Kalmbach has been trying to get me to renew my subsription to FSM for about six months now. In my opinion, the quality and content of the magazine has been steadily going downhill for some time. I didn’t mind paying for 11 printed issues per year but when they went down to six issues per year, with no change in price…um, no. I used to look forward to getting the latest edition in the mail. Now…yeah, not so much.
Add to that, in the most recent issue, there was only ONE article that piqued my curiousity. I had no interest in any of the rest of the builds.
Next, the editors announce that the four digital issues they provided to subscribers are now being discontinued. Nice.
Page 8 of the magazine is the New Products page. All text. No graphics to give any indication as to what these releases might look like.
The Reader Gallery is two pages with four entries and photos. Brutal.
As a Canadian subscriber (I’ve been so for a LONG time), I can’t justify spending close to $235 CDN for a three year subscription (~$16 per issue X 15 issues) to a magazine that has been dying a slow death for a while. It just isn’t worth it. I’ll keep an eye on at the newsstand and if a particular issues strikes my fancy, I might pick it up.
I’ll stick around on the forums but I hate to say that I think that the print editon of FSM is becoming more irrelevant by the day.
As an addendum, I got an e-mail from FSM customer service the other day informing me that ‘Time is running out’ and that ‘There’s still time to renew at our Low Rate…’. I replied to that e-mail with the text from my post here and received a canned reply informing me that “Thank you for contacting the Fine Scale Modeler customer service team. We have received your e-mail message and have assigned it to one of our team members for follow-up. You will receive a follow-up reply as soon as possible.” Haven’t heard from anyone (Mr. Kidwell, Mr. Skinner, Customer Service, etc) yet to that e-mail or my post in this forum.
Kinda makes me wonder how much of a valued customer I really am?
I got an e-mail from FSM Costomer Service that included the following text:
"…FineScale Modeler appreciates your business and is committed to your satisfaction with our services.
Our records indicate that FineScale Modeler Customer Service responded to a question or request on your behalf. We would like to invite you to use our Customer Service Survey to provide feedback on your experience and quality of service. Your evaluation of our performance is extremely valuable and will help us be more responsive to your future needs." The only problem is, they never sent any e-mail other than the one attempting to have me renew my subscription and the one noted above. There has been no response to my corresondence about why I won’t be renewing. Does the left hand talk to the right hand at Kalmbach or FSM? Just curious.
I responded to the survey like they asked and included this in my reply:
‘I received this survey in an e-mail which stated “Our records indicate that FineScale Modeler Customer Service responded to a question or request on your behalf.” Only mail I got from FSM was to advise my subscription about to expire, encouraging me to renew. I sent e-mail to say why I wouldn’t renew and I got no reply except an invitation to complete this survey. There have been no messages addressing my concerns about me non-renewal. Don’t ask me to rate customer service when I haven’t received any.’ Like I asked above does the left hand talk to the right? Apparently not. No wonder they appear to be in trouble.
Stik…it was a very short survey. Kinda kicking myself in the pants for not doing a screenshot before submitting it. Going from memory, it was something like this:
From a drop down menu, why did you contact FSM Customer Service? I chose ‘Other’ and wrote reasons for not renewing my subscription in the blank area provided.
On a scale of 1-10, how likely are you to recommend a subscription to FSM? I gave them a three.
Rate your level of satisfaction with FSM Customer Service. I gave them a zero.
Please provide a reason for this rating. In the box provided, I wrote:
Only mail I got from FSM was to advise my subscription about to expire, encouraging me to renew. I sent e-mail to say why I wouldn’t renew and I got no reply except an invitation to complete this survey. There have been no messages addressing my concerns about my non-renewal. Don’t ask me to rate customer service when I haven’t received any.
Still nothing from Customer Service, Mr. Kidwell or the editorial Staff. Kind of shows me how much of a “valued customer” I really am, or was, in their eyes.
I just went back and re read this whole thread. Just curious, but what is the cover price for a copy of the print magazine in your locale? $16 seems quite steep for a single magazine cover price. Is that what retailers currently charge per issue?
I have no idea what an issue would cost at the news stand. I haven’t bought one since I’ve been a subscriber, well over 15 years. Also take into the consideration that the Canadian dollar is taking a real beating against the U.S dollar. 35% on the dollar is not an unreasonable exchange rate. Further, shipping / handling fees are obnoxious too.
I didn’t think of prices outside the USA. But for those prices, that’s about what you’d pay for an Osprey book from the Duel, Campaign, or Vanguard series.
Hi everyone, I do not post much here. I am 71 years old and have been building most of my life. I am retired now after 45 years in customer service. I recently subscribed for 1 year and glad it was for that long. when I got my Nov./Dec 23 issue, I was very disappointed. I look forward to the new products section, and it was 1 page with no pics. FSM seems more wanting to sell ads than put in articles and tips for us to build better models.
Same, I may look at some of the pictures, but I probably read less than the captions and maybe an article every so often.
But, this goes for many of my magazines that often come in the mail. Sports Illustrated, yeah, that often does not even get opened. An AARP magazine usually goes straight to the recycle bin. VFW magazine gets looked at for some veteran war story, usually a Vietnam era vet. AAA magazine I might open it if I plan on traveling somewhere soon.
I get a Springfield Armory magazine, I give it to my brother-in-law without opening it. Countless other magzine type items never get looked at.
I know I also get Yankee magazine and a New England magazine that I’ll give to my mother-in-law. Once upon a time I had subscriptions to those magazines as gifts and every so often they will send me a magazine in hopes I resubscribe.
That’s an excellent question, Stik! The cover shows $8.99, but I’ll have to look at the supermarket the next time I go, and see if they’re charging the same, more, or discounting it.
We need to remember, too, that the subscription price includes postage, taxes, and fees, as applicable.
When I used to subscribe, the subscription price was a good discount off of the cover price. Lets say it was something like 20% off, give or take a few percentage points. Longer subscriptions gave a higher discount, thus the advantage of not having to pay cover price, plus waiting for the LHS or seller to have the magazine in stock. But if the cost now is what Murph here was saying… yikes!
Dropped my sub awhile back. Kept getting thinner & thinner. Dont hold your breath on C/S in my opinion. Glad i save a bunch of back issues & all the issues i bought on a CD - 2008 to 2017 issues
Yeah, mine’s up for renewal, too, and every time it comes up, I do think it over. This time around, I’m leaning toward not renewing, either.
I don’t mind content on subjects I don’t build. I have always approached modeling publications, and clubs, with the viewpoint that I might not build a given subject, but I can still appreciate the skill that went in to building a particular model. Same goes for the magazine.
But as others have pointed out, the content sure seems to have gotten thinner over the years, accelerating particularly since COVID and the lockdowns.
That the “downloadable content” is being discontinued made me ask, is that content going to show up in the hardcopy? If it is, then we haven’t lost anything, in this case. If it’s not, though, then we’re getting that much less for our money.
I have meant to buy the CDs, too, to have as an archive. Maybe it’s time not to renew, and put the money towards that.
Hi all, Armornut is making a command decsion that unfortunatly I won’t be re upping either.
I know that there are apps that will stop the pop up adds, but I am tired of " working" and finding a " solution" to simply pist a pic or even a response to threads…3 pop ups so far just typing this.
I really enjoyed the interactions with the people here and feel I have been a real help to some however, the adds, log in issues, pic posting and cost for content has made the FSM site less enjoyable.
I hope thaf the powers that be can pivot, rebuild, and return as a site worthy of my time and subsription money. I also hope they continue to pist You Tube content as it is fun and informative…and free.
If anybody wants to find me I will be found stumbling around at MSC under the name Armornutii. Good luck y’all and happy modelling.
I loved FSM as a kid and have also noticed the decline. As far as content goes, not a biggy for me as I would buy some of the issues just for the cover art [:P].
Let’s face it folks, it’s a changed world. Producing a paper magaize in a digital based, inter-web landscape, is very challenging. I am sure there is a marked reduction, 80 % or so I would guess, in people contributing articles, tips, gallery items and the like as well. I might just re-subscribe to help em out and send in a few tips.
I think you’re conflating renewing our subscriptions to the magazine with participating in the forum. The two things aren’t related in any way; you don’t need to subscribe to FSM to access the forum. I don’t think any of us are planning to stop participating in the forum.