Model Railroader Magazine

[ezdays]

Or, you can pay $10 to deprive someone else of this opportunity...

It is interesting that you can consider it a gift as it was unsolicited. I don't know if that there is a similar law in Canada, although the negative billing option is out (I think/hope).

Andrew

Years ago some companies, and charities here would send you all sorts of stuff, ties, stockings, books, jewelry, cosmetics and a raft of others products and expect you to either pay or send it back. When you did neither, they'd hound you and even threaten until you did.:curse: A good 25-30 years ago, congress passed a law saying in effect, that if you didn't ask for it, you could keep the product at no cost to you, even if the sender provided a way to return it at no charge. That slowed down the onslaught big time. Kalmback did indeed specify that if you don't want to pay for it, you could still keep it, but they did throw in that guilt trip just in case.

I'm thinking that this is an experiment on their part. If this marketing ploy is sucessful, If you didn't return it, you go on their "bad" list and don't get any other "offers" like this. The others will go on their "good" list and be blessed with more "free to look" stuff in the future, especially those that subscribe. You could also wind up in a data base for all other marketeers to use. Kalmback does indee sell their subscription lists, so I can't think that they wouldn't sell this list either. If this isn't sucessful, we all become bad guys, and they raise their magazine subscription and ad prices to make up for their losses.

 

[Tyson Rayles]

"If this isn't sucessful, we all become bad guys, and they raise their magazine subscription and ad prices to make up for their losses."

And we quit buying anything with the name Kalmbach on it!

 

[ezdays]

"If this isn't sucessful, we all become bad guys, and they raise their magazine subscription and ad prices to make up for their losses."

And we quit buying anything with the name Kalmbach on it!

You got that right... MR is by far the most expensive magazine I subscribe to, and it really isn't light on advertising either.

 

[screen]

Ya! How many pages of adds before you get to any meat? I know they are in the business to make money and I don't hold that against them but I want more How Too's and a real comparison section that show's you the difference between products - they don't have to tick off advertisers but show us who don't have a local shop to go and compare a list of what each has or doesn't so we can make an educated desision before ordering on line or from a catalog -

Don't get me wrong I learn a lot from those adds but for as many as there are we should have more and better content!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[MilesWestern]

Model Railroader tips.

Yeah....one of my friends at my local model RR club refuses to read MR because he makes a good point: Why not buy a Walthers Catalogue, it's cheaper then an annual subscription, and it comes with TONS more modeling information and products!

I like MR, because I get all the second hand copies I can find

There was a campaign in the early- mid 1990's that made the piont that old MR's laying on shelves will do you no good, thay encouraged that you share your MR's with "fellow Modelers"!

With my system, you can't lose. They're FREE or a nominal 10 cents an issue at my club...but I borrow them!

They're just happy that they're gone!!!
Also you can pick out the ones that interest you. I've had the problem with waiting for an another issue to come in the mail only to be crestfallen when I get it because there wasn't anything too interesting in that issue!

I find it remotely offensive to show these over-done model rr's, like the article in one recent issue (Sept? or Aug?) entitled "perfcet layout, perfect room" :curse:
That made me REALLY mad, it was SO perfect!! I wish mine was like that!!!


Of course, it could be worse....Take an issue of BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS off the shelves of your local book store!!! you'll be flabergasted! 400+ pages, more than half are ads!!!:curse:

I enjoyed the recent special Issue: Modeling the '50's "grit & glory" It was a life saver for my Layout and worth the extra $3.00 (total $8.00!! )

but in retro-spect, do we really need all the ads, I mean look at the ads from the 1970's, are they relavent to us now? Nope!

 

[Pitchwife]

I find it remotely offensive to show these over-done model rr's, like the article in one recent issue (Sept? or Aug?) entitled "perfcet layout, perfect room" :curse:
That made me REALLY mad, it was SO perfect!! I wish mine was like that!!!

That is the main reason that I don't subscribe to mags like Stereo Review, Popular Mechanics, Consumer Reports, etc. The stuff that they review and do articles on is so expensive that I could never begin to afford them, even if I did want it. (a gold plated, tube type turntable for $1500.00 ) If they did more with stuff that was something I could actually buy and use it would be much better. How many of us are going to go out and plunk down $1500 to $2000 for an engine, no matter how wll detailed it is? Yeah, there are some, and I envy them but what about the rest of us? I like the superior layouts that they cover because it gives us something to aim at. But how about more details on how it was done? How many times have you looked at a layout plan and wished that they would have included a shot of that particular area? I wouldn't mind if they devoted an entire issue, of a large part of one, to one layout with tons of info and details.

 

[Russ Bellinis]

I used to subscribe to M.R. and R.M.C., but I model the Santa Fe in the 50's. There just wasn't enough material that I could use. Now I buy the mags when they have an article I can use, but the only subscription I have is my membership in the Santa Fe Modeler's and Historical Society and the Warbonnett Magazine.

 

[theBear]

I've already sent mine back unplayed. When it comes renewal time for the magazine it will not be renewed. I'll subcribe to Model Railroading or N Scale instead.

If you wish to drive their unit costs up you should return not keep the DVD.

 

[Tileguy]

Thanks for pointing it out, I shoulda thought of that myself.

If i make a comment and it helps 1 person,I am glad.
If it helps a multitude i'm ecstatic (particularly in this case because it may save me alot of grumbling down the road LOL )

 

[ezdays]

...If you wish to drive their unit costs up you should return not keep the DVD.

Yeah, that's a good point. They pay the return postage and have to handle and restock. But keeping it send them a message and I think you will find you don't get any other "offers" like this from them again. Sending it back tells them that you may be susceptible to to another offer in the future. No, they said I could keep it, the law says I can keep it so I've decided I'm going to keep it. Like I said, $9 isn't bad, there's some good info in it and I always like to see other people's layouts. For $9, yes, but not for the $25 subsequent releases are going to cost. It would be called "bait and switch", but I did find in their letter that all others would ship at "regular subscriber prices plus postage." I guess someone must have called them to find out what that was since they don't tell you in the literature.

 

[ezdays]

I've added a poll to this thread, mainly because I did not send the CD back and I'm not even sure where it is right now, so I'm kinda curious what others did with their CD. I think I threw the box away too.

I'm looking at about the fourth letter I got from MR wondering why I didn't send them either the CD or the money.:curse: They of course, said I could choose to keep it as a "gift" if I wanted, but they are starting to annoy me over this.wall1 Fortunately, they included an 800 # that I plan on calling and tell them to bug off and get over it.fence1

It would be nice to get a sample statistic on who did what.

 

[kchronister]

I sent it back, and actually sort of regret doing so. As has been noted here, compliance (even sending it back) reinforces the behavior, and I believe the behavior here to be less than ideal.

The hounding letters to those who did accept it as a "gift" are just icing on the cake. Some gift. I've said it before, and I'll say it again here: I expect better than sleazy marketing "tactics" from MR.

 

[Gary S.]

Hey, how about someone send me their copy of the CD?

As for the magazine, since I am new, I have been buying some 2001 through 2004 copies from the LHS, $1 each. It satisfies my reading bug and much cheaper than $5 a pop.

 

[theBear]

Don,

Spend a lot of time on the phone with them, it helps drive up their costs, just like sending the dvd back does.

 

[eightyeightfan1]

I threw mine out. I spilled soda on it by(hee...hee) accident.(Thats my story...and I'm sticking with it)
But I keep getting the letters. Just to shut them up I'm thinking of actually sending them the $9.00.......If that works.

 

[hooknlad]

Postage

Ok, As I originally stated in my first comment about issue #1, I personally like the DVD. As a beginner, little tricks and secrets from the so-called pros help out nicely. The second edition came, i watched it and kept it and the coin - lol. The only thing that I have a problem with, I do not have any postage stamps whatsoever in my household. All bills etc are done online. Call me gullible, but everything i own, SS#, DL#, DOB is online anyhow. My point, MR makes no provisions to make payment online. So now i have to go out and get a $0.39 stamp. Sure they will pay for the postage for the DVD to go back to them, but not the Self addressed Stamped Envelope. - lol

 

[ezdays]

Well, I just got off the phone with Kalmbach Publishing. I told them I lost track of the DVD and don't even have the box to send it back, even if I did find it. She wanted to know if I wanted to subscrible to further issues, and I told her if they were $9 like the first one, that would be fine. "Unfortunately", she says, "the price is a bit higher, like around $25, including shipping."

I asked her to have MR stop sending me "reminder" (or guilt) letters. "Do not worry," she says, "we will take you off the list. You might get one more letter, but that's it." She was very good about it, but I imagin I might be hounded for the rest of the year if I didn't call.

 

[MasonJar]

"Unfortunately", she says, "the price is a bit higher, like around $25, including shipping."

That is classic!

"Unfortunately" and since when is $25 "a bit" higher than $9?

hamr

Andrew

 

[ezdays]

That is classic!

"Unfortunately" and since when is $25 "a bit" higher than $9?

hamr

Andrew

My feelings exactly.:curse: Almost three times as much, but I think she had her best marketing face on, or she was reading from the company script,announce1announce1 yada, yada, yada.

 

[hooknlad]

I hope the guys portraying to be professionals are getting a jump in salary as well. Heck DVD #1 was $9 - DVD #2 is $20 - Thats ( lemme get out my pencil and paper ) , hmmmm thats 2x's + more they should be making creating train layouts..... The Production costs should be the same.. I guess its all in the minting of that fine collectors coin and the velcro enclosure.

Perhaps a few of us should volunteer our ideas and videotape them and get our own series going. I wish my salary doubled in a few monthsjawdrop . It shouldn't cost them $5 to ship the things anyway. Put em on Ebay, the postage would be about $3.85 - lol , and they would prolly sell too.