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Independent Newspaper Ceasing Home Delivery

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  • 01-09-2020 9:37am
    #1
    Conor.d2
    Registered Users Posts: 32 ✭


    Hello
    I’d like to make you aware of what I believe is age discrimination in service provision during Covid, centred around the decision by INM to ‘improve’ its service by ceasing the home delivery of its mid-week newspaper..
    I have been alerted to this because I manage my elderly father’s subscription with INM/Reach Home Delivery to receive newspapers 7 days a week, and recently received a letter and an email from Reach about the change in service, and was also was made aware of this via an A4 flyer inside the Independent titled Independent Home Delivery, signed by Peter Vandermeersch, Publisher of INM.
    So, I called INM and spoke to someone in their customer service department and it seems like someone at INM decided to fire their delivery company (Reach) without coming up with an alternative, dressing it up as an improvement in their service. This feels insulting and ageist towards those that depend on getting their news delivered to them, who cannot access digital technologies. INM have dressed it up as an improvement in service but this belies the real facts.
    The Reach team has described the change as 'improving our home delivery service' and Peter Vandermeersch’s message starts with 'When change is all around, its comforting to know some things remain constant'. Effectively they are taking away a lifeline to the real world for lots of elderly or infirm people in Ireland by stopping the delivery of mid-week newspapers.
    So, I wanted to make you aware of this to see if any one else is experiencing this, as I’m sure it will affect many other elderly people who are cocooning, and finding it very difficult at the moment.
    Surely, if newspapers are struggling to make money from their print publications, they should be holding on to every customer they can get – or is this a sign of things to come from INM, a complete cessation of mid-week print news?
    Do they not know that elderly people depend on things like this, especially during a time when they can’t get out? Do our media establishments not have a duty of care to provide access to news for everyone?

    I hope you can understand my frustration


    C


Comments

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    #2
    L1011
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 67,618 Mod ✭✭✭✭L1011


    They have offered their papers via the Irish Times newsdelivery.ie service for some time now. There's also the An Post delivery offer in some areas that are not covered otherwise, but I've never had to investigate this


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    #3
    Conor.d2
    Registered Users Posts: 32 ✭Conor.d2


    Thanks, have called Newsdelivery.ie and they insist they offer the Indo 7 days a week but its impossible to select this on their website, and they cant take orders over the phone. They also seem to delivery the Sunday papers on a Monday (which isnt much use!)


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    #4
    L1011
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 67,618 Mod ✭✭✭✭L1011


    I get my Sunday paper on Sunday from them; but I live in an urban area they've offered delivery in for years and years. If its An Post doing it as out-of-area, they may not do Sundays I guess.

    Its a 6 day entry and a Sunday entry, you need to select all 6 Independents and the Sunday Independent from the lower section. There's no discounted full package like the Irish Times has.


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    #5
    Conor.d2
    Registered Users Posts: 32 ✭Conor.d2


    Thanks, we live in an urban area too - (Dublin 4) - do you think theyll be able to deliver on Sundays then?


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    #6
    L1011
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 67,618 Mod ✭✭✭✭L1011


    I would assume so.


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