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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Just sent an office cancellation for this rag with reason (Palin cover) for cutting them off – - should have done so months ago, but haven’t been as fired up as I am today!
did anyone notice that susanne sent in a letter to US CANCELLING her subscription and the rag had the audacity to question if she even read it or not, refusing to cancel until she made a 2nd request… WT?
It didn’t say that even yesterday!
They wrote back that way, So if you don’t send them another e-mail you will not get your cancellation.
I wonder if you could be in favor of cancelling a subscription before you were in favor of getting a subscription?
Maybe we should all fill out subscription forms and give our favorite liberal’s address.
That would boost their circulation.
I went to the grocery store after work and as usual I checked out the covers of the gossip rags while I waited in line because they’re sometimes good for a chuckle. I couldn’t find the US with the hit piece on Sarah anywhere but there were issues of US that featured the women’s Olympic gymnastics team on the cover.
I would like a “PALIN” bumber sticker without the old fool McAmnesty on it… I hate the S.O.B.
I hope they win and she gets a chance to be president very, very soon… before he puts his nefarious shamnesty plan into effect.
You would if you were John Kerry.
On September 5th, 2008 at 6:36 pm, MagnumOpus said:
Awesome.
iamsaved, umm…we are trying to give them pause, not boost ciculation. But an excellent idea about the lib address. Like I say, the downside is increased circulation and you know the libs love reading about the rich and famous as long as there is not the letter R denoting political party at the end of their name.
Oh, and did anybody else think that his stage last night looked like the middle finger that he pokes conservatives in the eye with?
I have been reading some articles on Rush Limbaughs website and I am amazed at how the AP is so liberal and biased now. I’ve grew up believing that when the AP released a story it was credible. I guess the libs have come a long way in wrapping their tentacles around the media. Where have the conservatives been for the past 30 years….asleep at the wheel.
On September 5th, 2008 at 7:20 pm, Omu said:
Poor hive-mind. Humor circuit must have shorted. Quick, confiscate another using the power of the State.
I just cancelled my subscription to Us magazine. While clicking through the website to costumer service I saw a headline that McCain’s speech had gotten higher ratings than Obama’s. Of course the only reason for that, according to the article, is that he had a strong lead-in from football.
“…In all fairness”??
Did they actually ask somebody ELSE to be fair??? (Never mind that US Weekly wasn’t)
ROTFL!!!!
If football is helping McCain, then the Demos are in real trouble, seeing as how election day comes right after Monday Night Football.
Who says you have to actually have a subscription to send them on a goose-chase to cancel a non-existent one? Just watch what fun that will cause in their subscription dept.
Drive that dirt bag operation out of business.
The funny thing is, the lefties think it is “too conservative,” i.e. not socialist enough.
OK, OK, now that you’re begging for forgiveness, I suppose this was all a big misunderstanding and that I’ll go back to reading your deeply informative magazine.
/sarcasm. Good grief, what marketing ignoramuses these people are.
jukin – that’s over the line
Definitely. I wouldn’t dare post anything like that. I value my posting privileges.
jukin, you weren’t in that two girls and a cup video were you?
90% of Americans believe in god. You love reading about celebrities. Football and other wastes of time are important….
The Romans kept the mob satisfied with temples, famous gladiators and the arena…
We don’t fall far from the tree, do we?
A planet of apes…
After hearing the Megan Kelly interview, I have serious doubts the editor read the story.
Palin/Jindal ’12
“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.”
What the? They have already been told to cancel the subscription. They have acknowledged the request. If they continue the subscription anyway because, in their arrogance, they insist you can’t have read the story, then wow, this just further illustrates their utter contempt of Republicans. I smell a lawsuit.
On September 5th, 2008 at 8:04 pm, Dianah111 said:
Voting for appeasers to collectivism.
Appeasers, for instance, that pass medicare drug benefits or argue that “republicans are not cutting school lunch budgets, we’re just cutting back on the rate of growth.” Nevermind if the State has the right to force us to put children into government camps for the half the day, much less make them dependent upon government food.
Almost like saying “We’re not slave owners. We just do the numbers for them.”
Vote for me.
On September 5th, 2008 at 8:55 pm, Rob said:
Can you be more provocative or outrageous or something? That post is a little too weak to inspire a rousing response.
I’m looking at the God thing, the planet of apes thing, the Romans cliche, the dig at football… and as a an atheist / agnostic / non-football-watching / Roman history buff / conservative I am just thinking…
Meh.
Dance for me like a monkey, hive mind! Dance!
Actually reporting their refusal to cancel a subscription with the Better Business Bureau would be a very good way to get their attention. Few companies like having complaints registered with the BBB.
Now that’s funny!
#99
“did anyone notice that susanne sent in a letter to US CANCELLING her subscription and the rag had the audacity to question if she even read it or not, refusing to cancel until she made a 2nd request… WT?”
YES—
My # 81–lawyer trick–postpone….
CS
Sorry to rain on the parade, but from my corporate experience, that (the Us e-mail) is just a standard corporate boilerplate response, with about as much substance as cottoncandy, whic I wold not take too much to heart.
So they are forcing peopel to read it, basically refusing to honor the person’s request? Can they do that? The person made it plain as to why they were canceling their subscription. The person needn’t even have GIVEN them a reason.
If you ask me, this arrogant letter, the wording itself implies that the people canceling their magazine are too stupid to know what is going on or what this is all about, does nothing for their cause and only makes matters worse.
Were I to have had a subscription, canceled it and received something like this in reply, it would have made me all that much more angry at them and I would have demanded a refund forthwith.
They just do not get it. They just can’t get it through their heads that what they have done was wrong, offensive and borderline if not completely illegal, most definitely unethical.
Keep it up folks. Maybe this event is the thing that finally brings Liberalism to it’s knees and finishes it off for good.
In all fairness, we ask you please take the time to read the story before deciding to cancel.
WHAT?
The goal behind their headline was for readers to ONLY READ THE HEADLINE while standing in line at the grocery store.
Giveme a break! Liberals only read headlines. Conservatives dig for the TRUTH!
Michelle — I think that you should make the update read: “US Magazine Refuses to Cancel Subscription”.
Yes, they are effectively refusing to cancel, and no, they cannot legally do that since the original subscription terms allow it to be canceled at any time at the subscribers request. This is a class-action lawsuit in the making. None of these people need reply, they have put through the request, and Us magazine have acknowledged that request by responding to it. If they continue to charge for the subscription, then certainly ALL those effected are entitled to a refund. The arrogance of that stance clearly illustrates their contempt of Republicans.
It got a response from one member of the mob…
At the grocery store today, the gossip rack looked even worse. All negative on Palin and her family. Only one cover for Obama, and it was all sweetness and light with a story called “Life With My Girls” and happy pics of the kids on front.
Boycott them all! Fight! As John McCain.
Pretty much says, “well, we’ll just let it slide, and hopefully you’ll let it slide and just forget about this little problem.”
Makes one wonder what part of:
CANCEL MY SUBSCRIPTION…PLEASE
they do not understand.
HA. You go to the link, and they have a picture of a pregnant Ashlee Simpson going shopping. What? No bashing article on her?
re # 136
Absolutely correct legally.
But more accurately I think it is contempt of subscribers; I have no doubt many of these cancellations are coming from Democrat and Independent voters. And I can’t imagine them exposing themselves legally by refusing to honor cancellation orders, unless: (1) The fools didn’t consult legal before they decided to dishonor cancellation notices, or (2) Cancellation orders and advertising contract cancellations are threatening the economic viability of the magazine, and the legal risk seemed worth taking because there won’t be anything left to pay damages anyway.
You make the call.
Me likey likey iamsaved. That’s exactly the thing to do to hurt their bottom line most. Mailing in phony subscription cards will boost US’s production, postal and administrative expenses! Postal carriers will be PO’d by the extra weight they’re carrying in their sacks. Newman!
Now where to get phony names and addresses? How about from the voter registration cards turned in by ACORN “volunteers”!
I see the first issue of a new description on the way to:
BEN DOVER
69 QUEEN RD
INTERCOURSE, PA
Or here:
BEN DOVER
69 QUEEN RD
INTERCOURSE, PA
For an alternative, check out the People magazine article. It’s decent, probably because they, gasp, actually interviewed the Palins.
And today, ironically, I got an e-mail from Amazon today stating that because I’d purchased some DVDs from them, I was entitled to a free 12-week subscription to….US Weekly. I e-mailed them back and took great satisfaction in telling them “no way in hell” could they give that piece of garbage away to me.
I was online at Barnes & Noble buying something and noticed in their bestseller section that the book on Sarah is at #3.
See for yourself.
Stark contrast to the trashy US Weekly.
I suggest anyone canceling their subscription send them 10-15 emails doing so…just so they get the message.
Let them sort through the mess.
Did anyone see on Fox tonight about Oprah and how since she has decided to support Obammer that she just doesn’t think she should use her show as a political platform and allow any other candidates come on. Then she goes on to say that she will be happy to have Governor Palin on the show after the election. I will love to see if she keeps her word after McCain/Palin win the election. Something tells me that she will be crying real tears at that time. Something also tells me that Vice President Palin will have better things to do than parade around on silly talk shows.
The classy leftists are comparing Sarah Palin to a porn star over on TMZ now!
They are really wallowing in the filth now.
The AP has been shockingly biased since at least the late ’80′s.
You will really get the sense of their bias if you do this:
If you open a breaking AP article on the internet, like from Yahoo or something, look at the time below the byline of when it was posted.
Open another tab, then cut-and-paste the URL from the original article into the new tab, and refresh the new tab periodically.
You will see the original article updated constantly in the new tab, with no indication anywhere that it is different from the original. Most often, the later versions include quotes…as AP gets them from the Democrats they can reach on the phone.
Blame,
where is pelosi’s grand failure? lmao.
The various liberal magazine are willing to take whatever hit is necessary to push their candidate obama. As a business person, would you ever take such action as US magazine has done knowing for certain that you will lose a lot of readers – and this at a time when the economy is in trouble and magazines are extremely competitive when it comes to preserving readership so as to attract advertising dollars.
My guess is that if US goes down in bankruptcy, they will be back as WE or whatever. These liberal creeps don’t really care about money as they can always get another influx of Soros dollars. Look at Air America. A total business failure but one propped up as the propaganda arm for liberal radio. US, People and all the other mindless rags I see on the stands in the grocery stores are really more obscene than playboy or penthouse.
The point really isn’t the article now, the POINT, US Ragazine is the FRONT COVER!!!
US Magazine…another media outlet that will close up within a year.
yuppers!
Seems like a certain magazine is scrambling to save itself.
Goodbye and good riddance to US WEAKLY.
Gretta is doing a great job covering Sarah Palin tonight.
Someone else said just turn the magazine around on the news rack.
I get coffee at a starbucks inside Pavillions, and i have no problem grabbin the entire stack and crammin em in the garbage.
If I see the issue I will do something; no doubt.
Have you noticed the non-apology: “We apologize you are upset over our cover featuring Sarah Palin.” That’s no apology but a veiled statement that what they printed was correct and you’re just being petty by being upset about it.
If I kick you in the chin and you grimace with pain and I say “I’m sorry that hurt” That’s no apology!
With sincerity saying “I am really sorry I made a terrible mistake, I won’t do it again.” – that’s an apology.
The liberal view of the apology is further evidence of their moral vacuum.
yeah, I especially like the ones that start out…
“if I offened anyone”
and then followed by…
“But”
OT:Have you guys heard about http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,417581,00.html?
Man Arrested Near Capitol After IED, Rifle, Ammunition Allegedly Found in Jeep
I saw it on the news 30… are you up late baking my pie?
did you see the plane land on NJs garden state parkway?? no one hurt.
You wish.
I’m up watching the Navy Seals training on the military channel.
Nope. I missed that. I heard we are going to get pummeled by Hanna.
Just read about the plane…the freaking thing landed on the interstate. Crikey. One of which I take to and from work.
well, thats what i said! lol
i vote for pie.
The waiting list on those pies is getting mighty long.
aj,
No pie for you!
==
bc,
I ain’t betty crocker…. just ask my husband.
I got the same BS response. “Read it before you judge”. Bite me US.
My response to them:
Oh I read it. This morning at the grocery store and like usual it’s a total crock. I will never again buy your worthless POS magazine and I made damn sure to let the people who read my blog know as well.
I also made sure to BURY your rag behind many copies of Glamour magazine on every rack, at every check out stand.
I await your cover of John Edwards and his babies, lies and scandals.
Hypocrites, Obama shills and partisan hacks. That’s what you are.
This doesn’t sound like groveling to me. While I don’t care for the obvious partisan approach to the story, the email response was standard customer service stuff. Us Weekly will live on…unfortunately.
FilmLadd:
And that’s one of his more profound moments.
Lets see if their nutroots friends can keep them in business.
I wish I had a subscription to “Us” so I could cancel it.
Customer Service 101. The Unhappy Customer is to promptly assisted in making a return. Questions are only to be asked in the clear spirit of finding out what we the retailer did wrong so we can make the customer happier in the future. Every return is to be treated as a sales opportunity. You make sales by treating your customers with respect and listening to their concerns. A personal followup after concluding the return may be appropriate.
A few days ago I picked up my laptap after getting a new hard drive under warranty following a catastophic failure. The attendant offered me no help when I tried to test the unit and I felt I was being given the bum’s rush to get out. I asked for the Manager. We verified they had done their job properly. I purchased something. This is not hard, only rare.
Whether you work at Blutto’s Donut Shop or TSA there is no reason for you not to get your job done while making the customer think that they are in Nordstroms.
I saw tonight on the local gas station magazine rack that US Weekly already has a September 8th edition out on the shelves with a completely new cover story! LOL
I saw that the Govenor wasnt on it, so out of curiosity I walked over just to check out if the date was an old version or not.
Forget the magazine, what do you think it is doing to Pelosi, considering where her toilet readig waste of trees is on that same list?
TMZ also said that Gov. Palin was “…dodging questions” concerning her youngest. Here is the quote:
Upon firther examination of TMZ, I present more reasons to boycott both their site and TV show:
Here
Here
Here
And here
There is some screaming and yelling along with rolling heads in a hotel room housing The Golden Calf somewhere in this country tonight!
Hoo Rah!!!
Palin More Popular Than Obama, McCain
US Weekly has joined their “elite rag brethren” in a truly haloed hall of fame. I love how in one issue they can dissect Michelle Obummer’s shopping habits at Target but can’t seem to find the puff piece mentality to give Sarah Palin the same kind of treatment.
I never subscribed to this rag. They are mindless entertainment, like porn. Yes, US, let’s highlight the profligate lives of spaced-out, bimbet wasters like Lindsay, Britney, Brangelina, etc. and put Sarah on the cover.
Love the hypocrisy…. love the double standards. I’ll be sure the next time I see US Weekly to turn it in the opposite direction or cover it with perhaps your more “legitimate sister in slime,” Okay! magazine. Better yet, I’ll put Men’s Health over this latest issue because I’m sure everybody would just love to read about self-obsessed men and their love of all things metrosexual. I’m sure Jan Wenner will understand, right?
Hmmm…a post I had with links to other TMZ articles of disgust concerning the Palins and people close to them seems to have disappeared…possibly in a spam filter maybe? What a drag.
Anyway, they go on about how the fiancee` is being dragged into this, they call her daughter names, refer to being engaged as “Better than a ‘Tramp-Stamp’” and other such wonderful things that made me vomit a bit in my mouth as I read them.
Please, while you can go there, i recommend boycotting both the TMZ site and television show. They are incredibly disgusting, and to continually harp on a VP and her children…one of them an expectant mother…breaks all sorts of rules and agreements and such that warrants a banishing.
I recommend, actually, boycotting anything and everything that partakes in such filth. I know, hard to find places that aren’t, but if nothing else, go outside and enjoy the late Summer or read a book. No one needs to be on those sites anyway.
On September 5th, 2008 at 9:31 pm, Rob said:
Hive-mind is so clever! Hive-mind projects its collective attributes to an enemy of collectivism!
Hive-mind’s irony circuit still non-functional.
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.