Dungeon Magazine: New Format, New Subscription Price

[PatrickLawinger]

I'm just not in agreement with your comment. Granted, if the magazine continued going in it's current trend as well as having crappy customer service, I might begin "feelin' you". But I'll gladly pay $5 more a year (or whatever) to get a better quality product, despite customer service. I don't buy the mag to talk to a customer service rep, I buy it for the writing, editing, artwork and maps.

And how many times do you have to deal with cust serv? As you said, maybe once or twice a year--are you honestly saying that you're going to cancel your subscription over this? That's a bit silly....

(Oh, and Erik, I'll be calling customer service [/jab] to reinstate my subscrition when the wallet [ahem, and wife] allows, in the next few weeks. Thank you for the information!)

I guess some of my prior comments have been vastly misinterpreted. I never said I was going to cancel, I said that if someone wanted the lower price all they had to do was cancel and re-subscribe. I re-subscribed DESPITE bad customer service. I finally got in contact with someone that provided excellent service and solved the problems quickly and easily (I even provided her name and email address above). I have no intention of canceling and I would like to see Dungeon remain successful.

I happen to know 3 people that did not "cancel" but they certainly did not renew due to customer service issues. These issues included multiple billing, shredded magazines that were only slowly replaced, non-delivery of magazines, rude customer service agents when contacted about damaged magazines, and finally a rude customer service rep when called about an address change. Based on people I know personally that had subscriptions to Dungeon last year at this time, 5 out of 12 have not renewed, don't care about changes or improvements, and have no intention of renewing. Three of those 5 had horrible customer service issues; the other 2 simply felt they didn't use it enough to bother renewing. None of those people "canceled." They simply didn't re-subscribe. That is over 40% non-renewal, I am certain this is not the case overall, but it certainly doesn't sound good to me.

The other 7 of us that still subscribe? Three of us have had customer service problems as well. The dozen of us make up a limited sample size, but fully half of us have had some sort of customer service problem during the past 2 years.

I have a copy of #114. It is good, but I think there is room for improvement and I am not fond of the 3 column bit. I don’t think it is an earth-shattering change that is going to “bring people back.” I have re-subscribed and have been a subscriber for a very long time. Whatever way you look at it, I think Dungeon is a bargain for anyone that DMs regularly, even if you use it for nothing more than maps and stat blocks. For Dungeon to remain successful, I hate to say it, but people like me that are going to subscribe essentially no matter what, are not the ones that have to be pleased. Dungeon must encourage new subscriptions and do their best to maintain previous customers.

I am a fan of Dungeon, and I think Erik Mona is doing a great job. If you bring customer service issues up on a message board fans of Dungeon are fast to flame you, but if you are really a fan, can the above rates possibly be good for the long-term success of the magazine?

 

[Treebore]

I just re-newed for three years a week or two ago. If there was a price drop in the 3 year subscription category I am going to be annoyed with the having to cancel and renew routine. It won't make me cancel permanently, though.

Even though this kind of pricing issue is exactly why I am not renewing my cell phone service. "Sorry, we have you stuck in a contract for almost a whole year more. No way we are going to give you our new better pricing when we can fleece you for an additional $500.00 during the duration of your current contract."

Oh well, at least they made me search for and find someone who knows how to provide customer service AND satisfaction. At least in comparison to my current provider.

Anyway, may Dungeon survive for a long time to come. I still will not buy dragon, though. I am not interested in crunch material. The flavor is so shallow I can come up with it on the spur of the moment, and none of it inspires me to go in "new" directions.

 

[Faraer]

I wish we Europeans could subscribe for less than (almost) twice the US price.

And I sadly note the lack of any mention of Forgotten Realms source material, since the new Dragon seems inimical to explicitly world-specific content (instead preferring to make up a new specific world with each article). (I like Greyhawk content too, especially when it's not specific to the post-Gygax timeline, but that seems guaranteed.)

 

[WizarDru]

Oh, and while it's not strictly on-topic for this thread, i gotta say: i wouldn't have thought it was possible to make Dragon any less useful for non-D&D players. Congratulations, i think, on managing that.

Dumb Question: Is it supposed to be useful for non-D&D players? Other than D&D mini players, that is?

 

[BigFreekinGoblinoid]

I buy most every issue from LGS now. I'll consider subscribing when I see that the promised maps are going onto the website. Great move, that. I'm sure I'll use Dungeon scenarios more because of it. When are the 114 maps going to be loaded, eh?

 

[Henry]

I am comfortbale with Paypal - I am not comfortable with Visa or MC on the net.

...My point: Paypal for Internet subscription processing makes a lot of sense and the merchant fees charged and difficulties in setting up the website to process such transactions are not appreciably more difficult than Visa or MC, especially when the "reward" is more customers.

If they do get Paypal service, hopefully they won't be treated like Morrus was when he used Paypal previously - Paypal has a nasty history of freezing the accounts of vendors who repeatedly deal in small dollar transactions of identical amounts...



As for the Paizo changes, I plan to pick up an issue or two, and if It's as good as people are making it out to be, I'll most likely be buying a subscription instead of my monthly gamebook in about two months...

 

[Wraith Form]

I am a fan of Dungeon, and I think Erik Mona is doing a great job. If you bring customer service issues up on a message board fans of Dungeon are fast to flame you, but if you are really a fan, can the above rates possibly be good for the long-term success of the magazine?

I hope it didn't sound like I was trying to flame. (I was fairly restrained & polite, for me, at least I thought.) We're all entitled to our opinions and feelings, and your & mine differ regarding the magazine--doesn't mean I don't accept your opinion or begrudge your voice on these boards by any stretch of the imagination. (OK, so I jabbed a little at the end, but that's just my petty sense of humor. )

(I'm a big "hugs 'n' kisses" kinda guy.)

 

[Joshua Randall]

My god, if there's one thing this thread proves, it's that you can't please all of the people all of the time. If you like Dungeon, buy it or subscribe to it. If you don't, then don't. But you shouldn't belittle the people who feel the opposite way about it.

I bet Erik Mona will think twice before going out of his way to post something informative on EN World again....

 

[Terrepin]

Well, now I kinda feel the fool for letting the cute girl at the Paizo booth at Origins talk me into subscribing there at the con. Granted, I like my bright red Warduke t-shirt, but now it's not so much a free giveaway as it is a discounted item.

I thought about doing what another poster suggested and cancelling my subscription, then re-upping at the new rate. But I don't want to take a chance and miss an issue, nor do I feel like causing headaches for myself or customer service (who has always been very helpful and professional to my requests for assistance, by the way... Thanks, Jeremy)

Still, while I don't want to seem like a money-grubbing weenie, that's $5 I could have (and probably would have) spent on more gaming stuff. If I hadn't just subscribed less than a month ago, I wouldn't be as bothered by it. I like the new look of the magazine -- I really, really do -- but as a consumer I want the best value. If it were Entertainment Weekly or Time Magazine or something, I wouldn't have any qualms about harassing customer service for a credit or refund, but because it's those swell Paizo guys, I feel bad thinking I'm owed something back. However, as cool as everyone there seems, and as cool as the product is, Paizo is still a company that publishes a magazine to make money -- not out of the charity of their hearts, or for the greater good of gamers in need of quality adventure content. And now they've taken a little more of my money than they have too, just because of bad timing on my part.

So am I screaming for a refund? No. But something -- some gesture -- would be nice. An acknowledgement. Extend my subscription by one issue as a way of saying "thanks for believing in us before", or offer some giveaway or tchotcke or something.

Or have the cute girl from the Paizo booth sign my Warduke shirt when I wear it to Gen Con. You know, something worthwhile.

 

[Arnwyn]

My god, if there's one thing this thread proves, it's that you can't please all of the people all of the time. ... I bet Erik Mona will think twice before going out of his way to post something informative on EN World again....

Really? I thought this thread was overwhelmingly positive...