I received an email from Foreign Affairs stating that they now offered a plus subscription for an additional cost, which includes pdf versions of the magazine. Thinking that I could free up some shelf space by replacing the hard copies with pdf’s, I emailed back stating that I’d like to upgrade to plus. Foreign Affairs responded that I couldn’t upgrade to plus, because I didn’t purchase my subscription directly from them.

They were correct. I didn’t purchase it directly from them, because I saved money by purchasing it elsewhere. They said I needed to cancel my current subscription and then place an order for a new subscription, and they couldn’t cancel the subscription themselves – I would have to contact the company that I bought the subscription from. So, I emailed Foreign Affairs again asking if I could switch from a print subscription to a digital subscription. That should be simple shouldn’t it? The subscription term stays the same, and it’s one less magazine to print and mail, which saves Foreign Affairs some money.

Once again, I was told no. I would have to cancel my print subscription and then place a new order for a digital subscription. One would think that with magazines struggling to stay afloat that magazine publishers would treat their subscribers (customers) better, but that’s not the case here. If I were in their shoes, I would bend over backwards to satisfy a current customer, not tick him off. I have subscribed to Foreign Affairs for years, but now, I will think twice before renewing when my subscription expires next year.