BYO customer service problems

Now, don't get me wrong, I really like the magazine and am not trying to incite a boycott or anything, but I am not getting the warm fuzzies from their customer service right now.
It's like this...
I filled out the online form for the "first issue no risk" thing, got the first one, liked it, and paid online by 10/18/07. This was all well before they sent me an invoice. Later (like in mid Nov.) they sent me the invoice, and I checked my account online to make sure everything was OK. There it said that I was paid as of 10/18, that my last issue mailed was the Nov. and the next one would be the JAN/FEB 08. No problem, I thought, since they are bi-monthly. Then I hear you all talking about a Dec. Issue with an Alaska Smoked Porter recipe.
Here is my mail exchange with BYO...

________________________________

From:
Sent: Tue 11/27/2007 8:32 AM
To: Brew your Own
Subject: Did not receive Dec. Issue.

For some reason my Dec. issue did not come. Can I get a replacement?
The last time I checked my account info (as below) it said that my last
issue was Nov. and the next one would be Jan. I thought that you
were going back to bi-monthly, but then I heard friends talking about the
Dec. Issue.

Thank you,
________________________________

From: Brew your Own <[email protected]>
To:
Sent: Thursday, November 29, 2007 4:34:27 PM
Subject: RE: Did not receive Dec. Issue.

,
We can only mail two issues before payment is made. We received your
payment in time to resume with the Jan/Feb issue which will arrive in
December, and your new expiration will be October 2008. Please let me
know if you have further questions.

Thank you,
Daria
Customer Service
1-800-900-7594
________________________________

From:
To: Brew your Own
Sent: Thursday, November 29, 2007
Subject: RE: Did not receive Dec. Issue.

So, what you're saying is, a promptly paying subscriber (I paid online before you ever sent a bill) who is confirmed as subscribing from Oct. to Oct., gets screwed out of the Dec. issue because of a technicality in your billing cycle/ mailing schedule?
It would seem that the decent thing to do would be to just send me a copy of the missing issue.
Thank you.

Since I've had no response yet, I'm assuming the answer is "Yes, you're screwed".

I filled out the free trial issue form, and never received an option to cancel invoice. Just sent me another magazine and a subscription invoice. I'll sub for the year, but I doubt I'll do it again.

mr x said:

I filled out the free trial issue form, and never received an option to cancel invoice. Just sent me another magazine and a subscription invoice. I'll sub for the year, but I doubt I'll do it again.

Click to expand...

That's actually pretty standard. The agreement always says "if you don't want to continue, just write "cancel" on the invoice and send it in".
Did you get the Dec. Issue?

Not to say you are wrong but a little honey goes a long way. I had the same thing happen. I got my first issue and then sent in payment but it did not get in in time to send me the next month.

my second email after being told no.

I am respectfully requesting that you send me the Nov 05 isdsue. My cc check
cleared my bank on 10/03/05 which should have been more than early enough to
have made whatever cut off your bookkeeping people might have. Needless to
say this is not the way I want to start a 2 year subscription.
Thank You
Dave

and her response

Because we have an overwhelming number of people who subscribe and then wait 3 months to
send their payment, we do not order a missed issue and then adjust the account to accommodate
them, however you ask in such a nice way I don't mind going the extra steps for you.

Thank You,
Jane
Customer Service

Again not saying your response was overly rude or anything but asking nicely works wonders

I had a similar issue as your's and spoke to them on the phone. Got pretty much the same thing. PM me if you don't get things resolved and still want the ASP recipe. I have my issue.

I had a similar problem with them a few years ago, but they ended up resolving everything to my satisfaction.

Germey said:

That's actually pretty standard. The agreement always says "if you don't want to continue, just write "cancel" on the invoice and send it in".
Did you get the Dec. Issue?

Click to expand...

No the invoice says please pay. No cancel option on my form.

Yeah, maybe I shouldn't have said "screwed", but I wanted to point out the fact that they had my subscription term defined as Oct to Oct., 12 months with a defined number of issues in there, but I don't get one of them due to a technicality. If there are only 8 issues a year, I get 12.5% less value than promised. I don't think I should have to wait for someone to do me a "favor" but they should recognize the problem and fix it.
Hmm, I might just copy that and send is as a follow up to the CSR.

Thanks Rhoobarb, I believe I will take you up on that offer.

Mr.X, I've never seen a "no thanks" option on the first invoice (they are, of course, really hoping you'll subscribe). If you don't want it, you just take a pen and write "cancel" across the whole thing and mail it back instead of payment. I've done it before and it works.

I recieved an issue for doing the free copy thing. They sent it and I dunno if I was supposed to right cancel on something and send it back, but I didn't. I never read anywhere I was gonna have to do that. They keep sending me invoices and I just keep throwing them away. It's really starting to piss me off though.

They also take their time when it comes to check cashing ... I'm still waiting

Well, I either started this thread too early, or it was a good idea to do so.

I just got an e-mail saying that they are sending the issue.

THANKS DARIA AT BYO!

I have always gotten good service from the folks at BYO.

I had a similar problem. I sent a check to them. They never cashed it, then they canceled my sub. I had to talk to somebody over the phone. I paid w/ a credit card on the spot. After that all is good.... except for the continuous notices to renew the subscription.

I've signed up twice online and have never received and issue. I've since given up.

Germey said:

Mr.X, I've never seen a "no thanks" option on the first invoice (they are, of course, really hoping you'll subscribe). If you don't want it, you just take a pen and write "cancel" across the whole thing and mail it back instead of payment. I've done it before and it works.

Click to expand...

I guess I could do that, but they have already sent me two copies after the free one before I saw an invoice. I sorta feel like I'm ripping them off cancelling now. When I filled out the original free copy form, I was under the impression that I would get an invoice before a second issue arrived. I'll probably just pay for the full year now, but it doesn't give me a good feeling about them in the future.