"The New Phone Books Have Arrived!!!!!!!!!!"

[Dave@Moon]

Mine made it here today. I am <span style="font-style: italic">very</span> impressed. Keep it in your cars, people are going to be asking what it is and how they can get one!

[Jrope]

I really like the new look of the magazine. I am amused that many members have not received their copy yet. I guess things have gotten bad since I retired from the Postal Service. I'm glad that I chose direct deposit for my pension check.

[R W Burgess]

Steve, I too am very disappointed that these people have not gotten their magazine. I feel like I teased them in posting this originally. I'll say one thing though that we have got going for us, I've never heard of a magazine being destroyed in the mail system. About two years ago, a well known west coast magazine started showing up in my mailbox with the left top edge of the magazine ripped, sometimes down to 5 pages. The company always sent me replacement magazines. Eventually, it was found that the "glossy" cover was giving the sorting machines fits trying to run them through without some kind of "grippy" material to grap on to. At least The AACA Mag is plastic covered, bravo! Wayne

[novaman]

Wayne, at least with this thread Steve gets to see how long it is taking for the magazine to get to the members. He knows when they were mailed. You had yours on the 22nd, 1 out of 2 showed up here onthe 25th. I'll call the other members that get thier mail from our Post Office and see when/if they got thiers.

[Steve Moskowitz]

There are several factors working here, apparently. One is that the magazine went all a week earlier than usual as we were really pushing to get everyone's copy out before the Annual meeting. In discussions with the USPS yesterday, the problem MIGHT be with the software that is used to sort the shipments. The magazines are shipped from a company that actually has a USPS office in their loading dock due to the volume of shipments. We will stay on top of this and hopefully there is a solution. What everyone is experiencing now is nothing abnormal from previous issues but this time, everyone wants it now!

[1937hd45]

Still no new issue, I mail all my stuff from across the state line in New York, sould I get a post office box over there? Will that speed things up?

[kuhner]

Mine hasnt made it to South-Eastern Ohio yet, but my buddy one county to the East has his. Had it for about a week. Saw it today, cant wait to get mine.

greg

[Steve Moskowitz]

The standard guidelines from the USPS indicate it should take approximately 11 days max for the magazines to arrive at your door step. The magazines <span style="font-weight: bold">should be</span> at everyone's mailbox by now. <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> This is a new problem for me to try and resolve but I will do my best to find the answers.

Actually, I found a new piece of information out a ferw minutes ago. It took until the 19th for all of the magazines to be shipped. As such, we still have a couple of days to go to meet their guidelines. We do give them 33,000 magazines to ship!

If anyone has not received their magazine by the Feb.2 let me know.

[1937hd45]

I'd ask Wayne to give the USPS bulk haulers driving lessons.

[R W Burgess]

Bob, you said you wanted the magazines in one piece, right? Sliding around in the back of a mad man's truck is a good way to get the pretty covers scratched. <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> Wayne

[Guest]

Still nothing in Cheyenne, but now I will wait patiently until after the 2nd.

hvs

[Al Smeraldo]

I got mine on the 26th one day after my son got his. He lives 5 minutes from me on the other side of the hill. Actually I'm very happy to see the cover picture of my buddy Gene's car on the cover. The picture was taken in his front yard. He has a great view of the Green Mtn's in Vermont. I was also mentioned in the article inside as I did the wiring and some of the assembly on the car.

[R W Burgess]

Great job,Al. And, evidently it started that snowy day showing you're no jackleg at electronics! <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> Wayne

[Al Smeraldo]

Thanks for the compliment, Wayne.

[novaman]

Waiting patiently... ... .... .... where is it???.... .. repeat process from beginning.

Steve, I don't know how the magazine is addressed. I presume the labels are printed from a database. My question is when they print the magazine and package it, do they do it alphabetically, by zip codes or randomly select a pile of labels. Reason I ask, is either alphabetically or by zip code, my copy should have been shipped at the same time as my dad due to last name and zip code being the same.

I called the other region members living in town. 5 Families total. Dad got his the 25th, another got it the 26th, 3 of us still waiting.

[Peter J.Heizmann]

Dave...I really do not think Steve or the HQ staff should be saddled with answering the delivery.

I live only 1 hour East of the Hershey area and just received it yesterday, 1/27/05. The mail system is a wonder unto itself. People here in the Reading, PA area still wonder why a letter mailed locally goes 1 1/2 hours East to Philadelphia, then, comes back to Reading for local delivery. Not all cases, but, a rather frequent occurence.

Really like the new format. Also, the 2004 Winners List is really great. Easier to file for the future, easy to see the whole year in one booklet. Nice!! <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Regards,

Peter J.

[Guest]

I think the main value of this thread as it relates to delivery times, as it now does, is to give Steve a picture of what is going on out here in vast America.

I don't think we are complaining to Steve so much as we are grousing among ourselves, which in itself can be informative. As for me, and I imagine I speak for most of the rest of us on here, Steve, you are not expected to respond to our postings. If any of this eventually leads to improved delivery, well and good. But if the USPS says they have 11 days then they have 11 days and we will have to learn to live with it.

If not for this forum, most of us would have no idea our magazine was late or when others got theirs. After all it <span style="font-weight: bold">IS</span> the Jan-Feb issue and we have no reason to expect it before Jan 31/Feb 1.

Just my opinions.

hvs

[1937hd45]

I hope Steve doen't think any of us are directing any of our comments at him, this is just a roll call of members who are reading their new and improved AA. If they are all mailed at the same time and place, how large a stack of magazines is this? Do the all go out from the printer in one truck load?

[novaman]

Peter, I know Steve and HQ have no control over the mail and limited control over what the printer does. My question was simply asking how the labels were printed out. For mailing purposes, by zip code make the most sense but by the alphabet does too. Either way, my label should have been near Dad's. I did forget about the membership numbers until now.

I'm not trying to worry Steve. Just trying to give him some idea as to when the magazines arrive in this area.

As for your mail going to Reading, and back for local delivery. It is because your some of your local people are too lazy to sort it themselves so they send it to the central office for the area to be sorted by the machines and come back. My local post office does that a lot with the Greensboro office. If the carrier decides there is too much mail to deliver, they'll dump some of it to back to Greensboro to get resorted. My info comes from retired postal workers I know.

[Peter J.Heizmann]

David...that makes sense.

Hopefully, you will receive it shortly.

Regards,

Peter J.

[Buicks Rule]

One magazine hit Tucson AZ today. LOOKS FANTASTIC on a thumb through. Haven't had time to read it yet. Has not made it to all zip codes in the city yet.

Yeah--the post office. The one I like is the address forwarding expired label on the Christmas card that comes back at the end of January with the correct address on the label telling the sender the forwarding order had expired. IF YOU KNOW THE BLINKING ADDRESS, FORWARD THE BLASTED THING!@!@!

[novaman]

But they couldn't get that extra postage from you sending it a 2nd if they simply forwarded it.

[Steve Moskowitz]

Well gang, the first thing I would have to say that it is nice that everyone <span style="font-weight: bold">wants</span> to get their magazine! Our goal is to have a magazine that you eagerly anticipate arriving every month! We plan to constantly upgrade the publication and i think the best is yet to come.

Thanks for "letting me off the hook" on the problem. However,it is a problem that I will continue to address. Despite the information already given to me, I plan on researching this whole question further. Possibly it has something to do with our mailing software and maybe it is a USPS problem. I will let you know the results sometime after the annual meeting.

I hope everyone gets their magazine today!

[Shop Rat]

We did!! Just got a glance of it as Bill flipped through it. His comment was, "So this is the new magazine. Looks nice. Now we will see if it is better and makes people want to read it more." I will let you know what we each think of it.

Nice photo of your ring?

[1937hd45]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">

I hope everyone gets their magazine today! </div></div>

Guess that will happen on Monday.

[novaman]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I hope everyone gets their magazine today! </div></div>

Well apparently the mailman isn't done reading mine yet. Big storm predicting 2-3" of snow and freezing rain here. And no magazine to read......

[Shop Rat]

Have you checked the roadside to make sure the 'possum that was bringing yours didn't become road-kill?

[24T42]

The new phone books might have arrived but not the AACA magazine. Still waiting. Maybe Monday???

[novaman]

Post office 3 miles down my street. Had to drop off a package today after my mail was delivered. No 'possums dead or alive on the way. No cats, dogs or deer either.

[Jay Wolf]

My daughter and I both got our's today 1/29/05

in Vincennes Indiana.

Great looking magazine.

[Guest]

Thank God.... Still 100% Modified and Kustom free!

[Shop Rat]

Glad to hear there was no road-kill but sorry you still don't have your magazine. I bet those lousy yankees mail them out to the deep south Rebels last.

[Guest]

[lousy yankees] That's damn Yankees mam, and you know that.

[ex98thdrill]

Steve,

That new magazine is OUTSTANDING!! If I wasn't already a life member, I'd say that the membership dues for AACA was worth it just for the magazine alone. That magazine is as good or better than a lot of the magazines that I subscribe to.

Not a complaint, but a question, but how much more did this cost the club to enhance the quality of the magazine? Unless it killed us on price, I'd say that it was worth every penny. If it was the same price or less money, then it makes things all the better.

Irregardless, the best than that I can say is GOOD JOB STEVE!!

[Steve Moskowitz]

[color:"green"] Our new magazine with the UV front cover and 16 pages of color is less per copy than the previous magazine!! Yes, I said LESS! We took advantage of some new technology and some agressive bidding on our business. The new format also helped a wee bit but will definitely help as we rebid the package in future years. Our vendors have really worked with us to accomplish our goals. The magazine has to make financial sense to the club. We have also drastically increased the display ad charges as they were woefully under market value. It has been tough on some of our smaller vendors and we are going to try and help them but based upon our circulation and the quality of this magazine, our new charges are very fair.

The magazine will get better. The goal is to never be satisfied and we think the quality of the articles will really make everyone happy in the future. Thanks for the accolades Pat, I am proud of my involvement but the credit mostly belongs to West Peterson. He nailed my vision, in fact, surpassed it. He obviously was not sleeping in college as his graphic arts and writing skills are incredible. Antique Automobile has ALWAYS been a great magazine, I believe West has taken it a step beyond.

[novaman]

I've always said the Lord did make one mistake. I was born on the WRONG side of the line. I had to move south to correct that error.

Howard, the damn yankees are the ones that come down here to vist and STAY! As long as they go back, lousy is all the description needed.

Almost forgot..Steve, great job. Saving us money while improving quality. Suppose now you want $700/hr like that guy bailing out Krispy Kreme from financial trouble.

[Shop Rat]

Oh course I know that. I was twelve before I found out they were two words. I just thought I would behave and not put a bad word on here that the small fry might see.

[Shop Rat]

Finally got to read the new magazine. I do like the new size. It is easier to hold and read. The oblong size was a pain in that regard. The color photos are very nice and sure beat the black and white ones. After folks spend what they do on their cars it is nice to see them "in living color".

And folks that did not know "Bookreader" can see her in one of the photos about the library roof fund drive. As well as Librarian Kim Miller.

Wes sure was a cutie when he was about five or six in the photo sitting on the running board of his dad's car.

Good job to everyone that helped with the new format of the magazine.

[Guest]

Just teasing, Susan.

HV

[Guest]

Pat ~ Isn't it positively amazing what a little new blood in Headquarters can do. We have an on the ball Executive Director who has gone out and found a REAL editor for our magazine who has greatly improved the product. Better pricing too thanks to Steve's real world experience.

hvs