Banner ads make web site useless
I pay for the web site and printed magazine. I've loved it. Until recently. Now the web site shows huge banner ads at the top regardless of whether I am logged in or not. This makes the web site nearly impossible to navigate. If I search for a term, like "chicken", I can't see any of the results without scrolling down. Totally unacceptable for a paying subscriber. I have raised this issue via email and other ways but have not received a response. If this is not resolved, I will cancel my subscription and stop recommending the service to other people. Very disappointed.
Comments
I have the same complaint. I also received no response to my first email complaint, so I’ve now sent a second one. How is it that others are not joining our complaint campaign?
Agreed
I would have to agree- I thought by purchasing a subscription the ads would go away. I feel the site is harder to navigate. I love everything about the online platform but will more than likely cancel if the ads remain on the paid version.
Yes, also the PRINT button to the left of the recipe no longer works.
Can't print or download recipes now.
So what good is the membership/subscription?
I think they might be going out of business. I've gotten no response to my customer support email. Try browsing recipes on your phone; the banner ad makes it useless. See the attached photo. I searched for an ingredient and can't see any of the results without scrolling.
This is the response I finally received. I think this is completely unacceptable. If they cared about the user experience and their paying subscribers, they would not have banner ads that ruin the web site experience. I am turning off my auto-renew. I've subscribed to Milk Street since the beginning and Cooks Illustrated too. I recommend you all email Milk Street or use other customer support channels. I don't think anyone with management responsibility monitors these forums. Mystifying to me how a business predicated on super high quality content would allow banner ads to ruin it. I remember Cooks Illustrated always touted how they didn't accept advertising. Here is doesn't affect the content, but it makes using it miserable. If they need more money, I wish they'd charge me more for my subscription rather than display those banner ads I'll never ever click on. Very sad.
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There is only one banner ad that appears at the top of the page and these ads have been monitored and they are non-offensive in nature and relevant to a cooking site. We are working on a redesign that should make things more clear; however, as with most changes, it takes time.
As we have mentioned previously, we have brought this to "management's attention" and we again have the following response for you. Our subscribers pay for the content that would otherwise be behind a paywall - not for an ad free site. As with most sites, we serve ads that are relevant and potentially of interest to our audience while at the same time providing revenue so that we can continue to bring you our award winning content. You are also free to download any type of ad blocking software and that will remove the ads from his version of our site if this is helpful. While we do not give out personal information, we have made everyone on the team aware of the emails and the feedback you have provided.
I am also very disappointed that Milk Street has started serving ads. There are no ads in the magazine. And BTW, since the addition of the banner ads, I am unable to copy the ingredients to a clip board. AND I can't access the step by step recipe guide. AND photos do not appear on the recipe page.
Even though you are working on a redesign, that should not affect the usability of the current site.
Notice there is no official response from a Milk Street employee here. I sent a personal letter to Christopher Kimball and have used email and other channels to ensure my voice is heard.
I was also bothered by the ads as a paid subscriber. I resolved the issue by installing the 'BRAVE Private Web Browser' on my android phone. It is free and has blocked the ads on milkstreet's website entirely. The website now looks as it did previously when I login. It has actually become my goto browser now instead of Google Chrome. Perhaps that is not a solution for fellow users, but it made my experience better, especially since I use milkstreet daily. Hope this helps..