TG mag ripping off international subscribers

[Janus]

As I have said before if you are a TG international subscriber you pay 85 pounds per year for your subscription, which is over double what UK subscribers pay, and you receive what appears to be a trimmed down version of the mag and do not receive any of "bonuses" that you usually get, such as the "cool wall" magnets, Aston & Jag promo DVD, Clarkson book, "I am the Stig" t-shirt, etc.

I wrote the company an e-mail asking why I don't receive the extras and why I pay over double for effectively less.

After waiting over a week I received this response:

Originally Posted by Danielle Aston - BBC Customer Services

Dear Mr Lewis

Thank you for your recent email regarding the Top Gear magazine.

Unfortunately, it is the decision of the publishers to offer this to UK subscribers only and we are unable to change this in any way.

Please accept my apologies for any inconvenience caused to you by this matter.

If I can be of any further assistance to you then please do not hesitate to contact me again.

Kind regards

Danielle Aston
BBC Customer Services

http://www.bbcmagazines.com/magazinesubscriptions

Customer Services + 44 (0) 1795 414 714

Personally, at this stage I'm not planning to renew my subscription as they don't deliver a product worth twice what I would pay in the UK, and I can get an equal, and in some cases better, product for cheaper if I were to subscribe to another magazine, such as Evo or Motor.

I ask for the support of Final Gear forum members to try and get them to change their policy towards this by e-mailing them outlining your dismay at how they rip off international subscribers who support the magazine, but don't receive what they should.

If you are a fellow international subscriber, or just a caring forum member, and would like to help please e-mail bbccs@galleonCI.co.uk and voice your opinion. Hopefully we can convince them to give us what we pay for!

[SL65]

Yeh we have discussed this before and quite frankly, what they are doing is absolute bullshit. Their not giving people outside the UK much reason to subscribe in the first place.

EVO mag is much better I think. Its smaller but the diffrence is only that of how many adds TopGear mag has in it. Also EVO is slightly cheaper. Motor is also excellent though I prefer Wheels.

I think I might consider giving them a buzz via email. I told you before of my disgust towards how much they value their customers...or 'lack of' value as I should say.

[Buba]

Yep, I'm with you, guys... I would have subscribed, if they would have sent me the shirt... I really like the Mag, but it simply delivers not enough for the money...

[bartboy9891]

in the US, the mag costs around $9 per issue at Borders. If i got a subscription, it would cost me around $150. however, Borders gets the issues a month after they come out.

[andyhui01]

Janus... if you live in the UK as well, why don't you just get your subscription sent to your London address?

[Janus]

Originally Posted by andyhui01

Janus... if you live in the UK as well, why don't you just get your subscription sent to your London address?

Because I spend most of my time in Australia, as I go to university here. I head back to the UK usually only once of twice a year.

Recently I didn't receive my August issue of TG and wrote to them. They sent me another copy to replace the missing issue. The next month when I received September's issue I also got another, very battered, copy of August's. Obviously it was lost at the post office or something and found and delivered when September's was.

The other day when I saw both issues side by side I was able to notice that they had obviously sent me the UK version, still minus the bonuses, as the replacement and was able to note the differences between the two.

I have taken some pictures to show the differences.

The UK version is on the left and the international version on the right.



This is the top right hand corner showing the price in Pounds and US dollars, and a Union Jack flag.



The corner of the UK version with the price only in Pounds and no Union Jack.



Finally, a comparision of the thickness of the two issues. You can clearly see that the UK issue, with the issue number on it, is much thicker then the international issue.

[flyingfridge]

Holy shit, that thickness comparison is unbelievable. Poo to them!!

[SL65]

SHIT look at that! Can you tell us what the diffrence is content-wise?

[MXM]

I bet there are loads of advertisement-crap in UK version, and they cut it out from international version. I hope that's the only difference...

[hokiethang]

Originally Posted by bartboy9891

in the US, the mag costs around $9 per issue at Borders. If i got a subscription, it would cost me around $150. however, Borders gets the issues a month after they come out.

Barnes and Noble usually has it for $7.99 here, or $95.88 for an entire year. If you have a barnes and noble membership card, it drops the price to right around $7.00, making it only $85.12. The subscription is such a rip off.

[flyingfridge]

There's no way that much of the mag can be advertising. I mean, I'd expect a bit, but that's more than HALF!! They're bound to leave some advertising in for the international version as well, surely!!

[hokiethang]

The ones I get from Barnes and Noble here in the states are about the same size as the UK version. (I only can tell because I have the volume number circles on mine) and its a fairly thick magazine. That may be a version that they would ship, but I have been getting the UK edition ones from the bookstore.

[Electrastar~Indochine]

I was thinking that it was advertisements that have been removed too, because there are lots in each issue.

Have you been through the mags page by page to note what is missing?

[KryptonZone]

Mr Aston from Top Gear... what a name hahaha! But still, this whole thing is rather worrying...

[patrick10]

Originally Posted by Electrastar~Indochine

I was thinking that it was advertisements that have been removed too, because there are lots in each issue.

Have you been through the mags page by page to note what is missing?

if all the advertisements were removed, that explains the hike in price

[BlaRo]

The US version I get at Borders is as thick as the English version, because they left in the extra car-buying advice at the end that's printed on different stock. That makes up a good half of the magazine, and must be what they cut out for the international versions. So Borders must get the regular bog-standard Brit edition.

But I'm with ya! I need my cool wall magnets! Fight the power! Take it to the streets!

[Jail80]

I'm in.

I didn't get the Aston & Jag DVD this month nor the "I am the Stig"- T-shirt when I subscribed to Top Gear- Mag. This isn't fair! I want the same bonuses as subscribers in the UK. I'm living in Europe like they do, for God's sake! I'm still paying extra and getting no bonuses.

The mags I've received are quite thick.. and full of adverts. Can't tell if they are different from the UK mags.

[bartboy9891]

Originally Posted by hokiethang

Barnes and Noble usually has it for $7.99 here, or $95.88 for an entire year. If you have a barnes and noble membership card, it drops the price to right around $7.00, making it only $85.12. The subscription is such a rip off.

Barnes and Noble doesnt even carry it in any of there stores in Michigan, or so they say. At Borders, you dont get any of the extras, and they are a month late they just got the October issue yesterday and not the november one. Yet EVO is always on time the day it is supposed to come out.

[Turturelo]

Holy crap, I was just subscribing for Top Gear magazine here in Bulgaria. I was hoping to get the Stig T-Shirt, but .. Thank you Janus for the helpful tip!

[Chupacabras]

odd... couple months later and different cover!

It seems to be quite thick, and has lots of cool content in it... are there any other regional Top Gear Mags?