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:09/18/2022

  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 renewed 2 gift subscriptions - order #KY2449377 for $14.95 each for a total of $32.00 on 11/17/21. To continue to be delivered to 1) ***********************, ******************************************************************* and *****************************, *************************************************************** just found out that neither subscription has ever been received. I tried to call and got someone who promised to look into it and send me a contact email. That didn't happen. I also sent an email with no response.I paid for 2 subscriptions without receiving the magazines.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/21/2022

  We show customer sent email on 9/04/22 about Order Number: KY2449377Magazine(s): Sports Illustrated Kids for *******************************. We sent an email back on letting the customer know we were sending a status request to the publisher's processing center. The processing center got back to us stating there are no problems or returns on their end and supplied account info: Your 11/22/21 order is currently serving. I was unable to locate any newer order in our system or at the publisher. See service dates below. The publisher already extended 1 issue per customer request. A# **********, S: ***/**, E: 3-4/23, CID# **********. We messaged processing center back asking for them to send replacements or extend subscription for missed issues. We are currently waiting on their response. The last email we sent to customer stated what we have done and that if for any reason the processing center can't send replacements or extend then we could refund her for the missed issues for *******. This one year subscription consists of 6 issues per year. The publisher has already extended the subscription by 1 issue but we have requested for a further extension. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/28/2022

  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.

  I was charged for a Renewal of ************** Magazine--I never authorized a "Renewal"--and I am being charged for it. I have emailed the company twice now, and no response. I want to discontinue this magazine and not be billed for it. I would like a reimbursement.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/30/2022

  We sent customer email stating:

  On 11/13/20 you placed 2 magazine orders.
  

  One for Reader's Digest for:
  

  *************************
  5308 *************
  *****, **
  33603
  

  And then one for US Weekly for:
  

  *****************************
  2334 *******************
  Lakeland, **
  33810
  

  You had auto renewal on both of these subscriptions. We apologize if the auto renewal caught you off guard. We also sent you emails about renewals on 8/15/21. Screenshots below:
  

  Both of these renewals are 180 days past the date of purchase so we are unable to issue a refund and they are set to expire soon cause order was placed on 8/22/21.
  However the auto renewal has been removed on both subscriptions so when they expire they won't renew and you will not be charged anything. We hope this information helps.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/25/2022

  Type:Delivery 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.

  5-21-22 Magazine order $12.95 3 months later no delivery

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/30/2022

  We sent email to customer stating:

  Dear **,
  

  We show you placed an order for Games World of Puzzles, Order Number: ZL2389492, on 5/21/22. Your Estimated Delivery was: Between 07/16/2022 and 08/13/2022. One thing to keep in mind is that an one year subscription consists of 9 issues per year so you will not be receiving an issue every month. Also since they don't print monthly your subscription could have started a month they were not mailing issues out.
  

  We sent a status request to the publisher's processing center to confirm first issue. They typically respond in **** business days. If you don't wish to wait any longer we can cancel your order and issue a full refund. Just let us know what works best for you.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/19/2022

  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.

  When I originally subscribed for a magazine it was Thanksgiving and 1st issue of said magazine arrived sometime that March. I've re-subscribed yearly, but they seem to be moving up renewal date- i.e., they are currently saying I need to renew in August.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/26/2022

  We reached out to the customer stating: Our records show the following subscriptions

  11/24/16, ZZ8344283, People for 1 year
  9/02/17, ZT9778387, People for 1 year
  9/09/18, EQ9736924, People for 1 year
  8/16/19, VK4833773, People for 1 year
  8/16/20, LJ9849849, People for 1 year
  8/16/21, ZG7469227, People for 1 year
  Then it tried to renew again on 8/16/22 but Payment Failed. We sent you an email 8/18/22 and 8/25/22 to let you know about Payment Failed. It looks like per our records it's every year right around the same time. All renewals are processed a few months prior to expiring for processing and so there is no lapse in service. We hope this info helps.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/29/2022

   
  Complaint: 17743492
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  They have not explained why they keep pushing up the renewal date and have me paying earlier and earlier in the year.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/08/2022

  We are sorry you don't agree with us but below are the dates. The dates clearly show for the last 4 years we have processed the renewal on the same date. Renewals went through on 8/16/19, 8/16/20, 8/16/21 and 8/25/22 (but this renewal did not process cause credit card on file was not valid). The 2 orders prior to that were in 2018 and 2017. Both were processed in September. The original order was placed in 2016 in November. Your first renewal will always process 3-4 months prior to original date so there is no lapse in service. It takes **** weeks for processing center to process the order so the renewal is placed a few months prior so there is no lapse in service or missed issues. After that it will always be renewed around the same time which it was. Again for the last 4 years it was always renewed on August 16th and the 2 orders prior to that in the beginning of September. If you are concerned about the renewal dates being processed too early for you then you can always choose not to have the auto renewal feature and then when your subscription is close to expiring you can just place a new order.

  11/24/16, ZZ8344283, People for 1 year
  9/02/17, ZT9778387, People for 1 year
  9/09/18, EQ9736924, People for 1 year
  8/16/19, VK4833773, People for 1 year
  8/16/20, LJ9849849, People for 1 year
  8/16/21, ZG7469227, People for 1 year
  8/16/22 but Payment Failed

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/09/2022

  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.

  My name is *******************************. I ordered US Magazine for my husband in prison. It was ordered 08/26/21 RZ8977623. His name is *************** #****** At *** in ******* **. This is the address I used in the complaint. I received a notice that US Magazine will be only digital. This does not work for him since he will have no access and this is a 3 year subscription. Discount Magazines does not give refunds, it says after 6 months. However, this subscription does him no good.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/10/2022

  Customer's subscription to People has not been switched to digital. It has just been suspended due to a global paper shortage. Our refund policy is we can only issue refunds on orders that are within 180 days from the date of purchase. The publisher is working diligently to resume production of the print edition and has given affected subscribers access to the digital edition at no extra cost so they do not miss out on their favorite content. Please note that the temporary digital subscription will not count towards the term of the print subscription. Once print production is resumed, they will receive the full remainder of your print subscription. We sent email to customer stating:

  Dear *******,

  We are sorry for any confusion in regards to your People subscription and we apologize for any missed issues. Your subscription has Not been canceled and has Not been switched to Digital. Your subscription is suspended due to a global paper shortage. This is just a temporary hold on your subscription for print and they do plan to have the print back up and running as soon as possible with your full term of service. In the meantime, they are giving customers free access to digital for 6 months as a courtesy since Print has been paused.
  

  What we have already done is send a status request to the publisher's processing center asking for your subscription to resume to Print. It typically takes **** business days for them to respond but as soon as we hear anything we will let you know. We've had much success with getting our customers subscriptions to resume Print if they were suspended.
  

  Your subscription will just be frozen till they can get print mailed again. Once it resumes it will pick up where it left off. For example, if you had 20 issues left in your term when your account was paused then when it starts back up it will still have those 20 issues. Your expiration date should be the only thing to change. It would just change to a later date. We hope this information helps.

  For Order Number: QR8662397 we show 3 People subscriptions. One for *****************************, one for *************** #****** and one for ***********************. All 3 appear to be suspended so we sent a status request on all 3 subscriptions asking the processing center to resume Print. We will be sure to keep you updated.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/08/2022

  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 bought a magazine for my mother for Xmas in November 2021. My mother never received one issue. I contacted the company several times with the same responsethey were back logged. Then I tried to just cancel and they told me if I cancelled I couldnt get a refund ** apparently after six months they dont owe you anything!

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/08/2022

  Customer placed order for Good ***************** on 11/14/21, Order Number: QL9373842. Customer contacted us May of 2022 about not receiving issues. We contacted the publisher's processing center and they said, "Publisher shows this subscription started with the April ****************************************************** returns. To make up for missed delivery they have extended the subscription for 2 issues. The expiration date is June 2023 and the account number is ***********. 6 issues per year." We emailed the customer on 5/10/22 letting them know what the publisher said. Email sent to: *************************. Customer reached out again in July 2022 letting us know about missed issues. Order was canceled and a full refund issued on 8/04/22. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/09/2022

   
  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:07/27/2022

  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 ordered and paid for one year of the print ******** of People. I received a few issues and stopped receiving it. I then received a faded post card saying I could now use the digital version. I am a senior and only want the print ******** in the mail. I feel this is a scam. I had no choice and have not used or signed up for *********** only want what I paid for.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 07/29/2022

  The customer's People subscription has not been canceled or switched to Print. Just paused due to global paper shortage. The postcard the customer received was from the publisher letting them know they have access to digital not that their subscription has been switched to digital.

  We contacted customer via email. The email we sent stated, We know you've recently noticed a change in your People subscription. This is just a temporary hold on your subscription for print and they do plan to have the print back up and running as soon as possible with your full term of service. Your subscription has Not been canceled and has not been switched to Digital. In the meantime, they are giving customers free access to digital for 6 months as a courtesy since Print has been paused.

  What we have already done is send a status request to the publisher's processing center asking for your subscription to resume to Print. It typically takes **** business days for them to respond but as soon as we hear anything we will let you know. However, The publisher's processing center got back to us already and have stated the Publisher has resumed your Print subscription with the August 22,2022 issue
  

  Once it resumes it will pick up where it left off. For example, if you had 20 issues left in your term when your account was paused then when it starts back up it will still have those 20 issues. Your expiration date should be the only thing to change. It would just change to a later date. 
  

  For the inconvenience, offered a voucher for a 1-year subscription to a magazine.   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/01/2022

   
  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:07/19/2022

  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.

  In December of 2021 I was charged for a renewal to a magazine I was subscribing to, the old subscription ran out in April. As of July the subscription still has not renewed. I have been sending them messages through their website for several weeks now and have yet to receive anything other than an automated response saying that they'll get back to me. They simply took my money, gave me nothing in return, and have been ignoring me this whole time.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 07/25/2022

  We show one of our agents spoke with customer on 6/29/22 and then sent email. We assumed the problem was resolved but it was not. On 7/20/22 we sent a status request to publisher's processing center. They messaged us back saying order was not processed so customer's renewal for *********************** did not renew. We issued a full refund back to the AmericanExpress card used to make the purchase. We also sent an email to the customer and left voicemail. For the inconvenience we offered a voucher or Gift Certificate.

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/25/2022

   
  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:07/04/2022

  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 started to attempt to secure a renewal to my ********************* around June 12, 2022. Almost all transactions by internet are limited and not complete or organized. Therefore a potential customer never as assurance that their transaction has been completed and if it is accurately documented. Any communication is simplest vis web, but it is never clear. Then they send automatic messages that never address the problems or the questions. They tell you to call. You try and they do not answer.So it is three weeks now and I have nothing from this Company to tell me if my 2 year subscription is set for the the $15.00. I do not know if they have the proper start date. Basically, this Company is so disorganized that a customer never is assured that their transactions are recorded and if they are accurate. They fail to communicate very consistently.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 07/08/2022

  On 6/16/22 customer purchased a renewal subscription for Food Network for 2 years. The cost was originally $18. We sent an Order Confirmation email to ***************** on 6/16/22. In that email it states "Your subscription extension will reflect on your mailing labels between 8/11/22 and 9/08/22." On 6/24/22 customer called in and spoke with one of our agents requesting a price match. On 6/24/22 we issued a $3 refund back to customer's MasterCard to price match $15. Customer wrote in via email and it took us longer than usual to respond due to high volume. We did let customer know refund was given on 6/24/22 and was also provided $5 Gift Certificate for any inconvenience. We also resent Order Confirmation email on 7/05/22 so the customer has all the info needed on purchase. We are a small call center so we are unable to answer every call but we do have a Voicemail and encourage a customer to leave a message. All Voicemails are called back everyday as long as we receive them by 4pm CST, Mon-Fri. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/10/2022

   
  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.
  
  While the full explanation is not truly accurate, the Company is making a true effort to adjust the mistake. This is most acceptable. 

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