Complaints

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:01/16/2024

  Type:Service or Repair 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 sent in a check to Costal Living ( a part of Southern Living) for a two year subscription. The check was cashed. It cleared my bank. $30.00 for a two year subscription. I never heard anything from ****** living. I emailed them. Twice they have responded saying they have no record of my Order even though they cashed the check. I wrote to the *** of ********************** and sent him copies of the emails I received and copies of the cashed check. No Response from Dotdash Meredith *** *******************. I am out $30.00. I have wasted so much time with this they should give me the 2 year subscription for free. How do you cash someone's check but you have no record of it? This is ridiculous! Their service is pathetic. They say they still have no record of my order even though they have the money. I do not want the Subscription now. After the terrible service it is not worth the $30.00. I just want my money refunded.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/17/2024

  We apologize for any inconvenience Mr. ************ has experienced regarding Coastal Living.

  Our records show we received his order on January 5, ****. The subscription will start with the Spring **** issue.

  As requested, we have processed a full refund. **************** should allow up to four weeks for delivery of his refund check.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/17/2024

   
  Complaint: 21121226
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I want the subscription. I DO NOT WANT THE Subscription cancelled. I WANT THE SUBSCRIPTION!!! If they are refunding the money because of their awful service that is wonderful, but I DO NOT WANT THE SUBSCRIPTION CANCELLED!! I WANT THE SUBSCRIPTION!!!
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/18/2024

  We were able to stop the refund.

  Coastal Living is published four  times per year. The Spring **** issue should arrive no later than April 10, ****.

  The subscription is paid through the Winter **** issue.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/19/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.   It is a 2 year subscription.  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/29/2023

  Type:Delivery 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 am receiving bills for an order I never placed nor received any merchandise from this company. I have returned the bills to them and stated such information. They continue to bill me for merchandise I never ordered nor received. The account # is ************* have asked for information as to when the order was placed, where it was shipped to, and tracking number. The bill is also is my former name of ******, which I have not used in over 4 years. The company is ignoring my questions and has not provided me with any further information, nor will they stop billing me for merchandise I did not order.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/29/2023

  We apologize for any inconvenience **************** has experienced regarding Meredith Annual Books.

  We have attached a copy of the original order we received to start a book series.

  The balance due for the book sent May 30, 2023 has been cancelled. **************** should disregard any further invoices she may have received.

  We have discontinued the book series and removed **************** from our promotional list.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/29/2023

   
  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,
  
  *******************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/19/2023

  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.

  Being billed for books/magazines not ordered. Two books sent automatically and not provided a way to return them. Should not have to pay for shipping for books/magazines not ordered. Currently over $100.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/19/2023

  We apologize for any inconvenience **************** has experienced regarding Meredith Annual Books.

  We have cancelled the balance due and there is no further obligation.

  We have also discontinued the book series.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/19/2023

   
  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. Would like to know what the book reductions are for.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/27/2023

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I am a *************** subscriber. Meredith Publishing took over and every year when I go to renew they try to charge me sales tax. I have no problem with paying sales tax, which in my county of Clark County, the sales tax rate is ****% and they are trying to charge me nearly 25% sales tax! I called and they waived the sales tax, but why and how are they trying to charge 3 times the actual sales tax rate? I'm sure I'm not the only one experiencing this.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/28/2023

  
  We apologize for any inconvenience ****************** has experienced regarding People.

  Our records show the tax rate for Ms. ****************** is 4.6 percent and for her County is ***** percent. Our system automatically adds the specific tax for each State. We collect the use tax from our customers and turn the money over to their state's ********** of ********************************* has called our *********************** and has been given a lower renewal rate. Her subscription is paid through the December 23, **** issue.

  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/28/2023

   
  Complaint: 20920111
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  The tax rates that they quoted are not the tax rates they were trying to bill me. They were charging me nearly 25% tax rate prior to me calling and talking to a supervisor and getting the tax waived. 

  I believe they are trying to overcharge everyone and this will happen to me again if I try to renew my subscription next year. 

  I have no problem paying sales tax, if my state really does charge for it, but only the tax rate applied, not more. 

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

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/29/2023

  The order that was processed on November17, 2023, was for one year for $89.10 plus $7.46 tax. The total due was $96.56. That order was cancelled.

  A duplicate order was processed on November 28, 2023, for one year for $94.00 plus $7.87 tax. The total due was $101.87. We have cancelled the duplicate order. ****************** should disregard any invoices she may receive.

  The amount charged for ****** is $4.6% and *****% for ****************** county. We have not charged 25% tax.

  We apologize for any confusion regarding the tax collected.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/20/2023

  Type:Service or Repair 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.

  Hello. I have been a user of ********************** for many years. I have used the personal recipe function to add my family recipes. Sometime around May 2022, some of those recipes started to disappear. I have now lost access to almost all of my personal recipes that I entrusted Allrecipes.com with. I have contacted support many times over the last year and a half with no solution. I just want someone to find my recipes and either put them back in my account, or simply send them to me in PDF form.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/20/2023

  Hi there,

  Our teams are currently working on the issue and Personal Recipes will appear onsite again once resolved. We'll notify ***** directly once they're visible onsite again. In the meantime, attached is a copy of *****'s Personal Recipes on Allrecipes.com.

  Thank you,
  CQ

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/13/2023

  Type:Customer Service 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 have been receiving bill letters lately of this annual appointment book that we supposedly bought. We NEVER bought it. we NEVER heard of this Meredith magazine company. We would NEVER buy anything from them in future either, seeing how they care falsely charging us ***** dollar in almost scam-looking bill to my parents who do not speak English very well and might easily pay for these predatory people. I ask this unknown company to leave us alone. I or my parents never bought anything from these guys. The bill doesnt say much other than "Other purchases" of some annual appointment book I think, I want to see a proof that I actually bought anything from you guys including a tracking number of shipment delivery or something. I strongly suggest this company to check your the credit card charge and make sure its under the right name from right location, because we have been falling victim to many fraudulent credit card charges lately despite alerting the credit card company and credit card score companies for the past couple month.I also tried calling this company and couldnt even get past the automated phone system because it would not recognize my account number *********, yet the bill asks me to "send payment today". I am highly suspicious that this company may be making spam mails to elderly house owners who may not speak english so well by the statistics of immigrant last name, and is trying to take advantage of it. They need to stop this. Someone needs to.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/14/2023

  We apologize for any inconvenience Ms. *** has experienced regarding Meredith Time Books.

  Instead of returning the Appointment Book to us, we would like Ms. ********;to keep it with our compliments. We have cancelled the balance due and there is no further obligation.

  We have removed Ms. *** from the Book Series.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/30/2023

  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.

  This appears to be an online-only magazine vendor. I used ****** Maps to try and locate them. You may use this link to see what I found (the reviews provide support for my complaint).***************************************** I purchased two magazine subscriptions on behalf of a third party as I am a service business that assists those who are incarcerated obtain books and magazines. A one-year subscription was purchased for "Southern ******************* on May 20, 2023. The vendor says to allow up to 12 weeks for quarterly magazines to begin arriving. The individual notified me in October that he had not received a single issue, yet.I notified **************** and their reply was to contact the publisher. I asked them how could I do that if I had never received an issue. They provided a similar response and confirmed the shipping address provided by myself. Of course, providing the address did nothing to resolve the issue at hand.I have now requested they provide me with the publisher's contact information or issue me a refund for that subscription. Per the information I have seen from others, this company is a major fraud and should be reported to the authorities. Recently, in 2021, another magazine company that exploited inmates was shuttered by the authorities for similar crimes. I hereby request BBB use whatever means available to 1) get me the refund and 2) report to the appropriate authorities about this problem company. You would know who to contact. I would not, especially since this is an online business. Please use the following links to learn more.************************************************************************************************************************************************************* ****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/05/2023

  Confirmation that a refund of $8.97 was issued on November 21, 2023 and the subscription to Southern Travel & Lifestyles has been cancelled.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/06/2023

   
  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,
  
  ********************* Llc

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/10/2023

  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 purchased sports illustrated and entertainment weekly that I requested from an ad in the mail. I have been receiving people magazine that I did not order or request and they have taken money out of my PayPal account that I did not authorize. For ****** June 2022 and ****** June 2023. For a magazine that I did not select. I tried contacting magazines.com but I was put on hold for a long time.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/10/2023

  We apologize for any inconvenience ************************** has experienced regarding People.

  Our records show ************************* has been receiving People since May 2, 2022. We do not show we have received a prior cancellation request.

  We have process a full refund for the order that was processed June 11, 2023, in the amount of $135.00. We have also removed ************************ from our promotional list.

  The October 23, 2023, issue will be the last issue delivered.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/10/2023

  Thank you for your assistance.

   

  When I received **************** it was for the completion of the Entertainment Weekly subscription (which I thought I had purchased two years at that time). Entertainment Weekly went out of business.

   

  Dotdash Meredith never asked if I wanted to continue with this magazine. I had previously received mail to ask if I wanted to continue with Entertainment Weekly and/or Sports Illustrated. I had never authorized an automatic payment from my account and would have canceled the *************** , once the allotment of magazines that I had received for Entertainment weekly had expired.

   

     Thanks again for your help. I will keep a look out for my refund.

   

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/26/2023

  Type:Service or Repair 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 called Better Homes & Gardens magazines to cancel the subscription that my mother had. I informed the individual on the phone when I was cancelling the subscription that I wanted to remove my mothers information in their system and to not get any more mailers, phone calls, etc anymore in the future. Despite my clear directions, they have been continuing to send mailers to my mother for at least the past 18 months. The last time I called to tell them I wanted her name removed from the system, I let them know that I would be reporting them to the Better Business Bureau if they sent another mailer. Well, they sent another mailer, so I am not officially filing a complaint.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/07/2023

  We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience ************************* has experienced regarding Better Homes and Gardens.

  We have removed ****************** from our promotional lists. She will need to allow 30 day for this action to take effect.

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/13/2023

   
  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. As long as no further contact is initiated on their part (after the 30 day period), there will be no further action from us. If these terms are not met, then I will consider ************** against this company and possible escalation of how we respond.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/25/2023

  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 have received 3 bills, (3), for a cookbook that I refused and returned via the ***** The account on the bill is invalid.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/10/2023

  We have cancelled the charge on this customer's account for this book. If the customer receives another bill for this book, they can disregard as it will be just crossing in the mail with the cancellation. We have discontinued this customer's enrollment in this book series. We have also removed this customer's name and address from our promotional mailing list. The customer will need to allow ***** days for mailings to stop.