I don’t matter anymore, the newspaper customer said on the other end of the phone a couple of days ago.
They called me because they could not get any joy from the publisher or the business responsible now for delivering their newspaper.
For years, my newsagent would fix any issue, including stolen papers.; It was easy, they told me. Now, if I can speak to someone, which is rare, nothing happens.
I don’t matter any more.
I listened to their story but could not help. This is not one of my old customers. They are not even in my state. I explained that I share their frustration.
The damage the decisions by the major newspaper publishers to their brands is considerable. But, I suspect they know what they are doing. They have made the changes that have distanced newspaper delivery from being a personal and local service to a faceless corporate service.
Wha’s the old adage: the news we value the most is local.
I sympathise with the customer and the fact that their service delivery issues can’t be resolved. But an obvious solution exists-move to a digital subscription.