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The Washington Post
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BBB Accredited BusinessA+Rated by BBB

Complaints

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

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    Customer Complaints Summary

    • 64 total complaints in the last 3 years.
    • 25 complaints closed in the last 12 months.

    If you've experienced an issue

    Submit a Complaint

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

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    Complaint status

    Complaint type

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:07/04/2023

      Type:Billing Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I just recently noticed that I was being charged from wapo.com. I had to ****** search to figure out who wapo.com was so I definitely did not sign up for any service through them. After finding that $12 charge I decided to go back and make sure that this was the only time that I was charged. I was shocked to find out that they have been charging me for over a year. They started charging me $4 a month in June of 2022 and charged me $4 each month for a year. And a couple times they charged me twice in one month. And then starting in June of 2023 they started charging me $12 a month instead of $4. I guess that they figured that since I didn't notice and stop the $4 that they would try their luck at three times the $4 instead. I'm glad that I finally caught these charges because they would have probably tried charging me $36 a month next year. These are all of the numbers that I got from my bank so that you can reference the account that I am referring to. ************ ************** ***************

      Business Response

      Date: 07/17/2023

      From: ********************** <****************@washpost.com>
      Date: Mon, Jul 17, 2023 at 10:52 AM
      Subject: BBB Complaint - ID #********; *******************************
      To: ********************* <*********************>
      Cc: *********@mybbb.org <*******@mybbb.org>, *******, ******* <*******.*******@washpost.com>

      Dear *********,

      This is **** from theCustomer Care team at the Washington Post. Sorry to hear that you are having trouble with the origin of your service. 

      I was able to locate your subscription under your email address ***********@*****.***. Your original subscription started on 5/5/22 and was free for the first four weeks. Per our Terms of Sale for Digital Products, all our subscriptions auto-renew at the frequency stated when first ordering. On 6/2/22, your subscription was automatically renewed at the promotional rate of $4. A renewal notification was sent on 5/26/22. On 6/1/23, your subscription was automatically renewed at the regular rate of $12.  

      I have cancelled your subscription effective immediately, and a refund for the remaining balance of $4.55 was issued. 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 billed any further. Please see this link for more information on our billing policy and our Terms of Sale for Digital Products: ********************************************************************************** 

      Best regards,

      Customer Care Specialist
      The Washington Post
      ***********@washpost.com

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:07/02/2023

      Type:Billing Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I was charged for subscription that I canceled. I had 2 emails on account and think this is where confusion came in. I was shocked to see this charge.Paid with (******* BANK x-****)$120.00 Transaction ID ***************** Seller info The Washington Post Invoice ID ********** Purchase details Washington Post Digital Subscription $120.00

      Business Response

      Date: 07/17/2023

      From: ********************** <**********************************>
      Date: Fri, Jul 14, 2023 at 1:13 PM
      Subject: BBB Complaint - ID #********; *****************************
      To: ******************* <*******************>
      Cc: ************@mybbb.org <*******@mybbb.org>, *******, ******* <*******.*******@washpost.com>

      Dear *******,

      This is **** from the Customer Care team at the Washington Post. Sorry to hear that you are having trouble cancelling your subscription.  

      I was able to locate your subscription under your email address *******************. Your subscription for account #******** started on 5/25/22 and was free for the first four weeks. On 6/22/22, your subscription was automatically renewed at the promotional rate of $22 for a year. Per our Terms of Sale for Digital Products, all our subscriptions auto-renew at the frequency stated when first ordering. On 6/21/23, your subscription was automatically renewed at the regular rate of $120. 

      Per your request, I have cancelled your subscription effective immediately, and the remaining balance of $112.34 has been refunded. 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 billed any further. Please see this link for more information on our billing policy and our Terms of Sale for Digital Products:   ******************************************************************************************

      Best regards,

      *********************
      Customer Care Specialist
      The Washington Post
      **********************************

      Customer Answer

      Date: 07/27/2023

      Resolved-refund received.  Thanks.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:06/28/2023

      Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I signed up for Washington Post Home Delivery for the Sunday paper for 52 weeks at $130. for the term. The WP stopped home delivery on June 6th, 2023 and now mails the paper to you on Monday. Who wants to read old news and who has time to read the paper on Mondays? I went to cancel my subscription, but there's no refunds. As far as I'm concerned the WP broke their agreement to deliver the Sunday Paper on Sunday and should offer a prorated refund to it's subscribers.

      Business Response

      Date: 07/07/2023

      Dear *************************:

      Thank you for subscribing to The Washington Post newspaper.  Is there a recent subscription and payment youre referring to?  We received one payment of $92.33 for a 52-week subscription from 1/16/19 through 1/14/20.  We later billed you for another 52-week subscription on 12/15/19 for service from 1/15/20 through 1/12/21.  However, delivery was suspended on 3/23/20, since no payment was made on the new subscription.  You were billed $23.09 for the papers you received from 1/15/20 through 3/22/20.  This amount remained on your account, but we removed it from your account.  

      I hope this addressed your issue.  Please contact me if you have additional questions or concerns.

      Regards,

      *******

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

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:06/27/2023

      Type:Billing Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I received an online request to subscribe to the Washington post. It would not go away until I entered a valid credit card number... There was no information. It kept my computer from restarting... Now there is a recurring charge on my credit card statement see images attached. I need confirmation that this is a recognized scam reported by the BBB

      Business Response

      Date: 07/17/2023

      From: ********************** <****************@washpost.com>
      Date: Fri, Jul 14, 2023 at 2:31 PM
      Subject: BBB Complaint - ID #********; ***********************
      To: ********************* <*********************>
      Cc: **********@mybbb.org <*******@mybbb.org>, *******, ******* <*******.*******@washpost.com>

      Dear ****,

      This is **** from the Customer Care team at the Washington Post. Sorry to hear that you are having trouble with the origin of your service. 

      I was able to locate your subscription under your email address ********************** Your original subscription was first purchased on 6/11/20 at the promotional rate of $29 plus tax for the first year.  Per our Terms of Sale for Digital Products, all our subscriptions auto-renew at the frequency stated when first ordering. Thus, a year later, your subscription was automatically renewed at the regular rate of $100 plus tax on 6/11/21. 

      Your subscription was cancelled on 7/7/23, and a refund was issued in the amount of $127.92. Let us know if you do not receive your refund. 

      Rest assured, your subscription has been terminated, and you will not be billed any further. Please see this link for more information on our billing policy and our Terms of Sale for Digital Products:  *****************************************************************************************************;

      Best regards,

      *********************
      Customer Care Specialist
      The Washington Post
      **********************************

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:05/13/2023

      Type:Billing Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      On May 11, 2023, my ***** ***** bank account had a charge of $128.40 for WAPO.com. I had contacted and spoke to someone early in 2022 to cancel my subscription which I was being charged monthly for. Now, months later, the Washington Post is taking $128.40 from me WITHOUT APPROVAL! This is simply theft! I do not want anything ever to do with them again and I demand a full refund immediately.

      Business Response

      Date: 05/19/2023

      From: ********************** <**********************************>
      Date: Fri, May 19, 2023 at 1:52 PM
      Subject: BBB Complaint - ID #********; ****** "****" Bell
      To: ******************* <*******************>
      Cc: *******@mybbb.org <*******@mybbb.org>, *******, ******* <*******.*******@washpost.com>

      Dear ****,

      This is **** Customer Care team here at the Washington Post. Sorry to hear that you are having trouble cancelling your subscription.

      Your original subscription was purchased on 5/10/20 at the promotional rate of $29 plus tax totaling $31.03 for the first year. Per our Terms of Sale for Digital Products, all our subscriptions auto-renew at the frequency stated when first ordering. Thus, a year later, your subscription was automatically renewed at the regular rate of $100 plus tax totaling $107 on 5/10/21. Renewal notifications were sent on 4/10/21 and 5/10/22.  No cancellation request was received by our office. 

      Per your request, I have cancelled your subscription effective immediately, and a refund was issued in the amount of $128.40. 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 billed any further. Please see this link for more information on our billing policy and our Terms of Sale for Digital Products:   **********************************************************************************

      Best regards,

      **** ******
      Customer Care Specialist 
      The Washington Post
      ****.******@washpost.com 

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:05/08/2023

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I just noticed today that I have been charged $12.00 per month since November 2021 for an online subscription to Washington Post ( WAPO.com).I did not sign up for this service. ***** ***** is only willing to refund me $24 out of the $276 that was deducted from my ***** ***** account.

      Business Response

      Date: 05/22/2023

      From: ********************** <****************@washpost.com>
      Date: Mon, May 22, 2023 at 8:55 AM
      Subject: BBB Complaint - ID #********; ***************************
      To: ********************* <*********************>
      Cc: *******@mybbb.org <*******@mybbb.org>, *******, ******* <*******.*******@washpost.com>

      Dear *******,

      This is **** from the Customer Care team at the Washington Post. Sorry to hear that you are having trouble with the origin of your service. 

      I was able to locate your subscription under your email address ************@*****.com. Your original subscription was first purchased on 11/17/20 at the promotional rate of $1 for the first four weeks. Per our Terms of Sale for Digital Products, all our subscriptions auto-renew at the frequency stated when first ordering. Thus, four weeks later, your subscription was automatically renewed at the regular rate of $10 on 12/15/20. Renewal notifications were sent on 12/8/20 and 10/11/22.

      I have cancelled your subscription effective immediately, and a chargeback totaling $48 was refunded on 5/18/23 . 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 billed any further. Please see this link for more information on our billing policy and our Terms of Sale for Digital Products: **********************************************************************************  

      Best regards,

      **** ******
      Customer Care Specialist
      The Washington Post
      ***********@washpost.com

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:04/12/2023

      Type:Billing Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I learned today that I am a WaPo subscriber - how I ended up as such, I don't know. According to their records, I was charged $0 on Feb 22, 2022, then $43.44 on March 3, 2022. During this period, I did not read WaPo. Today I learned I had been charged the renewal rate of $130.32. I was warned a month ago, but because they use the same email address for subscription information as for news, my email grouped it into my news and it went to spam. This is certainly not enough to warn subscribers of upcoming charges.I have no intention of reading WaPo in the next year and would sincerely appreciate a refund. To be honest, I don't even fully understand how I was able to be charged so much - when I view my account, it shows me as a monthly subscriber, not annual. And my debit card connected to the account was cancelled, so it is unclear to me how they even got my new card number. But I would appreciate a refund.

      Business Response

      Date: 05/22/2023

      From: ********************** <**************@washpost.com>
      Date: Mon, May 22, 2023 at 11:53 AM
      Subject: BBB Complaint ID #********; ***************************
      To: *************************** <***************************>
      Cc: *******@mybbb.org <*******@mybbb.org>, *******, ******* <*******.*******@washpost.com>

      Dear ******,

      This is **** from the Customer Care team at the Washington Post. Sorry to hear that you are having trouble with unexpected renewal charges.

      I was able to locate your subscription under your email address ***************************. Your original subscription started on 2/2/22 and was free for the first four weeks. On 3/3/22, your subscription was automatically renewed at the promotional rate of $40 plus applicable tax for a year.  Per our Terms of Sale for Digital Products, all our subscriptions auto-renew at the frequency stated when first ordering. On 4/10/23, your subscription was automatically renewed at the regular rate of $120 plus tax.     

      Your subscription was cancelled on 4/12/23, and a refund was issued in the amount of $130. Let us know if you did not receive your refund. 

      Rest assured, your subscription has been terminated, and you will not be billed any further. Please see this link for more information on our billing policy and our Terms of Sale for Digital Products:  ******************************************************************************************

      Best regards, 

      *********************
      Customer Care Specialist
      The Washington Post
      ********************************** 

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:04/06/2023

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      The Washington Post Midweek Mailer does not respond to emails and inquiries about their weekly mail service. After about 10 attempts via phone calls to be removed from the mailing list, the issue has still not been solved. The first inquiry was made in or around June of 2022.

      Business Response

      Date: 05/03/2023

      Dear *********,

      I am sorry to hear about the multiple attempts to suspend delivery of the MarketPlace supplement.  We will get this resolved, but please allow two weeks to process your request.  Feel free to contact me at **************, if you have any questions or concerns.

      Regards,

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

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:01/26/2023

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      Washington Post keeps harassing my address with spam of the Post Marketplace. I have requested 4 times they stop delivering it and will not stop. This is harassment and I have never signed up for their spam mail.

      Business Response

      Date: 02/27/2023

      Dear *****,

      I'm sorry that after multiple requests to suspend the MarketPlace, it continues to be delivered.   I have submitted your request to suspend this supplement.  Please allow several weeks to process.  If you continue to receive it, please reach out to me directly at **************.

      Regards,

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

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:01/23/2023

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I have repeatedly advised to stop sending the junk mailers to our business address, as we are paperless and the weekly stacks from The Pot keep coming. I have called, emailed, spoken with a mngr at ************, emailed [email protected] weekly for months with the same clear demand to discontinue this, and am assured weekly this will stop. This is a stacked, thick pile of junk that is not wanted and this has been made clear by our business. It does not stop. Seeking to file formal complaint and ceasing of communications and mailers stuffed in our business mailbox.

      Business Response

      Date: 02/14/2023

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

      Please accept my apology for your repeated requests for removal from our Marketplace distribution list.  It may take up to two weeks to process this request.  Thank you for the opportunity to resolve this issue.  Please contact me at **************, if you continue to receive future copies of this supplement.

      Regards,

      *******

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