Complaints

This profile includes complaints for The Washington Post's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  The Washington Post

  1301 K Street, NW Washington, DC 20071-0004

  
• 

  The Washington Post

  PO Box 26089 Richmond, VA 23260-6089

• 

  The Washington Post

  PO Box 3020 Orem, UT 84059-3020

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:11/22/2024

  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.

  On October 28, 2024, I requested that my Washington Post online account be canceled following the decision by the paper's owner to no longer have an independent editorial policy. I requested a prorated refund of the annual subscription fee of $127.20, which had just been paid on October 13, 2024. The Post responded on October 29, 2024 with a ticket number ******* stating that my "inquiry" had been received and would be reviewed by their staff. No further action has occurred. On November 11, 2024, I sent a follow-up email to the Washington Post ************* email address, again requesting that my account be deleted and that I received a prorated refund of my subscription fee. To date, I have not even received the courtesy of a reply, much less the requested refund.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/15/2025

  This is **** from the ************* team here at ******************. Sorry to hear that you are having trouble receiving your refund. 

  
  

  Your account was refunded $127.20 on 11/29/24. Please let us know if you have not received your refund. 

  
  

  Your online account has been closed, and your account credentials have been deleted from our registration system.
   
  Our deletion process does not affect information stored on your device, such as cookies and similar data. To remove cookies on your device that may track your reading and advertisement history with us, please clear browser cookies and storage on all your devices where you may have read The Washington Post. You can delete all data stored by the mobile app in your devices settings. You can clear Washington Post cookies on your browser by clicking through this link: **********************************.com/cookie-clear/.

  
  

  If further assistance is needed, please contact our office at ************. We would be happy to address any concerns. 

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/05/2024

  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.

  business will not cancel my subscription

  Business Response

  Date: 12/06/2024

  Dear ****, 
  
  This is **** from the ************* team here at ******************. Sorry to hear that you are having trouble cancelling your digital subscription. 
  
  Rest assured, your subscription has been terminated. We have received your request to delete your personal information from your account.  Please read the following information about the effect of a deletion request and then reply with a confirmation of the change.  
  
  Close Your Account & Deletion of Personal Information Associated with that Account
  Your ******************** account will be closed, and your credentials will be deleted from our registration system. You will no longer receive any email newsletters or promotions or be able to comment on articles. Any comments you've already made on articles will remain on the web site. 
  For residents of ***, **, ***********, *****, ******, ******, *********, **********, ********, ***********, *******, ****, *****, ****** or ******** who verify your address, we will delete additional information. If you are a ******** resident with a print newspaper subscription and verify your address, we will cancel your print subscription and will no longer deliver it.  
  Data deletion is permanent. The Washington Post cannot restore or reactivate any subscription or account once it has been deleted. If you decide to re-subscribe or sign up again at a later date, it will be a new subscription or account that will not be based on your current preferences/settings.
  Please reply to this message to confirm the deletion of personal information associated with your account 
  If you would like us to delete your information, and if you are an EEA, **, ***********, *****, ******, ******, *********, **********, ********, ***********, *******, ******, *****, **** or ******** resident, provide your exact physical address. 
  
  This request will not apply to information we may have from you in your capacity as an employee, former employee, contractor, job applicant, vendor or business contact of The Washington Post. If you are an ** resident and employee, former employee, contractor, job applicant, vendor or business contact of The Washington Post, please reply to this email with your address and information about your relationship with The Washington Post so we can consider your request.
  Best regards,
  **** Squire 
  
  ************* Specialist
  
  ******************
  
  **********************************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/30/2024

  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 have been trying to cancel my subscription, but the Washington Post is making it impossible. Their telephone numbers don't answer and disconnect. Their website has a link to manage my subscriptions, but it doesn't work. I have. Sent a request to their help desk. But they have just sent me back into the loop that isn't working. I sent their help desk a follow-up email demanding that they take care of canceling my subscription without asking me to do anything further. I have also advised them that I will not pay if they renew my subscription even if I should use their service during that time. This is because they have not told me. When my subscription ends so I do not know when to stop using it.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/06/2024

  This is **** from the ************* team here at ******************. During our conversation on Monday, December 2, 2024, you informed me that you do not have a digital subscription to The Washington Post, therefore, there is no need for a cancellation, as you had previously requested. If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.   
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/28/2024

  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.

  The Washington Post has failed to respond to my requests for resolution of an issue involving my subscription. The newspaper's records show subscription renewals were processed using a credit card that expired in 2021. Obviously, I could not have renewed my subscription three successive times since ********************************************************************************* advance. Based on the Washington Post's website information and the Post's repeated failures to respond in any meaningful way; I have requested a full refund and cancellation of my digital access subscription to take effect immediately not in August 2025.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/20/2024

  Dear *******,
  
  This is **** from the ************* team here at ******************.
  Sorry to hear that you are having trouble with renewal charges. 
  
  On 8/5/24, $127.92 was charged to your **** to cover your digital subscription between 8/5/24 to 8/3/25. Your digital subscription was stopped on 11/1/24, and a refund of $97.32 was issued to account #*******. Additionally, $30.60 was refunded to your account on 11/18/24. The total refund amount is $127.92. Please allow 3-5 business days for the refund to process. Let us know if you do not receive your refund. 
  
  Rest assured, your subscription has been terminated, and you will not be charged any further for this subscription. Please see this link for more information on our billing policy and our Terms of Sale for Digital Products:
  ******************************************************************************************
  
  Best regards,
  
  **** ******
  ************* Specialist

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/28/2024

  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 wife has a subscription to online access of the Washington Post. Today (10-27-2024) my wife and I went to the Washington Post website (**************************) to cancel our subscription. But clicking the "cancel subscription" link did not cancel her subscription. It only took us back to the Support page. I video-recorded the whole thing.****************************************** I feel that is no coincidence that this has happened days after it was revealed that the owner of the ****** prevented the publication of an endorsement of ****** for president. News reports say that thousands of people like us have already cancelled their subscriptions in outrage. I strongly suspect that the website's refusal to let us cancel is not a bug, but an intentional and probably illegal effort to stop hemorrhaging subscribers.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/20/2024

  Dear ****,
  
  This is **** from the ************* team here at ******************.  Sorry to hear that you had trouble cancelling your subscription. 
  
  Per our conversation on 11/18/24, I have cancelled your digital subscription. A refund in the amount of $96.26 has been issued to digital account #*******. Please allow 3-5 business days for the refund to process. Let us know if you do not receive your refund.
  
  Rest assured, your subscription has been terminated, and you will not be charged any further for this subscription. Please see this link for more information on our billing policy and our Terms of Sale for Digital Products:
  ******************************************************************************************
  
  Best regards,
  
  **** ******
  ************* Specialist

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/07/2024

  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 subscribed to The Washington Post partly because it lets me gift articles to friends. But I just learned that gifts are conditional, requiring recipients to create an account by providing their email address. That may be legal, but it is a deceptive business practice and makes subscribers unwitting shills.I therefore cancelled my subscription, but the Post does will not refund the unused part of my subscription. Thats another dubious business practice.I have tried contacting the Post by letter to the editor as well as the websites subscription and billing information page and have gotten no response.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/28/2024

  This is **** from the ************* team here at ******************. Sorry to hear that you have concerns regarding our policy on gifting articles. 
  
  As a one-time courtesy, we will issue a refund in the amount of $93.41. This amount reflects the remaining balance on your account after you cancelled your service on 10/5/24. Please allow 3-5 business days for the refund to process. Let us know if you do not receive your refund. 
  
  Best regards,
  
  **** Squire 
  ************* Specialist

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/28/2024

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  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. 
  
  Regards,
  
  ***** ******
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/03/2024

  Type:Sales and Advertising 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.

  Hi. I just moved to this address, i am receiving your washington post advertising magazine. I would like be unsubscribed from all future mail. Thank you

  Business Response

  Date: 10/16/2024

  Dear ****** *****,

  We have removed your address from our distribution list.  Please allow two to four weeks for delivery to stop.   Should it continue after four weeks, please call or email me directly at:  **************, ******************************************************

  Regards,

  *******
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/19/2024

  Type:Service or Repair 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 elderly parents have been receiving the Washington Post for decades. The daily newspaper is a part of their routine and in many ways has been a way to connect them to the world more so in their Senior years because they are retired and not able to socialize due to health reasons as much as they have in the past. The Washington Post changed their delivery from a carrier to the post office system. Their paper now comes in the evening instead of the morning and Sunday papers are not delivered until Monday night. When I called to advocate for my parents (one living with memory issues) about he price increases and the change in delivery schedule I was given an unusual response. (One of my parents has memory issues and the daily morning paper is very important. When it does not come in the morning and/or not at all it is very confusing.) I was told by the Post that the reason the price increased is because it costs more for the post office to deliver the mail than a carrier. I explained that my parents were not given a choice to change their delivery service and they should not have to incur the extra price on a fixed income. They agreed to lower the bill for a percentage but did not address knowingly charging Sunday delivery fees and Sunday paper prices for a paper that is not delivered until Monday night. It can be understood that things change, but a consumer should not have to pay for a company's choice without explanation and the service for which they are paying for should not change. I can imagine that my Senior citizen parents are not the only ones that his business model has greatly affected. It is important for companies to know their consumers and for consumers to get what they are paying for.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/16/2024

  The following response is forwarded on behalf of ***** ****:

  Ms. *******,
  The Washington Post moved to mail home delivery in your parents area in 2023 as it was no longer economically feasible to continue to have carrier deliveries in this area. When faced with the decision between making your area a non-delivery area and changing our distribution method, we decided that it would be better to allow for subscribers who still want to receive the printed product to continue to receive via the US Postal Service.  This was a difficult decision for us and understand that this change may not work for all subscribers but felt it was necessary to provide an opportunity for anyone that wishes to continue to receive the printed product to have an avenue to do so.  If you would like to cancel your parentssubscription, please reach out to our **************** team at ************ and they will be able to help you with this. We appreciate your parents' longtime subscription to The Washington Post.
  
  Regards,
  
  *** ****
  The Washington Post
  Director, Delivery Operations and Administration

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/23/2024

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
  
   Complaint: 22162092
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  

  Thank you for your response. In my initial complaint I stated how important the daily Washington Post was to my parents. Suggesting that I want to cancel their subscription is not a viable option on any level. The paper is one of the brightest parts of my dad's day. I decided to file a complaint because a staff member from The Washington Post told me on the phone that it was more expensive to have the postal carrier deliver the paper as opposed to the past carriers your company provided. I understand when businesses make tough financial decisions. I wanted to offer a human component to the decisions you made. I also wanted to know if there was a way that the paper could be delivered on Sundays by a different carrier instead of receiving them Monday evening. Sadly, many of their neighbors cancelled their subscriptions because of this change. But, cancelling the paper is not an option for our family because of my father.  

  Your response is noted. I just wanted to share the feelings of your customers in ***************** (beyond my family.)

  
  Regards,
  
  ***** *******
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/26/2024

  Ms. *******,
  
   
  
  As stated in our previous response to your complaint, mail delivery in parts of ***************** including your parents home address was moved from carrier delivery to mail delivery in 2023 as it is not economically viable to deliver in these areas by an independent carrier.  We did not make this decision lightly and are aware that this change is not ideal for your family.  When faced with the decision between making your area a non-delivery area and changing our distribution method, we decided that it would be better to allow subscribers who still want to receive the printed product to continue receiving via the ******************  This was a difficult decision for us. We understand that this change may not work for all subscribers but felt it was necessary to provide an opportunity for anyone wishing to continue receiving the printed product to have an avenue to do so. 
  
   
  
  I appreciate your suggestion of having another carrier deliver on Sunday rather than **** delivering on Monday. This was an option that we considered at the time of the change but the financial realities of our business in this area made it unrealistic to do so.  Regarding your comment about **** delivery being more expensive than carrier delivery, that is incorrect.  The lower cost for distribution that is being provided by the ***************** is the only reason that we can maintain deliveries in this area. 
  
   
  
  If the Sunday issue is your biggest concern, may I suggest that you downgrade their service to Monday Saturday, and then they can pick up a Sunday paper at one of the retail outlets that continue to sell the Post the same day. 
  
  
  Regards,
  
   
  
  *** ****
  
  The Washington Post
  
  Director, Delivery Operations and Administration

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/29/2024

  Type:Service or Repair 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.

  The Washington Post has been charging our (*************************** or *******************************) bank account for an unauthorized subscription for now going on 38 months. The corporation has never attempted to send us a bill or reach out to us about an account. We have not received services or purchased or accessed any of their products, this entire time. We have no record of us having purchased a subscription yet we have been charged for a subscription with debits directly from our bank (Capitol One) account, since 4/14/2021. I reported the corporations' unauthorized charges to my bank fraud department, three times, and our bank processed fraud payment blocks due to unauthorized billing for Washington Post in the amounts of $1.06 and $10.60 and $7.42 along 38 months. Yet, to continue to debit and avoid the payment block from our account the corporation Washington Post, changed its merchant name three times across all 38 months. Other instances of fraudulent behavior by the Washington Post along the 38 months happened on April 17, 2022 when without our authorization, it debited from our account a "new promo subscription", using the same subscription number as before. On March 15, 2023 it increased their debit amount to $7.42 We never received products from Washington post nor have access to their digital products. There is no record of subscription with our information, we called several times and they claimed there is no subscription account, thus they never processed our cancelation request. We are asking for the restitution of money ($248.04) the total this corporation has taken from our bank account along 38 months. We are also asking compensation for non-economic damages ($250) in the form of of emotional distress, anxiety, mental anguish/pain. ******************************* had to contend with stressful calls to customer service, consistent financial worry of disruption of household budget, which exacerbated migraine ailments adding medicine costs and loss of work hours.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/29/2024

  Dear *******,
  
  This is **** from the ************* team here at ******************. Sorry to hear that you are having trouble with unexpected renewal charges. 
  
  I was able to locate your subscription using the account number documented on the bank account transactions that you provided. Your subscription was first purchased on 4/13/21 at the promotional rate of $1.00 for the first four-week period. You provided the credit card information that we have on file. After the promotional rate of $1.00 for the first four-week period expired on 5/10/21, your subscription rate was $10.00 , and that amount was charged every four weeks. On 5/4/21, a renewal notice was sent to you. On 3/22/22, you took advantage of our promotional rate of $1.00 plus applicable taxes totaling $1.06 every four weeks.  We refunded your account $9.00, since you had already paid $10.00 plus applicable taxes, on 3/22/22 which covered the period of 3/15/22 -4/11/22. This promotional rate was good for one year.  You were able to take advantage of our academic rate, so on 3/14/23 you were charged $7.00 plus applicable taxes totaling $7.42. You were charged this amount every four weeks.   
  
  The Washington Post (TWP) is the vendor that appears on your statement. There was no vendor name change. If a "fraud stop payment" request was made, please contact your bank. We have no record of a stop request.   
  
  Rest assured, your subscription has been terminated, and you will not be charged any further for this subscription. Please see this link  for more information on our billing policy and our Terms of Sale for Digital Products:  ******************************************************************************************
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/19/2024

  Type:Customer Service 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 a subscriber to the Washington Post. My **** email blocked by Yahoo last month. No access to digital service. **** cant help. Tried for days to reach Washington Post. After telling **** rep of blockage, she WANTED TO SEND A LINK TO MY EMAIL! Obviously not listening. Kept asking questions. NO HELP. Chat no help either. Tried main #, but got a ad so would not connect unless. I listened to ad. Calling other WaPo # only getting repeatedly cut off from recorded options. All calls incomplete, then WaPo hung up on me! All their customer service options DO NOT WORK. I finally changed my password and got it. Do I have to go through this daily? Am fan of paper & would hate to cancel. Unable to access for over a month. More then disappointed.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/23/2024

  ---------- Forwarded message ---------
  From: ********************** <**********************************>
  Date: Monday, July 22, 2024 at 3:01:48 PM UTC-4
  Subject: BBB Complaint ID ********; ***********************
  To: *************** <***************>
  Cc: ****************************** <*********************************************;, [email protected] <************************************>
  

  
  
  

  Dear *****,

  
  

  This is **** from the ************* team here at ******************. Sorry to hear that you were having trouble accessing your digital account. 

  
  

  As a digital subscriber, you can use our website or mobile app to sign in using your email address and password. In the future, if you have problems signing in, please reach out to us at *****************. 

  
  

  Best regards,

  
  

  **** Squire 

  ************* Specialist

  The Washington Post