It would appear that some people at Kalmbach don’t talk to each other. Two months ago I renewed my MR subscription through 2018. Today (March 6th) I received a notice in the mail that I must renew immediately so I don’t miss any issues.
Don’t panic, it happens all the time for every magazine. Just ignore it unless you start missing issues.
Check the top of the forum page,mine tells me when my last issue will be sent.
I get those notices every few months even though my subscription is good until Jan. 2017. I’ll bet this particular occurance isn’t an oversight. If you were to renew even though you are already subscribed for a couple of years I suspect they would just take your money, extent your subscription further, and say thanks. How would they know that you didn’t intend to subscribe for a decade? Maybe I’m wrong but I doubt it.
Dave
or would they simply take your money without extending your subscription … after all, they think your subscription is about to expire.
i’ve gotten similar notices from Scientific America
Look at the green block top right of any Model Railroader Forum page or go to the Model Railroader page (click on the magazine logo or cover). It tells you the month-year of the last issue of your subscription,
I don’t subcribe to any other Kalmbach publications, but assume subscriptions can be checked in a similar maner.
That green box in the upper RH corner of the screen shows your last issue. If it is wrong, use the web based Customer Service link even further up or sjust call them on the 800 number.
I use a ‘subscription service’ to renew my subscription - It usually takes about 2 months before the green box changes. In the mean time, I get emails and cards from Kalmbach warning me that my subscription is going to run out.
Jim
You are absolutely correct. The magazine wants to lock you in as a subscriber for as long as possible. This helps them sell advertising. A copy shipped to a newsstand might or might not get read, but one going to a subscriber is one guaranteed set of eyeballs on your ad. That’s also the reason why subscriptions are discounted so deeply off the cover price.
Just make sure the renewal offer really comes from the publisher, not some 3rd party schlub who will charge you more than the publlisher for the same subscription.
It seems no matter how long you extend your subscription to any magazine, within months you will start receiving offers to extend it even further with a money saving offer. I think this will only become more prevalent as magazines fight to stay relavent in a digital world.