Stop Calling Me, Newspaper Phone Spammer!

For nostalgic reasons, we received a print newspaper for a long time after we bothered reading it. Finally, we tired of putting unread newspapers straight into the recycling and cancelled. Ever since, the newspaper has been phone spamming us three to five times a day, begging us to renew. My mom, who cancelled the same newspaper, found that they continued to charge her credit card for months afterward.

Finally, frustrated after months of this phone spam -- we asked them politely and officially to stop calling us several times -- I answered the phone by snapping, "There's this thing called the internet. Look into it!"

Not really fair to the phone jockey at the call center, but I was super annoyed.

The discussions I saw about the move of Dorchester to epublishing were all negative, as if moving to epublishing were a sign of shame and failure. I guess, if it was brought on by financial difficulties, that's true. But I wonder if we aren't seeing the beginning of a process that is already unfolding for newspapers, a cascade of falling print sales that will force publishers to move to digital. Dorchester might be a canary in a minefield.

I would rather Dorchester move graciously to epublishing than call me during breakfast, lunch and dinner begging me to buy their books.