I rarely use this site to vent about customer service, but I have got to relate this here as it relates to publishing. I just spent 15 minutes of phone hell trying to cancel my online subscription to a Big Name Newspaper (BNN). This publisher requires subscribers who wish to cancel to call on the telephone (shocking, since I was able to subscribe online) and promises an easy and quick experience. Not so. Not by a long shot. I waited on hold for several minutes only to be nagged by the customer service representative for reasons for the cancellation, additional offers, etc. This despite me saying I wanted to cancel and get off the phone. Needless to say, I was irritated and expressed, politely, my irritation. Despite this, she insisted she had to place me on hold "to complete the cancellation process." Several more minutes went by before she told me the deed was done.
Finally.
Not quick. Not easy.
BNP does not get online publishing. Does not understand it. If someone can sign up online, they should be able to cancel online without being hassled about different offers, being delayed, etc. I can understand asking for a reason why the account is being ended, but BNN could accomplish that by making the subscriber select from list of reasons and could get more by asking for comments. But no.
