Complaints

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

close

Find a Location

Bay Area News Group has 9 locations, listed below.

*This company may be headquartered in or have additional locations in another country. Please click on the country abbreviation in the search box below to change to a different country location.

BBB accredited

Near

Country

USUnited States

Please enter a valid location.

Filter

• 

  Bay Area News Group

  208 Lindbergh Ave Livermore, CA 94551-9512

  
• 

  Bay Area News Group

  6270 Houston Place Suite 200 Dublin, CA 94568

  
• 

  Bay Area News Group

  4301 Lakeside Dr Richmond, CA 94806-5281

  
• 

  Bay Area News Group

  750 Ridder Park Dr San Jose, CA 95190-0001

• 

  Bay Area News Group

  PO Box 5501 Walnut Creek, CA 94596-1501

  

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.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/18/2024

  Type:Delivery Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  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.

  Ordered the ******************************* Print edition, for delivery 7 days a week, on Sept. 02, 2024 online; paid in full for the entire year, by credit card. The first paper didn't arrive until Sunday, Sept. 8th, 2024.No paper was delivered after that until Sept. 12th, 2024.I called daily to report delivery problem beginning Monday, Sept. 9th, 2024. Was promised delivery per recorded message every time. Also called customer service daily explaining the problem. Was told that it would be resolved by noon same day or next day. Never happened! Was also told paper was scheduled to start originally on Thursday, Sept. 5th, 2024. Was given 3 days credit for those missed days.On Sept. 9th, 10th, 11th, no papers delivered. Promises made again, but NO deliveries. Received paper delivery 0n 12th, 13th, and 14th. Then on Sunday Sept. 15th, NO Sunday paper was delivered. Have called daily requesting delivery of that Sunday paper; promises were made daily with NO results!Thankfully we have received our paper this week on the 16th, 17, & 18th. My husband is elderly, On Hemo Dialysis 3 days a week and cannot enjoy reading the paper online. We paid in full for a years delivery of papers to our home, in a very nice clean neighborhood. Our neighbors get their papers. This problem needs solving for us.I have given up trying to get the full service we've paid for on my own, Will you help us, please?Thank you!Sincerely, ********

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/19/2024

  Our sincere apologies.  We will get delivery fixed.  Our delivery manager reached out and provided his contact information.  If you have any further issues please contact ******************************  Thank you

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/20/2024

  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:09/16/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  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 had been charged without my consent for months, despite numerous attempts to unsubscribe and manage my account. Unfortunately, none of my phone calls have been returned, and I have been unable to access my account online, even after inputting my account number and making repeated attempts to sign in. I have been unable to access the services. Despite my charge confirmations being sent to my email, I am unable to sign in, change my password, or manage my account. I have been trying to resolve this issue for months, with no replies or support. I understand the terms that are typically provided for a subscription service, but I had no way to access any services, or even login to manage my account and therefore was unable to cancel the subscription. I heard many people encountering the same issue, and would like to warn others.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/17/2024

  Our apologies.  We will provide a refund minus $20 for the gift that was provided at the kiosk when the subscription was started.  So the total refund is $53.22.  If you have any questions please contact ********************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/05/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  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.

  My name is ***** "*****************, and I am the conservator for *************************, the Trustee for the ***** trust, and was the conservator for ***********************.************************* subscribed to ******************************* for ***********************, she herself did not read the newspaper, only he did. Sadly *********************** passed away late July 2024. The immediate matters were taken care of, items involving; social security, VA, burial, credit reporting agencies, etc.Bills were also reviewed and cancelled as needed. However, ******************************* did not allow us to cancel the account online. The exact message received when attempting to cancel was "Your subscription is unable to be canceled at this time. Please contact support." With everything that was going on, I did not have time to contact phone support and continuously be put on long hold times or get disconnected. So multiple attempts were made throughout the month of august to cancel online.Assembly Bill No.390 was signed into law, which amends the *** (California ********************** Code Section ***** ), to add stricter ********************* requirements for subscription-based products & services, it came into effect July 1, 2022 & is being ignored by East Bay Times. If the website worked as required by law, there would be no problem.Recently the bank account was charged $471.80 on 8/27/2024. We called the ******************************* today (September 5 2024) to attempt to resolve this, we were disconnected once, and almost disconnected a second time before finally reaching a representative. The representative attempted multiple times to sell us on reduced services despite being told about ***'s passing being the reason for cancellation. They committed to cancelling the account and keeping the $471.80. After telling them that was not ok, they stated that they would submit a request for refund and that they would let me know in 3-4 weeks if the request was approved. By delaying 3-4 weeks it will make it much harder to get a refund through other means

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/06/2024

  Our sincere apologies.  We will refund $471.80 back to the credit card.  Please allow 7 days for refund processing.  Thank you

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/06/2024

  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory.
  I appreciate the prompt response and willingness, a refund in 7 days is far more reasonable than the 3-4 weeks just to decide whether or not to issue a refund.
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/05/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  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 renewed my newspaper delivery and digital access account for the **********************, paying on line via mobile banking from my bank account on March 12, 2024. Not long after this, my delivery became intermittent and then stopped altogether. Multiple requests for improved service were not successful, and I called and requested my subscription be terminated and my payment refunded. My subscription was stopped, digital access removed, but my subscription payment for a year of service was never refunded. After four requests and four promises my complaint would be escalated and I would be contacted, nothing has been resolved. I want my refund.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/05/2024

  Our sincere apologies.  We will refund $48.19 as requested.  Please allow 4 weeks for refund processing and mailing time.  If you have any questions, please contact ********************************.  Thank you

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/06/2024

  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:08/28/2024

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  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 bought a hoodie at a sharks game and they kept charging me every month for over a year. Coming to a total of $210. When I finally noticed the charges, I put my credit card on hold and they started sending me spam mail demanding collection. I called them and they said I had a membership but received nothing from them. I tried to get refunded but they refused. I'm prepared to take them to court for repeatedly charging and stealing over $200 from me. I have all the receipts to prove it and can provide a history of every single charge, if this doesn't get dealt with through here then I will be taking legal options.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/28/2024

  Customer Information:
  *************************
  ************************
  **************, CA 95742
  Daytime Phone: **************
  E-mail: ***********************

   

  Hello ****: The hoodie you received from us at our Bay Area Newsgroup booth at the time of your subscription was our gift to you for agreeing to subscribe and make monthly payments for your digital subscription. I have however looked into your account and learned that you did not activate and access the account until after you cancelled your automatic payments. As a matter of good *************** refunding your charges (less the $20 value of the gift you already received) or $190 back to your credit card on file. 

  Thank you for alerting us to your concerns, I am hopeful that this resolution meets with your satisfaction.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/01/2024

  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:07/31/2024

  Type:Delivery Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  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 bought a years subscription to the newspaper for home delivery every day and only received it for about a month. Then it stopped coming. I called them several times and every time they said they would resolve the problem but no papers were delivered . It's been a few months now

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/07/2024

  Our sincere apologies.  Our delivery manager will contact our distributor and take corrective action.  If you have any further issues, please contact *****************************  Thank you

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/01/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  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.

  My name is **********************, I have been subscribed to ************ Mercury News for many years and paid my subscription yearly. Last year in Jan 2023 I decided to cancel and no longer needed. I called Mercury News and they didn't let me go and offered me a half-yearly subscription from the previous year I had paid which is $40/year. I took the offer and provided them with a CHASE credit card.A year has been passed and I didn't receive the bill for the following year. Caught by surprise when I received a monthly billing statement from CHASE for $3.04 on Jan 10 from the ************ Mercury News, which I received the statement on Feb 5. On Feb 5, I called Mercury News and they told me that I am signed up for a monthly auto-pay which surprised me that I never signed up and they have my credit card from last year in their file.Every time, I called the Mercury News customer service they were not friendly and I am having a hard time they are the 3rd party on behalf of Mercury News located in the ***********. I tried to search that I need someone locally in the ** to help me on this issue, but always been held up in the *********** up to today. I have 2 references case #AM03061522 on March 6, 2024, and opened another case #CC03080720 on March 8, 2024. They had told me that I would receive the email which is not true, I checked my email in the **** or INBOX, and nothing from them.I do need your help on this case, it's a matter of principle for Mercury News to abuse my credit card on file.Thank you,**********************

  

  Business Response

  Date: 07/01/2024

  Our apologies.  We will refund $6.08 as requested.  The refund will go back to the credit card.  We also received 2 chargebacks from the credit card company, so $6.08 was already sent back to the credit card company through the chargeback process.  If you have any questions, please contact ********************************************.  Thank you

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/09/2024

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  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 am writing to address a billing discrepancy and express my dissatisfaction with the services provided by The Mercury News.In January of this year, I made a payment of $446.19 for a subscription to The Mercury News. However, I recently received a bill indicating a rate increase to $543.27 in April, despite not having consented to such a change in subscription terms. Due to this unexpected increase in rates, I made the decision to cancel my subscription.My decision to cancel my subscription is further motivated by my history of unsatisfactory experiences with The Mercury News's customer service. On numerous occasions, I have encountered problems such as non-delivery of the newspaper, even after reaching out to customer service for assistance. Despite my efforts to resolve these issues, the level of service provided has consistently fallen short of expectations.Given these circumstances, I respectfully request that I not be billed for the cancelled subscription and that The Mercury News cease delivery of the newspaper to my address. Additionally, I would appreciate prompt confirmation of the cancellation of my subscription and confirmation that I will not receive any further bills for services I did not subscribe to.I trust that you will address this matter promptly and to my satisfaction. Thank you for your attention to this issue. Should you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me at the provided contact details.Sincerely,*****************************

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/10/2024

  Our sincere apologies.  This is not the type of service we aim to provide.  We can confirm that this subscription has been cancelled an no further bills will be sent.  The last bill was mailed out on 4/29/2024.  If you have any questions, please contact ********************************.  Thank you.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/10/2024

   
  Complaint: 21689359
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  The Mercury News is still billing me for services that I cancelled, and I am still getting newspapers that I didn't request. Please see attachment.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/15/2024

  Hello, the last bill was mailed out on 4/29/24.  The subscription has been stopped.  If the paper is being delivered its by habit by the carrier. We will follow up with our distributor to ensure delivery is stopped.  If you have any questions, please contact ********************************.  Thank you.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/16/2024

   
  Complaint: 21689359
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  I find the message from the Mercury News very cryptic. It says Hello, the last bill was mailed out on 4/29/24.  The subscription has been stopped.

  I think that they may be saying that I still owe them for the new 4/29/24 bill for service from 4/16/24 for 3 months at the $543.27. Yet they seem to indicate that they acknowledged my cancelled subscription and have finally stopped delivery as per my request.
  If they really meant that my subscription has really been cancelled and that they will cancel the 4/29/24 bill since I was paid up before cancelling my subscription, then I will drop my complaint. Otherwise, I respectively reject their response.
  *****************************
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/03/2024

  Type:Delivery Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  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've contacted this company over 10 times asking to have the newspaper delivered on my driveway at my house. **************** always says they'll let the delivery person know, but nothing changes. When I ask to speak to a supervisor, I'm told one will call me in ***** hours. No one ever calls me. My mom has to walk down a long road to get the paper. She's 87. I'm worried about her falling and thought it would be a simple fix to have the paper delivered on the driveway at her house. I'm perplexed on how to resolve this. It seems calling to make a complaint does absolutely nothing. I'd rather not cancel the paper, but I've run out of options to fix this.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/06/2024

  Our delivery manager reached reached out and is working with our distributor to address this request.  Please let us know if there are any further issues.  Thank you.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/06/2024

  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:04/29/2024

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  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 paying for the last year an outrageous rate that others are NOT paying for the same service. My last two payments for 13 weeks of delivery and digital option for the newspaper were $277.57. I called when my January 2024 payment hit that amount and tried to lower my fee. They told me the digital only price is same as digital and delivery. I just found out, I have a friend who pays only $14/mo for digital only. When I asked about this, they told me they could offer me $24/mo. I pushed and got them to offer me the $14/mo digital only. This is outrageous, even the agent confirmed, they charge different customers different rates for the SAME service! This should be against the law. They also told me there is no digital only rate - WRONG. They will use my 4/22/24 payment of $277.57 to credit the $14/mo against. Which takes me to Oct 2025. HOWEVER, my 1/26/24 of $277.27 (which I called to complain about without any change from them) should ALSO be used to credit my $14/mo new digital subscription. I was told they cannot go back to past payments.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/30/2024

  Our sincere apologies.  The rep should have offered the $14 per month for digital rate, but we can confirm that the rate has been changed to $14 per month.  Our home delivery rates are published in the paper each day on page A4.  Currently, the rate for 7-day home delivery is $38 per week before tax.  All of our subscribers are on a path to that rate which is the rate that covers the costs to print and deliver the paper every day.  We try to step up to that rate over time to make it more manageable.  The balance on the account will be applied to the new rate of $14 per month.  The payment in ******* was for papers that we already paid to print and deliver, so that would not be applied to the future digital subscription.  If you have any questions, please contact ********************************.  Thank you