It will be recalled last year shortly after STUFF was sold for a dollar to a Christchurch woman and a new female editor was appointed for the Dominion Post, then as with its New Zealand wide fleet of papers, all with collapsing circulations, an extraordinary event occurred.
Specifically, these two women decided to hit their readers with a week-long, six page assault, starting with the front page, totally devoted to maori wonderfulness. To hell with news.
To add to this outrage, the consistent theme was an apology for their past racism, much of which they out-lined.
This libel caused outrage with past editors, some of whom complained bitterly.
It was all rank nonsense, such as the claim they’d never had a maori editor. I started my first weekly column in 1966 in one of their papers, edited by the late Jim Webber who’d have been amused to hear he was not a maori.
Anyway, that was it for me (and I know, numerous others) and as I wrote on this Blog at the time, I had no intention of renewing my annual subscription.
It arose (from memory) in about September yet unasked they continued delivering the rag for another two months. What subsequently followed was a letter claiming I owed them for a year’s subscription.
I ignored it but eventually the half-wit girl copped an earful when she threatened me with the terrifying prospect of, brace yourself, a debt collector’s pointless letter.
Thereafter at about fortnightly intervals, a different individual would write claiming I owed them, always quoting wildly different amounts.
One actually phoned my office to say she’d like to come over to talk me into renewing, which is pretty desperate stuff.
In all, six different individuals wrote in the first three months, one having the gall to say, with no regard to contractual law, that on their web-site were warnings that they automatically renewed.
I replied pointing out that on my web-site I reserved the right to claim a Stuff employee should cut my lawns each week and asked her to call to make arrangements.
All of this barrage, apart from reflecting financial desperation, amounted to an attempted fraud. I duly pointed this out to one of them whereupon a three-week lull followed.
Then I received a letter of apology from a fresh individual and advice that they’d dropped their claim.
A week later yet another individual wrote saying the same and over the subsequent fortnight two more, always different names, wrote apologising.
Well, that was about March, then lo and behold a few days ago the illiterate letter printed below came in. One more and I’ll lay a complaint of attempted fraud with the Police.
Over my long life I’ve never encountered such a circus of spectacular mismanagement, and mind-blowing incompetence.
They’re in the practise of tossing their paper, now sadly reduced to a pitiful rag, into the foyers of some of my buildings, so if in the office I look at it and do the two crosswords.
As for the contents, what can I say? They still labour under the belief that their readers, such as they still exist, are not interested in news but instead yearn for maori wonderfulness nonsense.
What staggers me is that there’s anyone left actually paying for this rubbish.
24 Comments
Please keep us informed as to what transpire regarding this saga.
Having read most of your writings Sir Bob, including the hilarious ‘Letters’ book, I suspect that you will be quietly enjoying having a ball with these idiots.
I remember well the days of The Evening Post when you actually relied on it for news – not ‘opinions’. Like yourself, the groveling “maori wonderfulness” articles printed for a few issues last year incensed me. So incensed in fact that when visiting my favourite café up here in Napier each morning, I’d make a point when leaving of throwing the 2 complimentary café copies of the Dom Post into the rubbish tin out on the street.
The café owner was a mate of mine and I figured I was doing him a favour by stopping his otherwise happy early-morning coffee customers from becoming depressed at what they were about to read at the start of their day!
Bob, given that the language used looks like one of NZ’s official languages but doesn’t actually read like one; I suggest you invite them to your office to express themselves more clearly in one of our other official languages. I suggest, your favourite, NZ sign language.
Ridicule is the best weapon against these Woke fools so your contribution is helpful.
It’s unfortunate they are like this as there still is a market for an objective news source.
But sadly (to paraphrase Jim Treacher) Journalism today is all about deciding which facts the public shouldn’t know because they might reflect badly on Jacinda Ardern.
So true. The latest bullshite poll from newshubb is another edition of ‘we love you’ and to hell with the rest. I’d love for this o’brien women to actually tell us why she included John Keys name on the list of ‘who do you think should lead National’. Did she also give ‘ voters’ an alternative to ardern? Thought not!
I would cynically observe John Key was put on the list as this would make Judith Collin’s support look smaller.
If Key wasn’t there, then his support would have doubled Collins.
It’s a cheap trick and speaks volumes about the lack of ethics and bias by O’Brien
Stuff has taken it upon itself to be bankrupt. Except that it waits in hope for government subsidies. One wishes that it could at least be clear about its motives.
There is a thoroughly excellent part in the TV series “Private Schulz” in which 2 Germans cannot understand how the English are winning the war, because, when Schulz lived in London “…Ze newspapers kept beink delivered after I had cancelled zem”
(Que horrified silence…)
I do love dealing with firms who don’t have a clue about billing and contracts etc etc Its always good fun.
Obviously this person’s language is not english or they are uneducated. I’d say both. Stuff isn’t worth reading. It’s full of apologetic Maori Carping. After the camp commanders budget today we can relax. Once the Asians take over the treaty will be filed in the thunder box.
I suspect the author, ‘Neha’, is the same person who tried to convince me to renew my sub some months ago, after some years of freedom. I asked her if Jane Bowron still wrote a column, and she assured me she didn’t. Against my better judgement I took the sub, and the first paper duly arrived, featuring the usual drivel from Bowron.
I cancelled immediately, but went through the same threats etc as you faced.
Not only an appalling paper, but an inept back office.
The new owner of stuff told Kim Hill that when she went to the UK, she got a job with Financial Times (or similar) and admitted she did not know anything about Finance. BUT she still wrote articles for them.
She admitted this on National Radio. She obviously did not realise what she was admitting
Once journalism was a profession but now it’s obviously a religious calling in this country at least. For any wit, insight and objectivity you have to look elsewhere.
I would not go to the Police. I would lodge a complaint with the Commerce Commission. This is misleading and deceptive conduct. Stuff need to have robust systems in place that allow subscribers to end a subscription. The cost of a Commerce Commission investigation and any fines levied will be far harsher punishment than a Police investigation that will probably go nowhere.
I cancelled my DomPost subscription about two and a half years ago. What finally did it for me was an article about a third of page in length in the world news section about how Nicole Kidman was thinking of adopting another child. Why the DomPost would think this is news for inclusion in the world section or even news at all (and she hadn’t even adopted a child – she was only ‘thinking’ about it) is incredible. There were only about 5 articles that day in the entire world section and that was the leading one. I decided there and then that I wasn’t going to keep paying for this drivvel and reluctantly cancelled it after subscribing almost continuously for 20 years. When they rang me a month or so later trying to get me to resubscribe, I told them I would do so if they started producing an actual newspaper again and not Women’s Day. They hung up on me!
I now dont fell alone. I also received the same barrage of payment demands after cancellation. It was obviously a planned response to deceive their subscribers to give up and pay and or continue their subscriptions. God forbid this outfit got any of the $55 million this government gave to the media to keep on their side. Is there a pattern world wide ? Left wing media cancelling anything not on their agenda yet they want us to pay for it. Poor Donald Trump..
And the onslaught of climate change rubbish articles probably emanates from CCNow, have a look:
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2021/05/22/following-the-money-covering-climate-now/
I cancelled the Dompost two years ago. I have never been happier. But I had to demand the refund owing to me on the unused portion of the subscription. They didn’t seem inclined to cough up. Periodically I am hassled by one of their telemarketers begging me to take out a subscription again. I have to let them know politely that even if all the supermarkets in the country ran out of toilet paper thanks to COVID, the Dompost would still not be fit for the lavatory.
I stopped reading Stuff online over a month ago. I got sick of their begging for money, the low standards of reporting and journalism, and the overwhelming wokeness.
There wasn’t demand for their product even when toilet paper was in short supply during Covid. Tells you everything you need to know. Maybe they could try increasing the gsm to better compete with Purex.
Love to get a look at the financials to see how long the clock has to run on this detritus.
https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/tv-radio-web/hugh-linehan-reports-of-the-death-of-the-newspaper-have-been-exaggerated-1.4570569
That letter is deeply concerning. Illiterate sums it up rather generously.
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