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Business Profile

Newspaper

Bay Area News Group
BBB accredited business seal
BBB Accredited BusinessA+Rated by BBB

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Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Bay Area News Group's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see

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Bay Area News Group has 9 locations, listed below.

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    Customer Complaints Summary

    • 117 total complaints in the last 3 years.
    • 39 complaints closed in the last 12 months.

    If you've experienced an issue

    Submit a Complaint

    The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

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    Complaint status

    Complaint type

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:11/25/2022

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Resolved
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I have a one year subscription to ************ Times and am not getting my physical paper. I have made over 10 phone calls and over 10 emails to try and resolve this but no paper.They wont refund my subscription and still no paper.Thank you ***************** ****** of ****************************** *************************************************************

      Business Response

      Date: 12/06/2022

      Our sincere apologies that we were not able to deliver.  We will issue a refund as requested.  Thank you.

      Customer Answer

      Date: 12/07/2022

      Better Business Bureau:

      I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

      Sincerely,

      *********************

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:11/25/2022

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      Ive been charged multiple times for a subscription that Ive already canceled and confirmed cancellation multiple. Yet Im being charge multiple times.

      Business Response

      Date: 11/28/2022

      Hello, this subscription was started at the Sharks game.  Attached is the receipt.  This subscription was stopped in September.  Is it possible you signed up for more than one subscription at the Sharks game?  If you can provide the last 4 digits of the credit card that was charged, along with the amount and date of the charge, we can locate the other subscription.  Please email this information to ***************************************  Thank you.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:11/23/2022

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I have been a subscriber for the last 6 years. I have attempted more than 8 times to cancel my subscription. I have asked several sales callers from the mercury news to cancel my subscription and they always tell me to call this 800 number which rings once and then disconnects. I cant ever get any help its ridiculous. I stopped trying as my time is too valuable yet every month they auto withdraw ***** which now I notice is *****. Im disgusted with this company definitely should not be a A+ rating complete scam and horrible customer service.

      Business Response

      Date: 11/23/2022

      Hello, our sincere apologies.  Our phone number has changed.  The new phone number is ************.  We will cancel your subscription as requested.  If you have any questions, please contact ***************************************.  Thank you.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:11/05/2022

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      BEWARE: There is no reason for this business to have an A+ rating. The response rate is misleading since they keep doing the same thing to people, over and over. I never received what I paid for, and it has been impossible to get a cancellation confirmation and a refund.I ordered the Sunday home delivery of the East Bay Times on 10/6/2022 but never received even one paper. The price paid by credit card was $52.00 for 3 months. I called twice to let them know and they assured me it would be corrected. After a full month of no paper, I called to cancel and requested a full refund. They transferred me to the ******************* where the "supervisor" named *** proceeded to tell me that it was non-refundable. And they never provided me with confirmation of my auto-renew subscription cancellation either. He said he would "escalate" this and forward it to the District Manager, but he couldn't tell me who this is or when they would call. So I opened a dispute with my credit card company, and then I called back *************) again to obtain confirmation that the subscription had been cancelled. **** #**** told me that they could "see" the cancellation from two days ago (11/3) but they could not provide me with a confirmation/reference number. She said they would email it within ***** hours. When I asked why I hadn't already received this email (since I cancelled 2 days ago) she said that I had not requested the confirmation email. What???My credit card company said they would place a "Merchant Block" on the account so that they cannot do this again. But why should consumers have to go through all of this and spend all of this time? And what about those who paid with a check - they have no recourse? The Bay Area News Group / East Bay Times has become a scam. The responses posted here on BBB are too little too late, and most folks are having their money stolen by this company. BBB: The rating needs to be changed because it is misleading to the public.

      Business Response

      Date: 11/07/2022

      Our sincere apologies.  Since you never received a paper, you should have been offered a full refund.  We will follow up with our customer service team and take corrective action.  We will provide a full refund and put you on the do not call list as you requested.  If you have any questions, please contact ***************************************

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:10/09/2022

      Type:Order Issues
      Status:
      Resolved
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I have been a subscriber to the East Bay Times for many years (Account # ********, and always have paid my bill for home delivery, which covers two months of deliveries at a time. However, starting September 25, and continuing since, I have received no paper. I had sent the Times a check for $192.61 to cover deliveries from September 11 through November 10. A friend also had his deliveries stopped at the same time as mine, and it apparently is a carrier problem (after much haggling, my friend did receive a refund). I contacted the paper and received feedback from a *******************************. ************************, after reviewing all my information, stated that no refund would be forthcoming because I had a past due balance of $111.66. Since I always had paid my bill up to date, and there never before had been any mention of a past due balance, I asked ************************ to explain when this unpaid balance occurred, and send me verification. I also asked several other questions. I never received verification, nor answers to any of my questions. However, another employee did send me a copy of my payment history. The copy showed all bills had been paid, and nothing was past due. Since I did receive some papers for the Sept. 11 to Nov. 10 delivery period, I calculated the amount of my refund should be $148.61. I consider that an attempt to claim that I owed a past due balance to avoid sending me an honest refund to be fraudulent.

      Business Response

      Date: 10/10/2022

      Hello, our sincere apologies for these issues.  We will refund $148.61 as requested.  Please allow 2-3 weeks to receive the refund.  If you have any questions, please contact ***************************************.  Thank you.

      Customer Answer

      Date: 10/11/2022

      Better Business Bureau:

      I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

      Sincerely,

      *****************************

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:10/07/2022

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      The East Bay Times spams subscribers relentlessly with "thank you" calls, coming in at about 5x a day. Even upon cancellation, they continue to call at the same rate with a "we hate to see you leave" call. Upon letting them know that I've already cancelled my service, they continued to call upon which I blocked their number. They then simply start calling from another number to circumvent this. Absolutely ridiculous amounts of spam calling coming from them.

      Business Response

      Date: 10/07/2022

      We apologize for the numerous calls.  I have added your phone number to our do not call list.  Please feel free to contact me directly at ********************************* if you have further questions or concerns.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:10/06/2022

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      A young man knocked on my door asking for what appeared to be a donation of $15 to help with his college fund. I gave him $20 in cash. He asked if I could possibly give him $15 by check instead, as folks like him have gotten mugged recently. Not thinking much of it, I obliged. Next day I took a closer look at the receipt and realized I just got scammed into signing up for a RECURRING subscription. Tried calling the # on the receipt, but the # has been disconnected.Contacted ************ Mercury News directly, spent 20 mins on the phone just to be told that indeed I got signed up for a RECURRING subscription but I'm not in their system yet and to call in about a week.I expressed my sentiment of how unethical their business practices are and that I would be calling my bank to stop payment (which I did) and that I will be filing a BBB complaint. The service representative seemed unfazed. What exploitive organizations (both ************ Mercury News and Bay Area News Group)

      Business Response

      Date: 10/07/2022

      ***********************
      3519 ****************** Apt 6
      ********, ** 95008
      Daytime Phone: **************
      E-mail: *********************

       

      ****: Thank you for your information about our sales person.  We take this type of dishonesty seriously and we will remove this person from our account.  Thank you for your help. If you have any further questions or concerns please feel free to contact me directly at *********************************   



    • Initial Complaint

      Date:10/04/2022

      Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I was a longtime home-delivery subscriber to the Mercury News, but in December 2021, I moved to ****, **. So - I called subscriber services to cancel, but they refused to give me a refund. Instead, they credited my outstanding balance to an e-subscription. Then, a week or so ago, I got a notice that they were attempting to charge my credit card for a renewal, which I did not authorize. The website doesn't allow online cancellation, so I had to call again. The 1st call, a woman wasted my time before telling me she had to transfer me to someone who would cancel my subscription, but that person never came on the line. Called back, and got the same treatment again, except the person I was transferred to said he had to transfer me to a 3rd person! I told him I wasn't going to waste any more of my time, and to just cancel my account, but the company went ahead and charged my credit card anyway.

      Business Response

      Date: 10/05/2022

      Our sincere apologies for these issues.  We will follow up with our call center and take corrective action.  We have cancelled your subscription as requested, so you won't be charged again.  We received a chargeback from your credit card company, so they money was sent back to them through the chargeback process.  If you have any questions, please email ***************************************.  Thank you

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:10/04/2022

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Resolved
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      After many missed papers (I only received one actual paper), I canceled my subscription to the East Bay Times. This was roughly in June. I canceled via their app/online and then followed up via phone the next day. I never received a cancellation confirmation (I didnt realize that at the time). Later, they charged me again and told me they dont have a record of my cancellation so I need to pay them and keep my subscription for 3 more months at a cost of roughly $70. I canceled again and blocked them from charging me on my credit card. I got a call about a week later from their billing company that my payment failed; that person couldnt cancel (yet again) and said I had to call EBT company itself. I did and found that I was still on auto-pay so I asked again that they cancel. I still have yet to receive a cancellation confirmation. I did ask them to cancel via email and have record they received and acknowledged that request. However, I got another call today asking for payment and stating that I owe them money. The amount varies and is sometimes around $30 and other times around $70. Please help me clear my account and cancel forever with them. I see from reviews that I am not the only one they do this to.

      Business Response

      Date: 10/05/2022

      Our sincere apologies for these issues.  We have cancelled your subscription and cleared the balance.  We will not contact you again.  We received a chargeback from your credit card company, so they money was sent back to them through the chargeback process.  If you have any questions, please email ***************************************.  Thank you

      Customer Answer

      Date: 10/06/2022

      Better Business Bureau:

      I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

      Thank you.  I appreciate your help as I was unable to resolve on my own. 

      Sincerely,

      ***********************

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:10/03/2022

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Resolved
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I haven't received a newspaper on time for over a year. Lately, I am not receiving a paper. I go on line and receive an email confirmation saying my account will be credited, except it never is. I have been calling as well. On Saturday, when I called to cancel, I was told that I was paid through the end of the year, but later that evening received an email that they just billed me. Also, the bill did not reflect the many credits the newspaper said I would be getting. When I didn't receive a newspaper Sunday I was told the best they could do was give me two months free, extending my subscription through the end of February. I don't understand why they continue to bill me for a newspaper I either don't receive at all or, at best, receive late. I subscribe to a morning paper, not an afternoon paper. I would like Saturday's bill refunded and a refund for all the missing papers.

      Business Response

      Date: 10/04/2022

      Our sincere apologies for the delivery issues.  We will refund and cancel as requested.  Please allow 14 days for the refund to post to your credit card.  If you have any questions, please email ********************************  Thank you.

      Customer Answer

      Date: 10/07/2022

       
      Complaint: 18160505

      I am rejecting this response because:  I am not sure of the amount that will be refunded.  I am expecting the $109.64 plus daily credit for each time I filled out the online request when I have not received a credit.  It is unfair of the business to send an email confirmation that the account will be credited each time without crediting it.  I also don't see why it should take 2 weeks.  When I see an email receipt with the credit, I will accept the resolution.

      Sincerely,

      *****************************

      Business Response

      Date: 10/07/2022

      Hello, we issued a full refund for the last 2 payments in the amount of $197.07.  The refund for $197.07 was processed on 10/05/2022.  I may take a few days for the credit card company to post the refund.  We received complaints where credit was requested on 9/24, 9/25, 9/26, 9/28, 9/29, 10/1, and 10/3.  Those 7 complaints were applied to the subscription which extended the subscription by 7 days.  By refunding the last 2 payments in full, we more that covered the complaints that were entered.  

      Customer Answer

      Date: 10/07/2022

      Better Business Bureau:

      I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

      Sincerely,

      *****************************

    Bay Area News Group is BBB Accredited.

    BBB accredited business seal

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