Portfolio

Conde-Nast's glossy business magazine, Portfolio, closed up shop today, a victim of bad management and a dreadful economic environment.  It's weird that a Conde-Nast publication would be badly managed, as they manage so many other magazines so well. 

Here is my "customer experience" with Portfolio:

One year ago almost to the day, I subscribed on-line, paid with my Amex card, looked forward to reading the magazine.  I finally got my first copy last week.  I have not received any back issues.

In the intervening twelve months, I received any number of email appeals from Conde-Nast, asking me to subscribe to The New Yorker, Conde-Nast Traveler, various fashion and food books. I responded to each and every one of these emails as follows: "I'd be happy to subscribe to (whatever magazine) if you would please send me copies of the magazine I did subscribe to, which I have never received."  

As I am one of the few remaining souls on the planet who enjoys receiving dead-tree product in my home, you would think that the entire executive team at Conde-Nast would have been positively salivating to help me. Yes, Mr. Ellis, we'll get it straight over, would Fedex be acceptable?   

But I never heard back from anyone at Portfolio or Conde-Nast.  Not once.