Has anyone received a reply from any of the MR editorial staff for an email sent to them asking a question or seeking clarification of an article’s content? I know that many articles are written by contributors, but there have been times that something wasn’t clear to me or the process described seemed confusing and I needed additional info. I can’t get any response at all.
There never seems to be a real means to get such clarification from MR magazine. The “Railway Post Office” only covers general info for 2-3 items and there is seldom, if ever, any means shown as to how to contact the author of an article for clarification.
Many years ago, when Linn Wescott was alive and involved with MR mag, this was NOT a problem. I always received a reasonably prompt reply to my inquiries from the magazine then.
Of course, the standard “…due to the volume of emails, etc, replies to individual inquiries are not possible” disclaimer is always there. However, I have other hobbies and use other hobby-related magazines and I seem to be able to get answers from those mags!
I guess I’m just an old geezer who thinks customers should have some importance, and with “modern technology” and fast computers, some acknowledgement of communication from MR editorial staff to the customer would be a small effort.
Sorry to learn of your experience! It is a puzzle for sure. I hope someone from the staff reads your question and at least responds to you via PM.
Have you tried posting your question to customer service? That was always Erik’s suggestion when a reader here had a problem relating to administration. They should forward your question, and perhaps be able to relay a response back to you.
Yes, twice. Once was a reply from Cody Grivno concerning a diesel weathering article he recently did (only answered one of my two questions, but he did reply), and once was a comment (really a complaint) about an article on scratchbuilding where I felt that there was not enough photographic backup for what was being described in the text.
What e-mail are you using for your questions? The one given in the magazine is mrmag@mrmag.com.
Yes, over the years I have received three replies (to three emails I initiated) from staff members. I suspect that their quantity of emails - coupled with my subject matter - made it “easier” for them to respond. Today’s volumes may be just too prohibitive for them to answer, for afterall, they have a new mag to issue every month.
Therein lies part of the problem in that emails to MR are being sent to a black hole and are just very easy to ignor. From my experience, unless someone’s name is in the address, the chances of a response are pretty slim. I understand that a gazillion are probably received on a regular basis, but in a customer driven organization every email deserves a response - even if it’s a piece of boiler plate. It’s only common courtesy.
MR has forwarded questions to me from readers regarding my articles published in MRP and I have answered them. The same is true for other MR authors I know. So the system does work, at least some of the time.
It may be that this particular author is not responding to the forwarded message.
I received an e-mail response based on a posting I made here a couple of years ago. While flattered that my opinions were valued, I would hope that the MR staff would be spending almost all of their time producing MR. Some of the production work should involve occasional correspondence and discussions with subscribers to ensure alignment with subscription customers. But answering all the mail is unnecessary and will drive up costs.