Why the NY Times is Dying

No, not because it's taking Demerol recreationally. Because its Customer Service is completely ridiculous.

I've subscribed to the Sunday Times for years and I admit it's mostly for the crossword puzzle. My delivery person has been very reliable for the most part.

Saturday, May 9th, my paper wasn't delivered. If you subscribe you know that most of the Sunday paper is delivered on Saturday, including the magazine section containing the aforementioned crossword puzzle.

I immediately called to see if I could get the missed Saturday paper delivered on Sunday. They assured me I could.

May 10th came and went and I only got the parts of the paper that would have been delivered on Sunday. No magazine. No puzzle.

I called. Twice. They told me my account would be credited. It wasn't. I e-mailed them several times. No luck until I finally got the following e-mail.

Thank you for contacting us. Please be advised that the amount credited $1.20 is the correct amount. The price increase did not take effect until 06/01/09. With this being said , the amount you were paying for the Saturday 05/09/09 was $1.20. Since the price increase on 06/01/09, you are now paying $1.32 for the Saturday New York Times and $4.98 for the Sunday New York Times.

If there is anything else we can do to help you, please e-mail at customercare@nytimes.com or call us at 1-800-NYTIMES (1-800-698-4637) from 5 a.m. to midnight Monday-Friday and 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday & Sunday (ET).

Your satisfaction is very important to us.

Obviously this is total bullshit. My satisfaction is not very important to them.

So now I am contemplating canceling delivery. I know, I know, am I cutting off my proverbial nose to spite my face?

It's only a couple of bucks, right? But the fact remains, I didn't get my Mother's Day crossword puzzle and I missed most of the Sunday paper!

The charge for monthly delivery of the Saturday/Sunday issues is now $25.20. I don't expect the delivery person to make me a pot of coffee and fetch my slippers when he/she brings me the paper, but for them to play this little Saturday/Sunday gimmick is ridiculous.

Oh, but I do love those puzzles. Love the feel of the paper in my hands, find the smell of the ink intoxicating ....