Subscription failure, again

Interesting, Columbus seemed like a nice enough place when I was out there last Summer.  

Finally spotted three September 2008 cover date issues at a local supermarket yesterday. The display had been serviced on Monday, June 30.

Okay, I will accept that maybe the "pull by (date)" no longer applies as the words are no longer printed on the cover. That eliminates many of my complaints about the mag not being on the racks by the 20th of each month.  

glad you could finally find a copy.  

Here it is Jan 5 and ONCE AGAIN the current issue (Dec 2008)of R & C has neither been delivered to my home OR the local magazine racks. EVERY WINTER this has happened for the last five years. And yet I keep receiving discount subscription offers for the mag from the publisher. I don't save a cent if I have to go out to search/buy an issue that they fail to send on my subscription.

What is it with those distribution people in Flordia? They can hand over copies to ex-cons to sell on the streets of Flordia and then tell subscribers that there are no back issues to send as replacements?but  

Did you get my email about letting me know what your missing?  

Kevin - No I haven't received an e-mail re this matter since  last post. I think I still have your e-mail address from the last time. I will contact you shortly if I haven't lost the address.

Needless to say I just left a message at subscription services.

I just doesn't make sense as to why this happens the first of every year and then mid-summer the issues arrive a wek before they hit the newstands.

But I checked three stores on my side of town yesterad and none had seen R & C on the rack since early December!  

Here is an update from February that might not show at the end of the thread (message claims the 2nd page is  missing):

Local newspaper ran an article in the business section three days back noting that magazine distribution in this area is now in the hands of two large firms (one handles R & C). Seems the companies want more $$$ through surcharge and ARE NOT distributing all titles/putting less numbers on display.

Talked to one of the "foot soilders" yesterday and was told she could only "...put out what was sent...", so this problem is real and taking a toll on R&C.

She admitted that some of the newer rat rod mags aren't selling at all but that's what the distributor is sending.

No R & C on display this month in NE Cow Town, Ohio.  

Have to take back that there are no copies in NE Columbus, actually found four (4) copies of the April 09 issue at a Wal Mart last night. There were seven (7) copies of Street Rodder.

Problem is the Wal Mart mentioned is not a place many of us would consider entering as it has a bad reputation, even amongst Wal Mart employees in the other Wal Marts of this area.  

An update: Two magazine distributors were "fighting it out" here in Central Ohio, the loser pulled half the inventory off the store shelves two weeks before their contrat expired. Made the shelves of the local stores look like the photos you sometimes see of Russian stores!

I talked to one of the agents representing the new contrat/distributor. He was well aware that R & C dates back to the early 1950's and has a better following then the new Rat Rod publications. He promised that R & C would be on the shelves as soon as the new issue arrived.

That was three months ago and still no R & C. There is a notable decrease in the newer Rat Rod mags.

Oh well, at least my renewed subscription arrived on time (but it always does during summer) and I was sent an issue that covered the month I renewed so I didn't have to go out and search for one.

Let's see what happens in six months...  

You need to move somewhere else that has warm weather and good magazine distributors, after all JEGS has free shipping and the nationals is only once a year.  

Here is the problem , they think you are in Australia, the home of the XC ute. I would change your name to RANCHO MAN, you may find some surprising differences.  

Jalopy, if I need something from Jeg Coughlin's shop I don't have to pay shipping, the warehouse and retail shops are just a short drive away.

What nationals? Heard a rumor that Goodguys were in town a few weeks back, didn't see anything to suggest there was activity and I live near the hotel that was their HQ.

Specialist: The people handling magazine distribution in Columbus, OH, USA have no idea of what "ute" means (was once asked why the Aussies named a car for a North American native tribe) and they couldn't find Australia on a map showing only Australia.

"Ranchero"? These people weren't alive when there were Rancheroes so the name change would be useless. (By the way, I sold the ute last weekend. Needed the space.)


As for an update on magazine racks here in NE Cowtown: Three issues of Hot Rod, three issues of Car Craft, six issues of three rat rod magazines were on the typical stand two weeks ago. This week they were sold/pulled and repalced by bike ($$$)/chopper mags (NOT representing any culture here in Cowtown: this isn't Cleveland!)and a handfull of jail bait femlae standing in front of Asian auto covers.

Even the mags like Car & Driver, Motor Trend, etc. aren't being offered. This DOES NOT comply with what I was told would be displayed by a rep from the distributing company a few months ago.  

I've taken up sewing (even so, the only "fabric shop" left in the area is JoAnn's "we sell everything but fabric"). And it IS NOT the economy, it's just small time corporate greed causing the problems.

Maybe Central Ohio should bring some of the half way house guys up here from Flordia to sell R & C on the streets???  

Lowered my standards and stopped at a Walmart in a nearby smaller city last week, found R & C on the rack but NOT the other start up rat rod type mags found in Cow Town. (The town recently hosted the KKOA event for several years but is not cosidered a "car oriented" town.)

That is evidence that it is the distributor(s)here in town that are not putting out R & C.  

Well I got to hi-jack the thread for a sec. Was wondering how a XC ute got all that way over. Shipped a couple of XYGT Falcons to here is California. My friend just sold his XY ute, I guess it is still in SoCal.
  Anyway does that mean you have to change your Forum name now you sold it?  

Specialist, the ute came over here in the usual method: Aussie's thinking they can send a car over for "personal use" and then pay for their trip by selling the vehicle in the US illegally. The car wasn't the required 25 years old when brought over for legal importation of a private vehicle for resell, was not subjected to the required tests to pass US Federal laws governing the private importation of foreign vehicles.

Some Aussies aren't going to like what I am about to say: I have seen evidence that the person who brought the car over had split the pair of license plates and installed one on one car and the other on the ute which was twoing that car. To make it more interesting the registration sticker on the ute CLEARLY displayed the information that the regestration has expired several months prior to shipment.

The guy with those vehicle met other Aussies over here (doing the same thing) and they traveled as a group throughout the US. They would pick up speniding money by proving the Fords had 302 Clevelands by pulling the heads for $100 in US funds.

When it came time to head back home (read: Long after their VSIA's had expired) they still had one of six vehicles unsold. It was abandoned in L.A. (Anuyone out there buy a green Holden at a police auction?)

Two years later the same guy was over here buying F-100 parts and motorcycles which were stored then shipped back to OZ in a cargo container. Reason I know about that is because some guy followed me while driving the ute for 15 miles on the freeway before stopping me and asking if I was "(name") the Aussie buying parts.

The cars, including mine, were pieced together from salvage yards. The idea was that Yanks would buy anything Aussie, no matter the conditions or paperwork. This is a wide spread pratice among Aussies who see the US as a source of funds. There are many more operating without import license in the States then Aussies who are legal.

My car was "purchased" by some local horse traders whyo know how to "put the right info in the right box" to mask illegal car title transfers. I was promised by the owner of the car lot a copy of the original title (he was drunk) at a car meet but when I tired his staff suddenly clammed up and claimed they had never seen the vehicle which had sit on their lot for two months.

I did find someone in OZ who had the power to check the vin and was told the vehicle was not stolen but the "rego" had expired years ago. The vehicle was listed as not being driven. In fact it had been up here, titled and driven for years.

Of course this illegal trade works both ways as I have heard many stories from Aussies and Kiwi's about cars that Yank send to their country to sell.

And yes, I am honest. I have been thinking of changing my screen name. problem is that would me I couldn't access past posts.