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Business Profile

Publishers Periodicals

Lee Enterprises Incorporated

Headquarters

This business is NOT BBB Accredited.

Find BBB Accredited Businesses in Publishers Periodicals.

Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Lee Enterprises Incorporated's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see

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Lee Enterprises Incorporated has 24 locations, listed below.

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    Customer Complaints Summary

    • 129 total complaints in the last 3 years.
    • 58 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:05/19/2025

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Resolved
      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 business ********** Quality Construction was contacted with an offer to advertise by this company, The offer was declined. We are now receiving a bill for the service. I have tried to contact *** Advertising and the ****************** on multiple occasions. Depending on the phone number I have called there is either no answer after letting it ring for quite sometime, or I get voicemail. I have left at least 3 voicemails and have received no response. The original statement was for $44.95, this month they have added $10.00 for a paper statement fee. There should be no charges to the company at all as stated above this service was declined!

      Business Response

      Date: 05/29/2025

      A credit was issued C27485 and I have requested finance remove the ppr fee of $10 bringing the account balance to zero.

      Customer Answer

      Date: 05/29/2025

       
      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:05/16/2025

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Resolved
      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.
      Although I have asked the ******* to stop calling me(phone)and sending me e-mails trying to sell me a subscription/service of the newspaper, they continue to phone and send me e-mails. Also, they have enrolled me in their e-newsletter program without my consent. I have told them repeatedly I want no contact, none of these services. I've tried to block their e-mails, but that hasn't worked. Also, one of their phone representatives said the newspaper has carriers in my neighborhood(****************, **). And I was promised a subscription price for a PRINTED(not on internet/computer) newspaper of $13.87 a month. That's for seven papers, Monday through Sunday, each and every week. That's impossible. My last subscription renewal for that service cost me more than $250 for six months. That included a tip for my then-carrier. The ******* did away with all delivery to the customer's driveway more than a year ago. My carrier sent me a personal note explaining this, saying he could no longer deliver the paper to me. That hasn't changed, so the above information given to me over the phone by the ******* representative was a lie.I just want the Winston-Salem ******* people to leave me alone. I'm very tired of all this. Whatever you can do to help me would be greatly appreciated.

      Business Response

      Date: 05/21/2025

      ****** has been unenrolled from all newsletters and his information has been placed on our DNC lists (phone, email, mail).

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:04/15/2025

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Resolved
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I have been paying for E edition Paper and since February 4 have not been able to read paper. They say they are having problems so I called customer service twice and they said they cannot help me just be patient they are working on it. I then called last month 2 Executives ***** ****** twice no response **** ***** twice no response. I have beyond patient and been paying with no results. I just want to read the Paper and receive credit for months not able to read .

      Business Response

      Date: 04/15/2025

      Will apply credit for $15 to the account. The digital manager will reach out to get him back being able to read the e-edition. The manager will reach out by email and it'll come from *****************************************

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:04/09/2025

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Resolved
      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 my ************ subscription on May 13, 2024. I have an email from a *** customer service *** confirming that my subscription was canceled. Since then, my credit card has been charged multiple times (charges dates and amounts listed below). I was able to have some refunded by my credit card company, but I haven't been able to have the ones below refunded. I have been exchanging emails with their customer support for over a month and they confirmed they will refund them, but I haven't received the refunds. I would like to be refunded for these. July 8, 2024: ***** July 9, 2024: ***** July 10, 2024: *****

      Business Response

      Date: 04/14/2025

      Two charges for $25.99 (total $51.98) were requested to be refunded on 04/02/25 due to an escalation received from the call center. Timeframe to receive the refund is about 3 weeks.

       

      Weve requested a refund for the third $25.99 charged in January 2025. Please allow at least 3 weeks for receipt.

      Customer Answer

      Date: 04/14/2025

       
      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:04/08/2025

      Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
      Status:
      Resolved
      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 attempted several times over the course of the past few months via email, and calling the support line to cancel my subscription. I received email responses saying their system was down and to try back later. The phone number provided didn't connect to anyone. The on-line chat bot kept trying to sell me other services to keep my subscription active after repeated requests to cancel. I've been being charged for 12 months and their rates keep going up

      Business Response

      Date: 04/12/2025

      A refund request has been submitted $63.98, please allow 4 weeks for processing.

       

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:04/07/2025

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Resolved
      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 purchased an online subscription to the ********* newspaper. I tried calling to cancel the subscription multiple times but was on hold for over 20 minutes each time. I thought I had successfully canceled my subscription online last month but was just charged another $19.99 via ******. I want my online subscription permanently cancelled and I want refunded for the 4/6 payment of $19.99

      Business Response

      Date: 04/08/2025

      We terminated the account and submitted $19.99 back to ******, please allow up to 4 weeks for refund to be received.

       

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:04/01/2025

      Type:Billing Issues
      Status:
      Resolved
      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 March 28th, 2025 I was charged a subscription for a paper that I had already canceled. I was refunded the same amount on March 24th, 2025 that my bank disputed after my cancelation. I was able to cancel my subscription a second time after a long phone call on hold. When I got to talk to someone they did not want to cancel my subscription until I insisted several times. I have disputed this charge with my bank. I feel that I should not have been persecuted in this way to cancel a subscription. As of this complant, I have not received a refund.

      Business Response

      Date: 04/02/2025

      The account has been stopped.

      The payment made on 03/14/25 for $16.99, was disputed with his bank and returned on 03/28/25. For the payment made on 03/28/25 for $16.99, he called 3/31 for that and the agent did put in a refund request. The complaint states he already disputed the 3/28 payment with his bank as well. If the bank returns the payment, there is nothing to refund. 

      Customer Answer

      Date: 04/03/2025

       
      Complaint: 23140318

      I am rejecting this response because: I have not received a refund.

      Sincerely,

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

      Business Response

      Date: 04/14/2025

      The request for refund was submitted 4/1. Refunds have a 4 week turnaround time. Please allow until at least 4/29 for receipt the refund.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:03/24/2025

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Resolved
      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.
      A couple of years ago I took out a subscription for the *************** and Record Sunday paper for my sister, who is disabled and housebound. She doesnt have internet and would not be able to learn how to use a computer or smartphone due to a TBI. She received the paper for several months, then suddenly delivery stopped. I phoned several times for consecutive weeks and finally ended up canceling the subscription. Since my sister loves the Sunday paper and cant get it any other way, I thought I would try again a couple of months ago. She has received 1 paper since I subscribed. I have phoned again countless times and each time I am told the same thing: my complaint would be escalated, please give us one more chance, etc. Last week I spoke to a supervisor and she promised she would look into this herself and my sister would definitely get a paper this time, yada yada. I have to try to take care of both my 90 year old mom and my sister, from **. I am already very stressed, and just got off the phone with a rep, who tried the same runaround, and then told me I couldnt get a refund, I would have to wait until the end of 3 months. I said I wanted a full refund, he said early cancellation would cost $35. I nearly lost it, and he finally refunded all but the cost of the one paper she received (on a Monday, not even on time), which I think is preposterous. I have had it with the *************** and Record and will never try this again. I am going to post this anywhere I can on ************* I have never in my life had a worse customer experience.

      Business Response

      Date: 03/31/2025

      We were able to contact ***** *****. The subscription for her sister has been restarted. The issue was caused because the subscription restarted right before our system outage and we were unable to add any notes or escalations to the properties for the missed deliveries. 

      The apartment her sister lives in is a locked building, the papers were delivered outside of the building. The carrier has been given the code and agreed to deliver the papers to the customer's door now. ***** also has the email address for the circulation director for a direct contact if there are any other issues going forward.

       

      Customer Answer

      Date: 03/31/2025

       
      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:03/18/2025

      Type:Delivery Issues
      Status:
      Resolved
      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 began a subscription in December 2024. I have been trying to cancel my subscription since January 2025. Unfortunately, I have not received satisfactory service after numerous emails and calls asking for cancellation. Online and via email you are directed to call, and when I call Im told that cancellation cannot occur because of system issues. All the while I am still being charged monthly and have resorted to placing delivery holds to try to rectify this issue. I would appreciate any assistance you could offer. Thank you!

      Business Response

      Date: 03/18/2025

      We stopped the account and processed a refund for the two $30.07 payments drafted on 02/13/25 and 03/17/25, total $60.14. She did call in and placed vacation hold on the account since 02/18/25.

      Customer Answer

      Date: 03/19/2025

       
      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. I am taking that their effort to stop the account means it is cancelled. I will check in the coming days to ensure the refund has been credited, and will file again should that not be the case. Thank you for your assistance. 


      Sincerely,

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

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:03/17/2025

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Resolved
      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 email at 7:24am on 3-8-2025 stating that my $4.99/month digital subscription was being changed to $16.99/month, quadrupled, went to website within 2 hours of receiving the email to cancel online. The time and date of the cancellation was 9:17am, on the same date of 3-8-2025. On March 12, my online banking account showed I was charged $16.99, 4 days after confirmed online cancellation. I then called the newspaper and asked for a refund, the *** was bumbling around and playing dumb, also tried to get me to accept a "deal". This became very contentious as I became very angry at his poor service and stalling. It took a long time to finally get him to confirm my subscription was/is cancelled, and agree to a full refund of $16.99, only due to me giving him a browbeating. It's now 8 days after my online cancellation, and I received no refund, nor heard from them, even an email confirming anything, but still receiving digital newsletters as if there was no cancellation or discussion. There is also no way to remove my credit card from my account, it doesn't even show up, so I fear they will continue to bill me with impunity."Mar 12 2025 DEBIT CARD ******* NEWSPAPERS *********** WI Date 03/12/25 5968 Card 20 #**** -$16.99"

      Business Response

      Date: 03/17/2025

      The account was already stopped and refund processed on 03/12/25. A refund will be made to the credit card on file.

       

      Customer Answer

      Date: 03/18/2025

       
      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 **** will watch for a timely refund.

      Sincerely,

      *** ******

    Lee Enterprises Incorporated is NOT a BBB Accredited Business.

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