To: Fawcette Publications <customerservice@fawcette.com>
Subject: VBPJ subscription
Date: Wed, 20 Jan 1999 17:20:48 +0100
dear sirs
i'd like to renew my subscription to vbpj + vbpj-cd.
may you let me know the total cost and tell me who i've got to send my card data to?
thanks in advance,
a.p.
Andrea,
If you would like to send it to me in an e-mail that is fine. I need your full name, address, and credit card information.
Best Regards,
Chris Ortiz
To: Customerservice <customerservice@fawcette.com>
Subject: R: VBPJ subscription
Date: Wed, 20 Jan 1999 18:28:54 +0100
Andrea,
Your paid in full, and your first issue will be delivered in 4-6 weeks, which will be April 1999 issue.
Best Regards,
Chris Ortiz
To: Customerservice <customerservice@fawcette.com>
Subject: R: VBPJ subscription
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1999 16:50:41 +0100
thanks chris, ok.
andrea
(in 1998 my first cd arrived in 2 days :)
To: <vbpjcustomerservice@fawcette.com>
Subject: vbpj mag+cd subscription
Date: Mon, 10 May 1999 18:00:45 +0200
dear sirs
in january i renewed my vbpj mag+cd subscription -- but i keep getting "last issue!" and "renew your subscription!" messages with the paper ed, and the last cd i got is the march one.
can you please chek the state of my subscription?
thanks in advance and all best, a.p.
Date: Mon, 10 May 1999 13:12:23 -0700
You should receive the issue very soon, but you're an International subscriber so there is a delay in receiving the magazine.
Best Regards,
Chris Ortiz
To: VBPJcustomerservice <VBPJcustomerservice@fawcette.com>
Subject: R: vbpj mag+cd subscription
Date: Tue, 11 May 1999 19:00:54 +0200
thanks for responding, chris.
i wont take care of all those "renew!".
but i thought your db was updated when a customer renews, isnt it?
all best,
To: Fawcette Publications <customerservice@fawcette.com>
Cc: VBPJcustomerservice <VBPJcustomerservice@fawcette.com>
Subject: vbpj cd
Date: Fri, 4 Jun 1999 12:29:39 +0200
dear sirs
in january i renewed my vbpj mag+cd subscription.
20 days ago you told me a delay is usual, as i am an international subscriber.
yesterday i received indeed the first paper mag of the renewed subscription -- but still no cd's got here after the march one.
i had renewed in january not to lose any issues.
can you please check if any have been sent and maybe lost, or no-one was sent?
thanks in advance and all best,
a.p.
dear sirs
in january i renewed my vbpj mag+cd subscription.
on may 10th i was told a delay is usual, as i am an international subscriber.
on june 3rd i received indeed the first paper mag of the renewed subscription.
but still no cd's have got here after the march one (from the old subscription) a message i sent on june 4th was utterly unreplied. rather unfair.
now -- july 1st -- you look to be three months late with shippings.
can anybody at fawcette please check and tell me if any cd's have been sent and maybe lost, or no-one was sent?
thanks in advance and all best,
a.p.
To: Jeff Hadfield <ednote@fawcette.com>
Cc: <VBPJcustomerservice@fawcette.com>, <customerservice@fawcette.com>
Subject: a strange story...
Date: Wed, 6 Oct 1999 15:32:15 +0200
dear mr hadfield
sorry for writing to you, but i had no replies from anybody at fawcette in my last mails.
i've been subscripting vbpj + vbcd for two years, and it's really a lovely mag.
in january i renewed the subscription, paying some $185.
while the paper mag has begun arriving after a little delay, uuntil today -- october 6th -- i have received not even one cd for the new subscription. rather, i didnt even receive an answer...
anyway i just got a letter to renew... i'm simply wordless...
i'm sure it's been a mistake, yet i'd like to get all past cd's -- which i'd like better -- or my money back.
can you please tell me something about this story?
thanks for your attention and all best,
--- relevant mails enclosed below
From: Patrick Meader <pmeader@fawcette.com>
Subject: RE: a strange story...
Date: Wed, 6 Oct 1999 09:25:49 -0700
Andrea:
I'm looking into this immediately.
Patrick Meader
Editor, VBPJ
From: Christopher Ortiz <cortiz@fawcette.com>
To: pal@zelig.it <pal@zelig.it>
Subject: VBPJ and VBCD
Date: Mon, 11 Oct 1999 09:31:32 -0700
Andrea,
You have a paid in full VBPJ and VBCD subscription. Your first VBCD issue has been delayed, but you will receive your first issue very soon. There is a delay in shipping from US to Italy.
Best Regards,
Chris Ortiz
To: Christopher Ortiz <cortiz@fawcette.com>
Subject: R: VBPJ and VBCD
Date: Mon, 11 Oct 1999 19:12:37 +0200
thanks for responding chris.
i'll be waiting for it.
a.p.
From: Christopher Ortiz <cortiz@fawcette.com>
Subject: RE: VBPJ and VBCD
Date: Mon, 11 Oct 1999 10:13:32 -0700
You're welcome. The VBCD issue should take time to receive but you will receive an issue in Dec. '99
Best Regards,
Chris Ortiz
To: Jeff Hadfield <ednote@fawcette.com>
Cc: Patrick Meader <pmeader@fawcette.com>, Christopher Ortiz <cortiz@fawcette.com>
Subject: a strange story... please tell me you are joking...
Date: Wed, 13 Oct 1999 12:10:18 +0200
dear sirs, please tell me you're joking... i cant believe it--
now, mid-october 1999, i eventually know i'll get "very soon" (your words) i.e. in december 1999, the first issue for "a paid in full" (in january 1999) vbcd subscription. we've got a different idea of "soon", one'd say.
please note: still i didnt receive anybody's apologies for this unbelievable delay: since april, seven months, for a monthly mag !! and now i'm just told it'll take two more months !
"a delay in shipping from us to italy" ! you cant seriously pretend i believe that ! it could come sooner by swimming ! my first 1998 cd got here 2 days after my subscription !
i wouldnt care that much if vbpj werent a splendid magazine and devx a wonderful enterprise. they are, really, and i willingly say thanks to all of you for your work.
nevertheless i'm still considering whether these too many emails should be converted into a short report page of my little site and in a linked-to crossposting to all major vb ng's.
i'm waiting for the october issue of vbcd, which should be the first one of my renewed subscription, to get here in a very few days, and for reasonable apologies explaining why as yet i havent got the bigger part of what i paid for in large advance ten months ago. i suppose you'll agree that -- like any other subscriber -- i deserve this and i'm sure you can do all that quite easily.
thanks for your attention and all best wishes,
a.p.
From: Christopher Ortiz <cortiz@fawcette.com>
Subject: RE: a strange story... please tell me you are joking...
Date: Wed, 13 Oct 1999 09:34:04 -0700
Hi Andrea,
I would like to apologize for the long delay in receiving your VBCD subscription which will start with the October '99 issue. Have you not received any VBPJ (magazine) issues?
Please give me your full address.
Best Regards,
Chris Ortiz
To: Christopher Ortiz <cortiz@fawcette.com>
Cc: Jeff Hadfield <ednote@fawcette.com>, Patrick Meader <pmeader@fawcette.com>
Subject: my data
Date: Wed, 13 Oct 1999 18:57:59 +0200
hi chris, thanks for responding so soon.
yes, as i already told you, after a slight initial delay, paper edition issues have begun coming in time. the bigger trouble was with the cd edition.
my address is
[...]
all best, a.p.
To: Christopher Ortiz <cortiz@fawcette.com>
Cc: Jeff Hadfield <ednote@fawcette.com>, Patrick Meader <pmeader@fawcette.com>
Subject: thank you
Date: Sat, 23 Oct 1999 12:18:18 +0200
hi chris,
october vbcd got here yesterday.
thanks for sending it and for including july issue.
all best, a.p.
To: Christopher Ortiz <cortiz@fawcette.com>
Cc: Jeff Hadfield <ednote@fawcette.com>, Patrick Meader <pmeader@fawcette.com>
Subject: vbcd - here we are again - i wouldnt like so
Date: Thu, 20 Jan 2000 18:52:19 +0100
dear sirs
you promised to send me vbcd -- and you didnt, once more.
since october -- 3 months ago -- i had nothing more from you.
well, the paper edition gets here, but i'm solicited to renew it...
FOR A SUBSCRIPTION I PAID FOR FULLY ONE YEAR AGO --
RATHER ONE MILLENNIUM AGO, JANUARY 1999 what do you think you are going to do, please ?
i think i'm telling the whole story to the internet, web and vb ng's.
somebody must know.
let me know what i am to do.
all best, a.p.
--
last part of the story enclosed below.
From: Christopher Ortiz <cortiz@fawcette.com>
Cc: ednote <ednote@fawcette.com>, Patrick Meader <pmeader@fawcette.com>
Subject: RE: vbcd - here we are again - i wouldnt like so
Date: Thu, 20 Jan 2000 10:47:47 -0800
Hi Andrea,
I spoke with the VBCD subscription dept. and according to the subscription dept. you started with the November '99 issue. Apparently you have not received the issue nor have you received any issues since Oct. '99. This is the address they have for you in Italy. The address is
[...]
Is this information still correct?
Best Regards,
Chris Ortiz
To: Christopher Ortiz <cortiz@fawcette.com>
Cc: ednote <ednote@fawcette.com>, Patrick Meader <pmeader@fawcette.com>
Subject: Re: vbcd - here we are again - i wouldnt like so
Date: Sat, 22 Jan 2000 01:07:54 +0100
yes it is.
after your last mail i only got the july (a bonus i must hope) and october issues, while i'm regularly getting the paper issues. nothing else, nothing more.
i think you have a big bug in your subscription service, at least as for vbcd. and -- that's sad -- readers' suggestions cant help you improving it.
we're being in this awful situation for eight months, and -- while the magazine is a great one -- your service is still a big mess. i'm a dbms programmer -- i'd like to meet yours...
best, a.p.
To: Christopher Ortiz <cortiz@fawcette.com>
Cc: ednote <ednote@fawcette.com>, Patrick Meader <pmeader@fawcette.com>
Subject: vbcd mess + vbpj renewal
Date: Mon, 7 Feb 2000 22:28:30 +0100
dear sirs
this vbcd story looks like being endless -- i'd never expect something of the like from devx. utterly incredible.
after my complaints in october, you sent me july and october issues, and told my subscription started with the november 99 issue.
well, i didnt get it.
after another mail of mine in january you sent me the december 99 issue.
which is: in fourteen months (january 1999 - february 2000) you only sent me three issues of vbcd -- all of them after one or more complaint mails.
i quote your renewal request for vbpj:
"in the ever-accelerating world of vb programming, nothing ever stays the same for long. in fact, it only takes a couple of weeks of being left out of the info-loop to be completely left behind".
<bbg> -- i wouldnt like being left behind, but i see you're doing your best to set me right there.
not to consider you just smoke-sellers, which i'm not used to, and not to write to one or more u.s. consumers' associations (bbb for instance), now please i'd like to know (as for vbcd):
0. has vbcd come out every month since january 1999 ?
1. when does my subscription really start ?
2. when am i going to receive january 2000 issue ?
3. how many more issues am i to wait for ?
and, as for the paper edition:
i think my subscription's expired in january, but with all this mess i'm no longer sure. please:
1. can you chek my situation with vbpj and let me know it ?
2. can i renew my subscription sending you my data ?
thanks and best, a.p.
ps - please note that this mail and your reply, if any, are being queued to the ugliest section of my vb site. i also linked to that page in a msg to some vb ng's, as i told you.