Wonder who at AMHA had the 'brain bleed'

[Jean_B]

Boy! If I had shelled out BIG bucks to have my farm/horses on the cover of the AMHA Miniature Horse World magazine, I would be more than a little ticked off. Who on earth came up with the idea of putting such a HUGE label directly on the cover....covering up a large part of that expensive ad??? And it does not peel off! Can anyone spell D-U-H ??

 

[StarRidgeAcres]

I agree 100%! What happened to the plastic wrapping? Terrible decision based on money I'm sure.

 

[Raine Ranch Minis]

I peeled mine off. HEHE

 

[Mini~Madness]

I know..... I think it sucks. My label would NOT peel off!!!! Makes me so mad the membership ain't cheep! Total BS! Bad decision on AMHA's behalf!

 

[Riverrose28]

I haven't gotten mine yet, I can't complain!

 

[JMS Miniatures]

They mentioned the reason why they did this. It's in the editors notes and it says it allows them to put your subscription expiration on the mailing label and plus it saves them money. They said to email them to express how you feel about it.

 

[JMS Miniatures]

Well, I guess that brings us back to why is the subscription date that important anyway?? We obviously pay for the subscription in our membership fees (or so it says on the site) but it's available FREE to anyone who visits their site!!

So the subscription expiration date on the mailing label sounds like a farse -- they really did it to save money! So how about saving the members money too, and reducing our membership fees since the entire world can see the magazine for free anyway? They posted it out there to encourage new members, but why should existing members have to pay a fee for the same thing? Just makes me a bit "warm".

.

Agree. Make it an option to members if they want to receive the breed magazines or not for an option of a lower member fee. They want to encourage new members well lower the membership fee. And thats not just AMHA goes for AMHR as well. Its too expensive to do both registries which is why will only renew my membership for R.

 

[StarRidgeAcres]

Retraction!

Mine peeled off with a lot of work. However, the plastic cover offered a lot of protection. Many will be damaged by no plastic and the peeling process.

 

[Minimor]

Why can't they include the subscription expiry date regardless of how the magazine is mailed? I've received magazines that came in an actual envelope, with a mailing label stuck to it; others have come in a plastic wrapper with a mailing label printed on a piece of paper that was stuck inside the plastic wrapper--and both ways the subscription expiry date was included on the "label"

 

[wildhorses]

I was very P***ed off when I received the magazine like that yesterday. Plus, we have had tons of rain and humidity, and guess when, the entire ende of my magazine got soaked and is now wrinkled and damaged from sitting in the mail box for a few hours without the plastic. My label did peel off with some work.

If I was an advertiser I would be beyond mad about this. As a subscriber, I think it's rediculous. I don't care if it saves a few cents not shrink wrapping the magazine, I pay a premium price for membership and this magazine and I expect a premium product, delievered safe and usable.

I plan to make my feelings known to AMHA today.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I did not mind the magazine having no plastic wrap. However, my pages are loose. Some just came out as I turned the pages. I wondered if they changed the binding on the magazine? I've never had one come apart before.

 

[Michelle@wescofarms]

Kind of odd as the subscription date is Jan 1, so why do you need a renewal date?

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I think it was discussed before that the reason the magazine must come with membership is to make it worth while for advertizers. No advertizers, no magazine.

Has a survey ever been done to determine how many people actually read the magazine online?

We receive quite a few magazines in the mail and they hardly ever are damaged. So, it isn't so far fetched for AMHA to try that.

 

[JMS Miniatures]

Kind of odd as the subscription date is Jan 1, so why do you need a renewal date?

The subscription date is the same date as your membership expires and unlike AMHR where your membership ends on Dec. 1st, in AMHA you can put in your membership say 7/1/11 it does not expire til 7/1/12. Its just a reminder when you need to renew your membership, but yet they send renewal papers thru the mail so the whole subscription date is just an excuse they are just trying to find a way to save money, thats all.

IMO and in the article the AMHA editor wrote about the World mag. will not go away from being printed and yes the online mag according to them has been successful, I would not want to see them stop printing. I don't like reading it online. Plus people have to have hi-speed and my parents just got it this year and its still not very fast and takes a long while for the pages to load. I still use dial-up so reading it online has no use for me personally.

It's been mentioned by Marsha that its beneficial to the advertiser that the members get the mags. Well how can people advertise to the same people and we aren't getting new members? I'm telling you the membership price is too high for both registeries. But yet we can have both magazines online for anyone to read so whats the point in making members receive it? Doesn't make since to me.

Like I said its getting to expensive to do both registeries, I show in AMHR so I will renew my membership to AMHR and not to AMHA, and I wonder how much money AMHA is loosing since you HAVE to be a member in AMHA to do any paperwork. I have no complaints in AMHR, the Journal has definitively been better this year so I will pay more to get it. I would still like to see a lower fee to those who don't want to receive the mag. but in AMHR you can do paperwork without being a member and again you can see the Journal for free online so I don't see that happening.

 

[shelia]

Diane when I read you posts I can just picture what you magazine is going to look like when you get it.

I can see a big wad of wrinkled, wet dirty shredded paper stuffed in your mailbox! (With a big white pristine blank sticker on top!)

Oh my goodness! This just keeps getting better and better...

First the label, then paying for something the world gets free, then soaked, wrinkled and damaged, and now the pages fall out!

There is something really wrong about this -- especially in today's economy. By the time my magazine gets here (if it does), I will have already read the entire issue on line. They can totally save their money -- just refund the subscription price from my membership fees!

How about an exchange -- you get to choose the "paper" magazine OR the "STUD BOOK" and membership fee stays the same. I would go for that!

.

 

[Loess Hills]

One can understand the reason for the change (no pristine plastic wrap) on the magazine and the driving need to save money on the publication.

 

I love Miniature Horse World, it was really special when it arrived wrapped up like a gift.......so clean and waiting to be opened with the gorgeous pictures, and articles. I've got MHW back about five years........just can't bear to throw them away.

 

Times change, guess we will learn to change with them. Much to consider in balancing the need to economize and yet please members with a good product.

 

[joylee123]

One can understand the reason for the change (no pristine plastic wrap) on the magazine and the driving need to save money on the publication.

 

I love Miniature Horse World, it was really special when it arrived wrapped up like a gift.......so clean and waiting to be opened with the gorgeous pictures, and articles. I've got MHW back about five years........just can't bear to throw them away.

 

Times change, guess we will learn to change with them. Much to consider in balancing the need to economize and yet please members with a good product.

I agree with folks, it is expensive to be in both registries. But like you, I LOVE my World in print and have them back to the late 80's. The Journal gets thrown out after I read it.I would love the option to drop the Journal for a reduced membership rate

. AMHA seems to be having a rough time financially but members still want all the bells and whistles when it comes to awards/ Jackets/ Plaques/ Ribbons/ Buckles ect... and with the membership down they are looking in all corners to see what can be done while keeping folks reasonably happy.

Joy

 

[StarRidgeAcres]

If they are so in need of money maybe they should get their act together and follow through. Don't get me wrong, AMHA is my registry of choice, but they need to have real professionals, people with actual business experience, running the place.

Hard for me to compute "times are hard" when I contacted them a couple of months ago about sponsoring a class, not just the normal sponsorship, but for several years and with a cash award going to the winner, and she said she was getting the information together and would call me back. That was 2 months ago.

Doesn't seem like a group needing funds to me.

 

[Magic]

I agree with folks, it is expensive to be in both registries. But like you, I LOVE my World in print and have them back to the late 80's. The Journal gets thrown out after I read it.I would love the option to drop the Journal for a reduced membership rate

. AMHA seems to be having a rough time financially but members still want all the bells and whistles when it comes to awards/ Jackets/ Plaques/ Ribbons/ Buckles ect... and with the membership down they are looking in all corners to see what can be done while keeping folks reasonably happy.

Joy

The key to this is "membership down". They need to be looking at ways to get the memberships back UP. I'm a member of both AMHR and AMHA but I wouldn't renew in AMHA if I didn't have to in order to do paperwork. I have both A and B size horses and AMHR serves my needs more, and that is also where I prefer to show when I do show. I don't care about the magazine, sure the pictures are pretty but I also throw it out after I read it (IF I read it). I rely on online ads, etc; the ones in the registry magazines are so old by the time they come out, the horses in them could be long ago sold. These days I don't trust the photos either, with all of the photoshopping that can be done.

Not having the plastic cover on the magazine doesn't really matter to me personally, but maybe registries should be thinking harder about how to make members happy and coming back (and attracting more members) rather than just how to cut costs?