Hey, Kevin Cullen: The Globe’s Not Here!

January 4, 2016

The hardlyreading staff held hostage: Day 8.

Random notes from around the Globe:

• Today’s edition of the Boston Globe plunks its delivery woes right on Page One.

 

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Crosstown, the Boston Herald has yet to mention the meltdown. We don’t care who prints the fraidy local tabloid – that’s just journalistic malpractice.

 

• Are we the only ones who think the new Globe ePaper is a classic case of schlimmbesserung? You know, to make worse by trying to improve?

 

• Kevin Cullen’s front-page piece today is a hoot. Favorite part:

Whatever they pay the delivery people, it’s not enough, and it’s more than a little depressing to think this debacle has been brought about by a desire to pay them even less.

 

Interesting Twitter exchange yesterday in the wake of Cullen’s piece going online. First:

 

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Then:

 

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Huh.

 

• Rapid strides! Today’s “delivery delay” list is down to 112 zip codes (from 117 yesterday).

 

• Free the Zippy the Pinhead One!

 

More, most likely, to come.

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And on the 7th Day, Boston Globe Delivery Crested

January 3, 2016

Very inspirational, the whole Boston Globe rallying the troops thing that got so much attention in the past 24 hours, especially on Twitter.

Representative sample:

 

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But has anyone checked the “delivery delays” page today? The zip codes listed are up to 117 (from 111 yesterday).

That’s progress?

What some call historic is really just sugar-coated pathetic.

Anyway, let’s see what happens tomorrow, when the reporters actually have to do their day jobs.

P.S. The hardreading staff scored the hat trick today: Globe, Herald, Times. Just for the record.

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Boston Globe Delivery Meltdown, Day 6

January 2, 2016

Well the hardlyreading staff failed to receive its Boston Globe today, same as the last two days, but at least the lately local broadsheet included our zip code in its daily “delivery delay” list.

 

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That’s 111 zip codes if you’re keeping score at home. (We miscounted earlier on Twitter.)

Globe chief executive Mike Sheehan has claimed that “[b]y Wednesday, 95 percent of home-delivery subscribers received their papers,” but given the Twitstorm that’s raged all week, that seems highly unlikely.

Two additions from our splendid readers:

• David Shea on why the Herald has been AWOL on this story:

 

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• And Sharon Machlis added this bit of background:

 

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(Link here.)

Fun fact to know and tell: Click on any link for the aptly named ACI Last Mile Network, which is the Globe’s new improved delivery partner, and you get this:

 

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Huh.

One last note: This note from the Boston Globe Team.

Dear Subscriber,

We know that you have reached out to us this week to discuss your service interruption, and we apologize to those who did not get through. We are working around the clock to resolve our Customer Service and operational issues and get your paper to your door on time.

In the meantime, your home delivery account will be credited for this entire week. This will happen automatically; you do not need to take any action.

Once again, we apologize. For the most up-to-date information on delivery in your area and any new service announcements, please go to our dedicated delivery change page: BostonGlobe.com/ConsumerUpdate.

Thank you,
The Boston Globe Team

 

This one’s headed for a Harvard Business School case study, no?

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Bumbling Boston Globe Adds Insult to Spinjury

January 1, 2016

Well the hardlyreading staff once again got no Boston Globe delivered to our unhappy home today. Here’s the latest lame excuse posted on the hately local broadsheet’s website:

 

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Once again the paper lists 90 locales where there are “delivery delays” – that means “no paper” in Globespeak. Except it should be 91, since once again Brookline is left out (in more ways than one).

To make matters even worse, we got this email a couple of hours ago:

 

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Seriously?

Two questions:

  1. Why has the Boston Herald still not covered this story? (And, yes, we did get our copy of the fraidy local tabloid today.)
  2. The Globe is offering “full refunds to those subscribers who do not receive newspapers.” But what about Globe advertisers? Are they getting refunds too?

Seems only fair, eh?

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