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I like The New Yorker.  I've been a subscriber for about 5 years, my subscription's up in a few weeks, I figured I'd get a renewal notice in the mail and would renew.  Have been paying $39.95/year.  

Last week I got a note in the mail telling me I'd been automatically renewed, some automatic renewal program, and my new rate was $59.95/year.  No way.  Called the number and said I got the renewal notice and had no interest in renewing at $59.95.  The woman said okay, my subscription would end in June when it's over.  Didn't offer me a lower rate, nothing.

I went on the website.  Logged into my account, where they were offering me a renewal for $47/year.

Logged out of my account, and back on the website, where they're offering new subscribers the $39.95/year rate.

This is annoying, and stupid.  I went from having positive feelings about The New Yorker and being a subscriber, paying them $39.95 a year to having negative feelings and not wanting to renew.  I don't like to feel like I'm being ripped off.

So I called them again, and said I'd gotten the $59.95 renewal notice but I'd seen it for cheaper online.  The guy said, "Oh, sometimes the marketing department has specials and doesn't tell the sales department."  Thrilling business model there.  Why are two departments selling subscriptions and not telling each other what they're doing?  Anyway, I said I saw it for $39.95/year.  He said, "You want to renew at that rate?"  I said no, I didn't, I'd think about it.

So I just did an Internet search and found it for $27.95/year and renewed.  Reluctantly, kind of.  I'm annoyed and don't really want to be a customer anymore, but I also like their magazine so whatever, I renewed.  Had they offered me the $39.95 rate to begin with -- that they're offering on their own website -- I would have renewed without trying to find it cheaper.  But now they lost $12 a year and I went from a satisfied customer to an irritated one.

Contrast this with the only online site where I pay for content (related question: How many sites are most people paying for?  I expect the average is zero, but I also feel like I'm particularly reluctant to pay for things and my bar might be higher than most people's, so maybe if I'm paying for one site, other people pay for stuff too, and perhaps even more than one site.) -- Baseball Prospectus, which I think is $34.95/year, and they post a ton of worthwhile baseball articles and I think the content is totally worth it.  First, they give a $5 discount when existing subscribers renew.  Second, I've never seen it advertised for less anywhere.  Third, when I blogged a few years ago about being reluctant to pay for the site even though I liked the content, one of the writers sent me an e-mail within hours and gave me a one-year subscription for free.  And he was smart to do so -- I've paid, and happily paid, every year since, and they gained a loyal customer.

This is not about being an online publication vs. being a paper publication.  It's about not screwing with your customers.

This kind of stuff probably offends me more than it should -- after all, they're just trying to make money, and if they can get people to pay $60 instead of $40 because they don't notice or care, why shouldn't they?  Well, maybe that's the right business model, and maybe I'm just the exception who notices and cares, but I still think I have a point.  Maybe.

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