December 21, 2005:

MINI magazines :(

So, I still don’t have a copy of the new MC2 MINI magazine :( I’ve seen a copy - because the free issues sent out to dealerships shipped much quicker than the paid for copies like mine. But I don’t have my own copy … I wonder if I ever will!

I used to receive copies of GoMINI magazine from England, but that publication has been cancelled - very usefully (ha ha) I received a refund cheque today from the publishers for my un-delivered subscription … for £5.25! No use to pay into my US bank account, and no UK bank account to pay it into. I can’t sign it over to anyone else because of tight UK bank laws … so it’s a great way for Future Publishing to avoid refunding the subscription :(

Posted by GBMINI at 05:05 pm | Uncategorized
Comments: 18 (post new comment)

  1. Pamlico (2005/12/21 @ 5:19 pm)

    I was getting concerned but my copy finally arrived yesterday.

  2. Aqualung (2005/12/21 @ 6:06 pm)

    same here Ian, I think I saw some “I got it” postings, but nothing, and I think I was also eligible for the free t-shirt, too.

    Chris

  3. giacomo (2005/12/21 @ 6:43 pm)

    Ian, knows I just got mine yesterday, 12/20, I was told it had been mailed on the 8th. I guess the Pony or Shanghai Express had it.

    First let’s hope they get better with the delivery end and I hope in the graphic layout end also. If not I won’t be back. So I plan on giving it the year (4 issues?) and hope, during this time, it becomes as slick as GoMINI was as a mag or as slick as MF is as a online mag.

    I liked some of the articles and really liked the one on the new engine. So I’m gonna hope it’s gets better and I’m sure it will but as I said, if not I won’t be back.

    My wife’s comment on it was ” I hope this is cheap because it looks cheap.” We get a lot of high end design, art & foodie mags.

    As far as shirts go………I’m not holding my breath for the “Under your tree by Xmas” I was told.

    So all in all I’m glad I don’t have to pay the price of GoMINI anymore and will hope it [MC2] comes together as it would be nice to have a decent brick and mortar mag to look at while I’m relaxing.

  4. Aqualung (2005/12/21 @ 8:24 pm)

    Good to hear it’s coming.

    On another note, MINI2 is down for a move…waaaaahhh, what to do over Xmas break ;-)

  5. giacomo (2005/12/21 @ 8:50 pm)

    Thick as a brick…………..

  6. j/c (2005/12/22 @ 1:53 am)

    FINALLY got mine, so perchance . . .

  7. Joe (2005/12/22 @ 5:55 am)

    Have not recieved mine yet.

  8. Gavin (2005/12/22 @ 7:28 am)

    According to comments sent by the publisher to some people and reposted on mini2 (which is down now), the problem with mailing the first issue of a magazine is that they can’t be mailed as regular subscription mail because there is no prior issue to prove that the magazine is a regular thing and not a one off. The dealers got copies quickly because 25 fit in a flat rate box, but that was not a good way to send individual copies, so the only reasonable option they had was one where it is up to the local sorting office how long it takes.
    My guess is that they are all at local offices, but the USPS is concentrating on Christmas mail. For the first issue, I would have thought that paying for regular mail would have been the publisher’s best bet, rather than this cut price, low service option…

  9. Ian C. (2005/12/22 @ 7:41 am)

    Gavin,
    I saw that message too, and I understand it.
    What I *don’t* understand is p***ing off their new subscribers by shipping to dealers to arrive before the subscription copies. I think they should have waited a few weeks after mailing subscriptions.

  10. Josh Wardell (2005/12/22 @ 8:42 am)

    This combined with MINI2 must have your head spinning. I wish I brought the mag to work so I had something to replace my mini2 time. :)
    Glacomo it is a 2-person car magazine, not a giant corporation with graphical artists. Furthermore, the photos are all taken by real mini fans, not professional photographers hired by the mag. It WILL improve, but it will always stay more grass roots than those others.

  11. gabe (2005/12/22 @ 8:55 am)

    I couldn’t agree more giacomo.

  12. giacomo (2005/12/22 @ 10:31 am)

    Well JOSH……….I know it’s a 2 person mag, I met one of them. I also feel I was being fair in my assessment of the mag and don’t think I was being snobbish just stating how I felt and I gave them a year to see if I would continue my subscription. I don’t think I was being particularly hard on the pics. So in your world “Grass Roots” means less than professional?

    I’m sorry , not really, if I offended your particular sensibilities but I am a graphic designer and I guess I’m cursed in that way.

    Aren’t you the fellow who does all those wonderful pics I see on different MINI sites/calendars Etceteras? I just went to your site…….very nice.

  13. Gavin (2005/12/23 @ 7:02 pm)

    I agree that it’s bad planning / bad PR to be p***ing off their initial subscribers, but as far as I understand it, the delivery time is completely out of their control, so they wouldn’t know how long to wait. Of course, if they’d gone with a delivery option that meant a little more money but a lot more certainty, this would all have been avoided.

  14. William (2005/12/24 @ 3:23 am)

    A request to any of you who received your MC2 copy…

    I’ve heard there is a MINI Fini ad in the magazine. It has a phone number for the new owner. Could anyone post it here? I need to call about getting a Towlink. I have a Sportlink but Fini shut down before I could get the Towlink. Thank you!
    Bill

  15. giacomo (2005/12/24 @ 11:04 am)

    Mini-Fini 614 491-4944

  16. Ian C. (2005/12/24 @ 2:15 pm)

    My copy of MC2 finally arrived today

  17. giacomo (2005/12/24 @ 3:03 pm)

    Hey Ian that’s kool. Now “Where’s the Shirts?!” I never give up.

  18. Josh Wardell (2005/12/27 @ 9:48 am)

    Glad you finally received it…and just in time! :)

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