Mothering to Go Web-Only - Page 7

[baturay]

Originally Posted by georgia 

I know that the office staff is working very hard to work their way through their email volume right now. If you've already emailed and not gotten a timely response, please call 800-984-8116 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              800-984-8116      end_of_the_skype_highlighting. They have the authority to make things right for you to make sure you are satisfied, but I do not. So, it's going to be very important for you to work this out directly with those who are empowered to make customer service decisions. Sarah and Simone can both assist subscribers and advertisers: 

[e-mail]

[e-mail]

Thanks so much for your understanding. 

I heard back and Mothering is keeping the money advertisers paid even though the ads will not be printed. I'm still hoping that this is not really what is going to happen as it seems really unlike what a company like Mothering would do to small WAHMs and small businesses who put so much trust in Mothering.  And who are not in the position to be able to lose money like that for ads they won't receive. At first we weren't even offered a refund. We were told sorry no refunds and oh you can sign up for online advertising at 50% off if you'd like. But, last night I was at least offered online advertising for what I paid for print --- but not for everything I paid for print that I didn't get. So, I'm still seeking other options to retrieve the funds we paid Mothering since we won't be getting what we paid for. I sooo wish I could just mourn the loss of Mothering Magazine without now also having to worry that I'm about to loose a lot of money because Mothering is not refunding those they promised ads to when they took the payments.

[HappyMommy2]

I am feeling a little guilty because I never got around to ordering my print subscription.  I am sure there are lots of others in my same situation.  I just read about the gigantic numbers of us on here ... and if even a small percentage had ordered, I wonder if we could have saved the magazine.... sure wish we would have gotten that chance!!!

[Cynthia Mosher]

baturay have you talked to Melanie Mayo, our small business advertising manager, about your account? If not please email her at [e-mail] or call her at 218-830-1361.

[ruhbehka]

Sorry, but without a real explanation, I'm not feeling inclined to be charitable about this. I mean honestly, do you folks not have a CPA? A finance employee?

You were running a business, taking money from people, without a single month's operating expenses in the bank?

You are still taking money from people in the form of online advertising and selling back issues, and not planning a way to refund your customers and clients over time?

You are keeping the money given to you for specific services, shutting down those services, and continuing to keep the website up and running and bringing in more money? AND you're keeping the money given to you by advertisers but attempting to sell further advertising to them "at a discount"? What kind of discount makes up for the reality that you may not even deliver?

Have you paid your employees for last month's work, or are they, too, going without a paycheck for their work, skipping last month as if it didn't exist?

I run a business and have for years. I would never dream of taking money from my clients and not honoring my part of the contract, barring a sudden, severe, unavoidable, long-term financial crisis. Even then I would at least TRY to repay it in time. And if that was clearly not possible, I most certainly would NOT shut down 75% of my business and try to shill the remaining 25% of services to clients and customers I'd shafted!

If there was a true situation that made this unavoidable--down to being unable to even issue refunds slowly, over time--then you owe us more than a cryptic "trust us" explanation.

Money does not simply "run out." It gets spent, in greater amounts than it's being received. This is readily obvious, and gets increasingly problematic over time. Your assets shrink. You start going into debt.

Businesses do not just up and become insolvent overnight. Occasionally, sure. And those time, there is a very simple explanation. So we'd sure like to hear it.

If you just closed up shop, sure, you're entitled to privacy. But you're attempting to keep folks returning as customers. I'd like a reason to believe you're actually going to stay in business.

[mommymcnair6]

So sad to hear this, but I understand.  We are all having to cut back in this tight economy.  I have read Mothering since I began my mothering journey over 13 years ago and I am now due with my seventh in the summer.  I was hoping they could continue the e-edition, but am disappointed they are shutting down all together.   I will miss you Mothering!  Thanks for all the great help and info. over the years!!

[quinbearzmama]

Originally Posted by georgia 

I know that the office staff is working very hard to work their way through their email volume right now. If you've already emailed and not gotten a timely response, please call 800-984-8116. They have the authority to make things right for you to make sure you are satisfied, but I do not. So, it's going to be very important for you to work this out directly with those who are empowered to make customer service decisions. Sarah and Simone can both assist subscribers and advertisers: 

[e-mail]

[e-mail]

Thanks so much for your understanding. 

Any sense of what is a timely response?  I emailed at the beginning of the week and have been unable to get through via phone.  I purchased a gift subscription 2 weeks before this was announced...
 

[georgia]

I'm not sure what the turnaround time is at the moment, but the office is currently closed for the weekend. I've emailed Sarah personally and given her your email address and a brief explanation. She'll be back in the office on Monday.

Thanks so much for your patience! 

[aussiemum]

What a mess!  I am so sorry that Mothering magazine has ended up this way. 

On a personal note, I have been a Mothering print subscriber since 1998.  One of my favourite things to do in the world when my kids were little was to bliss out in a bath full of hot water after they went to bed & read my latest Mothering magazine.  Later, I loved it when the postie delivered the latest issue to my letterbox, & I would wait patiently until both kids were asleep for their afternoon nap before settling into the couch, where I would read from cover to cover with a cup of coffee in hand. 

Although I was introduced to the magazine by a friend from Washington state, I have always been an international subscriber.  And I will never forget the time back in about 2000, where Todd rang me at 3am to confirm my subscription.  It was an interesting conversation, one thing that I clearly remember is that he cheerily informed me that he didn't think to check the time difference!  Still, it was pretty damn funny, and a nice confirmation that Mothering was still very personal.

I will miss that.  xx

[quinbearzmama]

Originally Posted by georgia 

I'm not sure what the turnaround time is at the moment, but the office is currently closed for the weekend. I've emailed Sarah personally and given her your email address and a brief explanation. She'll be back in the office on Monday.

Thanks so much for your patience! 

 Many, many thanks.  I just received an email from Sarah but there was no accommodation made "to make things right to make sure you are satisfied" even though the gift subscription in question was purchased two weeks prior to this decision.  I've been a subscriber for over six years and while I am heartbroken by this decision, and saddened for all involved- staff and subscribers alike, I am so disappointed by the way this was handled...I feel deceived (as I was told the Jan/Feb issue would be in the mail in a "couple of weeks" on January 28 when I made the order.) 
 

[PlayaMama]

i am not currently a subscriber but i am disappointed for those that do.

i know that there are magazines that make it without advertisers. so i know that it is not impossible to do this.

i've seen SUCH an increase in advertising here that i really have to question what is happening. how could the amount of advertising on the site and in the magazine increase so much, how could mothering pay for the website upgrade? and not be able to refund subscribers? i think most everyone on here would rather see the old website and subscribers receive even a portion of their money back.

meh.

[eggplant]

I'm awfully glad I'm NOT a subscriber, since the complete lack of integrity shown to those who have shelled out money for subscriptions and for advertising suggests this is not a business I'd want to spend any money on.  For those who are being shafted, if you paid with a credit card I'd think you would be able to take it up with the credit card company, since you are not in fact getting what you paid for - the credit card company would then make things right for you and presumably do what they needed to to get their refunds, and would likely be in a better position than any individual would to do so.  (And certainly if I were going to buy back issues at this point, as a number of people here have said they were doing, I would not do so without the protection of a credit card company - Mothering as a business has already made it clear they have no problem accepting money for things they can't or won't deliver, and refusing to refund that money - why would you think that wouldn't happen when, say, they run out of a back issue before sending yours out?  Or decide they no longer have the funds to mail out the back issues?)

[sraplayas]

Just got this news today and my thoughts and feelings echo so many of the comments in response to this announcement!

Peggy and all of the Mothering staff--thank you!

I will miss Mothering Magazine profoundly as it has impacted our family in deeply meaningful ways.

May it be a smooth transition for all of the staff and supporters.

[happy tree]

Ohhhhh, this is so sad! While I love MDC, it's just not a replacement for that beautiful magazine. I loved devouring it in a long, hot bath the first day it arrived in my mailbox -- and then sharing it with my friends and family. I think this magazine did more for my confidence as a natural parent than anything else, and I truly treasured it.

Mothering -- you will be greatly missed!!!

[merseybluff]

what a sad sad news today, on my 30th birthday.. i  just renewed my print subscription as  i try to limit screen time to be a model to my child and i loved reading mothering in bed in the quiet hours of the evening. but i guess there really was no choice.

one thing though…. i renewed in december and i’m very disappointed that there was no mention of mothering discontinuing. that means i never received a copy for my new subscription. i don’t think Natural Life is an alternative. I’m more than disappointed that i bought a one year Mothering subscription and now will receive another magazine for 1 year. I really think you should have mentioned that on the subscription page it somehow doesn't seem fair.

That said, at least now i registered here. I'm a relatively new mama and can use every support there is.

[HappyMommy2]

I'm confused.  Will there still be a digital version of the print magazine, just not in print?  Or is it just the content on MDC?

[georgia]

Mothering will no longer be producing an actual magazine in either print or digital formats. The final two Mothering issues are Jan/Feb and March/April, and these will be in digital format only. March/April digital issue should be arriving in subscribers' email boxes around March 1st. Mothering will continue to provide all the informative and inspirational articles, podcasts, video, audio and much more at mothering.com and MDC. Thank you so much for your continued support! 

[sraplayas]

Thanks, Georgia :)

What about Peggy's editorial?  Will she continue to write these to be posted on the website?

[georgia]

Yes, thanks for asking! It's my understanding that she will continue to write her "A Quiet Place" editorials, and now they'll be hosted at her Mothering.com blog: http://mothering.com/peggyomara/

[pjs]

How can print subscribers get the digital editions of Jan/feb, mar/April?

[akmeg]

How sad!  I'm not currently a subscriber, but Mothering was my first introduction to natural parenting.  A friend of mine used to lend me her old issues before I even had children, and I loved soaking up the information I would later use to raise my children.  This announcement has me a little choked up even, especially considering what it means for all forms of paper-print information.  I love reading, and there's nothing better than a beautiful magazine to carry with on long car or airplane trips.  There's not another magazine out there in the world to equal yours, I'm sad to see you go!