Official Fan Club changes hands again (merged)

[bobafett07728]

I just saw this on starwars.com. I'm not too sure how I feel about this. The previous times that the fan club has gone under changes haven't gone well for me, and I wasn't looking forward to another. It looks like the price has gone up QUITE a bit as well. I still have 8 issues left under my subscription with Paizo, so I'll let that ride out. To get the current membership "perks" you have to get a new membership, and your carry-over issues will be tacked on to that. I don't know, the whole thing sounds shady. I'm glad I picked up an Ewok animation cel off eBay, I'll doubt I'll even get one of those membership kits now. Check it out for yourself:

http://www.starwars.com/hyperspace/about/news/news20040428.html

[Banthaholic]

I can say I don't like this, much.
I have my membership for the Insider for another 5 issues. Although I like to live life spoiler free, so I don't see the benefits of joining them online. Maybe after E3, but for now, heck no.

[bobafett07728]

My sentiments exactly. Its $40 bucks, too!!!!! Don't get me wrong, the Insider is cool. Some of the current news is a little outdated by the time you recieve it, but the other stuff in it is pretty good reading. But we both have subscriptions (for some time at least)!!!!! As far as I'm concerned, I am a member of the Fan Club until my last issues is shipped!!! Where do they get off saying, "you'll get your remaining issues, but to access Hyperspace, or any other fan club stuff" you need to renew your membership!?!?!? Just so I have to renew it again when my 8 issues expire!?!?!? I talked to customer service, and they said my "current membership" doesn't include those things, and in order to receive them, I'd have to renew my membership. At that time, I will recieve a password (or something like that) that will allow me access to those portions of membership. Once again. . . I am screwed by the Fan Club. :mad: :frus: :dis:

[Jayspawn]

Ahhh... I remember those great days when the Fan Club was ran by Fantastic Media.

$40? I was thinking about joining again with the Fan Club but not for $40!!!! Waaayyy too much money for a magazine subscription thats going from 8 issues to 6. Lucasfilm is ripping us off on this one methinks.

[Sidiously Darth]

So, this was their big idea that had people waiting in anticipation. Phewy! My girlfriend just started my subscription back during Christmas. I have 5 issues left. She started b/c she wasn't happy with me buying issues off the newstand. Said it was too expensive. Well, I guess I'll be going back to buying off the rack when my subscription is up. 6 issues at $5.99 each, plus the WalMart discount on mags, is less than $39.95.

I must say from what I've seen on Hyperspace, it's not worth it. Wonder what penny pinching exec thought this idea up. :mad:

[JediTricks]

I think you can sorta get the drift of how I feel about this from my newspost: http://sirstevesguide.com/news/?m=show&id=30198

but if not, basically I'm confused as hell and annoyed at the price increase. As I understand it, the online Hyperspace service is all but dormant now that the principal photography is over, so it seems like spending another $10 on top of the already over-inflated $30 membership fee from the last company just to get access to some old SW.com pay stuff and a few small current features is a gyp (not that I've ever favored the Hyperspace online service to begin with). Also, after reading about all the trouble the Shop.StarWars site has been having (and apparently is continuing to have), I feel even less confident in this new venture. And then they're transferring publishing of the Insider over to the guys who make GamePro?!? How left field can one get?

FANtastic Media ran the Fan Club for like 13 years pretty well, the membership was like $13 in the mid '90s and then went up to $20 near the end of the decade, there were some bumps but it basically was a good service. Then in December of 2000, Hasbro's Wizards of the Coast division buys the Fan Club and then immediately lays off 1/3 of the WOTC staff, there was mass confusion and a $10 price-hike, but WOTC included a $10 fan club gift certificate which sorta evened the price out and offered just an Insider subscription at $20, the club under their rule was nearly always a mess to the point where even WOTC wouldn't buy SW toy product from Hasbro anymore, but the WOTC fan club runs Celebration 2 well enough that it spawns an upcoming sequel. Then WOTC hands management (but not ownership) of the Fan Club over to Paizo Publishing in July of '02 , a brand new company run by former top WOTC folks, and things seem to go crazy as other SW mags are shut down and merged with the Insider but the Insider gets 2 more issues a year, for a time there are 2 official Fan Club stores (and the Paizo one really doesn't make collectors very happy), and a lot of folks just seem unhappy with this arrangement. Now, here we are in April of '04, just a year away from Episode III, and Lucasfilm brings the Fan Club back into the fold, raising the price and dropping the Insider back down to 6 per year as well as getting rid of Insider-only subscriptions.


To me, this seems really strange, they don't announce any sort of reasoning for it, they don't mention how Celebration 3 is going to be run now that the FC has changed hands, they immediately jack up the price to $40 and integrate the Hyperspace service into it as well as renaming the Fan Club "Hyperspace"... is Lucasfilm TRYING to drive away all but the most hardcore dedicated SW fans??? My personal theory on this is that the original Hyperspace online service didn't really catch on that well and this move is an attempt to salvage that operation while simultaneously trying to get more interest in the Shop.SW site and give Lucasfilm more direct control over the fan base while maximizing income on the SW.com site. Personally, after WOTC took over the FC, I lost interest in the Insider and let my membership lapse, and once Paizo got into the mix I was actively annoyed; now that it's 40 bucks and seems to offer nothing good and a lot I actively want no part in, I really wonder if Star Wars is worth it anymore and certainly don't want to drop the equivalent of 7 action figures on this mess.

And I wonder, who really IS interested in this new Hyperspace Fan Club? Are any of you folks excited about this, even a little? What does this mean to those who just want the Insider? And will this affect the perception of the final SW film in any way?

[2-1B]

LFL are clearly taking the ****.

After the WOTC run, I was actually GLAD To have Paizo in charge because my subscription ran smoothly (well, I had one missed issue but they handled it very professionally). I liked the way their website was set up and it was a pleasure to order renewals as well as the Silver Fett and Holiday Yoda from there.

Now this change . . . I don't think it's necessary and I certainly agree that it looks poor since they apparantly want to steam roll us into getting Hyperspace.

--- "who really IS interested in this new Hyperspace Fan Club? Are any of you folks excited about this, even a little? What does this mean to those who just want the Insider?" ---

I'll stick with it because I want the subscription and I'll overpay to get the other junk with it, I guess. When we had a choice last time, I just took the subscription but the other stuff didn't interest me. I'll make the most of this Hyperspace access or whatever they are throwing in. Still, I can certainly feel for the fans who only want the magazine. Why do they have to make "being a fan" so complicated sometimes ?

--- "And will this affect the perception of the final SW film in any way?"

It won't affect my perception. I don't see what it has to do with the film . . . but I won't be surprised if someone who already has an axe to grind sees this differently.

[Deoxyribonucleic]

This makes me FURIOUS!

I'm done with starwars.com and I'm done with the Insider! And I've been getting that magazine for some time around 10 years now!!

George Lucas and all his little cronies can go bugger off...they've completely lost every ounce of respect I've ever had for them now, even though its been waning since these craptacular prequels came out.

I'm off this bandwagon!!

Another one bites the dust!!

[Kidhuman]

Looks like I wont be joining the fan club anytime soon at all. This is pure crap. Raise the price, get less insider and have to join hyperspace. It was crap to begin with and it is even worse crap now IMO. If it wasnt for exclusive figures,90% wouldnt of joined in the first place.

[jedi-cpa]

I love it, up the membership to $40 and give us 2 LESS issues of insider than we used to get.

Guess what, fan club officially loses a member.

[Droid]

The only reason I have EVER been a member of the fan club was for the exclusive figures. And what was the last one, Christmas Yoda? Why don't they give you a free Sandcrawler or Cantina Bar Wave II for joining or renewing your membership early? Then they'd see people signing up!

[bobafett07728]

I posted a thread about this yesterday afternoon (maybe these should be merged), that pretty much echoed what everyone else has said. This is utter crap!!!!! When Wizards took the reins, and raised the price, I stopped getting it for a while. Then things started to look better, and I purchased a two-year subscription with them. Soon after, they switched to Paizo, and all HECK broke loose. Paizo claimed that I didn't have a subscription, and even though I was charged for my two years. . . I never recieved an issue. Finally, after over a year of talking to people from Paizo they finally got my situation straight. Now, low and behold, they are changing hands again. . . wonderful. So what will happen with my 8 future issues? Customer service claims that I will recieve them. . . we'll see soon enough. But they also made it clear to me that even though I will be recieving issues over the next year+ (they are cutting to 6 issues a year, I still have 8), I have to purchase a new $40 membership to receive all the "new extras" like Hyperspace, etc. That is ridiculous!!! I purchased a two-year fanclub membership. . . why all of a sudden this transforms into a two-year Insider subscription!?!?!?!? That is friggin ridiculous!?!?!?! Anyone else who has a current membership should also look into this. It is possible that I was given the wrong information, but if you are expecting all these new "perks", don't be dissapointed when they don't come.

Oh yeah. . . Although I purchased a two-year membership back when Wizards had the Fan Club, I have NEVER received any membership kits. Not that this is the end of the world, but it is something that has annoyed me. I'm sure with this new "change" I'll be overlooked with this year's kit, as well.

I'll keep my $40.

[JediTricks]

I posted a thread about this yesterday afternoon (maybe these should be merged)Yeah, I started this thread and wrote my news post before seeing your thread, I'll merge 'em in a moment.



It won't affect my perception. I don't see what it has to do with the film . . . but I won't be surprised if someone who already has an axe to grind sees this differently.Besides the "axe to grind" people, I was thinking perhaps the "on the fence" people and the general public who get wind of what's going on, but so far, it seems to be a nill issue.


I notice a lot of folks talking about the exclusive figures, and I confess that this is one of the reasons I kept my membership going as long as I did originally (if it wasn't for the FC, I wouldn't have my Toy Fair Vader or sealed empty Gold Yoda Pepsi can), but it seems like most of the FC exclusive items from the past few years are painfully easy to get through etailers and whatnot these days. Maybe if the FC actually did this stuff for the fans instead of selling a bunch of these pieces to dealers, they'd get more respect.



But they also made it clear to me that even though I will be recieving issues over the next year+ (they are cutting to 6 issues a year, I still have 8), I have to purchase a new $40 membership to receive all the "new extras" like Hyperspace, etc. That is ridiculous!!! I purchased a two-year fanclub membership. . . why all of a sudden this transforms into a two-year Insider subscription!?!?!?!? That is friggin ridiculous!?!?!?! Anyone else who has a current membership should also look into this. It is possible that I was given the wrong information, but if you are expecting all these new "perks", don't be dissapointed when they don't come.No, you were given correct info, it's in the new Hyperspace FC faq (http://www.starwars.com/hyperspace/about/faq.html) on the official site, question II.2., so if you are a member of the current Paizo-run Fan Club, you're now just an Insider subscriber (that's how they're referring to all the current Fan Club members, how honorable :rolleyes: ) - I found that part so incredibly crass, it just proves that there's no "fan club" in this, it's just another big money venture on a website dedicated completely to advertising Lucas's Star Wars branded products (which was already offensive when they added banner and pop-up ads on the site, and then a pay service to see stuff advertising their new movie).


Maybe I'm missing it, the official site seems to be treating this like some glorious event, are there fans who are enraptured by this? I haven't seen a lot of that yet, I'm curious how fans really feel about this situation.

[Dr Zoltar]

I agree with you all. I will not be renewing my fan club membership.


I joined when Pazio first took over and was hoping that they'd turn the fan club around. But it looks like all is lost now. What a waste...:cry:

[Droid]

Who should we write a letter complaining to?

[Deoxyribonucleic]

I'm curious how fans really feel about this situation.

IT SUCKS!!

I went to college to say that ya know!! ;)

[rust]

I havent seen a thread for this so, I'll start one.

This fan club/Hyperspace/Insider merger is evil! I was thinking of subscribing to Insider, but now I cant because of the stupid price raising and Hyperspace! My dad said I'm not allowed to use a webcam so paying $40 would just go down the drain (I assume $20 is Hyperspace, $15 is Insider, and $5 is Fan Club). I wish there was a way just ot subscribe to Insider.

Anyone have an e-mail address for Star Wars related complaitns that go to some fan club official/Lucas? I am gonna e-mail them.

[lapork]

Darth Frodo:It's a SCAM, Sam!

[Banthaholic]

In the FAQ they list swicustserv@cdsfulfillment.com as a customer service email contact.

Last night I wrote them a wordy response. FIrst they drop the Insider from 8 to 6 issues. Then they expect us to pay $39.95 for less. I don't want spoilers, and Hyperdrive has a lot of it. E3 set diary? Why? Or maybe if I sign up know I can get larger versions of the free CW cartoons they have at Cartoonnetwork.com. What a rip off....

Write letters, everyone. Tell them you won't renew. If we don't complain, they won't realize how bad they're screwing us.

I was just thinking today. What if a kid wants to be a member of the SW fanclub, but doesn't have internet. Well now, they're getting charged more, for less. Now thats fan service.

[Deoxyribonucleic]

Thanks for that info Banthaholic.

Here's what I wrote:

I've been with the Insider for around 10 years now. My membership with Paizo just ran out before all of these changes took place and I was waiting for their site to offer the subcription again so that I could join and then I find out about these "new and improved" changes...I laugh in your general direction. First off, that you, LFL, make people pay for most of the information/content on Starwarsdotcom is utterly ridiculous and so I poo-pooed your website because of it and NOW you want me and everyone else who likes the Insider not only to take less two issues but also pay more and get that craptacular "membership" to hyperspace?? Ha! I am now off of this bandwagon you call a fanclub because all it has become is a money-making machine and who cares about what the fans really want. I'm telling you LFL it is us, the real fans, that have kept Star Wars afloat for the many years "in-between" where there was nothing, not even a squeak about Star Wars and I'm most positive it is because of the fans' constant interest in Star Wars that these prequels were even made. I am utterly aghast that you want us to constantly pay more for less (not just in quantity either, buy your quality also lacks atrociously) and I hereby REFUSE!

You have truly lost a long-time fan (since 1977 to be exact) this day!!



Sincerely and Seeing Red,



Becky

[Dr Zoltar]

Thanks for that info Banthaholic.

Here's what I wrote:

I've been with the Insider for around 10 years now. My membership with Paizo just ran out before all of these changes took place and I was waiting for their site to offer the subcription again so that I could join and then I find out about these "new and improved" changes...I laugh in your general direction. First off, that you, LFL, make people pay for most of the information/content on Starwarsdotcom is utterly ridiculous and so I poo-pooed your website because of it and NOW you want me and everyone else who likes the Insider not only to take less two issues but also pay more and get that craptacular "membership" to hyperspace?? Ha! I am now off of this bandwagon you call a fanclub because all it has become is a money-making machine and who cares about what the fans really want. I'm telling you LFL it is us, the real fans, that have kept Star Wars afloat for the many years "in-between" where there was nothing, not even a squeak about Star Wars and I'm most positive it is because of the fans' constant interest in Star Wars that these prequels were even made. I am utterly aghast that you want us to constantly pay more for less (not just in quantity either, buy your quality also lacks atrociously) and I hereby REFUSE!

You have truly lost a long-time fan (since 1977 to be exact) this day!!



Sincerely and Seeing Red,



BeckyWow, Deoxy! Please, don't hold back. Tell us how you really feel. :D

I think I may have to send LFL an email too...

[rust]

In the FAQ they list swicustserv@cdsfulfillment.com as a customer service email contact.

Last night I wrote them a wordy response. FIrst they drop the Insider from 8 to 6 issues. Then they expect us to pay $39.95 for less. I don't want spoilers, and Hyperdrive has a lot of it. E3 set diary? Why? Or maybe if I sign up know I can get larger versions of the free CW cartoons they have at Cartoonnetwork.com. What a rip off....

Write letters, everyone. Tell them you won't renew. If we don't complain, they won't realize how bad they're screwing us.

I was just thinking today. What if a kid wants to be a member of the SW fanclub, but doesn't have internet. Well now, they're getting charged more, for less. Now thats fan service.
Thanks for the address. Now to fight with my greatest weapon: Words! Mwahaha! I'll edit with my letter.

EDIT: This is my letter:
Dear whoever gets this e-mail that works at The 'Official Fan Club',
I understand this is the e-mail address to e-mail complaints for the OFC (Official Fan Club). My name is rust (And, I just would like to point out now, there is no capital!) and I have complaints and other things to say about the OFC.
Recently, on many Star Wars sites I visit, there was news of the merging of all the 'fan clubs.' (Hyperspace, Insider and Fan Club). I wanted very badly to subscribe to Insider a couple months, but I was poor then (Look, Kids cannot make money easily), then, I realized that I could get some money in June from a hard year in Spanish class and I was going to use $20 to subscribe to Star Wars Insider. But, because of this, I have to pay DOUBLE the price for 2 less issues and subscription to this crappy 'Hyperspace' club, which I DO NOT want to join. I couldn't anyway because I don't have a webcam, and my dad said I couldn't. So now, If I want Insider, I must pay $40 and buy a Webcam which is very expensive AND I'm not even using my own computer until my dad can get me back on the network. Which gives me a total of $60-$70 which gives me $30 to spend on other things. This, makes me extremely angry. So, now to the very sharp point of my e-mail, there MUST be an option to subscribe to only Insider. This may be a ploy to get more money and make people gnaw their legs off until episode 3 so they see it 10 times, but you are going to lose money over time of you do this. You do not have my $40 right now neither other people's, ESPICALLY people who like to stay COMPLETLEY anoymous over the internet (Like me). This is only a warning, but if you keep this as your policy, you wont have many members and non-members will just read Insider on the Newsstands and book stores and only buy the Insiders we absolutely like. Hopefully, you'll listen to one fan's warning.
-rust

[Deoxyribonucleic]

Wow, Deoxy! Please, don't hold back. Tell us how you really feel. :D

I think I may have to send LFL an email too...

I am really mad. :mad:

I've never been one to write letters to anyone or anything, not to fanclubs, toyfare, websites, the President, local politicians...nothing. But I'm so angrified (I know this is not a word but I like it) that I had to express my feelings on the matter because I've supported this franchise, like I said, since 1977 and I really feel dumped on. But oh well, I said my peace and I feel better for doing so.

I hope you write a letter too DZ, in fact I hope everyone does who's the least bit frustrated or upset by these changes...because I'm tellin' ya, it's just the beginning of things these morons will do to get money.

:)

[Kidhuman]

Here is my letter I just wrote them........



I dont care who it concerns,

As an avid Fan of Star Wars since 1977, I was just about to join the Fan Club next week when Igot paid. I have been deliberating this for about two years and finally decided I was going to join. I will say I do thank you in helping me change my mind in this mind making decision. Raising it to 40 bucks is an insult. I want toremain as spoiler free as possible. Hyperspace has no benefit to me. I think it is a piece of crap to begin with, and now, to get exclusive deals, and a few measly magazines, I need to subscribe tothat piece of trash spoiler-filled malarky? HELL NO I DONT. All I can say is you have irked alot of people in doing ths. The loyal fans you once had are dropping like flies. Thanks for nothing you greedy slimy piles of Bantha poodoo.

[JediTricks]

Wow Deoxy, stick it to da man! :cool:


Sorry about mis-capitalizing your name earlier, RUST. ;) Seriously though, nice email.


KH, yow, don't hold back. :eek: :D


Something that just crystalized in my mind, for current members of the Paizo-run Fan Club, they paid $30 to be members while Insider subscribers just paid $20. But now, those Fan Club memberships are NOT being honored as such by this new LFL Fan Club, they're being treated the same as standard Insider subscribers... so how is that fair that the members paid $10 more and are no longer getting that extra money's worth?

[QLD]

I gave up on SW.com a long time ago, and it's nice to see that I made the right decision.

[Reefer Shark]

Yeah... me too. I gave up that piece of crap fan club years ago when the magazine started to suck, and the customer service became a joke.

What their doing now is just ridiculous.... what a stupid move, they're just gonna lose tons of customers over this.

[rust]

Wow Deoxy, stick it to da man! :cool:


Sorry about mis-capitalizing your name earlier, RUST. ;) Seriously though, nice email.


KH, yow, don't hold back. :eek: :D


Something that just crystalized in my mind, for current members of the Paizo-run Fan Club, they paid $30 to be members while Insider subscribers just paid $20. But now, those Fan Club memberships are NOT being honored as such by this new LFL Fan Club, they're being treated the same as standard Insider subscribers... so how is that fair that the members paid $10 more and are no longer getting that extra money's worth?
Thx. At least now the admin knows I have no capital r *Wishes the Rust would be put on the cwensored list and would turn into rust* Lol
I got a response today, except it was an automated one that said someone would e-mail me back in 1 to 2 business days. Is today a business day?

[Kidhuman]

Unfortunatley Saturday is not a business day.I do believe Business days are only when the stock market is open

[Banthaholic]

I got one of those on Thursday. So if they're true to the 1-2 business days they should be sending back a reply on Monday, although I'm not expecting one.

Hopefully other sites, and other non-posters are emailing them. Let's give them a PR nightmare. For those too laze to go back in the thread swicustserv@cdsfulfillment.com

The more I think about how I lost my fan club privedges over night the more I'm ticked. The only thing that comes to mind about the way us now-former fan club members are being treated is one of the sayings the General from 'Full Metal Jacket' belted out about 'common curtousy'.

[rust]

Unfortunatley Saturday is not a business day.I do believe Business days are only when the stock market is open
Damn. Thx though. So I should get an e-mail on Monday or Tuesday. I'll post the response here when I get it. Now let's give em a PR nightmare. I'll post the address on some other boards that I go to.

[Kidhuman]

I also got one of those emails. I shall post my reply as well if I get one.

[Banthaholic]

Well I got my BIG response today, another slap in the face

'As we are only able to answer questions regarding subscription
inquiries,
we ask you to click on the link below and submit your request there.

http://shop.starwars.com/CustomerService/Help.aspx

If you should need further assistance, please be sure to include all
previous e-mail correspondence.

Star Wars Insider
Victoria'

Nice... and here's my reply to Victoria's email
'Fine, let me rephrase my complaint.
I'd like to know how many issues I have left on my subscrition, and when it runs out. That way I can know when to start hitting the newstand, since I will not join your over-priced club.'

[Kidhuman]

What a bunch of nonsense. Voctoria.....who is she? You tell them send you your mags and be quick about it. Then hunt down the HQ for this place and crapon their front door.

[rust]

For question regarding Hyperspace, please go
to:http://shop.starwars.com/CustomerService/Help.aspx

If you should need further assistance, please be sure to include all
previous e-mail correspondence.

Star Wars Insider
Victoria

^That is no responce! I'm gonna give her another response and it'll involve swaring too! *Raises Pitchfork*

EDIT: I sent a response but I forgot to copy it to post. Guess I'll have to wait till next Thursday to tell ya'll.

[Kidhuman]

This is what I got..........


For question regarding Hyperspace, please go
to:http://shop.starwars.com/CustomerService/Help.aspx

If you should need further assistance, please be sure to include all
previous e-mail correspondence.

Star Wars Insider
Victoria


That alone shows you what idiots they are. Ididnt mention anything about Hyperspace. I directed it at the Fan Club. Total morons who dont even read emails.