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A longtime reader named Glenn wrote in with a dilemma many of us face.
Hi, Julia. How is everything? I’d like your expert opinion. I recently stopped my newspaper subscription after I discovered that they raised my rate from $35 a year to $52 without notifying me. I had been paying $35 a year for the past several years. I know that $1 per week for daily newspapers isn’t that bad, but I didn’t like that fact that my annual subscription jumped nearly 50%. There are other sources for news, and I can look up all the major retailers and drug stores weekly ads online. True, I won’t be getting the Sunday coupon booklets any longer. But to be honest, I found that the types of coupons and their values to be in steady decline (in terms of what appeals to me) lately.
Q? Do you think I was hasty in canceling my subscription? What would you have done?
You acted hastily, perhaps fueled by frustration. The paper erred by declining to notify you – is it possible your dog ate the letter? Either way, a call to the subscription desk will iron things out.
It’s not too late to call and ask to re-start your subscription at the old rate. You are a loyal reader who always paid your bill on time, no? They can understand how frustrated you were when you received no advance warning of the increase, right? I’m guessing you’ve received excellent customer service in the past and hope they can help you out now.
If that doesn’t sway them, ask if setting up auto-pay with a credit card entitles you to a discount. If that doesn’t work, find a discount being offered by a rival paper and ask them to match it. Another tactic is to go without a few weeks or months in hopes that they will send you a coupon to subscribe.
Let us know how it turns out!
October 28th, 2010 at 9:22 am
I don’t read the paper, and perhaps not trying to restart it would also be an option.
I read news online through google news and other sources. I don’t see the need to read a hard copy of the news that is probably outdated by the time it gets delivered.
October 28th, 2010 at 9:31 am
I buy the Sunday paper only occasionally. I was getting 3 of them for years, but then the price went up and I found I was “guilty” reading and it was old news… give it up and go online!~
October 28th, 2010 at 9:31 am
Good advice. A daily paper seems so wasteful given that the same information is available in digital form.
October 28th, 2010 at 9:48 am
If you’re still interesting in receiving the paper, you can always resubscribe.
If you do want to subscribe, you made a mistake in canceling. What you should have asked them is if they had any promotional rates available, as they would have more than likely dropped your price considerably. I have to go through this once a year or so, and I get my paper cost back down to normal. I’ve subscribed to the same paper for 11 years now, and I go through the same thing every year. They randomly raise the rates, I call and get them dropped.
I used to get the 7 day a week, but I’ve actually gone down to Wed-Fri + Sun delivery because I find I don’t miss the other papers.
And to Tamara and Theresa, I don’t read the paper for instantaneous news. I listen to NPR for that. What I read the paper for is the local news that isn’t covered on the radio or on TV, great recipes and cook’s advice on Wednesdays that I haven’t been able to find online, the opinions of the Editorial Board that I greatly respect, the Sunday handouts, etc.
And some people don’t understand this, but there’s also an experience factor in reading the paper. I like to make the time to do it and enjoy it greatly. I know that’s old-fashioned but its nice to slow down and read something offline each week. Plus, I’m way more informed on my super-local news than any of my friends because I read the local news section that like I said, isn’t covered on TV, the Internet, or on the radio.
As well as that, I *use* my paper. I read it, it gets passed along to multiple people, comes back to me, I use it to cover my books, pack my dishes and ornaments, wash windows, pad the driveway when I’m changing my oil, use it as wrapping paper, and what’s left over gets split between my library’s recycling program (which they make money off of) and the shiny, picture filled ads which go to my babysitting kids for their art projects. My parents taught me that if you get a newspaper, it should be shared and used in as many ways as possible before disposing of it.
October 28th, 2010 at 10:37 am
One of the best memories I have is having a cup of coffee and the daily newspaper. I covered every page and read ever so many articles. Now I no longer have the paper, and I catch the headlines here and there…barely.
If you have the time to enjoy it, resolve the ‘issue’, and support your newspaper publisher!
October 28th, 2010 at 10:41 am
One of the best memories I have is sitting with a cup of coffee and the daily newspaper. I covered every page and read ever so many articles. Now I no longer have the paper, and I catch the headlines here and there…barely.
If you have the time to enjoy it, resolve the ‘issue’, support your newspaper publisher & enjoy!!!
October 28th, 2010 at 10:47 am
I also had my rates raised. So I told them I did not want to re-subscribe. They called back and offered me a better deal.
I ended up deciding to get the paper Thursday through Sunday for just $37, plus they are supposed to send me a $10 gift card to Target. Great deal!
October 28th, 2010 at 10:52 am
Resubscribe. Sometimes, at local events, they’ll have a booth set up where they try to sell subscriptions at ridiculously low rates. You could wait for one of those, too.
Newspapers tend to be more accurate than online news, as they can’t be edited in an instant like they can online, so I imagine the staff has to be more careful as to what they allow to be published. Plus, it’s often a LOT less time consuming to read the print edition. Online you are bombarded with pop ups, stupid flashing and moving ads, plus you are always at the mercy of your computer speed & connection. All this is horribly annoying to me.
Plus, you dont have to waste time searching for what you want. God I hate that! I spend so much time online just searching for something on a news website.
Lastly, in case of an emergency situation, you’re going to HAVE to rely on a print edition.
October 28th, 2010 at 11:58 am
I have too agree with all the fine points made here.
I have subscribed to the DMN for most of my adult life except for the times I was stationed overseas and would have liked to have gotten it then too except for the high cost of shipping to an APO.
I too like my morning ritual of coffee and newspaper and let no man come between us.
There is something to be said for frugality, after all I do write a blog called Penny-Pincher’s Pal, but there are somethings that I am willing to pay a price for and that is Starbucks coffee (home brewed) and my morning paper.
I don’t take the evening paper we have in our area because again it is a morning ritual that provides more psychological benefits than any benefit derived from getting news or stories per se.
I get my extra Sunday papers for the coupons from CVS where I get a double pack for $1 and what coupons I don’t want I cut out and send to the military families overseas who can use them up to 6 months after they expire. I’ve written a couple of articles recently on how to do it at my blog PennyPinchersPal.com
I encourage everyone to send their coupons to our military families. That may not be enough of a reason in itself to buy the paper, but it is a good one and one that helps others.
FrugalFather
October 28th, 2010 at 12:25 pm
http://www.discountednewspapers.com/homedelivery.html?fZip=01013&B1=Go
This is a site that may give you a discount on your newspaper subscription.
For me, there’s something special about Sunday morning with the newspaper. It’s “my time” to relax, see what’s happening and plan what I can get for next to nothing at the drug stores…cvs,wallgreens and rite aid. Between coupons and sales, it more than pays for the paper. Keeping the coupon sections is good because something may not be on sale now but will be in a few weeks. The rest of the week I read all my news online, but set aside Sunday morning for my paper, coffee and me.
October 28th, 2010 at 12:34 pm
We recently canceled our M-F NYT subscription to save money. My husband would take the paper to work, and I would read other sources online. Our NYT rate was $32.49 a month (nearly $400 a year), so even Glenn’s new annual rate of $52 is not that bad! I agree that Glenn could ask for a reduced rate, fish around for lower rates, or wait and see if a lower price is offered.
October 28th, 2010 at 12:34 pm
the rise the subscription because the internet is taking their customers and the are loosing money,eventually most papers will dissapear is just the way it is
October 28th, 2010 at 4:16 pm
I agree with Concetta’s comments, as I too enjoy having the physical paper in my hands, do not enjoy sitting at a computer to “read” the news, etc. Plus I really enjoy the crossword puzzles, and do not want to have to make copies from those on-line. The idea of having a paper (particularly the DN) M-F+Sun appeals to me, as the DN doesn’t carry readers’ letters on Saturdays, and the editorials are limited. Coupons are also a big draw. I’ll check out sending the unused ones to military families. I do cut out certain coupons (pet food, etc.) for friends with pets, or those who used certain products that I don’t use. It’s been a Sunday ritual for a long time.
And it is possible to get your rates reduced if you call and say you cannot afford the increased rates.
October 28th, 2010 at 4:40 pm
i love getting it every day its got all the local stuff but my paper person dosent do there job i can call and complain and they tell me its my falt im not getting them i cancled it and went back now its been almost 3 weeks and nothing save you money and go to 7 11
October 28th, 2010 at 6:42 pm
I subscribe only to the Sunday paper. I get my coupons and it works out fine.
October 28th, 2010 at 7:33 pm
Since newspapers are in dire straights you can often negotiate with them, just like you USED to be able to do with credit cards.
Newspapers now will do anything to retain a customer, so by simply explaining to them that you’d like advance warning before a rate hike, might buy you some money back, especially if you threaten to drop your subscription altogether.
And yes, I, too, enjoy the physical paper. It’s one less electronic device that won’t “crash,” or lose its charge–well unless rates increase.
Besides online news, in the spirit of competition, is often riddled with errors due to the lack of editing.
October 29th, 2010 at 8:20 am
@Concetta If there were more people like you, the newspaper industry wouldn’t be in such bad shape. Not that I disagree with what @Tamara and @John said. A newspaper is often outdated by the time it hits your doorstep. But it is often the only source of local news. You have found a lot of uses for your paper, and I’m thrilled you share it with so many others.
@Pauline You got a great deal, hands down!
@Kathy and EllieD I love reading the physical paper, too. My mom subscribed to the local paper growing up and I loved reading Herb Caen’s column. I used to clip out my favorites and glue it into my diary. Thanks for the link to get a discounted newspaper subscription.
October 29th, 2010 at 9:56 am
PLEASE don’t stop reading the newspaper. Here’s why it’s better than online news: As you’re flipping through it, stories you’d never think to read online may catch your eye. When you read online, your choices are very narrow, and you’re not exposed to the greater variety of news. Plus, newspapers are the watchdogs of our community — for politicians, government, schools…. — in a way that online services never can be. Keep subscribing, it’s worth every penny. And encourage your kids to read it, too.
October 29th, 2010 at 2:56 pm
@BB ~ Wow! Herb Caen! And I’m so happy that Al Martinez is now in the DN as a “new” columnist!
As for continuing the read/use newspapers, I encourage people to do so. During many of my years in the classroom, I used both local papers for a variety of lessons. The Food Sections provided instruction in reading and following directions, as well as applying math in real life situations. The Sports sections provided lesson in statistics, as well as in writing stories about sporting events. Comic strips were models for the students’ own comics, etc., etc. As the quality of writing and proofreading in both papers began to deteriorate, I took the opportunity to teach some editing skills by having the students look for and note errors as they were reading, often having them work in pairs or small groups of 3 or 4. Prizes, of course, for the greatest number found, along with a reason why the usage/spelling was wrong. And did I mention crossword puzzles? The students were given a week to complete 2 puzzles, and could ask for help from anyone except for other teachers, and could use any of the source materials in the room. If there were clues I knew would be almost impossible for them to solve, I’d give them a freebie or two to make the job doable. Not only did the kids learn a lot, but many of them continued to read the rest of the paper, and take it home to share with their parents. Best of all… we didn’t have to pay for the papers, as both of them sponsored using papers in the classroom!