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Top Gear Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May host the best automotive television show in the world.

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Old October 3rd, 2005, 11:31 AM   #1
 
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Default TG mag ripping off international subscribers

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:

Quote:
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!
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Old October 3rd, 2005, 11:40 AM   #2
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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.
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Old October 3rd, 2005, 12:08 PM   #3
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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...
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Old October 3rd, 2005, 12:18 PM   #4
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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.
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Old October 3rd, 2005, 12:23 PM   #5
 
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Janus... if you live in the UK as well, why don't you just get your subscription sent to your London address?
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Old October 3rd, 2005, 12:57 PM   #6
 
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Quote:
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.

http://img160.imageshack.us/img160/6592/tgmag11nt.jpg

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

http://img102.imageshack.us/img102/434/tgmag29wo.jpg

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

http://img117.imageshack.us/img117/3743/tgmag39rb.jpg

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.

http://img323.imageshack.us/img323/4029/tgmag42cm.jpg
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Old October 3rd, 2005, 01:03 PM   #7
 
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Holy shit, that thickness comparison is unbelievable. Poo to them!! images/smilies/censored.gif
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Old October 3rd, 2005, 01:04 PM   #8
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SHIT look at that! Can you tell us what the diffrence is content-wise?
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Old October 3rd, 2005, 01:17 PM   #9
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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...
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Old October 3rd, 2005, 01:30 PM   #10
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Quote:
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.
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Old October 3rd, 2005, 01:32 PM   #11
 
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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!!
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Old October 3rd, 2005, 02:48 PM   #12
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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.
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Old October 3rd, 2005, 04:52 PM   #13
 
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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?
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Old October 3rd, 2005, 04:59 PM   #14
 
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Mr Aston from Top Gear... what a name hahaha! But still, this whole thing is rather worrying... images/smilies/thumbdown.gif
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Old October 3rd, 2005, 05:42 PM   #15
 
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Quote:
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
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Old October 3rd, 2005, 06:15 PM   #16
 
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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.

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Old October 3rd, 2005, 07:44 PM   #17
 
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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.
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Old October 3rd, 2005, 09:28 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hokiethang
Quote:
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.
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.
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Old October 4th, 2005, 03:49 PM   #19
 
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Holy crap, I was just subscribing for Top Gear magazine here in Bulgaria. I was hoping to get the Stig T-Shirt, but .. images/smilies/eek.gif Thank you Janus for the helpful tip!
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Old January 25th, 2006, 02:18 AM   #20
 
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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?

http://img77.imageshack.us/img77/1994/topgearnz5fc.jpg
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