Free Wildlife Book from BBC - Watch Out!

Nightwalker

Native
Sep 18, 2006
1,206
2
38
Cornwall, UK.
www.naturalbushcraft.co.uk
The BBC are giving away a fabulous "free" book: Wildlife of Britain - The Definitive Visual Guide Its a huge hardcover book with 500+ pages, containing everything! BUT you have to be careful!... they're not giving it away as they should!... but if you do want it read-on its worth it!

The deal is if you subscribe for the BBC's Wildlife Magazine online you will recieve this £30 book free. Now it says if you "subscribe online today" but its been like that for ages now. Its down towards the bottom of the page on the left-hand side.

Here's the link: http://www.bbcwildlifemagazine.com/

This was my experience... I received a £20 gift-card from someone for WHSmith's, I thought I'd spend it on a magazine subscription for this wildlife magazine, obviously I planned to get it from WHSmiths to use this gift-card, but I knew it was available directly from the BBC, I thought I would check their site first and double-check what magazine I was getting, well I saw the small banner on the left side of the main page. It said "subscribe today online" and you get this free book worth £30, well this interested me, I thought there would obviously be some small-print somewhere on the page detailing specifics, but no nothing, I wanted to look this free book up further so I clicked the banner expecting to learn more details, but on the next page was nothing about it. I thought what the hell I would risk it and buy the subscription myself from BBC just to get this free book worth £30. After I ordered with them I was a bit suspicious that absolutely no further information was supplied about the book, so I contacted them near enough immediately.

The email I sent them:
I just ordered a subscription of BBC Wildlife Magazine (order number: ******) I ordered through your site as oppose WHSmith's because your site had a banner saying "Free Book Worth £29.99 when you subscribe online today" - Well I subscribed online today!... but I was trying to find more information on the wildlife book, the next page after I clicked that banner didnt give me any further information nor after I finished subscribing. What exactly is the book and when can I expect it to arrive? Thanks for your time,

Ashley Cawley.
Their response:
Dear Ashley

Thank you for your recent email regarding the BBC Wildlife magazine.

Using the details you have kindly provided we have been able to locate
your subscription. When the order was processed it was defaulted to a
discounted price and therefore no gift was allocated.

If you would prefer to receive the subscription at the alternative price
and have a free gift allocated please contact one of our customer
services advisors on 0844 844 0260 who will be happy to assist.

Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience caused. If we can be of
any further assistance please do not hesitate to contact us.

Kind regards
Allyson Nolan
Customer Services
0844 844 0260
01795 414 646
www.bbcmagazines.com

My response:
Dear Allyson,

You say when my order was placed it was defaulted to a 'discounted price'?... I did not see any indication what so ever to this 'discounted' price during the subscription or checkout process and this is irrelevant anyhow; I clicked on your own banner that stated If I subscribed online today for the magazine I would receive the free gift/book worth £29.99 - I clicked through and purchased as a result of that banner, As I already said I was planning on placing my order elsewhere before I saw the banner so this effected my purchase. Before making my subscription I even looked for any small print on the webpage regards the free-book but could not find any on the page.

The offer was plain and simple and I did exactly as stated, if I do not receive the free-gift this is a glaringly obvious case of false-advertising of which I will have to take the matter further. Please let me know what action will be taken, Thanks for your time and help,

Ashley Cawley

Their reply:
Dear Ashley

Thank you for your reply.

After looking into your subscription it appears that due to an error on
our system the original gift allocated to your account was never sent.
Please accept our apologies for this and be assured that the gift has now
been ordered and delivery can be expected in the next 28 days.

So basically the BBC were advertising this promotion and weren't really planning on dishing it out to me, it certainly tainted the image of the BBC for me. Anyway, as soon as I showed that I was willing to peruse the matter to get what was advertise they handed it over no problem. I received the free book just two days later, im greatly pleased with it, its better than I imagined and certainly worth £30 or more! So I thought I would share this treat with you. A subscription to BBC's Wildlife Magazine isnt really much and im sure its got wonderful content and worth the money itself and on-top of that you could have this beautiful book which is packed with probably more information than any other book I own. Here's more info about the book from amazon: RSPB Wildlife of Britain (Dk Reference) (Hardcover)
 

Nightwalker

Native
Sep 18, 2006
1,206
2
38
Cornwall, UK.
www.naturalbushcraft.co.uk
It was a very reasonable offer!.. and well worth the hassle, I just feel sad that they had no real intention of honouring the offer they advertised in the first place. I wonder how many others have not received what they expected. I've had my head in this beautiful book all morning. Some of the natural photography in it is truly spectacular! :)
 

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