Newspaper subscriptions

Mememememe · 10-27-2011, 02:32 PM

I just started subscribing to newspapers on Kobo again after having trouble with them at the beginning of this year. They still seem to be a problem.

Anyone else having issues?

My problem is that the papers are often made available awfully late. This morning they weren't available until 10:30 a.m. Monday's paper didn't arrive until Tuesday. (I'm currently subscribing to the Globe and the Post.)

Yesterday it was available around 8 a.m., but even that is too late for a morning paper. They really should be available for people first thing in the morning; if a physical paper can be delivered before 7 a.m., an electronic version should be available that early, too.

I've tried asking customer service if there is an issue but, as usual, they have failed to respond.

thepossum · 10-27-2011, 02:52 PM

I'm in Eastern time and my Toronto Star didn't show up today until after 9:30 today. Normally it is available by 7:00am. I also have a trouble ticket open, the 24-48 hour window was up just a few minutes ago, and there has been no reply. This is absolutely frustrating to me.

Whatever issue they're having with newspapers, it is affecting ALL the newspapers. I've been getting all the same delays as you. The single most frustrating thing is the absolute silence. This has been happening for two weeks now, since Oct 19, and all I have so far is silence from Kobo.

I work in IT. I can handle MANY technical problems. But, to be blunt, if they can't come up with an explanation as to what is going wrong, I won't have any sense that they are working on a solution.

As I told SameerH, I can understand things like: an employee is sick or on vacation, and the guy who is now handling the task is missing some important step or starts work later; a hard drive is filling up or crashing; some pigeons keep crapping on a remote wifi link; whatever!

Another thing I've noticed, since this has started happening. In the Toronto Star, they print separate sections for "News" and "GTA". But recently both have been globbed into one much bigger section.

And also for today, there were NO images included in this edition.

vjplo · 10-28-2011, 07:22 AM

I have a Literati and subscribe to two mags that show up on the first of the month. This has worked well all year but in October only one mag showed up. Syncing only updates bookmarks, not content. I've unsubscribed and resubscribed to try and force it out, to no avail so am paying for something I'm not receiving. So far customer support by email hasn't enlightened me one bit but I'll let the subscription stand to see what happens on 11/1. Have been looking at new reader options and this certainly crosses off any Kobo readers from my list of possible purchases.

Mememememe · 10-28-2011, 09:42 AM

In a way, it's a relief to hear that this is a recent problem. There were a few misses when I first subscribed back in December, January, and February. (I only cancelled those subscriptions because I was on the original Kobo and found I didn't have time to start up my laptop every morning, sync my Kobo, and download the papers while getting ready for work. I've got a Touch now.)

If they normally delivery much earlier, I can hope they fix whatever the problem is soon, and the "norm" will be appropriate delivery times.

Still, it bugs me that this trouble is happening now (though I should note that my subscriptions were ready by 7 a.m. today -- woohoo!). It bugs me even more that my three inquiries with customer service have yielded no response.

If they know there's a problem, they should have a standard response, saying, "we've had some technical issues that we are fixing." It's simple, really: apologize, provide an explanation, and assure the customer that the problem is important and is being dealt with. And, ideally, compensate the customer for late papers. It's amazing how easy it is to smooth things over if you do this; the compensation often isn't even necessary.

Silence, however, is a poor response.

10-27-2011, 02:32 PM	#1
Mememememe Connoisseur Posts: 98 Karma: 7542 Join Date: May 2010 Device: Kobo	Newspaper subscriptions I just started subscribing to newspapers on Kobo again after having trouble with them at the beginning of this year. They still seem to be a problem. Anyone else having issues? My problem is that the papers are often made available awfully late. This morning they weren't available until 10:30 a.m. Monday's paper didn't arrive until Tuesday. (I'm currently subscribing to the Globe and the Post.) Yesterday it was available around 8 a.m., but even that is too late for a morning paper. They really should be available for people first thing in the morning; if a physical paper can be delivered before 7 a.m., an electronic version should be available that early, too. I've tried asking customer service if there is an issue but, as usual, they have failed to respond.

10-28-2011, 07:22 AM	#3
vjplo Enthusiast Posts: 25 Karma: 1304 Join Date: Jan 2011 Device: Literati	magazine I have a Literati and subscribe to two mags that show up on the first of the month. This has worked well all year but in October only one mag showed up. Syncing only updates bookmarks, not content. I've unsubscribed and resubscribed to try and force it out, to no avail so am paying for something I'm not receiving. So far customer support by email hasn't enlightened me one bit but I'll let the subscription stand to see what happens on 11/1. Have been looking at new reader options and this certainly crosses off any Kobo readers from my list of possible purchases.

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10-27-2011, 02:52 PM	#2
thepossum Zealot Posts: 123 Karma: 20018 Join Date: May 2010 Device: Kobo	I'm in Eastern time and my Toronto Star didn't show up today until after 9:30 today. Normally it is available by 7:00am. I also have a trouble ticket open, the 24-48 hour window was up just a few minutes ago, and there has been no reply. This is absolutely frustrating to me. Whatever issue they're having with newspapers, it is affecting ALL the newspapers. I've been getting all the same delays as you. The single most frustrating thing is the absolute silence. This has been happening for two weeks now, since Oct 19, and all I have so far is silence from Kobo. I work in IT. I can handle MANY technical problems. But, to be blunt, if they can't come up with an explanation as to what is going wrong, I won't have any sense that they are working on a solution. As I told SameerH, I can understand things like: an employee is sick or on vacation, and the guy who is now handling the task is missing some important step or starts work later; a hard drive is filling up or crashing; some pigeons keep crapping on a remote wifi link; whatever! Another thing I've noticed, since this has started happening. In the Toronto Star, they print separate sections for "News" and "GTA". But recently both have been globbed into one much bigger section. And also for today, there were NO images included in this edition.

10-28-2011, 09:42 AM	#4
Mememememe Connoisseur Posts: 98 Karma: 7542 Join Date: May 2010 Device: Kobo	In a way, it's a relief to hear that this is a recent problem. There were a few misses when I first subscribed back in December, January, and February. (I only cancelled those subscriptions because I was on the original Kobo and found I didn't have time to start up my laptop every morning, sync my Kobo, and download the papers while getting ready for work. I've got a Touch now.) If they normally delivery much earlier, I can hope they fix whatever the problem is soon, and the "norm" will be appropriate delivery times. Still, it bugs me that this trouble is happening now (though I should note that my subscriptions were ready by 7 a.m. today -- woohoo!). It bugs me even more that my three inquiries with customer service have yielded no response. If they know there's a problem, they should have a standard response, saying, "we've had some technical issues that we are fixing." It's simple, really: apologize, provide an explanation, and assure the customer that the problem is important and is being dealt with. And, ideally, compensate the customer for late papers. It's amazing how easy it is to smooth things over if you do this; the compensation often isn't even necessary. Silence, however, is a poor response.

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