SAGA Magazine lifetime subscription - compulsory shift to digital format

Murphybear

Successfullion said:

born_again said:

Successfullion said:

 Mum has decided not to subscribe and when our insurances etc are due for renewal we will be looking for alternative providers.

Given that is a MSE must. Should be doing it for all insurance every year 👍

We compare insurance but usually Saga was about a fiver more as we believed in loyalty a fiver is not very much but now since Saga can’t be trusted to honour their word. There is no reason not to go to a cheaper provider.

I’ve had my car insurance with Saga for a few years.  It’s quite simple, I do a price comparison when its due and I always go for the cheapest.  It just happens that it’s Saga.  I have been driving since 1988 and never made a claim, my insurance is very low anyway. 

I subscribe to Readly, it costs £7.99 a month and I get online access to thousands of magazines, some from overseas.  Saga magazine is included in that.  If I bought the magazines I read regularly it would cost over a £100 a month plus I’d need my spare room for the paper editions 

I live in sheltered housing.  There are 33 of us and about a third use the internet.  There is still a good market for printed magazines but that will obviously reduce over the next few years.  

Murphybear

EMRAY said:

I have recently e-mailed Saga regarding the life magazine issue. I thought it might be of interest. Their response was disappointing but predictable. i.e no movement.

Some years ago, I paid a sum of money a figure set by the Saga organisation in all good faith to have paper copies of the Saga magazine delivered for life. This deal/contract between us did not mention or include any other format than hard paper copies. I calculated at the time that I would need to live to 83 if I was to break even on the deal/contract. I am now 72. Had I only survived 2 or 3 years into the arrangement then I would have lost out and Saga would have gained financially. Such cases must have existed. However, this was the risk I was willing to take..

I do not own a smart phone or tablet and in any case using such devices for sudoku, crosswords, code breaker etc just doesn't work. As for Saga insurance, Saga cruises and the multitude of advertisements, then I would suggest that the inevitable loss of readers will only have a negative effect on them all.   

I appreciate costs have risen, but you have had my money for some time. I believe a total rethink is necessary on your part.

You could consider asking life time customers to contribute to postal costs for example.

Meanwhile I would respectfully ask that you honour your deal/contract/commitment and continue to supply me with paper copies by post.

Regards

We have friends who are wealthy enough to go on 1-3 cruises a year.  Saga is their favourite because although they are expensive they include everything which most cruise firms charge as extras.  They get chauffeur driven to the poet of embarkation included.  Plus there’s no screaming children.  

We are thinking of going on a cruise but when trying to get a last minute bargain we found Saga cruises are fully booked quite a time in advance.   I don’t think they are in any danger of losing their cruise market 

Murphybear

diinozzo said:

Alderbank said:

Doc_N said:

As to publicity, we'll have to see, won't we?  Even County Court cases get a lot of publicity in papers like the Express and Mail (with very much a Saga readership) when it's on consumer issues.  And word spreads fast when it comes to a company like Saga breaking its agreements.

Doc_N said:

powerful_Rogue said:

Doc_N said:

As to publicity, we'll have to see, won't we?  Even County Court cases get a lot of publicity in papers like the Express and Mail (with very much a Saga readership) when it's on consumer issues.  And word spreads fast when it comes to a company like Saga breaking its agreements.

As if by magic, there was an article very critical of SAGA's decision to stop lifetime print copies, in last week's This is Money publication dated 3 June, widely read by SAGA's readership:

What a sorry Saga: Now it seems even the over-50s magazine is biased against the old, says JEFF PRESTRIDGE, as it goes back on a fantastic lifetime deal

https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/comment/article-12155203/JEFF-PRESTRIDGE-sorry-Saga-biased-against-old.html

Is it coincidence how SAGA's share price has changed since that article was published?


 

Share price down less than half a pence in a month...I don't see Saga panicking about that.

Saga share prices today.  Source Hargreaves’s Lansdown

SAGA PLC (SAGA) ORD GBP0.15

Sell:124.60p Buy:126.00p  6.60p (4.98%)

Alderbank

Murphybear said:

EMRAY said:

I have recently e-mailed Saga regarding the life magazine issue. I thought it might be of interest. Their response was disappointing but predictable. i.e no movement.

Some years ago, I paid a sum of money a figure set by the Saga organisation in all good faith to have paper copies of the Saga magazine delivered for life. This deal/contract between us did not mention or include any other format than hard paper copies. I calculated at the time that I would need to live to 83 if I was to break even on the deal/contract. I am now 72. Had I only survived 2 or 3 years into the arrangement then I would have lost out and Saga would have gained financially. Such cases must have existed. However, this was the risk I was willing to take..

I do not own a smart phone or tablet and in any case using such devices for sudoku, crosswords, code breaker etc just doesn't work. As for Saga insurance, Saga cruises and the multitude of advertisements, then I would suggest that the inevitable loss of readers will only have a negative effect on them all.   

I appreciate costs have risen, but you have had my money for some time. I believe a total rethink is necessary on your part.

You could consider asking life time customers to contribute to postal costs for example.

Meanwhile I would respectfully ask that you honour your deal/contract/commitment and continue to supply me with paper copies by post.

Regards

We are thinking of going on a cruise but when trying to get a last minute bargain we found Saga cruises are fully booked quite a time in advance.   I don’t think they are in any danger of losing their cruise market 

Cruize market isn't everything though.

Saga Struggles Despite Cruise Demand
https://skift.com/2023/01/24/uk-conglomerate-saga-struggles-despite-cruise-demand/

born_again

Doc_N said:

Alderbank said:

Doc_N, you should have gone to protest at SAGA's Annual General Meeting today, to make sure the shareholders know what you think!

...or are you posting from Folkestone?

I'd have had to buy Saga shares for that - and I'm not overkeen on buying into companies on a downward spiral with a huge debt problem.  It's a sure-fire way of losing even more money!

No. You could stand outside with a placards bemoaning your cause.

Doc_N

born_again said:

Doc_N said:

Alderbank said:

Doc_N, you should have gone to protest at SAGA's Annual General Meeting today, to make sure the shareholders know what you think!

...or are you posting from Folkestone?

I'd have had to buy Saga shares for that - and I'm not overkeen on buying into companies on a downward spiral with a huge debt problem.  It's a sure-fire way of losing even more money!

No. You could stand outside with a placards bemoaning your cause.

Pointless, of course, and there are much better ways of achieving a satisfactory outcome. It’s a bit like all the petition signing that goes on - easy to do and therefore utterly worthless.

escreet

Saga's response to my letter re my Liifetime Membership was poor.

They have just sent my Home & Contents Insurance Renewal. Last Year £555+ this Year £1297+
Naturally I phoned to check for error as I have not made a claim in the last 3 years. I was told Wood & Building Materials had increased in price......TUT.... hasn't most things increased.
I am walking away and have just transferred my Insurer to a new one. The same will happen when my Car renewal is due.
Unhappy Client is an understatement.

mr_stripey

I don't think Saga are alone among insurance companies putting up renewal prices. There is little value in loyalty which is why it always pays to shop around.

Doc_N

Saga have been offering fixed three year prices on their car insurances (for an extra premium). Years 2 and 3 stay at the same premium as year 1.  I have this on both our cars.  It was a good deal because, surprisingly, Saga came out as one of the best prices available this year, and that's now fixed for next year and the year after.

Unless of course Saga pull another contract-breaking stunt and decide they don't need to honour their contracts any more.  If they try that, pretty sure the Financial Services Ombudsman will intervene! 

Aylesbury_Duck

Insurance is a regulated product.  Magazine subscriptions aren't.