Magazine customer service?

I wrote this letter to Steven Dinkelspiel, who appears to double as both publisher and circulation director of San Francisco Magazine:

From: Stewart Alsop
Date: Sat, 06 May 2006 11:42:58 -0700
To: <sdinkelspiel@sanfranmag.com>
Subject: Not totally impressive...

I like the new magazine, as long as the glitz doesn’t overcome Kelly’s editorial product. But I just went to renew my subscription online, as requested in your direct mail piece dated 4-5-06. First the subscription part of the web site was offline, with no explanation. Huh? It’s just software. I clicked on the “Got a promotion code” link (which appears to be working), entered the promotion code in your letter (THNKYOURNW), and was told that promotion is no longer available! So you lead me online and I had no way to renew.

Why offer if it you’re going to make it expire? It’s a renewal offer anyway. And why not say that it expires in your letter, which you don’t? The whole thing feels like someone’s not paying attention to customer service, and servicing customers thoughtfully is a really key way to retain subscribers. And retaining subscribers is a really big deal for magazines these days.

I would like to renew, by the way, but feel that at this point I’ve expended sufficient effort and hope that you will find this email sufficient authorization to renew my subscription and send me a bill.

Stewart

Comments

[Stewart Alsop]

Just as a follow up, Dinkelspiel responded to my email within an hour. And the subscription department wrote me a nice letter (not email!) reporting that my subscription has been renewed and that I will receive a bill shortly.