Disappointed and feeling ripped off

Those issues are usually special purchase and not part of the subscription. At least for the years when I was a subscriber. You can usually buy them at places that sell FSM when the issues reach the store disply racks. No need to subscribe.

SwamiWill,

I'm sorry about any confusion, but I can't find anywhere that we have listed any of the special issues you have mentioned under the Back Issues section of our website. They are collected under a separate tab for Special Issues. If you can send me a link to the section you saw them under, I would be interested in tracking down the problem. In the meantime, it sounds like customer service tried to address the problem with you. I'm sorry that it wasn't to your satisfaction.

Regards, Aaron

--

Aaron Skinner

Senior Editor

askinner@finescale.com

For all those non believers out there here is the link to FSM Back Issues. To me anyone seeing this would think they were special magazine included with your subscription.

http://www.finescale.com/issues

Which one would think would only hold back issues of what you subscribe to.

 Amazing how it will not let me copy a screen shot of what I am talking about.

I subscribed to FSM for many years. Never once in those years did the subscription include the annual Great Scale Modeling issues. (It was before the Damaged issues came along and I have no interest in those issues) I always picked up Great Scale Modeling issues at my LHS when it appeared for sale there. The fact that those appear as back issues available for purchase does not directly state or even imply that they are available as part of a subscription. I suppose that they could be offered as a bonus to a basic subscription. (Subscribe now and we will also send ***) But unless you have that writing somewhere, you are taking their inclusion for sale as back issues as part of a subscription on your own inference only. 

All that means is that any of those magazines are available for sale individually as a back issue. Nothing more, nothing less.

As Stik points out, those issues, as well as other special releases, were never a part of the subscription. It clearly states that the subcription is for 10 issues a year and those are not listed as monthly issues.

Also, even if theyw ere given to subscribers at the time, why would they send them to a new one. Even as a subscriber, if you want one of the monthly back issues, you still have to buy it. The subscription is for the next 10 issues.

Sorry,I subscribed since the 80's and they were never part of my subscription,they were special purchases if you wanted them.

I subscribed to Kalmbach's Model Railroader for decades. Once they came on line, there were two special issues every year, one gallery oriented and one more build oriented.

I always expected to pay more for those.

Who contacts the BBB? Why not accept FSMs response here and stop complaining?

Bill

GMorrison

I always expected to pay more for those. Who contacts the BBB? Why not accept FSMs response here and stop complaining?

Besides which--business being business--unless something explicitly states 'these are included with your subscription,' it's fantasy to assume any such arrangement, whether based on some previous experience or not.

Guys,

I have emailed with this customer and the matter is as it is. I appreciate hearing everyone's feeling about the situation, but I think it's time to call the issue closed rather than let it become a focus for more questions about the OP.

Cheers, Aaron