Complaint Review: Magazine City

I recently was very pleased to find a great deal on a magazine I had a hard time locating-Curve (a lifestyle magazine for lesbians) at Magazine City. I gladly ordered and paid $22.95USD for 8 issues. I was immediately charged. I was aware that due to the fact that this is not a monthly magazine that delivery could take ten-twelve weeks for US shipping. This was April 22, 2006.

I emailed customer service in mid June wanting to know the status of the order. I am the shipping manager of a fitness company that often drops ships from manufacturers so I was well aware that the distributor has no control over the manufacturer/publishers release date. The contact page states to allow up to 7 days for a response. This seemed a bit long for a simple email response but I assumed this included a period of time allowing them to contact the publisher to learn the status of the shipment.

In mid July I had not received a response so I emailed them again. I received a response on July 21, 2006 curtly telling me to wait until August 18 for delivery. They also told me to contact them again if I had not received it and they would then and only then actually contact the publisher. So I waited.

I emailed again at the end of August three times requesting the status. I did not hear back nor did I receive a magazine I ordered over four months ago. I then called the customer service number and left a voicemail to which I never received a response. I called again during business hours and held for around ten minutes at which point I was transferred to the voice mail system again.

I finally heard back on September 13, 2006 telling me that my first issue was to be the July/August issue and that must have gotten lost in the mail. They would have it resent and I should receive it in 2-3 weeks. I was also told that I would not receive a refund but store credit instead.

I understand that publisher delays are not the fault of the distributor but their disinterest in working as a liaison with the manufacturer on my behalf or even providing me with contact information for the manufacturer makes me very unhappy. I would be willing to due a charge back on my credit card (which is something I would never do to a fellow merchant) but it has been over four months (the cut off period for a charge back). I will definitely pay a little more to go with a more professional and prompt company.

Nikki
Shreveport, Louisiana
U.S.A.