Why does my magazine always arrive late?!

[Kosmische]

Well, I'm still waiting for my magazine as a loyal subscriber - where the hell is it and why it often so late? It often arrives in my post well after it's already in newsagents etc.

Should I just stop subscribing then....?

[N i g e l]

https://www.royalmail.com/latest-news

If you want to pick it up from Menzies there are always X copies available on the Thursday.
On Monday there are X -x = 0 on the Monday.

[zenguitar]

My magazine rarely arrives late.

I have a sub that includes the physical magazine and access to the online magazine as well as the digital magazine. Each month the digital magazine is available to download on a Thursday; More often than not my physical magazine appears through the letter box before that, sometimes as often as the Monday. Very occasionally the print magazine arrives later than the digital version.

It might be worth contacting the subscriptions team using the link here...
https://www.soundonsound.com/contact

They can liaise and ensure your subscription details are correct and chase up their suppliers. But I would expect that the problem lies with Royal Mail and/or another 3rd party.

But I do know how frustrating it is to be waiting for your subscription magazine to drop through the letterbox when you can see it on the shelf in W H Smith's and/or your local supermarket.

And I guess we have to consider the current strikes with Royal Mail as well.

Andy

[Forum Admin]

Well, I'm still waiting for my magazine as a loyal subscriber - where the hell is it and why it often so late? It often arrives in my post well after it's already in newsagents etc.

Should I just stop subscribing then....?

Hi,

We understand fully your frustrations when this happens, but we never sell subs on the basis they arrive by snail mail ahead of the newsagent copies (in UK at least) as it's near impossible for us to achieve that, because UK news delivery network is overnight and so efficient and Royal Mail post sadly is not. And it's getting worse with strikes and backlogged / blocked mailboxes.

The sub gives you price discounts over the newsstand cover price and we always send free replacement mags for any that get lost in the Royal Mail system and fail to get delivered.

That's why so many subscribers opt for the Print+Digital choice as they get instant gratification from the App/Web articles if the print mag gets waylaid. Postal delivery, as you know, is not in SOS's control and varies across UK regions. That's an unfortunate fact of life these days and it frustrates the heck out of all SOS staff when our hard work cannot be enjoyed by our loyal readers at the right time.

If you feel upset still, then by all means cancel your print sub or change to Digital-only and contact subscribe@soundonsound.com to request a refund/transfer. We obviously do NOT wish to lose you, but there is nothig we can do to control Royal Mail and we're a victim of their poor service as much as you are.

[OneWorld]

At risk of sounding pretentious, I placed an order with the local newsagent and the magazine arrives on the same day each month. That said, it is quite convenient in my case because the newsagent's shop is only about 5 minutes walk away. There might have been the odd exception when the magazine had not arrived on the expected day, but that is very rare

[Hugh Robjohns]

Yes, as Ian said, the UK news-trade distribution system is phenomenally efficient.

UK subscribers rely on the Royal Mail service and, despite the magazines going into the postal service well in advance of the due publication date, real-world delivery times vary widely and erratically.

For me, in the West Midlands, the magazine normally arrives a day early, with roughly equal amounts of two days early or the due publication date. I haven't had a late one for quite a while now.... but it is hugely frustrating when it happens. You have my sympathies.