Cox Auto Trader Makes Strategic Moves to Improve Online Automotive Advertising Business

[Payless]

Paid nada: Payday has always been Fridays. If you are DD, you should see a deposit after midnight Thursday. You should also check and make sure that you signed all of your appropriate paperwork and sent it to (HR yourself, noyt just handed to someone at your office, and hopefully by registered and traceable mail)and, make sure that they received it. If they don't have it or you did not send it for whatever reason, you will not receive anything until they get it, since you had to agree to the terms and conditions on the agreement.

 

[Longtime Cox/Traderpub employee]

I did receive my 1st check the other day. Of course they are screwing me out of 80 hours of vacation time I had accumulated. I did find out that in the Tulsa OK area the former rd, sales managers, and a few of the sales people have started a new free pub here. Shelly, does this have anything to do with your mag or is this going to be competition? Anyway, the funny part is that if you call our old office number, there is a recording saying if you are a dealer wanting to place an ad (caller would assume in the autotrader since that is the number they called) to call such and such at certain number. So in other words, these former cox employees are basically using a cox phone number to drive business to their new business venture they were probably in the works of starting while still employeed by cox. The only reason I mention this is not because am a big fan of Cox, but because my dislike of these certain people outweight my dislike for cox.

 

[Stew Pedasso]

Wow JK you should charge an online-access fee for this kind of drama! DR might hit syndication on SOAP network!

Seriously people let's avoid the legal involvement crap on this board, take it elsewhere.

 

[Paid nada]

I knew it was Fridays, but we were told by the HR rep that came to our town that we'd see the 1st round of checks on Thur the 12th. Which I thought was bizarre. Then again, everything about this situation has been bizarre!
Thanks for the input!
BTW... I signed and FedExd all the paperwork!

 

[M.W]

Longtime Cox/Traderpub employee why such the hate? Don't you realize it wasn't your local upper management that did you wrong, it was Cox? If the allegations are true of a new magazine, let them be. EVERYONE is just trying to make it in a very difficult economy. I wish those who do come out with a new magazine the best of luck. Hopefully in the near future it will create more jobs for those who are still without one. Kudos for those who are moving on and to those(Longtime Cox/Traderpub employee)who choose to keep gossiping on what they think they know the truth is, realize the sooner you let it go, the sooner you will go on to bigger and better things. Good luck to ALL.

 

[Former Landmark/Trader Publishing employee]

M.W.

I could not have said it better myself. I also salute any former employees of Cox that have went out on their own to try and start a new magazine.

It is no secret that when Cox made the decision to pull the plug on the entire country that they left a lot of money on the table in doing so. There were several markets for print that were running a very healthy profit margin despite Cox's unbeleivable incompetence in the last 2 years since the split.

If some former employees want to try to profit from Cox's incredibly stupid decision to walk away from print markets that were running around a 40% profit margin, then more power to them. Anybody that thinks print is dead and everything should be on-line has lost their minds. Any ex employees that want to try to make money that Cox walked away from should not be ridiculed but commended.

 

[Longtime Cox/Traderpub employee]

M.W., yes I am aware it was not local managements fault, that is not the point. I am all for starting new magazines. The problem I have with this particular group of people has been their general attitude over the years. If you are not a "manager" we do not speak to you sort of attitude. I do not hate them for starting their own mag, I just think its a bit under handed to have a message on the old office number direct you to call them. Do I really care if it hurts Cox? No. I just think its a bit tacky but on the other hand more power to them. BTW, I have moved on, I have a new job in a completely different industry. Dont get me wrong, I sure miss the old days of autotrader, wish I was still there for sure.

 

[J ex Auto Mercado Rep]

I worked for this magazine for approximately 5 years as a top producer and a candidate for management, which I never accepted due to their poor negotiating skills. I am sorry to hear that so many good people lost their jobs. Management was horrible, there was no structure and no leadership. As they say "the right hand had no idea what the left hand was doing". Dealer pricing for ads was all over the place, distribution was never near the numbers they stated and there were never solutions for any problems; just "smoke and mirrors". Hopefully a capable hand steps in and takes over a product that has potential and can work even in a tough economy, it just takes business skills, determination and some gray matter. Shame on you Cox and its management team, shame on you!!!

 

[broke and no answers on when we'll get paid]

Anyone else having a HELL of a time getting a response on when they'll get theirseveranrce? I have been trying to reach HR/Payroll since Friday without any response. Spoke to someone today who basically told me, we'll get to it when we can, but the ONLY person who can approve severance packets will only be in the office a few hours this week!
This is unacceptable, and saddening. Is this seriously legal? If your job is to sign pieces of paper to help former employee welfare how are you allowed to leave your office without having that done? How about holding that person's paycheck until all of us receive our money?!?! Bet it would have been done already.
I was not upset with Cox until all of this. I am so disappointed!

 

[Shelly Peacock]

Long Time Trader Employee-
No, the Tulsa mag is not mine, and is indeed competition for me, but only because of the deluge of dealers in OKC, and the fact that I haven't had time to even get to Tulsa yet.
We plan to add it, but right now, I am busy in my own town.
Competition doesn't concern me, because when we started in Atlanta 4 years ago, we had a ton of books to compete with. Slowly they all went away... even the "Mack Daddy" of all. Now, we are the last man standing, and publishing a huge book with no competition. Publications may come and go, but we have a formula that works, and plug and play is the operative term these days.
I wish you all well... email me if you want to get on the train!