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 ComplaintThe 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:05/30/2024
Type: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.
It appears that Synapse operates under the name ********. They conract with merchants to offer promotional magazines to unwitting customers who think they are getting a free promotion only to find later that they are getting BILLED for something they never asked for. What's worse is that my wife ordered two promotional magazines believing they were free, and as we live in different locations, I was never notifiied of any charges (I get ****** and ***** ****** but throw them away at the mailbox as JUNK as I have ZERO ***e to read useless magazines that I never ordered.) I tried to cancel and even asked for the home office in ******** ** (woith a non-working phone number!) and all I got was some customer service ******** from *****! (They said they would have Erin C***** call me in a few minutes but nothing has happened.)
All that aside, I just got a postcard in the mail telling me that if I don't cancel, I will be billed for another year of magazines I don't want and never ordered. I basically want a FULL refund of every penny that's been collected since this SCAM began in 2015 or I will contact every person on this BBB list and file a Class Action suit against he company and Ms. C***** personally for perpetrating this kind of predatory marketing by Synapse.
Business Response
Date: 05/30/2024
*** *** ****
******* ****
********* **********
****** ******** ******
** ****** ****
********* ** *****
*** ********* **** ** ********
********* *** ******
**** *** *****
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 ******, when he accepted our online
promotional offer, which was presented to him after completing a ******* survey. The offer allowed him to receive the first term of his magazine selections
for a nominal fee of $2.00 for each subscription. 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 each billing event, a postcard notification was mailed to Mr. ****** 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 ***e 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 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
13, 2022, Mr. ****** contacted our automated
customer service line and placed his subscription to ***** ****** on “do
not renew” status. This would allow him to
continue receiving the issues in his current term, however his subscriptions
would not renew, nor would he be charged any renewal fees.Mr.
****** contacted our customer service center on May 29, 2024, and requested a
full refund for all charges for ******. His request
was honored, and a cancellation and a full refund was issued in the total
amount of $339.00 to his account, which includes the previous years charges.
Upon receipt of your correspondence and learning Mr. ****** wanted
a full refund for all charges for ***** ****** too, we issued the
remaining refund for his subscription in the amount of $220.00, 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.Our records
also show that we contacted Mr. ****** on May 29, 2024, and May 30, 2024. We
had left messages confirming the cancellation and full refunds that were processed
to his account.Mr.
****** can be assured that his subscription to ****** has been cancelled and a full refund of all charges was issued to his account. Also, Mr. ****** may continue to receive one or two more issues of his subscription
since it was in process at the ***e of cancellation. He may keep these with our compliments.
Regarding the orders placed under his wife’s name,
we request Mr. ****** provide us with her full name and her full address so we
can locate the orders and process a cancellation.
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 CareInitial Complaint
Date:04/19/2024
Type: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 canceled two magazines from company. But everyday they try to take 25 and change from my account. I call them daily. They promise every day that the card won't be charged. Yet everyday my card is hit by them. They went as far as to say all my information will be deleted. But somehow it never is. I'm about to have to close my account to fix problem. I want this fixed as I have high blood pressure and anxiety over this and can't deal with their lies and shady business practices.Business Response
Date: 05/13/2024
*** *** ****
******* ****
********* **********
****** ******** ******
** ****** ****
********* ** *****
*** ********* **** ** ********
********* **** ******
**** *** *****
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. ****** contacted our customer service
center on April 13, 2024, and requested to have all her personal account information,
including any order details, removed from our system. Her request was honored,
and an email was sent to Ms. ****** confirming this request was completed on
April 20, 2024.
As
her account information has been removed and purged from our database, we are
very limited with the information that we can access. After viewing the written
request from her original inquiry, we can see Ms. ****** placed an order for ********** *** ******** and ***** on September 9, 2023.
Additionally,
we are unable to process requests for removal of an account when a customer has
active orders, therefore, we can also confirm that her subscriptions were
cancelled.
To
summarize, Ms. ******’s subscriptions to ********** *** ******** and Maxim have been cancelled. She may continue to receive one or
two more issues of her magazine since they were in process at the time of
cancellation, however her account will not renew, nor will she be
charged any additional fees. Please be advised any renewal fees that were
attempted to her account have stopped as her order has been cancelled and
removed from our system.
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 CareInitial Complaint
Date:04/11/2024
Type: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 was signed up for a service from ********** **** ***** without my knowledge. I believe this was through ********** ********** where they sent a scratch card to get free copies. However i did not know and there was no way to know that sending them the address also signs me up for further subscriptions without me giving them the payment details.
I called ********** **** ***** customer care and they say the folks who initiated this transaction was Synapse.
After seeing charges every month that I had not signed up for i decided to call highlights, i have not called synapse, but this is blatant misuse of giving free stuff and making people sign up for things they dont know of.
Please cancel this subscription, we have not recieved any books, may have lost during mail forwarding.
Now i get this delinquent charges and i do not wish to pay this for a service that i did not ask for.Business Response
Date: 04/26/2024
***** *** ****
******* ****
********* **********
****** ******** ******
** ****** ****
********* ** *****
*** ********* **** ** ********
********* ****** *****
**** *** *****
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 ********** **** **** when he accepted our online
promotional offer, which was presented to him after completing a ******* 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, a notice was mailed to Mr. ***** 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 and
on the customer’s billing statement with each charge.
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.
In regard to the attached invoice from Highlights
Puzzle Club, Mr. ***** would need to contact ********** ****** **** directly as
this invoice is not from our company. He can call them directly at
###-###-#### and reference the account number***-***-****
If Mr. ***** would like to cancel his magazine
subscriptions, we request that he contact our customer service center directly
at ###-###-####. One of our representatives will be happy to assist him.
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 CareInitial Complaint
Date:01/12/2024
Type: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 accepted an offer from a large chain bookstore to receive 2 months of magazines FREE. The bookstore stated the reason for this offer as being a sort of customer appreciation thing. I obliged to take part in the offer because... I have no idea. Being too gullible that day. I receive a post card from Synapse Group today and in fine print it warns I am about to be charged Semi Annually for magazines. I try to create a profile to cancel but of course there is some kind of glitch on their end that made this impossible to do on their website. I contact customer support chat and am connected with "John" on January 10th, 2023 at 1:18:29 PM who assured me I have successfully cancelled my subscription and I would not be charged. I have a large problem with the predatory nature of the Synapse Group and want to make certain my banking information and my rights as a consumer have not been compromisedBusiness Response
Date: 01/16/2024
******* *** ****
******* ****
********* **********
****** ******** ******
** ****** ****
********* ** *****
*** ********* **** ** ********
********* ******* ****
**** *** *****
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 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 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.
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 **** 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.
On January
10, 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. Also, Ms. **** may continue to receive one or two
more issues of her magazine since they were in process at the **** 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 CareInitial Complaint
Date:12/15/2023
Type: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.
Again, I've been signed up for magazines without any consent. They always claim the person must have done some survey, but its not true. When ou shop online or in stores they offer you the free 3 months, I ALWAYS decline. This company is predatory and charges without consent and has zero proof that you signed up. How is no one suing them???Business Response
Date: 12/22/2023
******** *** ****
******* ****
********* **********
****** ******** ******
** ****** ****
********* ** *****
*** ********* **** ** ********
********* ****** *******
**** *** *****
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 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 November 18, 2023, Ms. ******* contacted our automated customer service line and cancelled her subscriptions to ****** ****, **** ***** and ***** **** ********, generating a refund for unserved issues in the total amount of $128.37 back to her account. During this same inquiry, Ms. ******* also accepted a new order for ****** ****, **** ***** and ***** **** ******** at a low promotional rate of $5.00 each month. Following the promotional term, the subscriptions would continue and the same terms and conditions would follow as the original order.Upon receipt of your correspondence, we cancelled Ms. *******’s new subscriptions to ****** ****, **** ***** and ***** **** ********, generating a full refund in the amount of $31.55, which includes the remaining refund for the previous year’s 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 have been refunded. 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 CareInitial Complaint
Date:11/29/2023
Type: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.
******** ******** ****** tried to bill me for another family member’s magazine subscription. I filed a complaint with my credit card company and they reversed the charges. I have asked them to quit emailing me as well and they continue to harass me. I have unsubscribed multiple times and asked them to cease and desist and they continue. Very disappointed in this company and I want others to be aware of their actions and be hesitant to deal with them.Business Response
Date: 12/05/2023
******** ** ****
******* ****
********* **********
****** ******** ******
** ****** ****
********* ** *****
*** ********* **** ** ********
********* ***** ******
**** *** *****
I
write in response to the inquiry registered with your office by consumer *****
******. We genuinely regret the inconvenience that Ms. ****** experienced
and have attempted to resolve her concerns.
Despite multiple searches, we regret that we cannot
locate Ms. ******’s account in
our system with the information provided in her complaint.Upon
receipt of your correspondence, we have requested to have Ms. ******’s name removed
from our promotion list. Ms. ****** should stop receiving e-mails from us
within ten business days.
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 CareInitial Complaint
Date:11/08/2023
Type: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 was signed up for a service without my knowledge. I believe this was through *** bookstores however I am not sure.
After seeing charges every month that I had not signed up for, and never would have signed up for I called my bank to report fraud. I had to do this multiple times. I also never received the products they were charging me for. I do not understand how they got my new card number 5 different times. The only partner of this company that I shop at is *** bookstores.Business Response
Date: 11/09/2023
******** *** ****
******* ****
********* **********
****** ******** ******
** ****** ****
********* ** *****
************ **** ** ********
********* ****** *****
**** *** *****
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 ******* ******. 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 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 May 30, 2019, we received notification from Ms. *****’s bank that she disputed the charges for her subscriptions to ****, ******** ********** ******** and *****, resulting in a in her subscriptions being cancelled and a full refund in the amount of $115.00 being processed to her account.
Please note, on May 12, 2022, we received notification from the publisher of ******* that the title had ceased publication and would be replaced with ******.On November 7, 2023, Ms. ***** contacted our customer service center and placed her subscription to ****** on “do not renew” status. This would allow her to continue receiving the remaining issues in her current term, however, at the end of her term the subscriptions would not renew, nor would she be charged any renewal fees.
Upon receipt of your correspondence, we issued the remaining refund for the balance on her subscription to ****** in the amount of $246.52, 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 have been refunded. 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 CareInitial Complaint
Date:08/28/2023
Type: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 not liable for the this debt with Synapse Credit INC , I do not have a contract with them, they did not provide me with the original contract as requested.Business Response
Date: 09/07/2023
********* ** ****
******* ****
********* **********
****** ******** ******
** ****** ****
********* ** *****
*** ********* **** ** ********
********* ****** *******
**** *** *****
I
write in response to the inquiry registered with your office by consumer ******
*******. We genuinely regret the inconvenience that Mr. ******* experienced
and have attempted to resolve his concerns.
Despite
multiple searches, we regret that we cannot locate Mr. *******’s account
in our system with the information provided in his complaint.In his
complaint, Mr. ******* mentions that he is not liable for a debt with
Synapse Credit, Inc. This is not our
company however, we took the liberty of researching this company and if Mr. *******
would like more information, he can contact their customer service by accessing
this email address: ****************** or
by telephone at ###-###-####.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 CareInitial Complaint
Date:07/24/2023
Type: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.
Date of the transaction: Fri, Jul 21, 2023
Amount: $70.62
Unwanted magazine subscription. I have NO idea how they got my information. I have tried MANY times to cancel. ****** *******e says that they cannot cancel it because the subscription came from Synapfe/newsubservice (###-###-####).
I call them over and over - they keep charging me.Business Response
Date: 07/27/2023
**** *** ****
******* ****
********* **********
****** ******** ******
** ****** ****
********* ** *****
*** ********* **** ** ********
********* ********* *****
**** *** *****
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 ******** ********** ********, following
a purchase she made 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 continue automatically 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. Prior to any
billing event, a notice would be mailed to her reminding her 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.
On July 21, 2023, Ms. ***** contacted our customer service
center and cancelled her subscriptions to Sports
Illustrated, ******, ******** ********** ****, and ******** ********** ********, generating a refund reflecting
the value of unserved issues in the amount $72.69 to her account.
Upon receipt of your correspondence, we issued the remaining
refund for her balance on her subscriptions in the amount of $161.11 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.In addition, we have added Ms. ***** to our purged customer list. We
have also requested
to have Ms. *****’s name to be removed from our promotional mailing lists.Ms. ***** can be assured
that her subscriptions have been cancelled and all charges have been refunded. 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 CareInitial Complaint
Date:06/29/2023
Type: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 had noticed a charge to my bank account of a total of 23.99 $ and from a magazine that I have never ordered nor subscribed to. I was able to cancel the subscription with the magazine but was not able to receive a refund. They told me it was done through an independent sales agency of SYNAPSE. I do not want to receive more magazines or items from this company. I would like a refund and cancellation of all subscriptions from this company.Business Response
Date: 07/07/2023
**** ** ****
******* ****
********* **********
****** ******** ******
** ****** ****
********* ** *****
*** ********* **** ** ********
********* ***** *******
**** *** *****
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 ****, following
a purchase she made 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 continue automatically
and she would be charged semi-annually to the same credit card used for her **********
************* transaction, unless she called our toll-free customer service number
to cancel.
Prior
to any billing event, a notice would be mailed to her reminding her of the
upcoming billing, the amount that would be charged 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 **** by calling our toll-free customer service
number, which is provided on our renewal notice and also on the customer’s
billing statement with each charge.
On June 22, 2023, we received notification from Ms. *******’s credit
card company to cancel the automatic charges for her subscriptions to ********** and ****, resulting in her account being placed on a on “do not renew”
status. This would allow her to continue receiving the remaining issues in her
current paid term, however, at the end of her term her subscriptions would not
renew.On June 29, 2023, we received notification from the publisher of ********** that Ms. ******* requested to cancel her subscription. Her request was honored
and a full refund in the amount $12.00 was processed.
After further research our records shows we were unable to process
the refund back to Ms. *******’s credit card account, therefore the refund was issued
in the form of a check. Ms. ******* should allow 2-3 weeks to receive her check
in the mail.
In her complaint, Ms. ******* included a charge for a Backstage
Pass for $11.99. A Backstage Pass can only be purchased and activated at an FYE
retail location which allows customers to receive a 10% discount on their
in-store purchases. If Ms. ******* has any questions or would like to cancel, she
would need to contact 877-351-2131. Additionally, she can visit www.fyevip.com
for additional details regarding the Backstage Pass VIP member benefits.
Ms. ******* can be assured that her subscriptions have been
cancelled and all charges have been refunded. Also, Ms. ******* may continue to receive one
or two more issues of her magazine since it was in process at the **** 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 CareCustomer Answer
Date: 07/13/2023
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,
***** *******
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