‘My crochet partwork hell’ is hardly the sort of headline you’d expect but it sums up the problems one newsagent had in getting hold of copies of one of the surprise hits of the new year – The Art of Crochet. The Hachette partwork has ‘been drastically undersupplied’ one newsagent tells Retail Newsagent.
Hachette reveals that it had planned to cut distribution of the second issue by up to 70% of the first, but that figure will now be 55%.
A newsagent in Honiton was supplied 3 copies and sold them all in 24 hours.
There are copies going on eBay from £5 upwards. No doubt there’ll soon be more and there’ll be a black market in photocopies.
Tags: Art of Crochet, crochet, Hachette, newsagent, partwork
Magforum blog 
January 22, 2010 at 2:47 pm |
I worked for a well known distributor who experienced that after issue 1 supplies dropped from publishers,leaving shortages and it was the suppliers that got the earbashing from newsagents, stores and customers why they didn’t receive their weekly/month issue, that is the main reason that I chose to have my Issues delivered direct from publishers to guarentee delivery of all my issues.
My one question is, that I cant seem to get off the net as the address of insert is shown as, ‘not recognised’, what about the left handed customers, have you got different instructions for us, it must be different as I remember my mother having difficulty showing me how to knit, it seems left handed people are still not recognised, it’s about time we were treated the same, I have been following the instructions given to me via paper and dvd but not always ended up the same PLEASE CAN WE HAVE THE INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE LEFT HANDED SUBSCRIBERS
March 2, 2010 at 12:50 pm |
I have subscribed from the publishers but issues are very slow coming out. I only have parts 1,2 and 3 and am still waiting for parts 4,5,6,and 7 to arrive. I see from the website that part 9 is now available. Is anyone else experiencing this delay? It is very frustrating, I was very enthusiastic about making the blanket and other things but have had to wait so long for my issues that I am going off the idea.
March 2, 2010 at 3:20 pm |
Hello lynne, I am at my wits end with Hatchette Partworks. I also subscribed when the crochet magazine came out the first week in January. I have received one issue. I have sent three emails, no reply. I have made two telephone calls, one just kept saying you have to wait 28 days ma-am!! we are now in March. The other told me issue 2/3 is out of print, so why are they now printing issue 9. I do not understand, I am now considering going to trading standards as I am reading more and more complaints about this company, how are they allowed to get away with this. It is a shame as I really did like this magazine and was eagerly awaiting the next issue. I shall be cancelling my subscription. Is there anyone out there who is actually receiving the magazine on time, and the gifts that go with them.
March 3, 2010 at 6:35 am |
Hello. I thought there was something funny going on here. When my first mailing did not arrive I rang up and was told it had been posted. A fornight later it arrived and the money was taken off my bank account the same day funnily enough. When I rang to query the dates money would be taken off my account they could not tell me, so my card details were removed and I will pay when the magazines arrive! When I rang yesterday to ask when I would get my issues I was told they had been sent out. I shall ring again today to find out exactly when they were sent out, then cancel my subscription. It is very disappointing but if the company cannot get their act together then the mag is not worth the bother.
March 5, 2010 at 9:19 pm |
I also rang a few days ago and was told that parts 4,5,6 and 7 and the crochet tidy were on the way as they had delays. I tried email but they take ages to answer and then dont actually answer your question properly so I rang!
The money has not been deducted from my bank yet and no sign of them after 5 weeks of waiting. I wish i had got it saved at my newsagent now. Surely by now they should have an idea of how many copies they need as most people will have subscribed by now if they are going to?
March 6, 2010 at 12:19 pm |
Hi, I suscribed online and waited ages for part 1 to arrive. It finally arrived 5 weeks ago (after chasing with them) but nothing since. i have now cancelled my direct debit and e-mailed them to cancel my subscription. i am disgusted with them and have lost all interest in doing the crochet now anyway! I would be very interested in what trading standards have to say.
March 6, 2010 at 5:55 pm |
Hi Sam, I feel the same about the magazine but not about the crochet. Don’t loose interest as there are some fantastic books out there and you can go on YouTube and see close up how to do things if you feel a bit stuck. I have done several things now and love it. If the magazines turn up next week, they tell me they will then come 4 at a time so I will see what happens but to be honest I never did think I would collect all 120 issues. Lets hope they actually do cancel the Direct Debit as lets face it, if they can’t manage anything else are they really going to do that?!
March 7, 2010 at 3:28 pm |
Mmm, once again,shortly after I queried what had happened to my issues, parts 4,5,6 and 7 have arrived. When I cancelled my direct debit I was told I could pay for each delivery as it arrived. Well, the invoice with the delivery gives the choice of paying by cheque or giving them my card details so it can be billed as required each time. I do not possess a cheque book and am not keen on giving them my card details again. I would like to pay by online banking as that is how I pay for most things. Has anyone else paid them one delivery at a time and how do you do it?
March 8, 2010 at 10:21 am |
I too am at my wits end – I found the customer services to be rude and completely unhelpful.
I am stuck on issue 1 myself. I was told that issue 2 and 3 were out of stock (this was on tuesday last week 2nd march) however they have all other issues but wont release them until 2 and 3 are available!! And the lady I spoke to said that I couldnt really complain as I was getting 1 issue free being a subscriber! Sheer cheek of it!
Bearing in mind they are now advertising issue 10, i am really disappointed in this company – is anyone else still stuck with issue 1?
March 8, 2010 at 5:46 pm |
Hi, well got home from work and my issues 4,5,6, and 7 are here together with the ‘crochet tidy’. Now I know that it is free, but it is free rubbish and it fell to bits the minute i touched it. So if you joined for the freebies you might be disappointed. I guess I will wait and see what happens with the next 4 issues and then make a decision. However they told me last week they would be here before tomorrow and they are, just!
March 10, 2010 at 12:25 am |
Like Cath, I too am stuck at issue 1. It’s very disappointing and frustrating. I’ve been fobbed off by email and over the phone, and they are now not responding at all. I only took out a subscription to make sure of getting all the issues, which is rather ironic! Will never deal with them again and am seriously considering taking the matter further. Not a good way to run a business, Hachette.
March 10, 2010 at 11:29 pm |
Having had time now to study the issues 4,5,6,and 7, they really are not worth it. It really sinks in when you are paying nearly £12 for 4 issues that maybe just a really good book is a better idea. So i am going to cancel the subscription now.
My friend ordered issue 1 over 6 weeks ago and still nothing else has come for her.
April 10, 2010 at 10:45 am |
I signed up with Hachette 31 Dec – Over a month later I e.mailed them, their reply said they were over-subscribed & awaiting reprint. Time on & I e.mailed again saying where is it or I’d cancel. Into March & I e.mailed & cancelled – 2 days later it arrived! I e.mailed and asked for a return post paid label within a week or I would presume they were happy for me to open & dispose of – With no reply a week later I did just that, most went in the bin, the freebies were absolute rubbish. Today,10th April they e.mail & say I have no right to dispose of the goods which still belong to them, they say the £1.99 ‘debt’ is being sent to debt collector & I should get a solicitor + they have no record of receiving any e.mails from me (odd as they replied twice) The tone & content of their e.mail to me today is really disturbingly disgusting – Where are Trading Standards, these people need taking to task.
AVOID HACHETTE LIKE THE PLAGUE – DEAL WITH THEM AT YOUR PERIL.
August 17, 2010 at 4:55 pm |
I thought I was the only one, Issue 1 arrived after about 6 weeks, then Issue 2, 3 and 4 later than anticipated. From 5 onwards I’ve really had problems with them, missing free gifts due to no stock, or just big delays. I subscribed in January and I’m still waiting for issues 10-13 which were due in June. We wrote and cancelled the subscription in May and were told we still had to have issues 10-13 because it was within the set days of cancelling so i said fair enough, but I’m still waiting. Email takes at least 5 days to receive a reply and I absolutely refuse to waste money calling their customer services number. I was planning on continuing my subscription from issue 10 onwards in my own name (subscription was under ex partner) but now I’m not going to. Are they the only suppliers?
August 17, 2010 at 4:58 pm |
I’ve also noticed I’ve been a member on their site for 31 weeks and I’m not even up to issue 10, if thats not an example of bad trading i dont know what is!
June 16, 2011 at 9:18 pm |
crochet was up to 70 when i was on 43 grrr
worse still there on issue 17 with the knitting im on issue 7 my parner is on issue 1
June 16, 2011 at 9:15 pm |
my parhner and i had 2x sub on to the crochet and then cus i got confuesd we got 2 subs to the art of kniting
im on part 7 and just got the hat/scarf kit.
my partner who bought me the replacement sub is on issue 1.
have yet to get the subs gifts of the yarn bag and basket
my parner hasnt any subs gifts
but it the letters that we get re the art of crochet ” if not paid we will take actin”…. there very nastly written whe you consider i paid for 1 issue 3 times.
ive emailed them but the letters keep coming
now it is really putting me off.
also can any one tell my if this mag is a reprint of the 2006/7 verison as i need issue 39.
anyone know uk trading standards email address. i want to tell them how agree i am
btw go here create an account to keep an eye on your subscription
http://www.hachettepartworks.com/
i now no what is going on …. still angry
siam
June 16, 2011 at 9:25 pm |
any one find the letters threating. . why is the q and a section missing i am haveing to email the crochet departmat via the knitting q and a . i think 7 to 10 days is rediculass for a replie
sorry about spelling
sian
October 12, 2012 at 4:08 am |
follow up
last dec. it finally stop
only after paying relicstly for 5 issue i never had as the sent the det collector round with a. pay now or we send police
we told him we’d payed up
he said he sorry has heard it. before. but. couldnt do anything
they even replied to my advoct that matter was closed. 4 weeks earlyer and things were fine
no money owed at all
September 12, 2015 at 11:25 am |
[…] crafts have made a huge comeback, and magazine publishers have spotted the trend. Hachette found itself in a ‘crochet part work hell’ a few years ago when it misjudged demand for its Art of Crochet part work. Copies of the Art of […]