There have been some interesting complaints going around lately about TAPS ParaMag. This recently came to my attention from the SyFy forum. Several times in the past I had seen people post complaints about not getting all the issues they paid for. Well, I thought that had been resolved, but from what I’m reading, many are still getting shorted as noted in this review of the magazine.

In a discussion on a forum I was part of with the new editor, Scotty Roberts, there were some good things that came out of it, as well as some bad. Mr. Roberts, who’s been editor for two weeks, says that they’re working hard to correct the poor practices the magazine has made in the past. That is a good thing. But at this point it is only words. He also stated that he contacted a couple of people on that forum who had expressed their grievances about not receiving the magazine as promised, and was working to correct that problem. That too is a good thing, and hopefully he follows through. But then there’s the bad.

On the issue of people not getting their issues as promised, Mr. Roberts replied to a poster that they were working hard to get things back on track and that everyone would receive what they paid for, so what’s the problem. Well, the first part of what he said is good. But the “What’s the problem,” statement is highly unprofessional and is skirting the issue that TAPS ParaMag did not fulfill it’s obligations to it’s customers. From the subscription page of TAPS ParaMag (at the time of this article), “Join THE SEARCH FOR ANSWERS and stay up on the latest developments by ordering here for one year of TAPS PARAMAG to get the mag delivered to your door every other month.” A professional and ethical manager would have never said “So what’s the problem.” They would know the problem was failure of TAPS ParaMag to deliver it’s end of the deal, and that the “So what’s the problem,” is poor customer relations. What they would have done is to state the first part, but then apologize for the past behavior of the business and publicly announce a way for customers to contact the magazine for immediate resolution. With what he said it gives the impression that the failure of the publication to make good on its commitment is irrelevant and that customers should be happy that they are getting all the issues they paid for. My business professors would say that’s total hogwash and highly unprofessional since the magazine failed to live up to its end of the deal. I wonder how Mr. Roberts would feel about a business that treated him in such a manner? I know in my case if I order something from a company and it’s suppose to be delivered on a routine basis; let’s say every other month just as this magazine, and then skip me over for six months at which time they suddenly dump all of what should have been delivered in that time frame, I am not going to be happy because that wasn’t the deal, and I will not do business with that company in the future. This is a typical reaction from a customer, which is why professional managers who are worth their weight in salt would not make statements such as that made by Mr. Roberts.

Another thing that concerned me was his statement about only being editor for two weeks and to give him time to correct things. Well, people don’t care how long you’ve been in charge. They’ve been screwed, they’re angry, and they want to hear what what’s going to be done to fix the problem. This is one thing Mr. Roberts never divulged. All he said was great things were going to happen with the magazine and that the problem was being remedied, but it will take time. That’s not a professional response and is again, poor customer relations. Customers don’t care if there are great things to come or not. What they do care about is what are you going to do to fix the problem. They want to here specifically what is being done, not just that the magazine is working hard to correct the problem. A professional manager would have announced what they were doing to fix the problem, as well as giving out information on how unsatisfied customers could contact the magazine in order to get that prompt resolution. Also, a professional manager would not be trying to pump up the image of the company in this forum. Angry customers don’t care about great things to come, and to announce how great things will be only grows that anger as they think things like, “yeah right, you’re just going to screw more people”, and, “who cares if you promise great things if we don’t get the product.” To me, Mr. Roberts seems to want a clean slate and that the past performance of the company shouldn’t reflect upon him. I guess what Mr. Roberts doesn’t understand is that’s not how business works. Professional managers who accept such a position know that they’re walking into a firestorm, and know that they now carry the burden of the failures of the prior manager. While it is true that his performance should not be based on the prior managers performance, it is also true that he has accepted the position and all burdens from the prior manager, therefore, stop making excuses and if you’re not ready to give detailed plans of how you intend to fix the problems you inherited then it is best to keep your mouth shut. Otherwise you do nothing more than make a negative impression as outlined, and you appear to be an excuse maker instead of a professional manager.

All in all, I’d recommend to those who have complaints and have not received what was promised to file for resolution through the Better Business Bureau. I’m sure Mr. Roberts would rather you contact the magazine than to do this, but considering that Mr. Roberts has no track record and has already exhibited unprofessional managerial behavior, along with the track record this business has already shown, I highly recommend going the route of the Better Business Bureau since they are a unbiased, third party arbitrator who looks out for both parties involved.

Additional 1/3/09

Since this article was first published there was more discussion about this on the thread with Mr. Roberts. In that thread I noted the unprofessional behavior that Mr. Roberts was exhibiting according to my business professors and that he was digging a deeper hole. His response was to justify his engagement in the thread, which further proves his unprofessional skills as a manager. This only further solidifies my doubt that contacting Mr. Roberts will be able to do much with the magazine, and that if you want resolution then seek that through the Better Business Bureau. Remember, NOBODY is policing the paranormal community so these things need to be brought to light using resource such as the BBB. One statement that cracked me up and further demonstrated Mr. Roberts unprofessional behavior was how he referred to people as “haters”, this after he chastised people for remarks they had made saying that they didn’t have all the information. Pot meet kettle in this case Mr. Roberts. In case you haven’t noticed, people don’t necessarily hate the players, they hate the lies that the players are dishing out.