RMweb Gold Popular Post Not Jeremy Posted September 29, 2021 RMweb Gold Popular Post Share Posted September 29, 2021 (edited) Apologies to all, but I need to make an announcement regarding the MRJ and me. Despite that fact that the address for Cygnet Magazines is the same as for my business in Bath, I have no involvement with the production of the MRJ, its subscriptions, or any advertising or editorial issues. Cygnet publishing remains in Didcot, I simply send on all mail to their address without opening any of it. Their telephone number remains as before, 01235 816478. Yes, it is confusing to have their postal address being the same as mine. I agreed to do it at their request to help them out at a difficult time. I appreciate that it is confusing and have sympathy for anyone who is confused. In addition to which: They still do not use email at all for any of the above purposes. It is unfortunate that they do not use email. I like everyone else wish that they would. The guest editors are known people, some of whom frequent RMweb (and other places), and some of whom make their contact details available electronically. These seem to me to be reasonable "contact points" for editorial contributions, but these folk will not be able to help with subscription or advertising issues. My business simply hold stocks of the MRJ and sell it to customers on a retail basis. I also purchased all of the back issues from Cygnet when everyone had to move out of Didcot, so I can also supply back issues (including to the trade) of all of the magazines that I still have in stock. Apologies for appearing to labour a point, but I am receiving increasing numbers of queries by email regarding these matters. I will no longer be able to respond to them as they are getting in the way of my own activities. I still love the MRJ and hope it continues for a long time yet. Simon Castens Edited September 29, 2021 by Not Jeremy Title simplification 5 6 2 35 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Popular Post John Isherwood Posted September 29, 2021 RMweb Premium Popular Post Share Posted September 29, 2021 15 minutes ago, Not Jeremy said: Apologies to all, but I need to make an announcement regarding the MRJ and me. Despite that fact that the address for Cygnet Magazines is the same as for my business in Bath, I have no involvement with the production of the MRJ, its subscriptions, or any advertising or editorial issues. Cygnet publishing remains in Didcot, I simply send on all mail to their address without opening any of it. Their telephone number remains as before, 01235 816478. Yes, it is confusing to have their postal address being the same as mine. I agreed to do it at their request to help them out at a difficult time. I appreciate that it is confusing and have sympathy for anyone who is confused. In addition to which: They still do not use email at all for any of the above purposes. It is unfortunate that they do not use email. I like everyone else wish that they would. The guest editors are known people, some of whom frequent RMweb (and other places), and some of whom make their contact details available electronically. These seem to me to be reasonable "contact points" for editorial contributions, but these folk will not be able to help with subscription or advertising issues. My business simply hold stocks of the MRJ and sell it to customers on a retail basis. I also purchased all of the back issues from Cygnet when everyone had to move out of Didcot, so I can also supply back issues (including to the trade) of all of the magazines that I still have in stock. Apologies for appearing to labour a point, but I am receiving increasing numbers of queries by email regarding these matters. I will no longer be able to respond to them as they are getting in the way of my own activities. I still love the MRJ and hope it continues for a long time yet. Simon Castens To those who do run MRJ - NOT Simon, You have a lot of loyal support amongst MRJ subscribers - but it is unsustainable nowadays to have no electronic point of contact. Moreover, it would seem that your refusal to do so is not only inconveniencing the readership, but also an unconnected third party. It seems that Simon went above and beyond to assist you at a difficult time; the least that you can do is to relieve him of this unwonted burden. John Isherwood, (A reader / subscriber since Issue 0, but somewhat disappointed in MRJ's current business practices). 5 16 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold 2mmMark Posted September 29, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 29, 2021 41 minutes ago, cctransuk said: To those who do run MRJ - NOT Simon, You have a lot of loyal support amongst MRJ subscribers - but it is unsustainable nowadays to have no electronic point of contact. Moreover, it would seem that your refusal to do so is not only inconveniencing the readership, but also an unconnected third party. It seems that Simon went above and beyond to assist you at a difficult time; the least that you can do is to relieve him of this unwonted burden. John Isherwood, (A reader / subscriber since Issue 0, but somewhat disappointed in MRJ's current business practices). I'd suggest writing them a letter to express this viewpoint. Actually, I sort of envy them, looking at my own mailbox and the time I spend on emails for a voluntary membership organisation. 10 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium John Isherwood Posted September 29, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 29, 2021 4 hours ago, 2mmMark said: I'd suggest writing them a letter to express this viewpoint. Actually, I sort of envy them, looking at my own mailbox and the time I spend on emails for a voluntary membership organisation. I'd rather hoped that there would be other MRJ subscribers here who might press AGREE - thereby letting anyone here with a connection to MRJ that there was some depth of feeling on the subject. Apparently, I misjudged the mood! John Isherwood. 4 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold 2mmMark Posted October 3, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 3, 2021 The fact that we are now are at issue 285 of the magazine seems to indicate that MRJ's business model is quite sustainable and has survived a number of difficulties along the way, that latest being obviously Covid. The change to a four-issue subscription model shows a sensible awareness of the risks to a small business like Cygnet. Whenever I've had rare cause to telephone the office, the call has always been cheerfully answered. No call centre nonsense - "press 1 for this, 2 for that, your call is important to us blah blah blah greensleeves blah blah blah" I undertand that the initial production process is very traditional which is how Paul Karau prefers to work but somehow the end result is able to make the jump to into the computer typesetting environment. I rather like that and the fact that MRJ is an antidote to the rather garish "Hello Magazine" style of some other model railway magazines. It's like our very own Radio 4 compared to BBC3. Mark 18 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium corneliuslundie Posted October 3, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 3, 2021 I agree largely with 2mmMark except that I would compare it with Radio 3, which often seems like a big family but doesn't always take itself too seriously. Jonathan 1 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Captain Kernow Posted October 3, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 3, 2021 3 hours ago, corneliuslundie said: I would compare it with Radio 3, which often seems like a big family but doesn't always take itself too seriously Except when it does, of course, with all the psuedo-intellectual gabble, smug and self-congratulatory chortling at their own witticisms and the awful, dead hand of so-called 'modern' music, with its unmelodic and disconcerting chords. 1 1 4 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Torper Posted October 3, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 3, 2021 On 29/09/2021 at 12:36, cctransuk said: .........it is unsustainable nowadays to have no electronic point of contact.......Moreover, it would seem that your refusal to do so is not only inconveniencing the readership.... I've been reading MRJ since the first issue and I have never been inconvenienced by the lack of any electronic point of contact. But there again, I'm one of these people who still uses a fountain pen and is happy to do so when required. Long may MRJ continue as it is. DT 10 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium corneliuslundie Posted October 3, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 3, 2021 It will begin to inconvenience some people as some banks are no longer issuing cheque books. I came across someone recently who had this problem, though he was not buying MRJ. Jonathan 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgman Posted October 3, 2021 Share Posted October 3, 2021 This is all Top Shelf stuff ! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Torper Posted October 3, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 3, 2021 21 minutes ago, corneliuslundie said: It will begin to inconvenience some people as some banks are no longer issuing cheque books. I understand that all the major UK banks still provide cheque facilities and have no plans to cease doing so, but they don't now automatically issue a new cheque book when the old one is finished. If you want a new one now you have to ask for it. I was interested to read that although most premium bond holders have their winnings paid directly into their accounts, NS&I nevertheless issued 319,752 cheques in July this year to winners who preferred not to use electronic means. DT 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ikcdab Posted October 3, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 3, 2021 It's obviously totally Paul's choice on how he runs his business and if how he works suits him, then that's great. I don't subscribe to MRJ because I just can't be bothered with searching out the address, writing a cheque etc. If Paul wants to grow or sustain his business then he needs to provide electronic communications, but maybe he's just happy the way he is. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium corneliuslundie Posted October 3, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 3, 2021 You mean that there are actually people who win prizes on the Premium Bonds! I don't think the person I was referring to was with one of the bigger UK banks, but there is quite a choice these days. Going in the other direction, I have now seen a couple of retail establishments with signs saying "no cash". I suspect that would also mean no cheques. Mind you, our local chippy's sign says "no cards". Back to the issue, well done Queen's Square, Quite a standard to set for future guest editors. Jonathan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Hroth Posted October 3, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 3, 2021 1 hour ago, Captain Kernow said: Except when it does, of course, with all the psuedo-intellectual gabble, smug and self-congratulatory chortling at their own witticisms and the awful, dead hand of so-called 'modern' music, with its unmelodic and disconcerting chords. Then there's the whole BBC thing of forcing all their online content onto "Sounds", and requiring the user to log in before accessing a desired item, so they can track your listening habits and provided "curated" lists for you to consume. Its yet another username/password to administer, and I for one am becoming tired of trying to remember the damn things! What do you mean, write them down??? 2 minutes ago, Torper said: I understand that all the major UK banks still provide cheque facilities and have no plans to cease doing so, but they don't now automatically issue a new cheque book when the old one is finished. For complicated reasons, I have two current accounts on different banks. Recently, I switched an account from one bank to another, and had to apply for a cheque book from the new bank. Funnily enough, I also got a replacement chequebook (automatically) from the other bank on the same day! Back to MRJ, just picked up my copy of 285 from my local news-monger. I will have an enjoyable evenings read! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold 2mmMark Posted October 3, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 3, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, ikcdab said: It's obviously totally Paul's choice on how he runs his business and if how he works suits him, then that's great. I don't subscribe to MRJ because I just can't be bothered with searching out the address, writing a cheque etc. If Paul wants to grow or sustain his business then he needs to provide electronic communications, but maybe he's just happy the way he is. Yes, that's such a bother isn't it? Probably takes all of 5 or 10 minutes. If "can't be bothered" is your judgement ethos then maybe MRJ isn't the magazine for you. Edited October 3, 2021 by 2mmMark 7 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
davknigh Posted October 3, 2021 Share Posted October 3, 2021 3 hours ago, ikcdab said: It's obviously totally Paul's choice on how he runs his business and if how he works suits him, then that's great. I don't subscribe to MRJ because I just can't be bothered with searching out the address, writing a cheque etc. If Paul wants to grow or sustain his business then he needs to provide electronic communications, but maybe he's just happy the way he is. Funnily enough I subscribe even though I am unable to write a cheque to Cygnet as being in Canada and not having a UK bank account cheques are not an option. I do it through Newsstand which allows me to do everything electronically . Another option would be to buy direct from Simon at Titfield, once again, all electronically. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Usual disclaimers. Cheers, David 5 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium figworthy Posted October 3, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 3, 2021 5 hours ago, Captain Kernow said: Except when it does, of course, with all the psuedo-intellectual gabble, smug and self-congratulatory chortling at their own witticisms and the awful, dead hand of so-called 'modern' music, with its unmelodic and disconcerting chords. Ah, but is it Art ? Adrian 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium kevinlms Posted October 4, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 4, 2021 7 hours ago, 2mmMark said: Yes, that's such a bother isn't it? Probably takes all of 5 or 10 minutes. If "can't be bothered" is your judgement ethos then maybe MRJ isn't the magazine for you. But the real person 'that can't be bothered' is Paul, which as stated in the opening post, his business model actually relies on bothering other people. I'm sure he could arrange for an email address and have someone print the relevant ones out for him, if he didn't want to deal with them himself. A friend of mine owns a computer for his business, but it lives at his bookkeepers house and he would have no idea on how to turn it on. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Compound2632 Posted October 4, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 4, 2021 16 hours ago, ikcdab said: If Paul wants to grow or sustain his business then he needs to provide electronic communications, but maybe he's just happy the way he is. If. They've been going a long time - 40 years now - so you can make a guess at their ages. I get the impression they're in winding down mode. We should enjoy it while we've got it. 4 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suffolk Dave Posted October 4, 2021 Share Posted October 4, 2021 19 hours ago, Captain Kernow said: the awful, dead hand of so-called 'modern' music, with its unmelodic and disconcerting chords. All classic music was modern once. The stuff you might happily tap your foot to may well have been regarded as unmelodic and discordant in its day. 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Captain Kernow Posted October 4, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 4, 2021 5 minutes ago, Suffolk Dave said: All classic music was modern once. The stuff you might happily tap your foot to may well have been regarded as unmelodic and discordant in its day. Ah yes, but my response to that is, 'Rule 1' applies! 2 2 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Smith Posted October 4, 2021 Share Posted October 4, 2021 (edited) I very rarely feel the need to subscribe to these discussions, but I must admit that I get really fed up about people moaning about the difficulty of subscribing to or contacting MRJ. My own view is that whatever the reasons are, the production team have decided not to embrace some “modern” payment or contact methods. We all need to accept that. For me, that philosophy doesn’t detract from the best model railway magazine available, indeed from a letters point of view I imagine that that philosophy would be an absolute boon as it minimises / prevents the dross that the keyboard warriors would submit - if one has to truly put pen to paper and then go to the effort of putting a stamp on an envelope and then putting it in a post box then hopefully the content will actually be worth reading! I personally don’t “subscribe” to the magazine, preferring to purchase my copies from a national newsagent, but I do have nearly every edition nonetheless. In short, I guess what I’m trying to say is that if someone’s business model works for them but not for you then the problem is yours not theirs! On issue 285, well done Jerry! One of the best! Ian Edited October 4, 2021 by Ian Smith 8 9 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium kevinlms Posted October 5, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 5, 2021 10 hours ago, Ian Smith said: I very rarely feel the need to subscribe to these discussions, but I must admit that I get really fed up about people moaning about the difficulty of subscribing to or contacting MRJ. My own view is that whatever the reasons are, the production team have decided not to embrace some “modern” payment or contact methods. We all need to accept that. For me, that philosophy doesn’t detract from the best model railway magazine available, indeed from a letters point of view I imagine that that philosophy would be an absolute boon as it minimises / prevents the dross that the keyboard warriors would submit - if one has to truly put pen to paper and then go to the effort of putting a stamp on an envelope and then putting it in a post box then hopefully the content will actually be worth reading! I personally don’t “subscribe” to the magazine, preferring to purchase my copies from a national newsagent, but I do have nearly every edition nonetheless. In short, I guess what I’m trying to say is that if someone’s business model works for them but not for you then the problem is yours not theirs! On issue 285, well done Jerry! One of the best! Ian I don't disagree with most of your post. But if you read the opening post properly, you will read that the OP is getting annoyed to a degree, with people expecting him to be a main contact point, when he isn't. I agreed to do it at their request to help them out at a difficult time. Surely the 'difficult time' should be over? I will no longer be able to respond to them as they are getting in the way of my own activities. That says it all IMO, why should someone's lack of use of using email, affect someone who is helping out? I've previously explained how it is possible to have an email address, but not personally use it. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Not Jeremy Posted October 5, 2021 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted October 5, 2021 (edited) Dear All Thank you for your concern on my behalf, much appreciated. I am not getting annoyed, rather I am just flagging up a bit of an issue arising from the somewhat idiosyncratic arrangements which now prevail. I mentioned the address thing to explain to people why it is as it is, and the email thing to head off a potential barrage of helpful suggestions about how easy it is to set up an email and how we are all in the 21st Century etc etc... And on RMweb because it is read by so very many people. Simon Edited October 5, 2021 by Not Jeremy and 6 1 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold 46444 Posted October 6, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 6, 2021 On Saturday I decided to catch up with my MRJ reading exploits and ordered online 4 issues I had not been able to obtain locally. I was looking forwards to a catch up with Simon but left it too late to ring. I received an email yesterday notifying me they had left Bath and were winging it to the West Riding. On a lovely sunny morning and a day off what could be better than the postie delivering my magazines. This time a note inside from George and pamphlets on other ways to spend your hard earned in Simon's emporium. Think a cup of tea and a toasted tea cake accompanied by reading MRJ 281 should be a nice way to spend the afternoon. Will try not to get butter on the pages of course. Thanks once again to Simon and George for the excellent service they provide. Cheers, Mark 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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