting all Australian subscribers, the extraordinarily high cost of air delivery prompted the decision to send magazines via surface. It is unfortunate that the service is uneven, but I do appreciate your patience and understanding.

          28. K1W1 | | #47

            I have to say that the first few to mention there was a problem with delivering issue #126 DID NOT get sent replacments by airmail.  I was one of the first to raise the issue and I am STILL WAITING for my replacement copy to arrive in my mailbox. It was resent around 23rd/24th July and it's now the 24th October. 

            My subscription was extended two issues to compensate me for purchasing #126, but sadly, I'm no longer excited at the thought of receiving future issues.  

            13 weeks is an awfully long time to sustain enthusiasm, especially as there are fewer aspirational articles (aspirational for me personally that is).

            I will not be renewing my subscription as I am not satisfied that it takes 13 weeks for a subscription issue to be delivered when a non-airfreight copy is available in the newsagents in half that time.

            I'd hesitate to suggest where this is considered an acceptable service level, though apparently it is.  Had there been any indication in the magazine, the website or subcription renewal materials that there were two levels of international subscription perhaps my and other subscribers expectations would be different.

            But there are to levels of subscription (airmail vs surface) but no way of finding that out, so our expectations haven't been managed appropriately.

            Edited 10/24/2006 1:31 am ET by K1W1

          29. User avater
            genevieve | | #48

            Hi Amber and other Aussies

            I am in a similar boat (excuse the oun) - I recieved #126 by air mail after I complained, - but numerous emails regarding the missing #127 have resulted in no copy, nor any extended subscription offers.  I feel really dudded!

          30. User avater
            bevaau | | #49

            I, too, have NOT received a replacement #126 and now it is gone from the local shop here. #127 has now arrived in the newsagent - I am not sure whether to buy this while it is still available or just be patient (how patient do we have to be???). And I am not sure that extending my subscription is of any use if we have to go through all this again later!!!

          31. User avater
            genevieve | | #50

            thanks bevaau - wish Amber woudl respond - customer service never actually answer the questions I ask.

          32. Susannah | | #51

            Hi

            I am one of the lucky ones who got both back issues sent to me (by air courier) - but it seems to have been a bit of a lottery.  I sent regular emails to customer service, got a range of different replies and reasons for the delay.  I am rather p***d off that there has not been a consistent policy regarding the treatment of Australian subscribers who missed out on the two issues.

            Given that different subscribers have had different responses from customer service, including both the reasons for the delay and the response from Taunton, it does seem to me as if there is not enough communication within the customer service branch.  I think this is very clearly demonstrated by the fact that no-one at Taunton seemed to be aware of the magnitude of the problem for so long.

            So please, could Amber or someone else from Taunton who monitors these discussions put a rocket under customer "service".  There is a systemic problem here, and it means your customers are NOT HAPPY!!.

            For those of you who haven't yet received the missing issues, they are good!  It would be sad if the editorial improvements at Threads were to be undermined by poor perfomance in another branch of the company.

             

            Susannah

          33. AmberE | | #60

            I totally agree that there needs to be a consistent policy! I have also looked into providing an electronic copy available online via a password, but I know that's not as good as having the real thing.

          34. AmberE | | #59

            Sorry, I've been out shooting for issue 129 and our special issue---I try to get to these postings as quickly as I can! I was hoping that the quiet meant that it had been solved! Thanks for your patience!

          35. K1W1 | | #53

            Below in italics is a cut of an email I've sent to day to customer service, 13 weeks later my replacement 126 has not arrived.  I won't be renewing my subscription as sea mail is our delivery standard - from issue 126  - though nobody bothered to let any subscribers know!

             

            I can only restate, I have not heard of one (1) single subscriber in Australia who has received their copy from the original distribution - and as I'm connected to quite a number through both the internet forums and the sewing guild, I strongly suspect that nobody has received the original distribution.  It bothers me that only those who speak up will receive it when Taunton is aware of the delivery failure.Please do not resend issue #126 to myself, as previously explained that I have purchased it in store.  There are no futher copies available which is why I have not purchased and sent it to [friends name].  I did this for a number of years and [friend] reciprocated with the gift subscription, hence my frustration that my renewal advice stated that a gift subscription introduced me to the magazine.I advised that the issue resent THREE MONTHS ago has not arrived yet simply for your information and so that you might have some understanding that waiting this long for every issue is not acceptable to me (and it wont be to others as well). Particularly when every single issue (but this) of my subscription, was received in approximately two weeks.When the delivery method was changed without any prior notification.  Delivery in 2 weeks versus delivery in 12 weeks is a measurable change. Saying it hasn't changed, when the change is in the order of 650% longer waiting time only frustrates and annoys your aussie subscribers.  When the store issues have already sold out both air freight and sea freight *weeks* before I would ever receive a subscription issue. I'm sure that if you and the other staff were told you would not get YOUR copy of the magazine for three months and well, that was normal, then you might be as unimpressed with subscribing as I and [friend] and others now are.Simply put I can buy a sea-freight copy at least a month before I can even hope to see a subscription copy.I am also unimpressed at the idea of receiving issue #127 around christmas/new year when other aussie subscribers have been airmailed their issues #126 & #127. Want some names ?? - we do communicate with each other, and though I may be among the more vocal in communicating with Taunton, I'm far from the only person wondering why some subscribers received a perceptably better level of service ie replacement with one week airmail versus 13-weeks-and-still-waiting surface mail.I no longer feel able to encourage other aussies to subscribe when in the past I have enthusiastically done so.

          36. ctirish | | #54

            K1W1 - Hi, Can you tell me when your post was submitted. It looks like it was October 12, but I can't tell if this issue is resolved or not?  In the event it is not, in one of Amber's notes she said the new distributor would be in place for issue #128.  If you have not received the issues prior to #128, I would order them off of the website and then look to Threads for an extension of your subscription and reimbursement for the cost of shipping them to you.

            I am such a fan of Threads, I can't imagine not having a subscription but that is my viewpoint. Additionally. this forum is great, I have checked other sites with message boards and none of them are as extensive, active or fun as this one. If you have any questions about the 126 or 127 issues post a question, I know I will do whatever I can to get you the information you want or need.

            Jane

          37. K1W1 | | #55

            Much as I appreciate your enthusiasm for the magazine, mine has taken a battering over the delivery of the magazine to subscibers in Australia and NZ.  Or should I say the non-delivery.  Along with the lack in consistency sending replacements.  Randomly, some customers are getting theirs by airmail and others such as myself are having to wait for sea mail.   I'm still waiting 13 weeks later. 

            Amber appears to have been told that the early notifiers of a problem received their replacements by airmail and that is NOT the case.  

            I am also incredibly unimpressed (and that is a vast understatement) that we are now expected to wait 12 weeks for ALL future issues. Without any prior notification and when 2 weeks was the norm.  Along with Taunton insisting that nothing has changed.

            But, you only have to wait if you subscribe, if you buy in store you get one in half that time for sea freight copies.

            If you want more examples of unhappiness, when I asked what the last issue of my subscription was - as the notification letter didn't define which was the "next issue" that was the last issue of my sub, I was told to look at the wrapper of the magazine.  By the same person who knew that I had not had a magazine for 4 months, and that my replacement was going to be another couple of months on a slow boat across the Pacific.   I had to ask three times to get an answer for that simple piece of information.

            Apparently the letter was issued after 127 was posted but issue 126 was the last of my subscription.   Still trying to figure out how that works, as to be correct the letter should have been posted before issue 126. 

          38. AmberE | | #62

            I definitely want to hear if you are receiving 128.

          39. ctirish | | #67

            Amber, I am in Connecticut, I was just trying to clarify some things.  Is there a date the magazines are supposed to be in the hands of the readers?  Is it the date they get put in the mail?  I usually see the magazine in stores before I receive it at home?  Sometimes it is a few days before it arrives in the mail.  Is it policy to distribute to the media outlets prior to mailing the subscriptions?  I received issue 127 a couple of weeks ago but I have no idea when to expect issue 128.  

          40. AmberE | | #70

            In-home date is usually right around the first of the month and in stores date about a week later,  but I do know anecdotally that sometimes they do appear in stores ealier, but not much about why.

             

          41. AmberE | | #61

            Thanks K1w1---one way or another we'll get this solved so that you can go back to being a Threads cheerleader! One reason I have gotten so involved in this is that I know how tight the sewing community is in the States and I assume it would be even more so in Australia. For a small publication, our good reputation is everything and it must be ensured. I know this is off subject, but I'm becoming really curious about our Aussie subscribers. Do you have shows/sewing expos there? How about your fabric stores---lots, not enough? What internet sites do you frequent? I know I have corresponded with you separately so that I can gather more info. Thanks for your time on this. --Amber

          42. thurl | | #66

            Amber, we do have a large craft/sewing show which is held twice yearly in each of the capital cities.  They have a fashion show where they display a number of garment made from current patterns but the main emphasis of the show is on craft rather than garment sewing. 

            Melbourne used to be the fashion manufacturing capital and still has a fair number of fabric shops with quality ranging from the cheap and cheerful to the superb and very expensive.   Of course many of us also buy fabric and notions online, both from interstate and various parts of the world.

            Two  popular online discussion sewing sites for english speakers are Patternreview and Stitchers Guild.  The Burda Wof site gets plenty of hits from Australia.  Sewing does seem to have a resurgence in popularity.  My god daughter is a very stylish young woman in her late twenties with a busy professional job.  She has recently started sewing for herself and her 2 young children as a creative outlet.  She and several of her friends have taken out a joint subscription to Australian Stitches.  Actually, I had thought a subscription to Threads would make a good Christmas present for her but I won't do that this year for obvious reasons.

            I have not received Threads since issue #125.  I have emails from customer service saying that my subscription will be extended to cover the missing issues but last week received a renewal letter saying the next issue (#128) will be my last and with no mention of the extended subscription. 

            This does not inspire confidence that that the promised extension will eventuate. 

                

               

             

          43. AmberE | | #71

            What is the name of your sewing show? I'm thrilled to hear about your goddaughter. She may be more interested in our new publication, Sew Stylish, due out in February. It can be ordered online at http://www.taunton.com/threads/

            FYI, I was interviewed yesterday by the Wall Street Journal for an article about the revival of sewing with the younger set. It should be out next week, but it's exciting that a big business newspaper is doing an article on sewing!

            As for Threads, I am doing what I can within my power to rewin your confidence!

          44. mem | | #72

            Amber I wont be entrusting my hard won Aussie dollars to Taunton until I get my missing mags and I am getting my subscrption appearing in a timely manner !!!!  I dontcare how good your new publication is . Although I cant wait to see it!!!

          45. AmberE | | #73

            Sounds fair to me!

          46. AmberE | | #74

             

            I am going to post this one more time for those who are new to this discussion. In order to have your subscription extened, you must send an email making that request to customer service:

             

            The following is from customer service:

             

            Dear Threads Readers: When we replaced issues via airmail, we thought the situation was an isolated late delivery incident.  We never intended to treat any subscriber differently than any other subscriber.  It takes weeks to identify that there is a problem with the general or mass delivery of our magazines.  Our international shipper did recognize that there was a problem with the subcontractor handling Australian deliveries and arrangements were made with a new company.  The new company is responsible for all future magazine deliveries beginning with THREADS issue # 128 and we have been advised that delivery times should be back to normal.<!----><!---->

            <!----> <!---->

            We are still investigating the problem and when we determine what happened, we will have a complete answer to all questions and we will address the needs of the subscribers affected by this situation. If you have further questions, the email address is [email protected]. For those of you who have purchased replacement issues, please write customer service at that address and we will extend your subscription accordingly. <!----><!---->

            <!----> <!---->

            Thank you for your patience and understanding while we work to resolve this issue.

             

            --Taunton Press Customer Service

             

          47. mem | | #79

            how can we subscribers who have missed out on the mags and who cant buy them is Aus going to gatch up ?

          48. User avater
            bevaau | | #81

            I received this reply this morning:

            "Thank you for your reply. This e-mail is to confirm that we have received your reply and will follow your instructions to replace both Threads #126 and #127. After reviewing your account I can see that #126 was already replaced for you on September 28, as this magazine is already in transit to you please allow 8-10 weeks for delivery. I apologize that I am not able to expedite issue #127 as you have requested. This issue was sent out standard delivery and will arrive within the next 10-12 weeks. Please let us know if you have any further questions. Thank you again for your patience and interest in Taunton Press publications."

            I said I did NOT want to purchase from my newsagent (as it costs almost twice as much and that is the main reason I subscribe!) , that 126 had disappeared anyway and I preferred airmail as I know others had received theirs that way. Seems that I am NOT one of the chosen and that the replacement issues will arrive sometime next year!! Maybe!!

          49. Susannah | | #82

            Hi Amber

            The previous post from bevaau highlights the ongoing problem with Taunton Customer Service.  There has been no consistency  in the treatment of the missing issues.  I was advised in August that my replacement issue HAD BEEN SENT and would arrive in 8 to 10 weeks.  By late September, when I complained further about this (having already heard that some subscribers had received both issues by airmail) I was sent both issues by airmail.

            The first replacement copy of issue 126 that had apparently been post in early August has not yet arrived.  If I were really cynical, I might suppose that it had in fact never been sent. 

            With each of the australian subscribers dealing individually with customer service, it appears to be a matter of random chance as to which of the following responses we receive:

            1 - The original copy is on its way, and will arrive in 8 to 10 weeks, so we need to wait longer before there is an issue. 

            2 - If your copy has not arrived, then the problem is with your mail service, please check with your local mail service.

            2 - A replacement copy has been posted, and will arrive in 8 to 10 weeks. 

            3 - Buy a copy locally, your subscription will be extended, thank you for your interest in Taunton publications

            4 - Your replacement copy/copies will be sent via air courier (surely the most expensive option that could be found, short of hand delivery by a Taunton staff member!)

            I have had all of these responses. 

            If all australian subscribers didn't talk to each other, we would all have continued to think that each of us had a unique problem.  However, due to this and other discussion boards, many of us are very aware of the problem, and the significant inconsistencies in responses from Taunton Customer Service.  Postings on discussion boards not hosted by Taunton are a bit less polite.

            It really isn't good enough, and it is disappointing that part of the organisation is having such a detrimental effect on the work done by those who produce the magazine.

            Susannah

          50. AmberE | | #83

            Hi all: We are waiting to hear from CS on this and I expect something more will be posted by early next week. Be assured that we are working to untangle and thanks again for your patience and information you have given me!

            Best,

            Amber

          51. Ellene | | #84

            Amber, I am not a subscriber of Threads, but do read the library copies and really enjoy the magzine content. I have been following the saga of #126 & #127 and somewhat perplexed that this problem is still unresolved, despite the patience of the Australian subscribers.

            Just a Suggestion - Why can't Taunton make a business decision, cut their losses and resend (reprinting if necessary) every Australian subscriber a copy of both #126 & #127 ?  A Global Priority Mail Envelope is available at any Post office in the USA and costs $9.50 and arrives here in Australia, in aproximately 7 days from date of posting.

            If a few lucky ones have received a replacement copy of one or the other, then they could "pay it forward" - passing it onto a sewing friend or sewing guild.

             

          52. AmberE | | #85

            Thanks Ellene. I'll put it in the suggestion box. Customer service is working to develop a good resolution.

          53. User avater
            bevaau | | #86

            Wow! That was certainly help to undo some of the aggro caused by recent "events"!! I wonder if it would ever happen!!!

          54. thurl | | #87

            Good suggestion Ellene. 

             It would have been appropriate if Taunton had done that, but it's a bit late now.

               

          55. K1W1 | | #88

            It's now 15 weeks since my replacement #126 was posted to me and it hasn't turned up in my mail box yet.  I now give zero credibility to customer service.  Mind you the subscription renewal reminders can be sent airmail, which is particularly galling as it's almost 6 months since I received a magazine from Taunton.

            My non sewing friends are appalled on my behalf and my sewing friends even more so.

            It is even more galling to hear how fabulous an issue is. Quite frankly I don't want to hear how great it is if it's another 6 weeks away if I'm lucky (when a sea freight copy is in a newsagents).

             

             

          56. flossie | | #91

            Amber Issue 128 arrived in my letterbox today - I am so excited and I realise how much I have missed the inspiration Threads provides. Sadly there is still no sign of 126 and 127 but at least I feel that I was right to renew my subscription and that things are back on track.

            Kind regards Pauline Webster (Melbourne, Australia)

          57. AmberE | | #93

            That's great---keep me posted on the issue of your replacement copies for 126 & 127

          58. User avater
            bevaau | | #95

            That's great, Pauline - perhaps mine are on the way also? (I have 126 - but no sign of 127 or 128!!) Why are we so pleased to be getting something we paid for ages ago?????    BevA

          59. Susannah | | #96

            Hi Bevaau

            I got my regular issue of #128 in the mail this week - so I would expect that most australian subscribers would also get theirs soon (Tasmania shouldn't be too far ahead of the mainland!)

            I also received  this week what I imagine was the original copy of #126 that I should have received in November (it was in the standard subscription wrapping).  Four months is a ridiculous length of time to wait.  Not all that exciting - as I had been one of the lucky ones who was sent replacement copies by airmail in October.  I will pass the extra copy on to a fellow sewer - it has some good things in.

            I also note from recent posts that the problem is not confined to Australia, but South African subscribers have also had a problem - perhaps they are just not as noisy as we are!

            best wishes

            Susannah

             

          60. User avater
            Aless | | #97

            Well...I'm HOPING that CS has it all under control at last ! I finally received  #126(which of the 3 copies was it ????) late last week, and today #128 turned up,at about the right time. (On Amber's advice, I bought #127 myself while it was still around in the shops.My subs are supposed to be extended, but HOW I'll know that I don't know, as I'm due to renew SOON.)

            We have been dealt with very badly on this matter.

            I've been a Threads subscriber for years, and have NEVER had this much trouble. If I didn't get such a buzz out of reading each and every issue(and #127 had me almost purring, after months of going without !!!!!!) I would have let it go, like I did with SewNews,who missed every second copy to me in the 12 months I was 'with them'.

            I am keeping my fingers and toes crossed for all you other poor souls who are experiencing your Threads deprivation still.

          61. AmberE | | #98

            Attn: Please check the new post following this from our Taunton Customer Service Manager Ellen Grassi. She has done an extraordinary job in researching answers to your questions and concerns.

             

            Thanks,

            Amber Eden

            Editor, Threads

          62. mem | | #103

            dearAmberi have bee to 10 News Agents and NONE have the copies 126 and 127 which I have missed out on.I rang your distributer Gorden and Gottsch here in Melbourne and they have pulped all the copies not sold and sent the covers back to you.I absolutely think that you should stop this charade of telling people to go out and buy copies which are NOT available . That is putting the responsibility back onto us and It isnt our responsibility so how about sending us some copies . You have back copies so how about doing the honest thing and just doing it. Then this disaster will go away !

          63. Ellen_Grassi | | #99

            This posting is provided to explain the perception of inconsistent customer service from Taunton Press and to cover what Taunton Press customer service has discovered to date concerning the late or non-delivery of Threads magazine to our subscribers in <!----><!---->Australia<!----> and <!----><!---->New Zealand<!----><!---->.<!----><!----><!---->

             <!----><!---->

            Here at Taunton Press, we strive to provide a personalized experience for all customers who contact us.  In order to do that, we maintain a small staff of people here in <!----><!---->Newtown<!---->, <!---->Connecticut<!----><!----> who are responsible for answering phone calls and responding to emails. Our staff is empowered to make decisions and each day at least 8 staff members are personally answering emails.  When the first Australian and <!----><!---->New Zealand<!----><!----> delivery problem emails started to arrive, each rep responded individually as we always do, that we would be happy to send a replacement.  Again, each rep responded themselves; not with an anonymous, pre-determined response.  This is why some of your earlier emails received different answers to similar questions.  <!----><!---->

            <!----> <!---->

            Please believe that we were just trying to be helpful and didn’t mean to mislead anyone. Unfortunately, this appears to have happened before we determined that there was a more wide-spread issue at hand.<!----><!---->

            <!----> <!---->

            It is obvious from some postings that there has also been confusion about the methods used to ship Threads magazine from our printer in the past and questions about how they will be shipped in the future. So, to clarify the shipping questions: all of our magazines bound for <!---->Australia<!----> and <!---->New Zealand<!----> are shipped via air freight from the <!---->United States<!----> as soon as they are printed in <!----><!---->Wisconsin<!----><!---->.  They may be transported with magazines from other publishers that require a stop at another location in the <!---->Pacific Rim<!---->, before they actually reach a depot in your country.  Once they reach your country, we have been told that it can take up to two weeks to reach you through your postal system.   Now and in the future, we will continue to air freight all subscriber issues direct from our printer.  <!----><!---->

            <!----> <!---->

            In the Taunton Press customer service replies to your emails, we had said that Threads issues 126 (Aug/Sep) and 127 (Oct/Nov) were shipped by a subcontractor who (as we learned from you) had not been providing good service.  We could not find out exactly what had happened to the issues, but we were told by our International Delivery Distributor, that they had arrived in <!----><!---->Australia<!----><!---->.  We believed that the problem would be found and we expected that the issues would be delivered before our replacements arrived.  We are now hearing from some Australians that they just received issue # 126, which was the subscription issue they should have received months ago.  Unfortunately, we cannot explain that delay, nor can we state that every subscriber will now get their original issue since we do not ultimately have control over the final shipper.  <!----><!---->

             <!----><!---->

            We still do not have a complete picture as to what went wrong, but we do know that our International Delivery Distributor has set in place a new subcontractor in order to ensure that our future deliveries arrive on time.  This new subcontractor is responsible for all future issues beginning with the December/January issue, #128.  This issue should be arriving in your mailboxes by the end of next week.<!----><!---->

            <!----> <!---->

            For those of you who still have not received issue 127, we would like to offer you the opportunity to purchase those issues on the newsstand and we will extend your subscription appropriately.  Please simply send an email to [email protected] and please write AUSTRALIAN/NZ Delivery Problem in the subject line of your email.  We will need your name and address, as they appear on your mailing label, in order to access your account, so please be sure to add them to the body of your email.<!----><!---->

            <!----> <!---->

            If we learn any other facts, we will post them on this forum as soon as possible to keep you fully informed.<!----><!---->

            <!----> <!---->

            I want to apologize to you on behalf of all of us here in the customer service department at Taunton Press and thank you for both originally bringing this delivery problem to our attention and for your patience. -Ellen Grassi, Customer Service Manager, The Taunton Press, Inc.<!----><!---->

            <!----> <!---->

            <!----> <!---->

            <!----> <!---->

          64. thurl | | #100

            I've read your message through several times. 

             Do I understand correctly?   Replacement issues were not sent because you were hoping that the original issues of both #126/127 might eventually arrive?

            Many of us have emails from you, dating from June/July telling us replacements had been sent, but this would explain why they haven't shown up 4-5 months later.

             

          65. K1W1 | | #101

            So was a replacement issue 126 sent  by surface mail to those who emailed about the problem back in July or were they not sent.

            As my interpretation of what you wrote was that they weren't actually sent, as you expected the original delivery to arrive before they would.

            If so that completely explains why 16 weeks (oh would that be 4 months) later my replacement copy 126 has NOT turned up in my Post Office Box.

            Additionally, the differing levels of service continued after it was clear to Blind Freddy that there was a systemic problem, not an individual problem. IE after issue 127 was also NOT received two months after issue 126 still hadn't turned up.

            Your email doesn't explain why the people who asked early were told their replacement was sent surface mail and their subs had NEVER been sent airmail - now it's apparently because you believed the original copy would turn up and it would be perceived as the replacement.

            And it doesn't explain why the same customer service person would send one customer an airmail replacement and another customer a surface mail replacement.

            I'm really glad that some readers are finally getting the magazine they've paid for, though I'm still to receive #126, #127 and #128.  Hopefully 128 will turn up this week.  I'm not going to renew unless I see if this gets resolved properly. IE everyone gets the issues they should get, and there is a consistent response FOUR MONTHS LATER.

            Issue 127 isn't available anymore in store for purchasing. Oddly enough they sell out in newsagents fairly quickly - this might be a good thing for Taunton, but it's not for subscribers who've been told to go & buy it.  First you have to find a copy. Then you get to pay around $16AU. It's great that Taunton will extend your subscription as compensation, but only if you receive the additional magazines.

          66. mem | | #102

            I agree witn you I have no hope of getting those copies and am hoping that Taurnton will just send us some new copies as i will miss out all togther .

          67. mem | | #78

            I have now been told I will get a replacement " Fine Woodworking " magazine !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! By Elizabth in customer service . How widespread is this problem??

          68. thurl | | #75

            Amber, the show is called The Australian Stiches and Craft Show.  It's popular and very crowded no matter what time of day you go.  I only go occasionally because there are more stalls for craft, beading and patchwork than garment sewing. 

            When the Wall Street Journal article on sewing is published I hope you will post the text here or at least let us know which issue it's in.  I'd love to read it. 

          69. AmberE | | #76

            That's like our Puyallup

             

            I will let you know about WSJ

          70. AmberE | | #58

            This is general reply to all who are posting here: you do need to contact customer service specifically requesting the copy replacement and subscription extension. Put it in the subject line and mark the email urgent is my suggestion.

          71. User avater
            bevaau | | #69

            I am still not at all sure why we have to "contact customer service" when it must, by now, be obvious to Blind Freddy that there is a general problem for all Australian (and New Zealand?? - not sure about that) subscribers!! Why is "customer service" not contacting us - or, better yet, sending us the missing issues by whatever method they used to send them to us before this fiasco - without our having to ask for them!!! The impression that some people have special deals is not helping the situation at all. "Customer service" must have the email addresses of most of their Australian subscribers and a quick postcard note to the rest should not be a huge problem and could dampen down some of the frustration at this end of the world. Bad news travels fast in the Downunder sewing community - I belong to several online groups, teach patchwork and sewing classes and belong to the Australian Sewing Guild. You are in danger of losing many more than this 'one subscriber'.

          72. Stitchwitch | | #89

            Dear K1W1,

             

            I am from South Africa and I am experiencing the same problem with receiving issues lately.  I am STILL waiting for the August / September issue.  I LOVE the magazine but I am at my wits end.  I think they know we are 1000's of miles away and we can only complain via e-mail, which if you are lucky, get's answered days later with the same old promises.  Do you have an e-mail address of a person with authority that will solve my problem.  Recentlly I renewed my subscription for another 24 months and since I have not received a single new issue of Threads.  I get these silly reminders from Switzerland that my subscription is about to expire.  I have tried to look in the magazine for an e-mail address of the editor but cannot find one.  I also subscribe to Autralian Stitches and at least there you can contact the editor directly should you have a problem.  HELP ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

          73. K1W1 | | #90

            Have you had any answer from a "real person" at Threads customer service, or just the automated "we'll respond in 48 hours"?

            I'm still waiting for my magazine, as I said 15 weeks and still counting, so please don't think that I have any special powers. If I did, I'd be using my power for good not evil and every overseas customer would have been sent at least an airmailed postcard saying that there was a delivery problem and that the replacement was being sent surface mail and advising what that expected delivery time would be.   Customer service would clearly state when a replacement had been sent surface mail. As I've said before, up until issue 125, it took two weeks for Threads to arrive in my australian mailbox. 

            To mention that replacements will take 10-12 weeks is effectively managing their customers expectations. Not doing that doesn't.

            Even Blind Freddy has noticed that if you're not a local USA subscriber, you're definitely second class.

            AmberE on this board is the Editor at Threads, and you can send her an email on this page of Threads website.

            http://www.taunton.com/threads/pages/th_contactform.asp?

          74. flossie | | #30

            Thanks for the update you have provided. I received yet another explanation from customer service via e-mail - my address (which has been used since issue 70) was incomplete! I have been advised that replacement issues have been sent to my corrected address but no mention was made of whether by air or surface mail - I will just have to wait and see. However I have renewed my subscription today because I do believe it is good value for money, I enjoy reading Threads and I am confident that the delivery problem has been addressed. I also know that should I miss a copy in future I will be much quicker to contact customer service and the on-line discussion to confirm whether the problem is a specific or general one.

            Regards, Pauline Webster

          75. AmberE | | #33

            Thanks for hanging in there as a subscriber. There was some confusion, and it took some time for customer service to piece the whole story together, but they are a really dedicated crew and we talk daily, so you can be sure they'll resolve this, now that we've identified the problem.

            I had considered hand-delivering, but that's not really practical.....
            :-).

          76. thurl | | #38

            Hi AmberE,

            What is Tauntons future policy on how will replacement issues be sent, if, god forbid, you have another mass "glitch" or if individual issues go astray?

            Will they be sent airmail or suface mail?

            I'm sorry to harp on this, but it is something overseas subscribers need take into consideration.

          77. AmberE | | #40

            You'll have to direct this question to them to get the official answer, but I would assume that it would be as all magazines are sent, via surface. They had sent  via air in an effort to provide the extraordinary level of service that Taunton provides, but the cost is really, really high and not fiscally practical for large quantities of magazine.  Again, this was a distributor glitch, but one that hopefully will never occur again!

          78. thurl | | #41

            AmberE, quite a number of people have put the direct question to cutomer service but have not had a direct answer. 

            My experience with other overseas subscriptions has been, that on the rare occasions an issue has gone astray, a replacement is sent airmail as soon as the company is notified and I have received it within 7-10 days.  On asking several friends their experience, including a manager for a publishing company, the universal reaction is astonishment that this has not been the case here.

            Perhaps if it had been, alarm bells would have rung at Tauntons much earlier and we wouldn't have had 2 issues apparently disappear into the ether before Tauntons noticed the problem.

            ETA.  My exasperation is not directed at the editorial staff but that the quality of the customer service does not match the quality of the magazine. 

             

            Edited 10/9/2006 8:32 pm ET by thurl

          79. AmberE | | #42

            And I wish I could hand-deliver those issues. We work hard to get and keep our devoted readers, so it's heartbreaking to hear that you have missed two issues!

            I will pass on to customer service that you are not hearing back. But I do suggest that a subject line that includes "Australia" would be helpful to them. They get lots and lots of emails!

            I completely understand that you just need a place to be heard---that's what Gatherings is for!

          80. User avater
            Aless | | #43

            Amber- I am one who has also not received #126 or # 127,who has been emailing customer service since July (I have an email saying that my replacement issue for #126 was to be sent in the last week of July) and I have multiple emails in my Inbox from CS saying various different things about a resolution. I am still waiting for my copies- it's the 12th October here in South Australia.

            Having said that, I am very very impressed at the way you have tried to find out what happened, kept us advised here as to what is happening, and generally kept your cool with very upset Australian subscribers. I, for one, think that there is a big problem somewhere in CS, but not with you. Thank you for being prepared to put yourself in the ' firing line ' (when it should have been sorted out by others in the first place).

          81. AmberE | | #44

            No problem! Did you write to have your subscription extended? If not, you should---just refer to the posting I put up from customer service on specifics of what email needs to say. I think that CS just recently was able to piece together the magnitude of the problem---and I want to make sure that you get that extension and replacement issues. As I said before, I'm thrilled that our readers in Australia care enough about the magazine to pursue this. I always felt we had a strong readership "down under" and now it's confirmed!Keep in touch and let me know how it turns out.
            Amber

          82. mygaley | | #45

            Are the Australian subscribers getting an extension and the replacement issues? If so, WOW and good for you. Galey

          83. AmberE | | #46

            I would like to take credit, but it's customer service's doing---I'm just getting the word out. However, you must write customer service to get this---see my earlier post in this string from CS

          84. K1W1 | | #56

            The only aussie subscribers who are getting an extension are those who have purchased their magazine in store after waiting months for their magazine to arrive in their mailbox.

            The recommendation to do this is still being made despite the fact that issue 127 is in stores (issue 126 long sold out) and only a lucky few got either issue re-sent by airmail. The rest of us might get 127 by Christmas - and only so long as the container doesn't get washed overboard.  (A DF worked for a shipping company so I found out 20 years ago that this does happen in storms).

             

          85. mygaley | | #57

            Thank you for the subscription information. I live in Louisiana, USA, and so have not had the same frustrating time you have had. I was trying to say that I was glad that Threads had finally done something for you all. God bless you, Galey

          86. mem | | #68

            my galey they have done NOTHING except fob us off and I am really sick of it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

          87. AmberE | | #63

            I think they are still trying to find out if it did get washed overboard! This is all feeling more 19th century that 21st!

          88. AmberE | | #64

            P.S. My understanding is that any subscriber who did not receive a copy can request the subscription extension, not just those who have purchased replacements. But it must be requested.

          89. K1W1 | | #65

            We can let you know in February 2007 if issue 128 gets delivered according to the new 'standard' delivery.    It seems to me that previous issues were sent surface/air whereby mail goes by land (eg east coast USA to west coast USA) and then by air as soon as the land runs out.   This is significantly cheaper than straight surface, taking around 2 weeks - oddly enough how long all my previous issues took to arrive.

            I know of 20 or more aussie/kiwi subscribers and not one of them received #126, which is why I knew there was a problem so quickly -  if it was a random problem then delivery failure to the 20 would be randomly applied not total.  They're scattered across the country so it's not like only Sydney didn't get it but Melbourne & Brisbane did.

            I think most sewing fans are waiting for sewing to become the next big hobby, the way that beading & knitting did. 

            There is a craft show held in each state Capital a couple of times a year, but garment sewing is a very small section compared to stamping, beading, knitting etc.

        2. mem | | #12

          does this mean that i will get all the issues i am owed ?? I have introduced a Friend to Threads and am feeling rather embarrassed about this glitch  .

          1. jennys | | #13

            l am in the same boat, having recommended threads to several friends who subscribed, as well as the local embroiderer's guild library. l would be interested in knowing whether the absent back issues !(126 and 127) will turn up, more for my friends and acquaintances, as l have gone out and purchased replacement issues for myself - but it is quite expensive, and some people do not feel they had that option. l feel the threads staff were a little disingenuous telling me that l would have to wait 10 - 12 weeks as usual, when it certainly was not usual to wait that length of time.
            Overall, l am not particuarly impressed at how fairly widespread complaints were handled. l think a " we can see there is a problem and we are trying to sort it out approach " would have been preferable, rather than suggesting that it had always taken a long time to get to us.
            jenny s

        3. K1W1 | | #17

          If you could define what normal delivery is, I would be very appreciative.  Until now, normal delivery has been approximately two to three weeks.  If as I have been told, normal delivery will now be 10-12 weeks (reality check: closer to 12) then I for one am not renewing my subscription (I have already advised Kristi of this intention). 

          I'm sure that the editorial staff would NOT be happy that if they suddenly and with no prior notification were told that their magazine would now be delivered 10 weeks later and that this dramatic change to their service level was "normal".  Our service level has been changed with zero notice and you can't expect us to be happy about it.

          I find it very poor that those of us who have been waiting since July for our replacment issues are still waiting and that for two months the implication was that we were the only person whose issue wasn't delivered.  There was clearly a problem when not one Aussie subscriber I knew of (both online communities and in the Australian Sewing Guild) had received issue #126.

          More than TWO months later when we've also failed to get receive both #126 and #127 it's acknowledged that there was a problem all along, and only after multiple subscribers reasking the same questions.

          It shouldn't have been too difficult for all those who had asked where their magazine to have been proactively told this information. It would have kept a lot of us happy to have been told this without having to keep asking questions. And more inclined to recommend a subscription.  Now, I am no longer willing to recommend it based on the lack of proactive customer service.

          The only reason I have issue #126 is that I went out and purchased it in a newsagents. 

          1. AmberE | | #22

            I completely sympathize. At this is was thought to be an isolated incident and only recently became aware that it was not. Taunton Press customer service is quickly seeking a good solution and as soon as I get any more info, I'll pass it on.

        4. West Australia | | #31

          I have been overseas for a month so was too preoccupied to notice that I hadn't received a copy of Threads for some time. On reading the above messages I checked and found that my last copy received was 124 April/May. Where have the rest gone?
          Today I mailed my renewed subscription before realising this problem. I wish I hadn't. Too late now. My renewal notice said that I had two more issues remaining in my Threads subscription. I trust Threads honours its obligation of supplying continuous editions, and that I receive follow on magazines from 124.

          1. ctirish | | #32

            hi, Threads is really trying to correct the problems. Amber is from Threads so I would just read her note and contact customer service.  She is working very hard at getting everyone a solution that works for them so don't give up yet. 

            jane

             

          2. AmberE | | #34

            Please contact customer service at the email listed earlier in this post and let them know you have not received these issues. As I understand, it is 126 and 127 that have disappeared. This will not occur going forward. Taunton Press customer service will extend your subscription, as well as send you the missing copies. I am the editor-in-chief of the magazine and hope you will continue your subscription. I know this is annoying to miss issues, but as an editor, it's also heartwarming to know that we were missed. Let me know how it turns out. Amber

            Edited 10/6/2006 11:06 am ET by AmberE

  4. Michika | | #52

    Hi Susannah,

    I live in Brisbane and have not received a Threads since 125 which arrived  first week in May. 2006.  I always guage arrival time with my grandsons birthday,  as I got one on the day he was born.   I expected to get one  first week in July as his birthday is the 4th of July.

     When I advised in Aug that I was still waiting for 126 it was posted to me on 8. 8. 06 and I still am waiting for it 11 weeks later.     I am hoping that the glitch is soon fixed up. Regards  Michika.

  5. Michika | | #77

    I have now  (31/10/06)  been sent my 2nd replacement of 126 as  the original replacement sent 8 August 2006 some 12 weeks ago has not arrived.  Approx arrival advised as 12 weeks.  This means that I will have had a wait of approx 24 weeks for 126. if it in fact arrives.  127 replacement which has now also been sent (31/10/06) will be 16 weeks late if it arrives.

    I did ask if they could be sent by airmail - no response received on that, from customer service.

     When I renewed my subscription there was an price  error on the website and I wonder if that has had anything to do with the downgrading of postal service to Australia.  I would advise you all to check that the  expiry date of your subscription is correct, as I also had a problem with mine being cut short by 6 months.  When I quiried that with customer service it was corrected.

    Very frustrated - Michika

    1. mem | | #80

      luck you I havent recived ANYTHING

  6. Stitchwitch | | #92

    Susannah, I'm from South Africa and am experiencing the same problem. From my numerous messages to THREADS I can tell you what I have heard from them.  They had a problem with their distributors.  Apparently they now have a new distributor and things should soon be back on track.  The distributor problem affects issues 126-128. I was promised, as recently as,  this week that my issues are on the way.

    We'll see if it arrives. (Maybe Santa will deliver it for Christmas.)  I just WHISH they would post a message on the website telling their overseas subscribers what the problem was/is and what they are doing to correct it.  Now no-one really knows and we are all just kept in the dark.  I think it is very poor service especially from a magazine such as THREADS.  We should just keep on complaining in mass till they get the message.

    1. AmberE | | #94

      Customer service is preparing a response, but it needs to be carefully researched, as we want to be absolutely sure that we give the correct info. Thanks for your patience on this and expect a posting from them very soon.

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