CF Magazine Publisher

[WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll]

I've subscribed to a magazine for a number of years and received a letter from the publisher informing me that they were going to stop publishing the title - fair enough. However, they told me that, as I still had several weeks left on my subscription, they were going to transfer this to another (quite different) magazine that they publish - and then my subscription would roll over and continue with this new random magazine that they'd selected in perpetuity.

The letter had been held up in the post, so I actually received an email out of the blue from them before the letter, welcoming me and thanking me for choosing to sign up to subscribe to the new magazine.

Alternatively, if I preferred (and why ever wouldn't I?), I could contact them and cancel my subscription altogether. I did this and they instantly arranged a refund of the outstanding money I'd paid without quibble; but AIBU to think that this was extremely cheeky of them? Surely they should have contacted me to tell me that a refund was being processed, but IF I wanted to transfer to another of their magazines instead, I should let them know?

If it makes a difference, the magazine wasn't closed down because of COVID-19 (has publishing been affected anyway?) - it was on the cards because of dwindling readership for some time - and it's a huge publishing company, so hardly desperate to cling on to their livelihoods.

I remember from when I was a child and I regularly had a number of comics (on regular order from the newsagent rather than postal subscription), but, looking back, I recall that a comic would never actually 'close' and cease being published, but it would always 'merge' with a more successful one from the same publisher. This happened quite a few times. They were always newly styled as 'Comic A and (or featuring/introducing) Comic B', then after a few months, the name of Comic B would be dropped completely. As a child, I never really saw through what their game was.

AIBU that my subscription was to one specifically identified title that I chose to sign up to for my benefit and enjoyment and not some kind of bizarre agreement that I'd made to support their company, in exchange for which they would decide on a random title to send me?

[How2Help]

I got a letter this week saying my subscription to Outdoor Fitness has switched to Women’s Fitness (or something like that). Outdoor Fitness is clearly hard hit by Covid. I am gutted for everyone that worked for them and hope by continuing with the new magazine some can be redeployed in some way.

I was quite happy to be switched. I could have called if I wasn’t.

[WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll]

I personally disagree that it's 'the same' demographic, but I can see that there would be a considerable amount of overlap in readership.

Nevertheless, they are distinct enough publications that they had two different titles and were produced, published and sold entirely separately. If they were pretty much the same kind of thing (like Bella and Best or Chat and Pick Me Up), I wouldn't expect one of them to be closing and the other to still be going strong.

It isn't for the publishers to assume. Even if both titles could have been simply pigeonholed under umbrella categories: there will be people who like cookery and also like computers; people who like computers but hate cookery; people who like cookery and celebrity news, but hate computers; people who like celeb news and computers, but hate cookery etc.

People are individuals - you can guess at what their other interests might be and market to them based on that, but you can never assume that you can compartmentalise everybody. The majority of female users on this site will never have seen a copy of The Lady and yet I'll bet they have a few males within their regular readership!

[Greenpolkadot]

My Weekly is a housewife type magazine with crocheting . Swiss rolls and stuff

[WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll]

My Weekly is a housewife type magazine with crocheting . Swiss rolls and stuff

That's my understanding. My DM used to get it every week and I glanced at it occasionally, but found it boring except for the half page where people sent in questions about any and everything and the section editor answered them - completely obsolete nowadays for most folk who are online, but not everybody is, of course.

If you drew a Venn diagram, with readers of The Weekly News and readers of The Peoples' Friend at either side, you'd have a sizeable section in the middle where they meet with people who also read My Weekly - but obviously, that still leaves a load of people who only like one or other of them and neither of the others - or even those who like TWN and TPF but not MW.

[LtJudyHopps]

It’s like insurance companies automatically renewing your policy unless you tell them you wish to cancel. They don’t know if you do or do not wish to cancel so assume that you do. Obviously it’s better business for them because of apathetic people who can’t be bothered changing direct debits etc. So I see why you’re annoyed but I also see why they do it, so I don’t think anyone is unreasonable.
You got a refund I’d let it go.