Folks Of Interest Steve Coonan at Louisville

I think we hope it will since its the best magazine made in a very long time

 

Well we all thought it was dead but we all cheered as it rose from the ashes and number 85 was produced.

But then salt was yet again rubbed into for some of us what are fresh wounds as not only was a new issue produced but it was shipped to some USA subscribers and also to the Australia distributor. The Australian distributor is still selling the latest copy to its readers the Journal is not yet dead.

That said it appears many US direct subscribers and all international subscribers are receiving only hollow promises.

I for one will continue to call bullshit as long as the cheer squad keep saying it is all wonderful and smells like roses.

When people keep on saying I will chip in cash or pay twice then that is certainly their choice but exactly how much cash is needed to keep this sinking ship afloat.

If people take offence then feel free to skip past the Rodders Journal posts and or my comments. Maybe for some it is only a magazine but for others it was far more.

My final point would be that I have been very fortunate in dealing with car guys over the years and whilst I have been stung once or twice the biggest loss and disappointment I have suffered (in hot rod terms) has been at the hands of Rodders Journal. Yet supposedly the mag and publisher are beyond reproach.

Maybe I am just a petty little man and if that is so then so be it.

 

Jeff you are anything but that. I always valued your help and guidance and you are definetly one of the good guys in life. This guy has ripped heaps of people off and apparently continues to do so, its that plain and simple. It sure appears he is targetting overseas subsribers in particular thinking they are least likely to be able to do something in person.

Surely all goodwill he earnt has long ago has vanished now. In short he needs to make it right.

That life time subscription was ridiculous thing to offer from a business perspective.

 

I wasn't having a go at you or your perspective on the situation. In fact, I would have to agree with you.

 

You are certainly not petty. For some reason because it's a magazine or because it's The Rodders Journal (not sure which)a bunch of people on here think it's fine for people to get fucked over time and time again.

If I posted that I had sent Coker $600 and didn't receive any tires for 3 years and there were ZERO avenues available to get a hold of them those same people would be all over them like a dirty sock saying what a shit company they are and that customer service like that is unacceptable but somehow Steve gets a pass for the exact same thing and those of us out money get threads directed at us like Eat this Haters. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/eat-this-haters.1272989/ They act like people are out a $25 2 year subscription to Hot Rod.

The guy clearly doesn't have the money/ability to run a reputable business so he should just announce its death instead of continually lying about what "he is going to do".

 

Hi guys

Thanks for the kind words. For me it is not really about the cash but I raise the amounts in question because it constantly comes out that people are only out a couple of bucks when for some of us the amount is higher.

I like to think I had enough brains to know that the lifetime subscription was the writing on the wall. I took up the offer not because I was expecting to get a billion mags for free for ever but because I liked and believed in the journal and if they needed cash (which I had and could afford) then I was happy to take a punt and help out.

If it went tits up then at least I tried to help.

What I can not abide is that Rodders Journal has decided to send copies to some subscribers and distributors but has chosen to ignore the rest of its subscribers. Additionally they continue to not be upfront and communicate as to what is going on.

If its down the toilet then say so, don't just keep stringing people along with fairy tales and wishes it aren't true.

To me Rodders Journal was like the prettiest girl at school and man were you lucky you got to date her. You saved your cash to buy her nice things and treated her with respect. Only to find that after you dropped her off at night she went out used your cash to buy beers for your mates and then slept with them whist you were left alone staring at her picture wondering how you could have been so dumb.

 

With no upfront and truthful communications from Coonan about international subscriptions and it would appear some US subscriptions the only conclusion can be that he is:
a) liar
b) fraudster
c) thief
d) con artist
Feel free to pick which one you want, personally it’s all of them.
No doubt some of you will still insist he is a stand up guy but the real truth is he is ‘standing up’ on the business practices of an embezzler

 

With all of this negativity aimed at Steve and TRJ I’m surprised that his supporters who have been to his new business location and have spoken to him have suddenly became very quiet.

What happened with them ?

And as far a Steve @TRJ himself is concerned the fact that he hasn’t been here checking in shows that he just doesn’t give a shit.
Busy and working alone doesn’t cut it forever.

By the way my chances of getting a response to my email are still apparently 0.0 or less if that’s even possible.

 

Ryan: Close the thread, I started it to give some encouragement to Rodder's Journal. This has turned ugly.

 

I’ve been reading the recent posts on this thread and have wanted to respond, but I’ve been wrestling with how. Steve’s a good friend, and I hate to see him being called a liar or a fraud. I think any of us would stick up for our friends when they’re in a tight spot, even if they helped land themselves there. On the other hand, I also completely understand how the lack of apparent action regarding international orders and the lack of communication has led some people to lose hope and feel screwed.

I’m no longer an employee of TRJ and any insight I have into what’s been going on comes from the few personal conversations Steve and I have had. I can tell you guys that he hasn’t given up, that he is still working to get international subscriptions shipped, and once that’s done (but not until it’s done) he’ll continue working to revive the magazine. Some of you are going to call bullshit on this post, and I get it. But I think those of you who know me personally know I wouldn’t say something that I didn’t believe to be true.

There are some things that have been said in this thread that probably should be corrected (like the idea that he’s still taking money for new subscriptions, which to my knowledge he is not, or that he’s screening phone calls and hanging up on anyone from outside the U.S., which just seems silly), but there’s really no point to that. With a few exceptions, the complaints voiced here are valid, and I don’t want to sound like I’m trying to explain those away or that I’m blindly defending TRJ. I guess my point for posting is to say that I hope, like everyone else, that Steve’s efforts pay off and he’s able to come through… I want to see the magazine survive, and I want to see folks get what they paid for. And from the little I know about the situation, I do still think that will happen.

Fire away.