Beware of becoming a Direct Subscriber of Spore Press Holdings for your newspapers


Ramzes

New Member
Feb 10, 2011
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I like to share my experience with everyone with regards to being a direct subscriber with SPH for your newspaper delivery.

Recently SPH has been going all out to get readers to become their direct subscriber instead of getting your newspaper thru the vendors.
I was one of those who signed up last year with them. Firstly if you want to have a temporary stop to the delivery (out on holiday)
you have to inform SPH 3 days in advance...with your vendor you can call them anytime.
But what really pissed me off now was their new policies (effective 2nd Dec) of not refunding you for stoppage up to 7 days. See below the email I received ,

"On a further note, we would like to inform you that with effect from the same date, we will be ceasing the practice of providing refunds for Temporary Stop requests of more than 30 days per calendar year. Our new policy is as follows :
1. To have a minimum of 3 days for Temporary Stop per request
2. Temporary Stop for 3 to 7 days per request, there will not be any refund, credit or extension of package
3. Refund, credit or extension of package for Temporary Stops from 8 to 30 days per request, for PRINT only daily subscribers. This is subject to a cap of a cumulative 30 days per calendar year. Any temporary stop beyond a cumulative cap 30 days per calendar year will not have refund, credit or extension of package.
We seek your kind understanding and look forward to your continued support."


luckily my contract with them for 1 year is over so I cancelled subscription immediately after giving a piece of my mind. If you are still under contract the penalty is $100.
The best part none of their Managers or supervisors were around to speak to me, somehow they were All out of office!!!

My advice is stick to your vendor to deliver your papers. DONT become a direct subscriber with SPH.
 

You actually subscribe to the newspapers? Wow! I buy as and when I need to, but I haven't subscribed for the longest time.
 

Thanks.. this rant actually useful :)
Anyway if you subscribe ST, it a waste of paper.. even if its recycled.
 

I subscribed for 2 years to get the free printer.

End up after 6mths contract over also forgot.

Called in to cancel...

1 month later the charges still showing up!

:angry: :angry: :angry:

State Media sucksssssss
Poor quality reporting
Poor customer experience!
 

Thanks for sharing. I have been wrestling with myself to subscribe for almost a year but my main sticking point is their delivery in my area (Punggol) has never been on time and at times horribly late. (Aka after 10am on a Sunday)

Reading about this makes it even clearer I should just buy the papers myself.

This is unless one day they bundle the A7 or the EM-1 as a subscription freebie haha.
 

I like to share my experience with everyone with regards to being a direct subscriber with SPH for your newspaper delivery.

Recently SPH has been going all out to get readers to become their direct subscriber instead of getting your newspaper thru the vendors.
I was one of those who signed up last year with them. Firstly if you want to have a temporary stop to the delivery (out on holiday)
you have to inform SPH 3 days in advance...with your vendor you can call them anytime.
But what really pissed me off now was their new policies (effective 2nd Dec) of not refunding you for stoppage up to 7 days. See below the email I received ,

"On a further note, we would like to inform you that with effect from the same date, we will be ceasing the practice of providing refunds for Temporary Stop requests of more than 30 days per calendar year. Our new policy is as follows :
1. To have a minimum of 3 days for Temporary Stop per request
2. Temporary Stop for 3 to 7 days per request, there will not be any refund, credit or extension of package
3. Refund, credit or extension of package for Temporary Stops from 8 to 30 days per request, for PRINT only daily subscribers. This is subject to a cap of a cumulative 30 days per calendar year. Any temporary stop beyond a cumulative cap 30 days per calendar year will not have refund, credit or extension of package.
We seek your kind understanding and look forward to your continued support."


luckily my contract with them for 1 year is over so I cancelled subscription immediately after giving a piece of my mind. If you are still under contract the penalty is $100.
The best part none of their Managers or supervisors were around to speak to me, somehow they were All out of office!!!

My advice is stick to your vendor to deliver your papers. DONT become a direct subscriber with SPH.

The company in question paid the managers to hide behind the scene. They have no gut to face the client.

I once have a row with one of the banks. I wanted to terminate a car loan and paid in full but was pushed around. I managed to got hold of the manager's phone number and told her that she was afraid to face the customer. I finally pay the loan in full and got all my interest back!

I think it will be good to get CASE to comment.
 

So happen I was also recently 'renewing' this service. I have newspaper delivered almost like donkey years, I almost can't live without one as early as 6 am.

My previous vendor collect every 4-6 months! I wonder what he survives on. According to SPH, with the switch, there is no loss of income to the vendor. I still pay $29 per month. I guess the extra goes to the delivery service.

With my contract expired, SPH now offer both hard copy and e-copy at the same price. They are also giving a mouse or key board. That sounds good but try contacting them. If you ever get through their line!

What is the point of providing a phone number you can't get through? Don't they have. a call back service? Even email auto response says it takes 4 workings days to reply!

Not happy? Try another paper lor.
 

Why do we even bother to read the ST?
 

Why do we even bother to read the ST?

haha, don't get me started on our social studies curriculum. But I do read ST for news coverage of other countries except SG where validity is questionable at times.
 

Go library and get a history book better than reading the strait times. All the articles are from the Internet, not much different and maybe twisted. Ha ha!
 

Thanks.. this rant actually useful :)
Anyway if you subscribe ST, it a waste of paper.. even if its recycled.

Go easy on the paper. Safe the tree. If you are so disgusted, you can use it as toilet paper to conserve the real toilet paper.

If it's not even worthy of touching your arse, you can use it for cat litter. :bsmilie:
 

But I do read ST for news coverage of other countries except SG where validity is questionable at times.

So you basically use ST as an offline RSS reader? I do the opposite - read for coverage of local issues, as the coverage of other countries are mostly syndicated from other papers & news wires – Mostly available free online, faster too. E.g., If you read NYTimes online, you'll notice articles in ST a couple of days later :bsmilie:

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Back on topic, I agree with TS... This is really inconvenient. If I'm not wrong, I think it's not just 3 days, but 3 working days... :sweat:

1. To have a minimum of 3 days for Temporary Stop per request

They could definitely afford to be more flexible with this.
 

Go easy on the paper. Safe the tree. If you are so disgusted, you can use it as toilet paper to conserve the real toilet paper.

If it's not even worthy of touching your arse, you can use it for cat litter. :bsmilie:

meow?
 

So you basically use ST as an offline RSS reader? I do the opposite - read for coverage of local issues, as the coverage of other countries are mostly syndicated from other papers & news wires – Mostly available free online, faster too. E.g., If you read NYTimes online, you'll notice articles in ST a couple of days later :bsmilie:

Whats ridiculous is that they made syndicated news as 'premium' content. :sweat: :bsmilie:
 

Why do we even bother to read the ST?

It is a habit. Collect paper, go to toilet. Flip from the back from section 2 to 1. Read anything interesting or informative? I am sure many are doing the same. Haha
 

I got bad experience previously too and I stopped after 1 year....the story was despite paying extra for delivery (I believe only in Sg tjey penalized you as subscriber, other country actually give discount if you are monthly subscriber)....my ST didn't shown up for a few times...not sure it was stollen or didn't delivered at all....and most of the time it was Saturday copy....which to me is the most important copy of the whole week....and I still need to take the pain to write in...at the end also not too sure whether they credit back to me or not as the sum is too small for me to waste time to track...nowaday so much happier and more secure as I just buy my saturday copy from downstair...on week day....I just read the free distributed Todays which I could pick up from MRT station..save $20+ per month....
 

It is a habit. Collect paper, go to toilet. Flip from the back from section 2 to 1. Read anything interesting or informative? I am sure many are doing the same. Haha

Agree....online paper still can't beat a broadsheet paper....in fact I was after product advertisement too which is so much effective that those silly flash or mouse over on computer screen...