Saga Life Membership unilaterally revoked by Saga - cruise issues?

[Harry Peterson]

Saga are in the process of writing to those of us who took out life memberships some time ago. When we signed up, in an age before online magazines, we were promised 12 copies of the Saga magazine delivered to our door for life - and paid a pretty hefty sum at the time for that.

 

Saga now want £29.95 per annum to continue sending the magazines (which they still publish) - despite already having been paid once for it. The reason, they say, is that it’s costing them too much!

 

Has anyone else encountered similar problems with Saga deciding they don’t like the way a contract’s looking for them, and just unilaterally breaking it?

 

I ask because I had been planning to switch from P&O to Saga, but now feel they can no longer be trusted. Any company that ignores its contracts is sending out a very worrying message.

[Windsurfboy]

Do you have a copy of the original agreement. Anything in small print.

[Harry Peterson]

13 minutes ago, Windsurfboy said:

Do you have a copy of the original agreement. Anything in small print.

No small print. Just the offer of life membership, followed by letters stating this:

 

“I have pleasure in enclosing your new Life Membership card.  Your new membership card entitles you to receive twelve copies of Saga per year for life. Don't forget that each issue of Saga contains exclusive members-only offers."

 

Saga aren’t defending their legal position in any way - and this has been up to CEO level in the shape of Euan Sutherland - but just claiming that they can no longer afford it!

 

Seems to me that if they’re prepared to break contracts willy nilly when it suits them you can’t place much faith in anything they say or do on the cruise front.

[nosapphire]

Not a Saga Life member - but have a look on the thread on MoneySavingExpert, and you are not the only one who is (a) unhappy and (b) thinks it a shoddy move.

 

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6447957/saga-magazine-lifetime-subscription-compulsory-shift-to-digital-format

 

With the problems that I routinely have with MySaga I certainly would not be confident with Saga's ability to organise a digital magazine.

Anyway, I only renew my sub to Saga Magzine when the offer is around  (or preferably below) £1 per print issue, as frankly I do not think it is worth any more than that.

 

[nosapphire]

On 6/3/2023 at 1:57 PM, Harry Peterson said:

Saga are in the process of writing to those of us who took out life memberships some time ago. When we signed up, in an age before online magazines, we were promised 12 copies of the Saga magazine delivered to our door for life - and paid a pretty hefty sum at the time for that.

 

Saga now want £29.95 per annum to continue sending the magazines (which they still publish) - despite already having been paid once for it. The reason, they say, is that it’s costing them too much!

 

Has anyone else encountered similar problems with Saga deciding they don’t like the way a contract’s looking for them, and just unilaterally breaking it?

 

I ask because I had been planning to switch from P&O to Saga, but now feel they can no longer be trusted. Any company that ignores its contracts is sending out a very worrying message.

In addition to my last post. When Saga pulled their Platinum credit card in early 2019, they handled it so badly that they ended up in 2020 paying compensation to a lot of people.

The initial letter was poorly worded in such a way (along the lines of, "clear or transfer your balance or it will be transferred to a third party..") that people who were running a balance were panicked into thinking that the debt collectors would be called in.

(I never ran a balance, so did not affect me, but I was surprised at the mildly threatening tone of the letter).