New Scientist Reviews 

**Update 2**
Now the digital subscription has disappeared from my subscription, leaving me only with print. Or actually without print as the magazines are no longer arriving.
**Update**
Subscription email address still not updated.
Neither replacement nor subsequent issue have arrived.
The magazine is really very good, it's light enough to read easily but still informative. Of course, nothing is covered in any depth but there's certainly enough to whet an appetite.
And that's where the good bit ends, the subscription service is flawed. My subscription was started at the wrong date, and then on the correct starting date - well the magazine just didn't arrive and I have no faith in the replacement or subsequent issues turning up.
Customer Service was surly and uncooperative, implying that I had failed as a customer because I hadn't reported their errors earlier.
If you want to change your email address, you may as well put a note in a bottle and sling it in the sea.
On the whole, what a shame. Its not a cheap rag, but they treat it as such. Please don't cheapen yourselves NS by replying with the customer care email address, everyone complaining have clearly been in touch previously and the reviews are the result.

Tried for the second time to order this magazine; issues never turned up, customer service claimed Canada Post was losing them (seriously?), and have not cancelled my sub despite multiple requests to do so. And what kind of online subscription service doesn't let you cancel online? I am never, ever, dealing with NS again.

Have been a subscriber for years. Quite disappointed with the lack of response to problems regarding downloading magazines after Re-subscribing, even though my subscription remains current. I can’t recommend the service and will consider unsubscribing.

I have been a subscriber since March, having bought a one year web and ap subscription. I tried several times to access the "Manage my Account" page. The reason for wanting to was to check if there is any auto-renewal flag set. Several people have told me New Scientist is well know for ignoring cancellation requests, take the money for renewal, and not returning it. After some exchange of emails I received the final reply from Mr Arnold Spencer (how much more English can you get?). Arnold told there are technical issues with that page, trying to fix...

DO NOT GIVE THIS RAG YOUR MONEY.

Buyer beware - they cannot fix online issues promptly. I've been unable to activate a subscription that my card has already been charged for. No refund and now I must get a new card issued to prevent recurring billings. It's not "New Scientist" - its just "Old Fraud".

Absolutely will not deal with these incompetent people again they have stuffed up our subscription so completely. We cannot believe the lack of customer service you should be ashamed.
Dr Werner Fabian

Awful politicised rubbish. Took £125 without my knowledge, sent receipt to the wrong address, no refund.

Recently, I have been going through a pile of New Scientist magazines from 2017/early 2018. The decline between then and now in terms of the breadth and the quality of content is quite striking. As an inveterate magazine reader, I don't think I have ever witnessed such a sudden nosedive in standards.

Under the editor, Emily Wilson, who was appointed, I believe in April or May, 2018, New Scientist has fallen prey to entropy, regressing to a superficial shadow of its former self; a lifestyle magazine, heavy on op-ed; not above using dogma as a means of crow-barring-in various fashionable progressive social agendas (many of which I do support). This is science on the same level as posting a picture of the Crab Nebula on your social media, accompanied by a quote from the movie 'Interstellar'. It's all posture; the lazy pretence of knowledge.

The new format of the magazine is clearly intended to cast a wider net and engage with new readers from new demographics, which is both admirable and sensible from a commercial standpoint. Sadly, a periodical this slender on meaningful content is unlikely to hold the attention of these potential readers, who are certainly intelligent enough to know when they are pandered to.

Bought an online subscription for family member who is seriously ill. It didn’t give him access so I emailed. Got some generic list of obvious things to try which was completely unhelpful. Phoned them and some guy sent a link that worked for one issue. Family member emailed. They ignored him. He sent another. Got another unhelpful list of questions back. I rang again and was told that they don’t do refunds so even though he hasn’t been able to access something that I’ve paid for, they won’t give me my money back. Appalling service. Never touching this magazine again.

Ordered a one off copy that was a compilation of several issues online which said would take 3-5days.
I paid for the postage and the magazine for it not to have arrived over a month later, several phone calls and emails later and I’m still waiting. I’ve constantly been told they are very sorry but I had to wait over 28 days before they would do anything. Then they apparently resent the magazine which again hasn’t arrived and now they have escalated it to another team but can not say how long this will take.
Certainly would not recommend purchasing online with them or there customer service.
Unable to review the magazine as still waiting!

Used to be brilliant, since it’s takeover by a company more interested in equality of outcome rather than science it seems to have become more like ‘hello’ magazine. One recent article called for the destruction of YouTube because the author didn’t like something she saw on it, Brilliant, let’s silence free speech, very scientific. It’s a sad day for science, it’s no place for SJW’s. Can we have authors chosen for scientific merit rather than gender please.

For more than 10 years we enjoyed the NS as it brought a wide range of scientific topics to us (geoscientists). Recently we noticed a change as the gender studies and other social science crept in with new editor who appears to have brought all that fluff with her. Not interested. I see that it is easier and cheaper to fill the mag as many professional identity warriors would write for free.
If it keeps up, we are off.

Two completely different experiences, one excellent, the other one awful:

1) The magazine itself, contents, presentation, delivery, etc.: excellent. I recommend it.

2) The subscription policy: I subscribed for one year for a certain amount X. The subscription conditions state (literally) "Thereafter, you will be charged [X] Per Year, unless you tell us to stop". Now, three weeks before renewal date, I get an email indicating that “increasing cost of print, production and postage” make renewal rate to be increased "by a small amount" (which turns out to be a 33% increase, hardly a "small amount" in my humble opinion).
After contacting subscription services I am informed that it is their policy to offer a very advantageous price for new customers but then increase gradually year after year to the "normal" rate.
So how can I trust them after two false statements:
1) The condition in the initial subscription of renewing for same amount.
2) The initial explanation that the "small amount" of increase was due to the "increasing cost of print, production and postage", which later turned out to be their policy to increase price to existing customers once they were in.

I have been a New Scientist fan for years. With the arrival of the Internet, I understand that quality journalism and research is massively under threat. Therefore, I have started to subscribe to various publications. I cancelled New Scientist, because I kept being logged out of my phone. This made my subscription useless. Even worse, I contacted support via email to make the cancellation. I was told that it had been done. A year later, I find out that they have been continually taking my money. Guess what? They have no records of the email exchange - so no refund. Disgusting.
UPDATE - I have now received an email that my new subscription service has started, and the direct debit will start taking money on Oct. WHAT??? GO AWAY AND STOP TAKING MY MONEY!!!

Brilliant range of articles, great and small.

I have subscribed since 1960. I am disappointed by the latest version. I have always relied on New Scientist for an overview of developments in all fields of science and technology. While New Scientist still serves this function, coverage can be superficial and often too brief, except for feature articles.

it arrived quickly, Enjoyed reading it on paper again and seems perfect for my 12 yr daughter (she liked the exercise article)

I've been reading New Scientist for a few years now, and I've always been impressed with how they tackle highly complex subjects in an accessible way (and without resorting to clickbait as many publishers seem to these days).
Highly recommend them to anyone who is looking to keep up to date with science developments and gain a new perspective on the world.

I have loved reading News Scientist for over 20 years. Surprisingly, I've only just got round to subscribing. Good service and now I get the magazine delivered every week.