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08-02-2019, 09:56 AM
(This post was last modified: 08-02-2019, 09:56 AM by Handplanesandmore.)
Two weeks ago I received an auto renewal notice from Taunton Press. To not renew, I needed to call.... I don't like this hurdle as they don't allow you to cancel via your online account.
But the cancellation step was very smooth after you got through to the calling center. No questions asked (other than your identifying info.), and I liked that.
I have the whole collection from #1...but, to no fault of FW, very little new can we find after all these years.
Simon
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(08-02-2019, 09:56 AM)Handplanesandmore Wrote: Two weeks ago I received an auto renewal notice from Taunton Press. To not renew, I needed to call.... I don't like this hurdle as they don't allow you to cancel via your online account.
But the cancellation step was very smooth after you got through to the calling center. No questions asked (other than your identifying info.), and I liked that.
I have the whole collection from #1...but, to no fault of FW, very little new can we find after all these years.
Simon
I refuse to subscribe to anything that requires me to cancel. Too often the renewal notice, if you even get one, is lost in the internet debris that attaches to my computer. I had an ancient relative who has since passed who got multiple copies of various magazines because she would sign up for auto renewal and then another notice would come and she would send it in and get the second copy and so on. I'm getting too old to play these silly games.
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I agree with the "nothing new" sentiment, but that's the nature of our hobby I guess. Witht the CNC stuff catching fire, I'm a little surprised there isn't a specialty publication for that aspect. In any case, I won't deal with auto renew (with anything) in any form.......you can really get shafted on the price using it.
I started with absolutely nothing. Now, thanks to years of hard work, careful planning, and perseverance, I find I still have most of it left.
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My memory isn't as good as it used to be so they all are new to me.
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I have looked at some of the early issues. The most shocking of "new" to me were the old (young?) codgers who still haunt the publication.
I can't justify any subscriptions, including digital.
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New?
Fw does have many new...advertisers compared to those published in issue 100 and before. :-)
Simon
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I get my FWW renewal notices through the mail, no change in 30+ years. I can either renew or let it run out, just as always.
I still find plenty of new things in FWW. Maybe not as inspiring as some of the things I first learned about years ago, but they probably would be if I was the blank canvas and had as much energy as 30 years ago.
And now, 30+ years later I've learned enough about some aspects of woodworking to know when an author is just plain wrong. Somehow, that makes me feel like I've arrived, as an equal. And then I read an article on some topic I'm clueless about and realize there is so much more to learn. And that's probably the real reason I still subscribe.
John
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(08-03-2019, 08:44 PM)jteneyck Wrote: And now, 30+ years later I've learned enough about some aspects of woodworking to know when an author is just plain wrong. Somehow, that makes me feel like I've arrived, as an equal. And then I read an article on some topic I'm clueless about and realize there is so much more to learn. And that's probably the real reason I still subscribe.
John
That about sums it up for me too John. I still like FWW and read it to brush up on new design and techniques.
I don't think I've gotten any kind of renewal notice but my wife takes care of the magazine payments and she learned the auto-renewal game a long time ago. All magazines do it but it's irritating.
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08-04-2019, 07:51 AM
(This post was last modified: 08-04-2019, 07:53 AM by Handplanesandmore.)
Now they don't let your subscription run out unless you call, or unless the credit card on their file is no longer valid. The email gave me a deadline to call if I didn't want to be charged.
It was easier to call them than to cancel my card,but still......I don't mind the auto-renewal thing but I should be allowed to cancel it online myself.
Simon
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I recently subscribed to FWW; I opted for the three year magazine subscription for about $63 for the whole term, IIRC. I considered the online version, but I probably won't get $99/year of value from that.
At about the same time, a friend offered to give me his stacks of FWW going back to the early 80's. I've been going through those at the rate of about three or four issues per week, skimming for stuff that piques my interest now. If I'd had that resource 20 years ago, I'd read them more carefully since I was brand new back then.
I get "soggy and hard to light" about the auto-renewal process. However, LOML pays close attention to such things, so as it gets close, she'll trugger me to think about whether or not I want to renew, and then act on that.
I'm still comparing the old issues to the new; I may post some of my impressions in another post. The short version right now is that I don't think there's a lot of "new stuff" today. I do find the old advertisements for gear somewhat interesting compared to what we see today.
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