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Motor Sport website problems


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#1 kayemod

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Posted 24 September 2021 - 15:12

Since I haven't seen any other recent complaints here regarding problems accessing the Motor Sport website, maybe my current difficulties aren't widespread, but the magazine doesn't seem to want me to read any of the emails they send me. Their site refuses to accept my attempts to open article notifications, and GP reports, emails from Mark Hughes etc, the best I've been able to manage is to continually re-register, with the same email address, but a new password each time, always clicking on "update my details" and of course the 'remember me' box, but that fails every time, I try to open the next one that arrives, and we're back to square one, name and password rejected every bloody time, and I have to register yet again. I've been an MS subscriber for very many years, and my father for many years before that, so unbroken family readership goes back to around 1950.

 

After a couple of weeks of this, I emailed the magazine. Their acknowledgement email told me that they were experiencing "an unprecedented number of emails", which is hardly surprising if others are suffering in the same way that I am, but "they hope to be able to respond in about seven days", which was up yesterday, and nothing yet. Try contacting them by phone you may suggest, but has anyone tried this recently? After being kept on hold for over 30 minutes at my last attempt, I gave up.

 

Anyone else suffering similar problems, and any helpful suggestions? I'm beginning to miss Mark Hughes in a way that's verging on unhealthy, and it's starting to concern me.



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#2 LittleChris

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Posted 24 September 2021 - 16:10

They recently limited non subscribers to 5 articles (per month I assume ) so maybe the software change for that is the cause of your problem. I still get emails from them referencing articles that I can't view as I'm over my limit !

#3 Guido22

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Posted 24 September 2021 - 17:16

Wouldn't bother mate, just sign up for readly.com, you get free, plus back issues and many other mags etc.... :)



#4 LittleChris

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Posted 24 September 2021 - 19:59

I'd like to point out that the articles I refer to above are ones that I've paid for by buying the magazine & read therein previously. Shame on them if they're selling the content of the magazine cheaply via a 3rd party whilst also charging people full or subscription price for the same content 🤬

#5 hatrat

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Posted 24 September 2021 - 20:13

I have been having similar problems with their site. I was trying to access my account in order to renew my subscription but it was an impossibility with it continually invalidating my attempts. In the end I had to abandon my long time account and establish a completely new account and subscription in a process that took about three weeks with long delays waiting to response to emails. 



#6 john aston

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Posted 25 September 2021 - 07:25

Readly seems a road to nowhere . Somebody has to pay for the work that goes into writing , designing and illustrating a magazine as well as myriad other roles from subediting to fulfilment (or 'delivery' in Plain English ). I don't mind paying  my 15 quid a month for the three motor racing /classic car mags I get - the price of four unhealthy frothy coffees . Yet so many want something for nothing , turning their back on the sole source of information we had for decades . An endless demand for content , but underpinned by a desire to get everything for nothing . 



#7 Vitesse2

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Posted 25 September 2021 - 08:14

Readly seems a road to nowhere . Somebody has to pay for the work that goes into writing , designing and illustrating a magazine as well as myriad other roles from subediting to fulfilment (or 'delivery' in Plain English ). I don't mind paying  my 15 quid a month for the three motor racing /classic car mags I get - the price of four unhealthy frothy coffees . Yet so many want something for nothing , turning their back on the sole source of information we had for decades . An endless demand for content , but underpinned by a desire to get everything for nothing . 

Readly has a very interesting business model and as far as publishers are concerned I'd say they're getting more value and information out of it than they are by selling paper copies. If you're flipping through your physical copy of Motor Sport you will probably ignore some of the features - that article on unaffordable watches for example - but Readly can actually tell Motor Sport whether or not you read it. From their website:

 

The benefits for publishers

We collaborate with publishers to benefit their business through:

1. Data & Insights: a wide range of data on readers’ behaviour such as what subscribers read, when they read and for how long is shared with publishers. Readly has developed a new analytics tool called Readly Insights, based on 32 billion data points so publishers can better understand reader behaviour and preferences. The valuable data opens up new opportunities for publishers to become more data-driven, adapt content in both print and digital, optimise magazine ads and further develop their digital strategy.

2. Revenue share: Readly gives more than 50 percent of the revenue back to publishers. Win, win.

3. Increasing reach & boosting circulation: Reaching new customers and extending audience reach to target an audience outside of a title’s home market. Furthermore, Readly enables publishers to increase their top line circulation figures, since issues read on Readly count towards ABC and IVW figures.

As with most things digital, while - as you say - people want something for nothing, it's also true that the customer has actually become the product. And is paying for the privilege.



#8 kayemod

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Posted 25 September 2021 - 10:49

Bit confused about some recent comments. Readly isn't "free", they charge UK subscribers £7.99 each month, and in my case that would be very poor value, as post retirement, which meant goodbye to various trade-related publications, I don't buy any magazines other than Motor Sport for which I've been a subscriber for many years. My original post was asking for help to get what I'm still currently paying the magazine for, uninterrupted access to features and archives, which is supposed to be included in what I already pay them.

 

Its unfortunate that discussion of Readly seems to have taken over the thread now, as it has nothing to do with problems accessing MotorSport's website, nothing at all.



#9 Doug Nye

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Posted 25 September 2021 - 13:44

The people in command of the website are currently well aware of cited problems, and are tearing their hair out to get it rectified.  But don't ask me for details - this interweb thingy is 99 per cent darkest arts to me.

 

DCN



#10 kayemod

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Posted 25 September 2021 - 17:11

The people in command of the website are currently well aware of cited problems, and are tearing their hair out to get it rectified.  But don't ask me for details - this interweb thingy is 99 per cent darkest arts to me.

 

DCN

I suspect that "the people in command of the website" aren't much more clued up than you Doug. They've been having problems ever since the relaunch, the old site always worked perfectly of course, see my tagline...



#11 Charlieman

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Posted 26 September 2021 - 13:26

I experienced similar problems a few years ago. The problem "just went away". Swearing helped for me.

 

The normal response to such problems is to reset cookies and stored data for the MS website; it's the equivalent of turning it off and on again, so don't expect much. Search on the web for instructions on how to do this for your web browser and operating system combination. It's probably a sensible step to take the next time you have to reset your password.

 

I assume that you are using a popular web browser and OS. If you have another web browser installed, give it a try. I won't suggest installing another browser except as last resort.

 

Putting on my old system administrator hat, I suspect that the underlying problem, authentication, is one that is outside the skill range of many web and database admins.

 

Just a guess:

The MS website requires a "complex password" which contains a "special character" or "symbol". A problem with special characters is that they are used for special purposes within scripting languages and authentication modules. It is easy to slip up, trying to process a password string containing a special character which a script attempts to interpret as an instruction. A sample of special characters which might mean something in scripts and authentication modules: @£+|#$%\&*"/>}]?<[{.

 

I think you are safe with that key at the top right of a UK PC keyboard next to number one. However if the underlying problem is within keyboard and character mapping, any special character might throw an error for anyone using the "wrong" language and keyboard layout.

 

Edit for duplicate text.


Edited by Charlieman, 26 September 2021 - 13:26.


#12 nexfast

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Posted 26 September 2021 - 17:04

I had problems similar to Kayemod, not being able to login to my account. Received, though, a mail for Motor Sport with a link to solve the issue and, lo and behold, everything is fine now, I have complete access to the site. So, it seems their technical people are not totally clueless.



#13 kayemod

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Posted 27 September 2021 - 10:29

I had problems similar to Kayemod, not being able to login to my account. Received, though, a mail for Motor Sport with a link to solve the issue and, lo and behold, everything is fine now, I have complete access to the site. So, it seems their technical people are not totally clueless.

 

It seems you didn't read my first post properly. I received the same email from MotorSport that you did, but as I explained, in my case it didn't work, and it appears that's the case for many other subscribers. The links took me to the main MS site where I could access magazine articles etc, but as soon as I tried to open an MS email or return to their site, I'm blocked again, and it tells me to re-register. It did that about six times in a row, after which I gave up, which is where I am now, unable to get on their site or view archives or open their emails without re-registering yet again.

 

Your apparent faith in the organisation's technical people is sadly misplaced. The people concerned are going to have to keep "tearing their hair out" for some time yet to sort out their "new and improved site's obvious problems". The previous site worked faultlessly for many years of course, so it's unfortunate that they felt they had to muck about with it. MotorSport still haven't responded to my email of 10 days ago, and it's a waste of time trying to contact them by phone at the moment, I suspect that their website problems are affecting a lot of subscribers, none of them as lucky as you.



#14 nexfast

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Posted 27 September 2021 - 21:02

It seems you did not read my post properly either. We had  a similar issue, mine is solved, yours is not. Don't know how many others were affected as much as I don't know how many similar problems were solved and neither do you, I guess. This is not a question of faith. I had a problem, it was solved, so they are not "totally clueless" though clearly there are reaming issues which should not happen . I understand your frustration but I'm not your target, so please cool down. 



#15 subh

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Posted 28 September 2021 - 07:31

I'm beginning to miss Mark Hughes in a way that's verging on unhealthy, and it's starting to concern me.

 

Perhaps worth noting that Mark Hughes contributes articles for The Race website, for which there is no need to subscribe

https://the-race.com...gory/formula-1/