Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter Cornstalk  |
Actually what you are looking at there is a log in for their affiliate dealers, not customers (see the top of the web page). I asked, and that allows their dealers to get to secure sites where financial transactions take place.
I got a call from one of their people accidentally, because I just changed cell phones from sprint to verizon, and the persons number I got was on their list of people who owed them money.
So during the call I got pretty angry at the obvious misunderstanding (they deal with people who lie a lot it turns out...), and got to a manager, and then got interested in what they did.
They couldn't set me up without going through the system, so thats when I got transferred to sales.
So I've heard the fast talking you are describing, and I can see how it may come across to people if they were suspicious. The people working there have a problem in that to be legal, they have to say everything on the paper they have. Its just a bad deal that the govt. steps in so much, but thats how it goes (I got chatty with the rep).
So trying to not lose the customers attention, and because they've done it a thousand times, they do talk fast.
The deal they offer is rediculously good. Bottom line is you get 5 years of 5 magazines a week for less than $5 a week. I think the thing that confuses people is that they set it up to get taken care of in the first year, because the company itself has to front money to the magazines for the entire 5 years to get this deal. So they have put out a loan of sorts, and want to make that one year instead of 5 years.
If you do the math, its simple, and a great deal. The total cost for 5 years of 5 magazines is $900, which you pay at $74 a month for 12 months.
That works out to $3.46 a week, for 5 magazines delivered to your door. And we are talking about premium magazines here, the list is awesome.
Honestly my opinion is that most people hear what they want to hear, and cant follow the math. They hear the part about $3.46 a week, and their brains just shout for joy and dont hear the rest because it sounds complicated over the phone when you dont have a calculator in your hand. All they care about it is hearing the great deal they just got.
The other part that seems to confuse people is that they get a callback and are offered an even better deal for another 60 months added on.
There are a lot of companies doing this, and while I cant speak for the rest, I know Area Circulation is run by top notch people offering a great deal.
I think sometimes maybe people who cant afford a $74 a month bill, dont hear the math right, and that is why for legal reasons, the company transfers the person making the deal to another department, who's job it is to make sure the customer understands. The deal about repeating it is simply because people tend to remember something if they say it themselves. If someone gets me to say outloud Im going to pay $74 a month, that usually gets my attention! There is no way I can then think Im only going to pay $20 a month, and I understand Im paying the whole 5 years within one year.
Its all easy to understand and common sense really, and if you read magazines, its just unimaginable how much money you save, paying $3.46 a week for 5 magazines, rather than, what, I dont know the cost, but I would think at least 3 to 5 times that compared to regular subscription cost.
Actually some electronic magazines that I like, cost much more than that even, so Im sure its even better for some. (sorry about my lack of apostrophe usage, my keyboard is flakey and I need to get a new one. I have to hit the darn key up to 10 times sometimes).
Ive talked to several managers there (they are busy people) who answered all of my questions. They were very patient, and I felt a whole lot better after talking to them.
I told them they should get on the web with this stuff, and it turns out they are about to enter the internet with a website much better than the current one (turns out they knew very little about web marketing, and the company they outsourced it to, only set up a basic site).
Im a network admin by trade, so yeah, their current site can be greatly improved upon. But these guys sell magazines, and have been doing it for like 20 years, before the web was even around. Like a lot of smaller mom and pop companies, they just are too busy trying to keep everything going to go through the pain of trying to get a good IT department established.
Most companies ive interviewed with from time to time (just got downsized recnetly myself, so there you go... lots of experience with interviews!) just dont trust IT. We are thought of as jerks and arrogant buggers who take money and dont do anything but make rules and control things they used to be able to do (unsafely of course). So you have to really to show them benefits and be so forthcoming and honest that they see you as a human being rather than the nasty IT guy theyve all run across.
Seriously, if you read as many magazines as I do though, call these people up and start getting the deal. The thing I dont like the most is the magazines fault... it takes 8-12 weeks or so to get the first issues for some of them!!!
As a net admin I get a lot of freebies, and I just signed up with ecommerce and others about 3 weeks ago, and one came back with 8-12 weeks for first delivery! Talk about buyers remorse!!! (well, its free, but I was still very disappointed).
I just remembered the BBB thing... Sears was the worst on BBB because they were the biggest company back in the day. If you look at the 150K or so subscriptions, having 120 complaints in 36 months is absolutely astounding. Bottom line is this company is really doing a great job. Ive worked at telemarketing companies before, and their complaint ratio is usually pretty high.
Im sneaky, so I got a hold of one of their dealers to see what the deal was, and the guy told me after a while his philosophy was to not reply to complaints because it just generated more negative noise. Best to move on and put it behind you. Some customers are just mad about life and nothing you can do will solve the problem.
They have a thing on their site where you can e-mail them, and they respond, so really anyone who thinks they are a scam should just write in.
If it was me, Id probably fight the rumors and lies people put out there, but thats probably also why I dont own my own business. This sort of thing really bugs me.
I write too much... but if anyone knows of anyone that hires long winded IT people that can work miracles and still communicate to normal human beings, let me know. Willing to relocate for the right price/circumstance!
David