New website cancelled my subscription and now wants me to pay twice as much. Happen to you?
[email protected]
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My subscription was cancelled for some unknown glitch after what must be 10 years of automatic payments. Now I’m being told I have to reregister at twice the price. I grew up reading my fathers magazines and have subscribed on my own since I was 20. After hours of phone calls and emails where the answer is ignorantly short and not addressing the issue, I’m thinking of just giving up on the magazine. Has this happened to anyone else?
Replies
My auto-pay glitched but it was because my credit card changed. I noticed on the first failed payment and called customer service. They restored my auto-pay and I'm still at the annual rate from yesteryear.
Sorry this is happening. There is no reason you should have been told that.
Shoot me an email at [email protected] and I'll get it to someone who will straighten it out. Thanks.
Ben,
You are always there to help everyone when there is a problem. Plus, you are there filming the on line lessons (Foundations of Woodworking inaugural course) awesome job! and hosting the Blog site. Thank you for what you do for us, we appreciate you.
Thanks!
Same weird issues for me. Couldn’t renew, couldn’t change subscription address (issues were going amiss). Couldn’t get password reset to work. After weeks of back and forth to figure out how to resubscribe I managed to Re subscribe and then found I’d been over charged vs what a new subscription should have been. I ended up doing the subscription for 3 years to avoid this mess coming around soon. Kind of just gave up at this point.
I think my card is ok. maybe lost with the website changes?
A similar thing happened to me. My credit card company flagged the auto-renew as a fraudulent charge last week, when this never happened for previous auto-renewals. Unfortunately after asking FWW about my subscription, the email reply I received after 3 days of waiting was that I needed to renew my subscription since it shows as expired, and the options I had are no longer available.
Send me an email.
[email protected]
I'll get it to someone who can help.
i got overcharged ten fold and couldn’ t log on for a month because web site said it did not recognise my details. partial refund this morning and backin today. new service provider seems to have screwed lots of accounts up.
pete
refund came through this m
Solved and happy. Took a few days but it got done. Thanks! Seems like a confusing shift. I really appreciate the effort.
I'm dealing with an issue now that makes no sense. I renewed for 2 years for $68.21, got an immediate email confirmation.
It does not show up on my AMEX. What does show up, same date and time, is a charge from "Continuity" for $63.17.
I called the number on the AMEX and the auto answer does not give a company name. Press 5 to show that you're not a robocaller. Then another autoanswer with a menu. Options are sales, accounting or HR. The button for sales gets a "don't understand." Accounting and HR get voicemail, and no response to messages left.
At no point is a company name given. Naturally, I'm getting a bit concerned at this point and placed it dispute with AMEX. The only connection to FWW is the date and time. The format of pressing 5 to block robocalls is the same for FWW
Called FWW and they show a charge to my AMEX of $34 for 1 year, same date and time. No such charge on my AMEX. No record of a 2 year subscription. I sent a copy of their confirmation email, but have heard nothing since.
Anybody else heard of anything like this?
Got a response today from my last inquiry.
"Thank you for your email. Actually the correct charge on our database is of $69.90 but the charges are split in our system in two charges of $34.95. This is done internally to make both versions: print and digital work properly; but on your card the whole amount should appear. However, the subscription is for 1 year only. Expiration date is Nov.06th 2023. If you need any further assistance, do not hesitate to contact us...."
I still fail to understand, nor did they address my question as to how I got a confirmation email for 2 years at $68.21.
To date there is nothing on my Amex bill from Taunton. I suppose its free.
What a mess !
Next in the ongoing saga !
Just received an email from Amex, re the charge from "Continuity" for $63.17 that I placed in dispute, as I could get no response to voice mails on the phone number shown on the Amex statement.
Amex says it is .... Taunton !!
The Taunton rep had told me on the phone they had never heard of Continuity.
There are 3 different amounts being thrown around. I suppose the one on the Amex is the correct one.
Does anyone there know what is going on ? Good at woodworking, but poor on the business end.
I received within a few days two mails, one congratulating me to renew for $63 and a few days later congratulating me also but this time for $100 ???
Every time I open the Fine Woodworking app on my iPad I am being asked to pay for all of my current and back issues, very annoying. Had no reply to my emails, maybe because I am in Australia I don’t count, all very frustrating. Can at least access the digital magazine on the website but as a long standing customer I expect better.
Unfortunately, we are having some issues with our app access. Please use the following coupon code to access your issues, 94DXOZ. You will add this code in the account section under the menu options. This code can only be used once.
For anyone else still experiencing issues, please contact Customer Service directly for a code. They can be reached via email at [email protected] or by calling 866-452-5141 (outside the US and Canada call 847-559-7522). We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.
What about the people who aren’t on the forums that Ben can help?
I have subscribed to FWW for decades, I am a digital subscriber but yet I still get notices asking me to subscribe (?).
I think it’s pretty obvious FWW staff needs to take a close look at their software setup and tech vendors?
Another forum I’m on recently changed their platform - my user name didn’t change, why did it change on FFW? Not a tech guy but that seems very weird to me. Get a better platform!!
The apologies and excuses from Ben wouldn’t be necessary ;-)
I just called the customer service number related to the “change password” prompt, and absence of the related email. They helped me with the reset within 5 mins. Anymore it seems like any change brings a situation that would be hard to describe without the word “cluster” in it somewhere, but to Taunton’s credit, the resolution has been fast and effective.
I just received a subscription renewal form in the mail saying my subscription expires this month. I've been an unlimited member since March 2019 with a monthly auto-draft. When I logged in my account said my subscription started 2022-6-24. ?!? I called customer service (Cynthia was very polite and helpful) I learned that the monthly membership option was discontinued. That's not a problem for me; but the total lack of communication is. This is not the first time I've gotten the "We want you back" message - and I expect this online forum will result in the same no response I've gotten previous times. Magazine is great and always improving. Behind the scenes business processes don't meet the same standard.
Well, I waited almost two weeks and I was correct - I received no response to my original post. Ben??? Wake up. This is the fourth time I've posted a polite comment on this forum about the continuing confusion regarding my subscription/membership/not receiving the magazine - and never a response. Now it appears both my Fine Woodworking and Fine Homebuilding subscriptions and access have disappeared. Tried to use the Taunton Press customer service page and it says "Invalid Access" when I send. Seriously, who needs to get fired.
I'm stuck in the vortex of cover-your-eyes awful customer service from FWW as well.
On October 3, I got an email--at 7pm --saying my subscription would renew for $59.95 PER MONTH. Then it said "if you have any questions, visit customer service before 10/04/2022."
I called FWW and spoke to someone who gave me a long and winding tale of some charges and then some adjustments that had been applied, but she couldn't answer anything about the terms in the email. She said "they don't tell us anything."
Today I logged in and it shows my years-old membership started 3/22/2022. And it doesn't show any membership at all. I'm going to try Ben Strano, see if he can help.
For what it's worth, I just got off the phone with customer service. She confirmed my membership, and the status of my print subscription, but it is extremely confusing.
Her only response to the website disaster is "they're working on it...everything."
I asked her about incorrect account information showing on the website and she said "that's because they're working on it."
I suggested (kindly) that if anyone asks them for feedback on their calls, a note on the website saying something along the lines of "don't believe anything you see here and for all that's good and holy do not try to change anything here because it's all wrong anyway, and well...'they're working on it.'"
The magazine and website (when it works) are truly exceptional. I think us customers would be better served if Taunton hired some professional web developers & system admins. Because this is just bad.
For a modern web publishing media company, they're sure good woodworkers.
Thanks for the prompt reply but unfortunately your magic code doesn’t work!
I was affected differently.
I opted to upgrade when Unlimited became available so was not eligible for the lower price anyway.
A couple of days ago I noticed I was getting messages about only having one free article left but as I browse on several computers I never failed to see what I wanted to see until today.
I cannot find membership status information anywhere on the site.
I thought I had a month or two to run on my sub as it usually renewed in December, but hey ho - who cares about 1 month after all these years so I went to pay. I paid. I am still locked out.
I was able to renew my online subscription last week for $34.95 after two emails indicating my auto-renewal didn't go through (no change to my credit card info). I opted to let my print subscription expire. I wasn't aware of the changes to the website until I was prompted to change my password. Even though my online subscription was renewed I am apparently out of free articles to read and need to either start a 14 day free trial or pay again. Anybody else running into this issue?
got billed for a second time, complained, got a partial refund, no bill or statement.no customer account billing details i can access. still can’t download the latest magazine copy unless i buy it! . some one needs to get fired and then get a competent service provider.
Something like what happened to ya'll happened to me as well! I'll bet there are people who subscribe that don't use it often that have been bumped as well but haven't a clue! I have a policy when it comes to computer stuff.. NEVER UPGRADE!
Same problem here. I just hung up on their customer service line after waiting over 30 minutes. Every time they would update the waiting time, it got longer and longer. I have emailed them to cancel my subscription and delete another bogus charge that just showed up on my credit card today. I have had it with Tauton.
My membership just expired (I believe a few months early, but I can let that slide this time). The membership I've had for several years did not include the print copy. I don't want the print copy. I can read everything I want online. However, I've been told by customer service all currently available memberships/subscriptions include the print copy. Ideally, I would like an unlimited membership that does not include the print copy. Is this possible?
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