The Times Just Keep On Comin'

Whew! I can rest a little easier today than yesterday, knowing that The St. Petersburg Times/Hernando Times are in good order for meeting my expectations of being a primary source of news for the foreseeable future.

The cause of this most glorious bit of news? I received a reminder from the Times’ circulation department requesting that I kindly forward payment in full for the annual renewal fee so that I can have continued, uninterrupted delivery of the daily paper. I was a little befuddled because I was almost certain payment had already been made a week earlier. I quick trip through my account website proved me correct, and lo-and-be-hold I even had a positive credit of $73.43!

The primary reason for contacting the Times’ Customer Care Department was to seek the address of my local carrier. Even though the gentleman had sent me a Christmas card in appreciation for my patronage, I had misplaced the envelope with the name and address. Although the Representative explained that it isn’t normal practice to give out such proprietary information, he too had to delay a bit of thankful compensation for the time and effort of the carrier due to a shortfall in payday funds. We both agreed it would be an unexpected New Year windfall for the dedicated carrier with a late payment, so he provided the information post-haste.

The gentleman and I carried on a conversation in excess of fifteen minutes - I had made a momentary friend! I queried him on how a carrier is compensated for his efforts. He gave me general information but explained specific information were unknown to him. He did tell me that carriers typically handle deliveries of two to four hundred newspapers per day - more on Sundays.

When I mentioned the plight of newspapers and how circulation is on the downside of profitability and how I had contacted another newspaper about a delivery problem and that a District Manager told me their customer service reps are offshore employees, The Times’ Rep assured me he is right here, locally, and that the founders would be aghast at such an un-American activity.

Unlike the myriad of other newspapers, The Times is free of debt other than maintaining their office buildings. The Tribune Company and The New York Times, in particular, are well-known dailies experiencing doubtful futures, but not so The St Pete Times! I was so relieved that a primary source of news is guaranteed to be my morning comrade for as long as I should pay the price of the subscription.

The credit balance? It’s strictly to my benefit that if I should decide to discontinue delivery (no way!) I will be reimbursed for the unused portion of the yearly fee.

So, as a gesture of good will toward to my newspaper carrier, a check is now in the mail. And the Times’ Customer Care Rep? I ended the call with A Very Happy New Year to you, too, Randall!