build a battleship

[dogtired]

This is on behalf of Mr DT.
His hobby is model boats, which can work out expensive.
Roughly two years ago he saw a magazine to build, over series of weeks a model of HMS Hood.
As we could not afford the initial subscription he ordered it from a local newsagents.
Last year, for a short time, they changed to two weekly issues then back to weekly until February when there was a flyer in the pack that again it would be two weekly.
Since then there has been nothing.
The " customer care" line are less than helpful and seem intent on getting you to sign up for subscriptions.
Have also tried e mailing them for him but no reply, as yet.
Unable to establish if the publishers are still trading, web site seems active and they appear to " specialise" in this sort of part
How would he find out if there is a problem?
As things stand he his left with a part built hull and a box with all the bits so far.
The publishers are Hatchette part works, the parent company seems to be in South Africa and there is a London address.

[des8]

Re: build a battleship

Has your newsagent not been able to discover what is happening.
When we had our newspaper shop (25 years ago) we were always having problems with part works.
Sometimes they would come in weeks late, but our wholesalers always eventually obtained copies.
I think the problem was the wholesalers weren't given sufficient copies (publishers producing minimum numbers)
so they were distributing the mags to shops, and then waiting for returns from shops which hadn't sold all their allocation. These returns were then sent to the shops who had reordered because they hadn't received enough!
The problem is made worse because the initial editions to newsagents are on "sale or return", but after a time they tend to supply on a non return basis. Obviously newsagents then only order enough to cover orders by customers.The orders are then passed up the line and eventually publishers cut back on the numbers produced (or even stop publishing it altogether if there aren't enough orders) and then there aren't enough to go round.....

We bailed out of the business after a whole year....

The good news is that Hatchettes are unlikely to have gone out of business, and there's only about 10 issues to go.

[dogtired]

Re: build a battleship

Thank you Des, Mr DT went in today but the owner wasn't in still waiting for a responce from his supplier I think.
You are right, I think he may be the only one that has it on order.
But what does he do if the missing issues don't turn up?

[des8]

Re: build a battleship

Swear or try eBay.

More seriously approach publishers, by post.
Explain position politely and ask if their subscriptions department have any spare copies.

[dogtired]

Re: build a battleship

Thank you, I will suggest that to Mr DT.