Business Profile

Magazine Sales

Synapse Group, Inc.

Headquarters

Complaints

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

Customer Complaints Summary

47 total complaints in the last 3 years.
8 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.

Initial Complaint
Date:03/03/2025
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 never signed up for this subscription. But yet I have been charged 3 different times, all different amounts. After all of the complaints listed for this company, why are they still able to have an A rating on the BBB site. This company is scamming us by getting our personal information and charging subscriptions which they make a lot of money without permission. This is so sad. And something needs to be done.
Customer Answer
Date: 03/03/2025
I don’t understand why this company has 49 complaints over the last three years of the same complaints and all the company does is copy & paste the same response. BBB doesn’t know how many ****** are scammed by this company that doesn’t know how to file a complaint with BBB. When will someone do something to stop this company from scamming and collecting subscriptions without consent. This is such a hassle and takes away from single parents trying to survive in this hard economy. Please BBB how many more complaints do this company needs before something is done?
Business Response
Date: 03/07/2025
***** ** ****

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

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

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

I
write in response to the inquiry registered with your office by consumer Brandy
Ali. We genuinely regret the inconvenience that *** *** experienced regarding her
magazine subscriptions and have attempted to resolve her concerns.

Our records indicate that we received an order for **** * *****,
****** and ******** ********** ********, in the name of *** ***, when he accepted our promotional offer
after making a purchase at a *************** store. The offer provided that the subscriptions
would continue automatically and be charged monthly to the same credit card
used for the *************** transaction, unless he called our toll-free
customer service number to cancel. Prior to the billing event, a notice was
mailed reminding him of the upcoming renewal, the renewal charge, and the date
by which to cancel to avoid being charged. In addition, it is our policy that
customers who wish to cancel may do so at any time by contacting our customer service department, which is provided on our renewal notice and on the
customer’s billing statement with each charge.

*************** sales associates are instructed to inform
customers of the terms of the offer and provide them with a copy of the
brochure to keep. Customers are also informed that the credit or debit card
provided for their purchase will be forwarded to us for processing their magazine
order.

When
we did not hear from *** *** that she wished to cancel her subscriptions at the
end of her first term, the monthly subscription charges were posted to her
account.

Upon receipt of your correspondence, we cancelled
*** ***’s subscriptions to **** * *****, ****** and ********
********** Magazine, generating a full refund of $21.26 to her account. Unfortunately,
we were unable to process the refund back to her account, and has resulted in a
check refund being sent. *** *** should allow 2-3 weeks to receive this check
in the mail.
*** *** can be assured that the subscriptions have
been cancelled. Also, *** *** may
continue to receive one or two more issues of the magazines since they were in
process at the time of cancellation. She may keep these with our compliments.

Please be assured that
customer satisfaction is very important to us and we take great care in
providing our customers with the highest level of service.

Sincerely,

Synapse
Customer Care
Initial Complaint
Date:02/14/2025
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 was charged $67.25 on February 6, 2025 for what appears to be an annual subscription renewal for ******** ****** by a 3rd party subscription service/provider. I contacted ************ **, who stated that their “records indicate that we have received your ******** ****** ******** order from an outside agency. All refunds and cancellations must be done through them as we do not have the original order data in our end, all I can do is suspend the delivery of the magazine. Please see their contact information below.
SYNAPSE/ *** *** ******* *** **** ***** **** **** ******** ********* ** ***** ###-###-####
********************************** **************************”

This messaging refers me to yet another company to contact. In addition, the inserts of ******** ****** that invite readers to subscribe at significantly discounted prices is not done so in good faith, given that either ******** ****** or their subsidiaries are allowed to change the subscription prices and renewals at any time without notice. This is not good business, not good customer service, and appears predatory, which is in contrast with the reputation of ******** ****** and its articles, some of which include alerts about the deceptive practices of certain businesses and industries!

I have never paid nearly $70 in my life for an annual magazine subscription and need answers, that I’m not getting, as to why a small (in size) monthly magazine with barely 110 pages is this expensive.
Business Response
Date: 02/18/2025
******** *** ****

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

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

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

I
write in response to the inquiry registered with your office by consumer ********
******* We genuinely regret the inconvenience that *** ****** experienced
regarding her magazine subscriptions and have attempted to resolve her concerns.

Our records show that *** ****** placed an order for Reader’s
Digest, when she accepted our online promotional offer, which was presented
to her after completing a ******* survey. The offer allowed her to receive the first term of her magazine selections
for a nominal fee of $2.00 each. The also offer provided that
her subscriptions would automatically continue following the initial term and
that the same credit card would be charged if she did not contact us to cancel.

Prior to the billing event, a notice was mailed to *** ****** reminding her of the upcoming renewal, the renewal charges, and
the date by which to cancel to avoid being charged. In addition, it is our
policy that customers who wish to cancel may do so at any time by visiting our
website, ************, which is provided on our billing notification and on the
billing statement with each charge.

At the end of her first term, when we did not hear
from *** ****** that she wished to cancel her
subscriptions, the renewal
charges were posted to her account.

On February 5, 2025, *** ******’s subscription renewed
at the annual amount of $67.25, which was updated from the previous year where
her account was charged semi-annually. ($30.42 on 8/9/2024 and $30.42 on 2/9/2024)

We
sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused and regret that *** ****** did
not receive the renewal postcard informing her of the update to her renewal
charges. For the inconvenience, we have processed a refund of $6.41 to her
account for the difference in charges compared to the previous year.

Please be assured that
customer satisfaction is very important to us and we take great care in
providing our customers with the highest level of service.

Sincerely,

Synapse
Customer Care

Customer Answer
Date: 02/18/2025

Complaint: ********

I am rejecting this response because what can I do with $6.41 as opposed to the $67 I paid for the subscription? I don’t profess to know how senior citizens could even afford that!
The magazine subscription is too expensive and I will be requesting a cancellation of the subscription immediately. Thank you for looking into my complaint.

Sincerely,

******** ******
Business Response
Date: 02/21/2025
******** *** ****

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

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

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

I
write in response to the inquiry registered with your office by consumer ********
******* We genuinely regret the inconvenience that *** ****** experienced
regarding her magazine subscriptions and have attempted to resolve her concerns.

Upon receipt of your correspondence and learning that *** ****** does not wish to
continue her subscription, we have cancelled ******** ******, generating a remaining refund in the amount of $56.59 back to her
account. It should be noted that banks direct us to ask customers to allow one
to two billing statements for written confirmation of the refund to appear,
depending on their billing cycle.

*** ****** can be assured that her subscription has been
cancelled. Also, *** ****** may continue
to receive one or two more issues of her magazine since it was in process at
the time of cancellation. She may keep
these with our compliments.

Please be assured that
customer satisfaction is very important to us and we take great care in
providing our customers with the highest level of service.

Sincerely,

Synapse
Customer Care
Customer Answer
Date: 02/24/2025

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:10/07/2024
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.
On 8/1, they automatically renewed a subscription to ***** magazine without authorization. On 7/29 they automatically renewed a subscription to ********** magazine without authorization. I also assume that I will have the same issue with ****** *********** and ***** *** ***** in December, so I wish to cancel those subscriptions now also.
Business Response
Date: 09/24/2024
You have reached ******* ********. You will need to send the complaints to the publishers of each magazine.
Customer Answer
Date: 09/24/2024
Better Business Bureau:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

[Your Answer Here]

They refunded partially. They still charged me for several magazines hat I DID NOT ORDER. Their policy needs to change. How many people all across the country are taken advantage of, do not complain, and just waste their money to not contest this sneaky practice. Finish my refund please.

In order for the BBB to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

Sincerely,

****** *****

Business Response
Date: 10/01/2024
We are not able to assist with *****, **********, ****** ***********, or **** * ******.

Please contact:
SYNAPSE/NEW SUB SERVICE
******** *** **** ***** ****
**** ********
********* ** *****
******** ******** ************
***** ******** **********************************
*** ***** **************************

Business Response
Date: 10/11/2024
******* *** ****

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

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

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

I
write in response to the inquiry registered with your office by consumer ******
*****. We genuinely regret the inconvenience that Mr. ***** experienced
regarding his magazine subscriptions and have attempted to resolve his concerns.

Our records show that Mr. ***** placed an order for ****** ***********, ***** * ****** ***** and ********** for
********, when he accepted our online promotional offer, which was
presented to him after completing a Bizrate survey. The offer allowed him to receive the first term of his magazine selections
for a nominal fee of $2.00 each. The also offer provided that his
subscriptions would automatically continue following the initial term and that
the same credit card would be charged if he did not call us to cancel.

Prior to the billing event, an email notification was sent to Mr. ***** on June 12, 2024, reminding him of the upcoming renewal, the renewal charge, and the
date by which to cancel to avoid being charged. In addition, it is our policy
that customers who wish to cancel may do so at any time by contacting our customer
service department by visiting our website, ********, which is provided in our
renewal notification.

When
we did not hear from Mr. ***** that he wished to cancel his subscriptions at
the end of his first term, the annual subscription charges were posted to his account.

On September
19, 2024, Mr. ***** contacted our customer service center and placed his subscriptions to Birds
& Bloom and ****** *********** on
“do not renew” status. This would allow
him to continue receiving the issues in his current paid term, however, the subscriptions
would not renew. During that same inquiry, Mr. ***** cancelled his subscriptions
to ***** and ********** for ********, generating a refund to his account reflecting the value of unserved issues
in the total amount of $37.45.

Upon receipt of your correspondence, we issued the remaining
refund for the balance on his subscriptions to ***** and ********** for
******** in the amount of $18.73. It should be noted that
banks direct us to ask customers to allow one to two billing statements for
written confirmation of the refund to appear, depending on their billing cycle.
Mr. ***** can be assured that his subscriptions have been
cancelled and all renewal charges have been refunded. Also, Mr. ***** may
continue to receive one or two more issues of his magazines since they were in
process at the time of cancellation. He may keep these with our compliments.

Please be assured that
customer satisfaction is very important to us, and we take great care in
providing our customers with the highest level of service.

Sincerely,

Synapse
Customer Care
Initial Complaint
Date:09/23/2024
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 signed up for magazine subscriptions in 2023. This year I decided I didn’t want to continue my subscriptions, so I cancelled. I later learned that I was still being charged. I contacted the company and they said they were going to cancel my subscription and refund my money. I informed ****** and my bank which both denied my dispute. I haven’t received any magazines, and the charge is still on my account.
Business Response
Date: 09/25/2024
********* *** ****

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

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

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

I
write in response to the inquiry registered with your office by consumer *******
*******. We genuinely regret the inconvenience that *** ******* experienced
regarding his magazine subscriptions and have attempted to resolve his concerns.

Our records show that *** ******* placed an order for ********** and **** ******* ********, when he accepted
our online promotional offer, which was presented to him after completing
a Bizrate survey. The offer allowed him to receive the
first term of his magazine selections for a nominal fee of $2.00 each. The offer also provided that his subscriptions would
automatically continue following the initial term and that the same credit card
would be charged if he did not call us to cancel.

Prior to the billing event, a notice was sent to *** ******* reminding him of the upcoming renewal, the renewal charge, and the
date by which to cancel to avoid being charged. In addition, it is our policy
that customers who wish to cancel may do so at any time by calling our toll-free
customer service number, which is provided on our renewal notice.

When
we did not hear from *** ******* that he wished to cancel his subscriptions at
the end of his first term, the annual subscription charges were posted to his account.

On
August 5, 2024, *** ******* contacted our service center
via our online website and placed his subscription to ********** on “do not renew” status. This would allow him to
continue receiving the remaining issues in his current term, however, at the
end of his term the subscription would not renew, nor would he be charged any
renewal fees.

Mr.
******* contacted our service center again via our live chat
on September 6, 2024, and requested to cancel his subscription to **** ******* ********. His request was honored and a refund for the unserved
issues was generated in the amount of $42.30. Unfortunately, we were unable to process
the refund back to his account, which resulted in a check refund being sent. Our
records show check# ***** for $42.30 was mailed on September 16, 2024. *** *******
should allow 2-3 weeks to receive his check in the mail.

Upon receipt of your correspondence and learning *** ******* hasn’t
received any issues of his subscriptions, we issued the remaining refund for the
balance on his subscriptions in the amount of $86.40, which includes the
previous years charges. It should be noted that banks direct us to ask
customers to allow one to two billing statements for written confirmation of
the refund to appear, depending on their billing cycle.
*** ******* can be assured that his subscriptions have been cancelled. Please be assured that
customer satisfaction is very important to us, and we take great care in
providing our customers with the highest level of service.

Sincerely,

Synapse
Customer Care
Initial Complaint
Date:09/17/2024
Type:Order 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 got signed up for a magazine subscription I do not want. I called and canceled . I made an account and canceled it. I sent two emails to cancel. They keep sending me magazines. Now they hang up when I call.
Business Response
Date: 09/19/2024
********* *** ****

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

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

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

I
write in response to the inquiry registered with your office by consumer ******
*********. We genuinely regret the inconvenience that Mr. ********* experienced
regarding his magazine subscriptions and have attempted to resolve his concerns.

Our records
show that Mr. ********* placed an order for ** ******,
******** ********** ********, and ******** ********** *******, following a purchase he made at a ********** ************* store. The offer allowed him to choose from a selection of
magazines and receive the first 60 days of a 14-month subscription without
charge. After the trial period, his
subscriptions would continue automatically and be charged monthly to the same
credit card used for his ********** ************* transaction,
unless he contacted our customer service department to cancel.

Prior to
any billing event, a notice would be mailed to him reminding him of the
upcoming billing, the amount that would be charged and the date by which to
cancel to avoid being charged. ********** ************* sales associates are instructed to inform customers of the terms
of the offer and provide them with a copy of the brochure to keep. Customers
are also informed that the credit or debit card number provided for their
purchase will be forwarded to us for processing the magazine orders.

On September 7, 2024, Mr. ********* contacted our customer service center and cancelled
his subscriptions to ** ******, ******** ********** ********, and ******** ********** *******. Please
note, Mr. ********* was still in his trial period, and therefore he was not
charged for these subscriptions.

Mr. ********* can be assured that his subscriptions have been cancelled. Also, Mr. ********* may continue to receive one or two more issues of his magazines
since they were in process at the time of cancellation. He may keep these with
our compliments.
We also
regret that Mr. ********* experienced
any inconvenience in using our toll-free customer service number. Please be
assured that customer satisfaction is very important to us, and we take great
care in providing our customers with the highest level of service.

Sincerely,

Synapse
Customer Care
Initial Complaint
Date:09/05/2024
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've paid ******** *hrough an auto renewal process that began last week over $200 in magazine subscriptions! These were a result of a door-to-door solicitor who was asking for community support (probably % of magazine sales goes toward solicitor organization) and I was not aware of the autorenewal (probably in fine print). I feel this is predatory and relying on people's forgetfulness to make money!
Business Response
Date: 09/11/2024
September 11, 2024

          Re:     Complaint
Case #: ********
                     Consumer: *** ******

Dear
*** *****

I
write in response to the inquiry registered with your office by consumer Pam
Hoover. We genuinely regret the inconvenience that *** ****** experienced
regarding her magazine subscriptions and have attempted to resolve her concerns.

Our records show that *** ****** placed an order for **** *** ****** ******** ******** ******* ******* **** * **** *** ***** ** ***** when she accepted our online promotional offer,
which was presented to her after completing a ******* *survey. The offer allowed her to receive the first term of her magazine selections
for a nominal fee of $2.00 each. The also offer provided that
her subscriptions would automatically continue following the initial term and
that the same credit card would be charged if she did not call us to cancel.

Prior to the billing event, a notice was sent to *** ****** reminding her of the upcoming renewal, the renewal charge, and the
date by which to cancel to avoid being charged. In addition, it is our policy
that customers who wish to cancel may do so at any time by visiting our website,
************* which is provided on our renewal notice and on the customer’s
billing statement with each charge.

When
we did not hear from *** ****** that she wished to cancel her subscriptions at
the end of her first term, the annual subscription charges were posted to her
account.

Please note that on July 9, 2024, we received
notification from the publisher of **** *** ***** that the title had
ceased publication and would be replaced with ******** ******* On this
date a new order for ******** ****** was processed on *** ******** behalf.
On September 4, 2024, *** ****** contacted our customer service center and placed her
subscriptions Midwest Living, Magnolia Journal, Food & Wine and Taste of Home on “do not renew” status. This would allow her to continue
receiving the issues in the current paid term, however at the end of the term,
her subscriptions would not renew, nor would she be charged for any renewal
fees. During that same inquiry, *** ****** cancelled her subscription to Southern
Living. Please note, *** ****** was not charged for this subscription.
*** ****** contacted our customer service center
again using our self-service website and requested to cancel all her
subscriptions. Her request was honored and a refund for the unserved issues was
processed in the amount of $171.36 back to her account.
Upon receipt of your correspondence, we issued the remaining
refund for her balance on her subscriptions to **** *** ****** ******** ******** ******* ******* **** * **** *** ***** ** **** in the amount of $74.42. It should be noted, however, that
although the refunds have been processed, banks direct us to ask customers to
allow one to two billing statements for written confirmation of the refund to
appear, depending on their billing cycle.
*** ****** can be assured that her subscriptions
have been cancelled. Also, *** ****** may
continue to receive one or two more issues of her magazines since they were in
process at the time of cancellation. She
may keep these with our compliments.

Please be assured that
customer satisfaction is very important to us and we take great care in
providing our customers with the highest level of service.

Sincerely,

Synapse
Customer Care
Initial Complaint
Date:08/15/2024
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.
Last year I received a survey which mentioned for $2 I would get a few (3-6 months) of 4 magazines. There was NO mention in anything that I would be billed a full subscription amount, and if it did, it was hidden and not in plain sight as it should be. I see another person had the same ordeal. I've contacted the company and they say I've been refunded, my bank account says otherwise. I have 2 transactions for $122!!! They claim yesterday I'm being refunded and the other payment will not go through because I'm cancelled. I'll review this complaint once I get all my money back that I never authorized them to take more than the $2/mag x 4 for a super discount, which I thought was a thank you for making a purchase but now more than 10 months later I'm finding out that there's a full subscription charge that just sneaks up on you, zero contact from the company, if you want complaints like this to stop, don't HIDE the fact that ****** will eventually be charged for a full subscription, maybe contact the customer via automated email to remind them to prevent all these complaints to begin with. Id rather an honest upfront and not a sneaky company to do any business with, I think your business would benefit from more transparency and follow up contact prior to charging, noone could find an account for me on these magazines, rightfully so, I never made one, only filled out to get a few months for $2 each. I was cool with $8-$10 for them, in this economy, it's rare to find ****** who've gotten super discounted to knowingly sign up for any subscription. If I'd be warned, id have called 3 weeks ago to make sure none of this happened. With zero contact, I find this to be scheme like in the manner that, unless you watch your accounts, they're probably hitting ****** with charges who don't even realize it. Sad really. We have bills and need food too,, just be upfront. Make it a pop up or something! Anything to avoid all of us being so upset with your company
Business Response
Date: 08/15/2024
****** *** ****

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

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

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

I
write in response to the inquiry registered with your office by consumer ******
******. We genuinely regret the inconvenience that Ms. ****** experienced
regarding her magazine subscriptions and have attempted to resolve her concerns.

Our records show that Ms. ****** placed an order for **** * ****, ****** ***********, ** ******, and ******, when she
accepted our online promotional offer, which was presented to her after
completing a ******* survey. The offer allowed her to receive the
first term of her magazine selections for a nominal fee of $2.00 each. The also offer provided that her subscriptions would
automatically continue following the initial term and that the same credit card
would be charged if she did not call us to cancel.

Prior to the renewal billing event, a notice was emailed to Ms. ****** on January 8,
2024, reminding her of the upcoming renewal, the renewal
charge, and the date by which to cancel to avoid being charged. In addition, it
is our policy that customers who wish to cancel may do so at any time by
calling our toll-free customer service number, which is provided on our renewal
notice and on the customer’s billing statement with each charge. We regret if
Ms. ****** did not receive this notification.

When
we did not hear from Ms. ****** that she wished to cancel her subscriptions at
the end of her first term, the annual subscription charges were posted to her
account.

On February 25, 2024, Ms. ****** contacted our automated customer service line and and placed her subscriptions to ****** ***********, **** * ****, ****** and ** ****** on a “do not renew” status. This would allow her to
continue receiving the remaining issues in her current paid term, however, at
the end of the terms her subscriptions would not renew.

During this same inquiry, Ms. ****** also accepted a new order for **** * ****, ****** and ** ****** at a low promotional monthly rate. Following the promotional term,
the subscriptions would continue, and the same terms and conditions would
follow as the original order.

Ms.
****** contacted our customer service center via email correspondence on August
14, 2024 and requested to cancel her subscriptions to **** * ****, ** ******, and ******. Her request was honored and we issued a refund in
the amount of $124.00 back to her account.

Upon receipt of your correspondence, we issued the remaining
refund for her balance on her subscriptions in the amount of $23.17, which
includes the previous years charges. It should be noted that banks direct us to
ask customers to allow one to two billing statements for written confirmation
of the refund to appear, depending on their billing cycle.
Ms.
****** can be assured that her subscriptions have been cancelled and all
charges refunded to her account. Also, Ms.
****** may continue to receive one or two more issues of her magazines since
they were in process at the time of cancellation. She may keep these with our
compliments.

Please be assured that
customer satisfaction is very important to us and we take great care in
providing our customers with the highest level of service.

Sincerely,

Synapse
Customer Care
Initial Complaint
Date:07/26/2024
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.
Date of transaction: 7/24/24 at 17:18. My daughter, who is a minor, was purchasing a book at ***** * ******* located in **** **** ******* ********** ** and the sales association, Margie, offered and subscribed her to your ******** offer of 2 months free and then my credit card is charged for the 3 magazine subscriptions going forward. I called and cancelled the subscription after my child told me, because she felt uncomfortable and didn't understand what she was being signed up for. I contacted the store and was told that they offer this to anyone age 10 years and up? You are taking advantage of minors and obtaining personal information / credit card information without parental consent. This is unacceptable to do to any person under the age of 18!
Business Response
Date: 08/01/2024
****** ** ****

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

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

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

I
write in response to the inquiry registered with your office by consumer ****
********. We genuinely regret the inconvenience that Ms. ******** experienced
regarding her magazine subscriptions and have attempted to resolve her concerns.

Our records show we received an order in the name of **** ******** for **********,
****** and ******* *****, when she accepted our promotional offer after
making a purchase at a *************** store. The offer allowed her to choose
up to three titles from a selection of magazines and receive the first 60 days
of a 14-month subscription without charge.
After the trial period, her subscriptions would continue automatically
and be charged monthly to the same credit card used for her ***************
transaction, unless she called our toll-free customer service number to cancel.

*************** sales
associates are instructed to inform customers of the terms of the offer and
provide them with a copy of the brochure to keep. Customers are also informed
that the credit or debit card provided for their purchase will be forwarded to
us for processing the magazine orders.

On July
25, 2024, Ms. ******** contacted our customer service center and cancelled her
subscriptions to **********, ****** and ******* *****. Please note that Ms. ******** was not charged for these subscriptions.

Ms.
******** can be assured that her subscriptions have been cancelled. Customer
satisfaction is very important to us, and we take great care in providing our
customers with the highest level of service.

Sincerely,
Synapse
Customer Care
Customer Answer
Date: 08/01/2024

Complaint: ********

I am rejecting this response because:
My complaint was that the store, ***, made the subscription offer to my daughter, who is a minor, and signed her up for the subscription service. I was not present, but my credit card was used when my daughter purchased a book and for the subscription. My daughter felt pressured and did not understand fully what she was being signed up for. When I called the store to complain that they are offering this subscription to minors, they said they were directed to offer to anyone age 10 and up. My complaint is that your subscription promotion is being offered to minors.

Sincerely,

**** ********
Business Response
Date: 08/06/2024
****** ** ****

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

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

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

I
write in response to the inquiry registered with your office by consumer ****
********. We genuinely regret the inconvenience that Ms. ******** experienced
regarding her magazine subscriptions and have attempted to resolve her concerns.

*************** Sales Associates
are instructed to only present the offer to a customer who has their own credit
card. If a child were making a purchase using a parent's card, the
Associate should not present the magazine offer to the child.

Associates are also
instructed to have the customers sign a receipt at the *************** store
confirming the agreement to the terms of the offer.

We regret Ms. ********’s
daughter was presented with an offer. This is not a usual occurrence.

As previously stated, Ms. ********’s
subscriptions have been cancelled and her account was not charged for these
subscriptions.

Customer satisfaction is
very important to us, and we take great care in providing our customers with
the highest level of service.

Sincerely,
Synapse
Customer Care
Customer Answer
Date: 08/06/2024

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:07/01/2024
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.
On June 13. I made contact with ******** which is a company listed by Synapse Group Inc. I canceled 3 magazine subscriptions and they promptly refunded my money.
On June 18, I received an email from my ****** account saying that my electronic payment to mags for $47.60 was declined and that it will retry the payment again in 3 days. It also shows that the payment was initiated on June 13. I logged into my ****** and tried looking up payments and I didn't see anything that shouldn't be there so I let it go at that time. On the 25th I received an email from my Capitol One account saying that my transaction for $47.60 was declined. That email gave me no information on what or who that payment was going to. I remembered the previous email saying a transaction was declined so I decided to check my ******** account and it shows that I closed my accounts so I'm confused as to why they are trying to debit my account.
I reached out to them directly using the email on the ******** site. They asked for more information so I sent them the ****** email. The email listed on that transaction is paypalcustomerservice@********.
They responded saying they aren't associated with that email. They can't help me. I thought maybe someone else is using a similar name so I decided to click on the email that was connected to that declined transaction and sure enough, I got an automated response from that same email I received from ********. They lied to me.
Now here I am worried my account will be debited for this $47.60 that says it's going to mags but they say it's not them. I decided to do one more thing to see if anything related to that transaction shows up and it did. It was a previous charge to ******** for $61. Which was the amount they charged and then refunded. It's definitely their company trying to debit me and I've tried resolving it with the company directly but they claim it's not them. I just need any future charges to stop.
Business Response
Date: 07/02/2024
**** ** ****

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

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

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

I
write in response to the inquiry registered with your office by consumer *******
*****. We genuinely regret the inconvenience that Ms. ***** experienced
regarding her magazine subscriptions and have attempted to resolve her concerns.

Our records show that Ms. ***** placed an order for **********,
******, and ** ******, when she accepted our online promotional offer,
which was presented to her after completing a ******* survey. The offer allowed her to receive the first term of her magazine selections
for a nominal fee of $2.00 each. The offer also provided that
her subscriptions would automatically continue following the initial term and
that the same credit card would be charged if she did not call us to cancel.

Prior to the billing event, a notice was mailed to Ms. ***** reminding her of the upcoming renewal, the renewal charge, and the
date by which to cancel to avoid being charged. In addition, it is our policy
that customers who wish to cancel may do so at any time by calling our
toll-free customer service number, which is provided on our renewal notice and
on the customer’s billing statement with each charge.

When
we did not hear from Ms. ***** that she wished to cancel her subscriptions at
the end of her first term, the annual subscription charges were posted to her
account.

On June
13, 2024, Ms. ***** contacted our service center via our online live chat and requested
to cancel her subscriptions to **********, ******, and ** ******. Her request was honored and a refund in the amount of $63.50 was issued back to
her account.

Upon receipt of your correspondence, we issued the remaining
refund for the balance on her subscriptions in the amount of $3.50, which
includes the previous years charges. It should be noted that banks direct us to
ask customers to allow one to two billing statements for written confirmation
of the refund to appear, depending on their billing cycle.
Despite
multiple searches, we were unable to locate any charges in our system in the
amount of $47.60 provided in Ms. *****’s complaint and that information was conveyed
to Ms. ***** via email correspondence.

Upon
further research, we were able to locate the TransactionID provided in her
screenshot directly on the ****** website and the results brought up the refund
transaction details for her subscription to ****** magazine in the gross amount
of $61.00. We sincerely regret any confusion or miscommunication on our part.

If
Ms. ***** would like to research this further, she can contact ****** directly
and provide them with the Transaction ID to confirm her refund. (Additionally, Ms.
***** can reference TransactionID *****************)

Ms. ***** can be assured that her subscriptions have
been cancelled and all charges have been refunded to her account. Also, Ms. ***** may continue to receive one
or two more issues of her magazines since they were in process at the time of
cancellation. She may keep these with
our compliments.
Please be assured that
customer satisfaction is very important to us, and we take great care in
providing our customers with the highest level of service.

Sincerely,

Synapse
Customer Care

Customer Answer
Date: 07/03/2024

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. The attempted charges seem to have stopped since I've contacted the BBB. Thank you.

Sincerely,

******* *****
Initial Complaint
Date:06/07/2024
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 consented to a magazine subscription for a year to get a discount at the book store. Now the magazines just keep coming. I recently checked on why???? I looked up the number on the **** ******* magazine label, and the account site states that I ordered another year's subscription which I MOST DEFINATELY DID NOT. I fail to understand how any company can falsify information and then charge for their lies. This business has no integrity, nor any proper business ethics. I demand a refund and a documentation on this criminal activity as a warning to others not to trust this company. Order #*************, $40.00 charged, 3/6/2024.
Business Response
Date: 06/11/2024
**** *** ****

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

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

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

I
write in response to the inquiry registered with your office by consumer ********
****. We genuinely regret the inconvenience that Ms. **** experienced regarding
her magazine subscriptions and have attempted to resolve her concerns.

Our
records show that Ms. **** placed an order for ******** ********** ******** and **** ******* Magazine, when she accepted our promotional offer after
making a purchase at a *************** store. The offer allowed her to choose
from a selection of magazines and receive the first 60 days of a 14-month
subscription without charge. After the
trial period, her subscriptions would automatically continue and be charged
semi-annually to the same credit card used for her *************** transaction,
unless she called our toll-free customer service number to cancel.

***************
sales associates are instructed to inform customers of the terms of the offer
and provide them with a copy of the brochure to keep. Customers are also
informed that the credit or debit card provided for their purchase will be
forwarded to us for processing the magazine orders.

When
we did not hear from Ms. **** that she wished to cancel her subscriptions at
the end of her first term, the semi-annual subscription charges were posted to
her account.

Upon
receipt of your correspondence, we cancelled Ms. ****’s subscriptions to ********
********** Magazine and **** ******* Magazine, generating a full refund in the amount of $118.26 back to her
account. It should be noted, however, that banks direct us to ask customers to
allow one or two billing statements for written confirmation of the refund to
appear, depending on their billing cycle.

Please be assured that
customer satisfaction is very important to us and we take great care in
providing our customers with the highest level of service.

Sincerely,

Synapse
Customer Care

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Synapse Group, Inc. is BBB Accredited.