Us Weekly begs readers to stay
Keep it up, folks. Us Weekly is feeling the heat. And now, they are pleading with readers to stick with them.
Reader Susanna sent the following protest e-mail:
During tense political times, it’s always nice to open up US Weekly and lose myself in some mindless gossip and fashion news.
So imagine my DISGUST when I saw this week’s US Weekly cover: a revolting, sensationalist, bottom-feeding, partisan attack on mother and career woman Sarah Palin. You know, I’ve been rolling my eyes at your adoring coverage of Barack Obama, but I’ve put up with it in order to be entertained by your other good stories and features. But now you’ve stopped being entertainment and crossed the line into hateful, smear-based attack journalism. I would’ve thought Palin, a hockey mom, energy industry expert, and the youngest and first woman governor of Alaska, warranted the same kind of softball coverage you saw fit to give to the Obamas, but I forgot: she’s a Republican, not a liberal darling, so she instead she gets screwed. Just looking at the cover of your latest issue, filled with innuendoes and misleading statements, makes me want to THROW UP.
Way to lose a reader, US. I do not want US Weekly in my home, ever again. PLEASE CANCEL my subscription. I never want to see this magazine in my house again.
Here’s the magazine’s response:
From: USWcustserv@cdsfulfillment.com
Subject: Re: CANCEL MY SUBSCRIPTION…PLEASE (KMM23206123I103L0KM)
Date: September 5, 2008 6:43:21 AM PDT
To: xxxThank you for contacting US Weekly.
We apologize you are upset over our cover featuring Sarah Palin. Every week our editors select what they feel are the most compelling stories, regardless of the controversy it may create. In all fairness, we ask you please take the time to read the story before deciding to cancel. After reading should you still wish to cancel, please let us know and we will honor your request.
Thank you,
US Weekly
JanieCase id: 6361254
KMM tracking number: KMM23206123I103L0KM
***
Previous today: Boycott Us Weekly: 10,000 and counting? Update: Cancellation notice added
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Trackbacks
- Us Weekly begs readers to stay « NObama - Not Now, Not Ever
- Us Weekly: Boycott the Mag « Dianej’s Weblog
- Oprah pulls an “Us Weekly” and pisses off fans by dissing Palin | The College Politico
- Us Weekly begs readers to stay « Thoughts Of A Conservative Christian
- Sarah Palin Watch: Readers Dumping Us Magazine Over Palin Cover | FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog
- US Weekly blows it and then condescends « Rockstanding
- It’s Palin, GET HER!!! « Chockblock’s blog
- Dave Lucas' Notes » We Have Seen The Enemy And It Is Us
- Fox News Megyn Kelly vs Us Weekly Magazine “Cover” : BigMouthFrog
- Neocon News » Palin Pandemonium continues in the MSM
- P.D.S. sufferers, there may be help for you, yet. (UPDATED) « Republican Party of Jefferson County, TN
- MishMashZone » No Way, No How, NObama
- Guess who? « Something should go here, maybe later.
- AmericanPapist
- The Dan Lee Report » Blog Archive » Some female columnist think women need to be told they “Won’t be foold on Palin”. Hmm.. Sexist in of itself?
- Links for 9/6 « The Grand Ol’ Blog
- Tel-Chai Nation
- Blatant Anti-Palin Bias in the Liberal Media: A Collection « BUUUUURRRRNING HOT
- Michelle Malkin » What’s on pages 4 & 5 of Us Weekly’s Palin-bashing issue
- Us Weekly begs readers to stay « Sarah Palin Blog
- The College Politico » Blog Archive » Oprah pulls an “Us Weekly” and pisses off fans by dissing Palin UPDATE: (many) Others jump on the “Us Weekly” boat
- US Weekly: Still Facing Backlash « Sooshi Soo
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» Quote of the Day [Darleen Click]
On September 6th, 2008 at 4:51 am, RetFireman said:
The collective has killed millions upon millions all over the world. Russia; China; Europe; South America; the Middle East. Old people, young people, men, women. The collective thinks its purpose is so good for “society” that it overrides any concern for these lives.
If one stacked just the bodies of babies killed throughout history by the collective, I have no doubt that the pile would wrap around the earth, a belt of human flesh more vile than any crafted by the Nazis at Dachau.
Given all of that, what’s one pregnant teenager’s privacy worth? Or the happiness of one baby with down’s syndrome?
What is that to the murderous capacity of the hive-mind?
I have not had a chance to scroll through all of the responses yet so sorry if this has alredy been said, but…does the magazine response
mean that they are not honoring her request in her initial email to cancel? Are they making everyone put in two cancellation requests? Sounds like a deceptive attempt to retain subscriptions by making everyone confirm their cancellation a second time.
Actually, Republicanvet, it appears to just be something Amazon does, since it was only after I started buying Blu-rays that I started getting these offers. Last week, I got the same offer for Self magazine after another DVD purchase.
The funny thing is, the DVD I bought which lead to the Self offer – Batman Begins on Blu-ray. Even funnier – the DVD that prompted the US Weekly offer …. Patton on Blu-ray. Yeah, I’m really part of the US Weekly demographic, despite being female.
ran by the grocery store this morning… saw that issue for the first time on the stands,..
I buried it behind some other magazines..
I will keep doing so until it’s off the stands.
Rich, US Weekly resorting to begging and refusing to cancel subscriptions! We do the damage on the cover and then actually expect you to dirty your fingers by touching this piece of trash to open it up and read the garbage inside.
Why didn’t they trash Obama on the cover (Does Obama really love Michelle? Sex Lies and Scandals!) and then ask readers to read the story inside?
They now need to run a cover apologizing to Sarah Palin, her family and their not-so-stupid readers, explaining why tabloid trash doesn’t work.
katablog, oh, I hope not. US will sell more mags…
Never owned US, never read it in doctor/dentist offices either. I’m not their demo.
Much younger days, I worked in retail. The store manager explained to us employees that it is good when a customer complains. That knowledge helps the store become a better store. Without it, the store continues bad practices and eventually loses customers. I think that’s a good philosophy for a successful business.
Remembering the words of my wise store manager, my revenge upon businesses not meriting my good wishes is to not let them know they have messed up. I just never return (healthy? passive aggression). Vanity Fair and More mags have/had some great pieces and for a while those pieces were worth wading through all the progressive b/s…….fed up and after a long subscription period, I didn’t renew. I enjoy the $ they spend on postage asking me to ‘return’.
I was a subscriber to a guitar magazine. I was letting my sub run out, ignoring the notices, etc, because the music they generally cover is not my cup of tea. They like very dark metal. I like blues. Anyway, I was reconsidering for the lessons, when they actually ran a political op/ed about gas prices, and demonstrated a complete lack of understanding of how the world works. Made my mind up for me, thanks. If I want left wing blather, I’ll subscribe to Mother Jones.
Leftofthemind on customer service, – getting off subject….
Have you ever eaten at “In’n Out”? Its an amazing fastfood chain on the West Coast. Every time I order, they get it right 100% of the time! No kidding, these kids working there thank me and wish me a nice day three times from taking the order to getting my food. I haven’t seen anything like that since the early 60’s! And it happens every single time!
They know what customer service is about and I applaud them. Too bad its a rarity!
Capitalism, Liberals really don’t get Capitalism, sure they flourish because of it but they are constantly biting the hand that feeds them. Too Funny.
Earlier today I did my little bit for the Palin cause. Went to my local grocery store, a small one, and bought up all the US Weekly mags. 22 in all, and put them in my new mandatory 95 gallon CSI wheelie. Don’t everybody do this, it’s a little expensive. Unless you want to, of course.
I second that! Too bad its only on the West Coast. I always get it when I go see family in Vegas. Model business.
Check with your State’s Consumer Protection Dept. One of the few things Mass. did right is a very consumer-oriented, aggressive C.P. office.
This publication’s actions in ignoring a cancellation may be a crime in your state. Ask your Consumer Protection Dept. about it. In Mass. we can download a complaint form online and then file it via snail-mail.
HTH, Peet
The “Hive-Mind” thing is just killing me. Always a good thing to find another “Trekkie”
I hope you don’t mind if I “absorb” it into my regular repertoire. Just too good to pass up.
You can still read US Weekly if it interests you: next time you go to the grocery store, pick it up and read it while you’re shopping. Then put it back on the rack before you check out. Then you get your gossip and you don’t have to pay them for it.
I just saw something that Us Magazine has pretty much made up the number of cancellations with an equal number of new subscriptions so that they are breaking even.
SOrry…not buying it. I think it will be wuite some time before they make up the numbers of lost subscriptions. Besides…with the speed at which people can cancel versus how long it takes for subscription cards to reach them in the mail, do they really think anyone will believe that claim?
They are now just as scared about their lost revenue and lost advertisers as the entire Liberal movement is about having lost an election that was supposedly a “slam-dunk” for their False Idol.
imjustsaying:
“I just saw something that Us Magazine has pretty much made up the number of cancellations with an equal number of new subscriptions so that they are breaking even.”
source please
I find it ironic that Bill O’Reilly, the so-called modern day incarnation of Hitler to the far-left gave a fair and objective interview to Obama, and yet the phony messiah to Women, Oprah Winfrey, is scared to death of Sarah Palin. Once again, another Liberal fake has been exposed. It’s open season on Democrats and they’re shooting themselves.
US magazine.
And we all have seen just how honest and trustworthy they are…
Lost 10,000 subscriptions? George Soros will probably ask for 10,000 copies for himself to make up the loss. Unfortunately US weekly will be fine. I wonder how many defunct liberal organizations this man can save? I saw someone from Air America on MSNBC the other day. I had no idea they were still on. My city dropped them sometime ago. I suspect Georgie is keeping them on the air….
On September 6th, 2008 at 12:13 pm, RetFireman said:
Not at all. One word of caution: the real-world hive-mind is far deadlier than the fictional one.
Note that US said “no, we don’t accept your letter” to Susanna. Unless she sends ANOTHER LETTER, they claim that they won’t honor her request.
Anyone who is following this should change their letters to indicate that either:
(a) they have read the article, and most assuredly want to cancel, or
(b) they don’t care if the article declares Sarah Palin to be the second coming of Eleanor Roosevelt, the cover revulses them enough that they most certainly want to cancel – no if’s, and’s, or but’s…
Even if that is true, that is not something the magazine would want. It would only be polarizing them more, and turning it into even more of a left-wing, partisan publication. This may be fine for some political magazines, but Us is supposed to be a gossip mag. It lowers their audience base all around. I’m guessing their off the rack sales will go down the most.
“After reading should you still wish to cancel, please let us know and we will honor your request.”
We’ll honor your request after you read the story? Boy, liberals really are stupid!
My wife gets “OK” and their cover was a “two-sided” job. The Palin side had the same cover shot as US with a “Sarah Palin’s Baby Scandal” plus “A Mother’s Painful Choice” as the headline and subheadline. The Barack Obama flipside says “Barack’s Inspiration” plus “Life With My Girls.” I admit I’m not voting for Barack, but the feel of the covers belies some bias.
The bottom lines read:
“How she’s standing by her teenage daughter plus the real truth about baby Trig” compared to “Harry Potter at bedtime, first row at dance recitals, what he is really like as a Dad!”
Reminds me of the Chris Rock bit “I take care of my kids.” Look it up. I think he was describing Obama. “Look at what a great Dad I am. I go to dance recitals. I read to my kids. Now elect me president.”
By that measure, I should be the Holy Roman Emperor by now.
Is US Magazine breaking the law in refusing to cancel the subscription? There is no requirement that anyone write 2 requests to cancel. Sounds like the start of a class action lawsuit – surely some lawyer wants to make some money and obtain justice for those who want to cancel.
US magazine, if sincere, needs to devote an entire issue to Palin, with a new cover photo of Palin, which is absolutely positive, and do a story listing the lies told about her and photographs of the liars with their families and reveal any dirt on those liars. Also they need to do hit pieces on the very shrill Reid, the attacks by NOW and document that NOW only supports Democrats – ladies why aren’t you writing the IRS to complain that NOW is a political organization not deserving tax free status.
Since US mag is not sincere, I hope it has a lot of cancelations and also boycott their advertisers. Ad money goes straight to support of BO.
Ladies also need to complain to the networks about the misogynistic behavior of the mainstream media – sexists who need to be fired.
After reading the letter closely it is clear that the headline, “US weekly begs readers to stay” is much too kind to US weekly.
I suggest revising the headline to “US weekly has your money and wants to keep it.”
US magazine has postcards inside for subscribing.
I went to the grocery store, picked up a bunch of US magazines, shook them so the subscription postcards fell out, mailed the postcards to the subscriber service with a note that I will never subscribe because of their treatment of Sarah Palin,
The magazine will pay for the postage for the cards and get my message.
Mission accomplished.
Easy to do, no muss no fuss.
“Is US Magazine breaking the law in refusing to cancel the subscription? ”
They are not breaking a law, but they cannot pretend that they are not on notice of the request for cancellation.
They would be breaking the law if they continued to bill for the subscription.
The subscriber has done all she need to do to cancel. If US Weekly continues to send her the magazine they do so at their own expense.
Check out the latest “OK”,”National Enquirer,” and “People.” Two of them are smearing Palin. The other one has a photo of Barack and wife, and a story on him and “his girls.” This is truly bizarre.
That is true if her particular portion of her remaining subscription has already expired. If not, it is considered “Unearned Revenue”- a liability to US magazine, and they can only legally count her unused subscription payment as revenue if it sent magazines out to her…otherwise if she is saying “please unsubscribe me”, they are taking her money and still sending her a service she no longer wishes. US from an accounting standpoint would be fools to do this not only to be dishonoring a customer request, but would be also attempting to count as revenue a service delivered that the customer does not want….they are overstating their revenues (while claiming to reduce their liabilities) to those looking at their balance sheet.
If US is smart, they are processing every cancellation and doing refunds, etc. as needed (to respect the customer) and then creating a special “trial offer” subset where they send these cancelled customers the mag at no cost for a short while and then ask if they might reconsider and re-subscribe. Of course, it takes organization and business smarts to do this, so I doubt that they would. Then again, if they did something like this, they could “claim” an equal number of “new” subscriptions…