Business Profile

Newspaper

St Louis Post-Dispatch

This business is NOT BBB Accredited.

Find BBB Accredited Businesses in Newspaper.

This business has 1 alert

Pattern of Complaints

Complaints

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

Customer Complaints Summary

81 total complaints in the last 3 years.
24 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.

Initial Complaint
Date:10/15/2024
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.
**** cancel subscription
Business Response
Date: 10/23/2024
Our response is attached
Customer Answer
Date: 10/24/2024
Complaint: 22424561

I have reviewed the business' response and am rejecting it because:
I have an audio recording of the person I called when trying to cancel this subscription telling me (after a lengthy hold) that they could not find an account for me. They said they couldn't "find" it even though I provided them with my email address and account number several times. This happened AFTER I attempted to cancel on line multiple times.
Sincerely,

***** *****
Business Response
Date: 10/28/2024
We apologize for the agent not being able to locate your account and process your cancellation request. As we previously stated, we have successfully located your account and processed the cancellation, effective on the expiration date of 3/02/25.
Thank you for your patience, and please let us know if you need further assistance.
Initial Complaint
Date:10/13/2024
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 have subscription with the post-dispatch for Thursdays thru Sundays.I pay every two ********* last payment was Sept.6th 2024 of $******** rates are due to increase to $57.00 in Nov..I have not received an issue delivery since Sept 13th.I have called every business days since then.The problem still persists.
Customer Answer
Date: 10/14/2024
I have heard from a senior officer of the post dispatch this morning by phone call.He assured me that the situation regarding the missing delivery issues will be resolved .My thursday thru Sunday deliveries should resume this week with no more lapse in service.If this does not happen I will contact you further.I Tha k you for your prompt response to my situation.

.
Initial Complaint
Date:09/16/2024
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.
I have been trying to cancel my subscription for over a week. Their site says to enter any two of address, email, account number etc. in order to cancel. I have entered everything correctly. Then they always say, account can't be found, call. Then when you call the # given you get an automated upsell of some bs medical device and are never given the option to cancel or talk to anyone. My account is supposed to renew on the 22nd of the month but they stole the money already 9/16/24 if not earlier at a higher rate which is the reason I'm cancelling They send me multiple emails every day, so they know the account. My account # with them is ****************. This is exactly how they show it on their site. They have intentionally set up their website and phone to make it impossible to cancel so they can commit wire fraud and steal my money. I'm sure if it's happening to me then it's happening to others too. Thanks, *****.
Business Response
Date: 09/19/2024
Our response is attached
Customer Answer
Date: 09/23/2024
Complaint: 22293764

I have reviewed the business' response and am rejecting it because: I was calling the wrong #, used 800. Called 314 # and cancelled. That doesn't solve the problem of saying click here to cancel an account then having an outright lie come up saying now they can't find the account. Then giving you another runaround of calling another phone #. Their site is set up to intentionally rip the customer off by making it as difficult as it can be. Of course, when I cancelled, now they want to offer a better deal. Too late, lost a long-time customer.

Sincerely,

*********** *******
Business Response
Date: 09/27/2024
Our response is attached
Initial Complaint
Date:09/06/2024
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.
On Aug. 29, they took an unauthorized debit of $182.00 from my account. They promised to refund me the money and they did not do it. They deducted a month off my newspaper subscription and charged me $17.29 for the monthly deduction. I would like a refund of my money.
Business Response
Date: 09/06/2024
Our response is attached
Initial Complaint
Date:06/27/2024
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.
Around September of 2022 I must have clicked on an article that was click-bait on social media. I would have NEVER signed up for a membership program with the St Louis Post Dispatch. I have only two email from the, both stating the price increase, I never clicked on the emails, I assumed the were advertisements. According to the the post dispatch website, I have been a member since September of 2022. In September of 2022, I was charged $1. Then in March 24, 2023, I was charged $10.97. I was charged that amount monthly until September 22, 2023 in which I was charged $21.93. I was charged the $21.93 until March 2024 where I began paying $29.95/month. I called the St Louis Post dispatch on Friday 6/21/24 and ask for a refund for all my charges as I had no idea I was even a member. I never got emails advertising their articles even. I asked them to cancel my membership to them as well. I was told they cancelled it and they would have someone call me about the refund. No one has ever called. And I logged onto their website and saw that they did not even cancel me!! I have spend hundreds of dollars on a company that is a COMPLETE SCAM. Please help!
Business Response
Date: 07/10/2024
Our response is attached.
Initial Complaint
Date:06/14/2024
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.
I subscribed the newspaper and didn't want to renew. I let the subscription expire and didn't renew it. The St Louis Post Dispatch started calling me, asking me for a payment to renew. Several times I informed the person o the phone that I was not interested in renew it, but calls kept coming. Finally one of the callers told me I had to pay $ 37 to pay for the papers they sent me after the subscription finished, but if I pay that, they would finish it. I paid and have the credit card receipt. The newspaper kept being delivered, and I called their subscription department asking to cancel that. I informed I had already paid and that I was told it would be terminated. Then I received another invoice by mail asking for the renovation of the subscription and more money for the newspaper delivered. Yesterday I received another call. I just want to get rid of these guys and I don't want to hear about this newspaper again.
Business Response
Date: 06/17/2024
Our response is attached.
Initial Complaint
Date:06/05/2024
Type:Billing 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 *** Post Dispatch Digital Edition on March 7th, 2024 for a 3-month subscription for $1. My subscription was up for renewal on June 6th, 2024. I received an email from ***today on May 13th stating that the introductory subscription would end on June 6th, 2024 and that effective 6/06/24 my subscription rate would change to $14.99/month. I checked my credit card statement and saw that I had been charged $14.95 by the Post Dispatch on May 28th, 12 days before the introductory subscription was scheduled to end. I called customer service to ask for a refund and to cancel my subscription and was told that they do not offer refunds for digital subscriptions. I emailed customer service to ask for a refund and was told the same thing. When I asked why I had been charged before the introductory subscription had even ended, they replied with nothing more than a screenshot of their "Auto-Renewal, Cancellation, and Refund Policy". Turns out their fine print states that subscriptions are automatically processed up to 14 days in advance of your Renewal Date. I think it is unfair and a fraudulent business practice to take money from your credit card in advance of the due date.
Business Response
Date: 06/13/2024
Our response is attached
Customer Answer
Date: 06/24/2024
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.

Sincerely,

*********************
Initial Complaint
Date:06/03/2024
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.
I noticed a charge to my debit card for a subscription. I logged into my St. Louis Post-Dispatch account and it shows my account is inactive with someone elses name and credit card information there. I cannot get any farther either on the phone (I work the hours they are open.) or their website which is a mess. I want a full refund of $24.92 and an explanation why I cant even see my account to see why I was charged as it has someone elses information in my login. Very shoddy operation.
Business Response
Date: 06/13/2024
Our response is attached.

Customer Answer
Date: 06/15/2024
Complaint: 21798037

I am rejecting this response because:

The refund is accepted; however, nothing else was solved. I cannot get into MY subscription logging in from either of my email addresses as somehow my user name (for over a decade) was given to another woman, ******************************* in February. Essentially, you have been taking payments from my bank account despite my inability to access my subscription by your allowing someone else to use my user name.
I work full time for a large firm and do not have hours to wait for someone to actually pick up or return a call and you do not allow digital subscribers to cancel online.
I want the following. Despite my love of this newspaper for thirty years, I want you to cancel whatever subscriptions you find with my user name of *********** without me having to call and listen to a sales pitch as I am aware that is the pattern when trying to cancel. I want proof of that in writing. It would be very nice to have the $99.68 I was charged from February through May - I blamed myself for the reason why I could not access my subscription. It was definitely not me.
Sincerely,

***********************
Business Response
Date: 06/24/2024
Our response is attached
Customer Answer
Date: 06/24/2024
I am completely confused by the response in that, first, I state once again, I am a woman and find it irritating they cannot comprehend that. Yes, I had two accounts with two emails. While the Post says you can go online and change your account and cancel, that was not been my experience, nor the experience of hundreds of others. My complaint stated whenever I tried to log in to my account to cancel, their site automatically sent me to my original username of MartiMaurer which was someone else's account. I cannot fathom why ****************** was assigned a former account number that came with a username obviously someone's first and last name. The whole reason I contacted BBB was that I could not (and I am not computer illiterate) figure out why I could not get into my account and cancel online. It would make sense to me that their website would use your email address as well as your username. I work in legal and I am active in the community with a number of different organizations. One of my concerns was ****************** could have made comments on any stories she read that could either jeopardize my job or my organizations.
Please advise how I should respond to their answer. Thank you.
Initial Complaint
Date:05/30/2024
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 ordered the Sunday paper on Oct 10, 2023 via online and never received it. I called about not receiving and was told that I had paid for it. A charge of $58.50 appeared on my CC on 11/9. I called on 11/20 once again about not receiving the paper and spoke to *******. I told him if I do not receive the paper this week I want it cancelled. Called back on 11/30 spoke with ***** and she said it would take 4-6 wks to receive refund. On 12/5 I was issued a refund of $42.55 on my CC. Called 12/23 spoke with ** who said I was issue a refund I explained it was only a partial refund and he said he would expedite my request, Called back on 2/20/24 spoke with **** who said she was sending refund request to billing. Called on 3/9 spoke with ****** who again said he was expediting my request but it would take 4-8 wks for refund. Called back on 4/9 spoke with ****** same story but he also said he would have supervisor call me. Called on 4/30 spoke with ****** told her I was still waiting to her from supervisor. She said the will mail a check and she would expedite the process but it could take 4-6 wks. Here we are on May 30th and still no call, no refund issued to my CC or check received. I would like to have my refund issued.. This is crazy and totally unprofessional. I would never recommend them and I see why so many complaints have been issued.
Business Response
Date: 05/31/2024
Our response is attached
Customer Answer
Date: 06/13/2024
They have been saying 4-6 weeks for months. I have yet to receive anything. I will not be satsfied until I have received my complete refund.
Initial Complaint
Date:05/22/2024
Type:Billing 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.
For the past few years I have subscribed to the St. Louis Post Dispatch for Sunday delivery only. Delivery proceeded as expected until Christmas 2023 when suddenly delivery stopped. Now a couple of Sundays at that time had very inclement weather, and missed delivery could be expected. But non-delivery persisted. Every Monday I called the Post's help line, relayed my problem to the representative, and was assured they would investigate and my account would be credited [that is a scam in and of itself!]. Between January and March, I received the paper only 3 or 4 times. Finally frustrated, I called the Post's help line and told them to cancel my subscription immediately. They were greatly apologetic.As my subsriptions were paid via my **************** Card, I went through them to successfully reverse the last $25.00 charge posted.As expected no delivery was made for several weeks.Then around the first week in May, I got a delivery; then no delivery; then last Sunday yet another delivery.My AMEX bill arrived today (5/22) and included the $25 charge for a May subscription.Tomorrow, I will call the Post and strenuously remind them that I cancelled the paper and will contact AMEX to put the $25 charge into dispute.Maybe that will end the matter. I wanted to bring this incident to your attention and perhaps you can get them to cancel my subscription.
Customer Answer
Date: 05/23/2024
Good Day.
This morning (5/23) I contacted the Post-Dispatch, spoke to an "account representative," and confirmed that my account with them is now cancelled.
I also contacted **************** opening a dispute with them on the 5/11/24 monthly charge of $25.00 which covers the account from 5/10 to 6/10.
*************************
Business Response
Date: 05/31/2024
Our response is attached
Customer Answer
Date: 06/03/2024
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.
I have been told by the Post-Dispatch that my "subscription" will be finally cancelled at the end of this billing period on or about June 8th.
Thank you for your assistance!

Sincerely,

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

BBB Business Profiles may not be reproduced for sales or promotional purposes.

BBB Business Profiles are provided solely to assist you in exercising your own best judgment. BBB asks third parties who publish complaints, reviews and/or responses on this website to affirm that the information provided is accurate. However, BBB does not verify the accuracy of information provided by third parties, and does not guarantee the accuracy of any information in Business Profiles.

When considering complaint information, please take into account the company's size and volume of transactions, and understand that the nature of complaints and a firm's responses to them are often more important than the number of complaints.

BBB Business Profiles generally cover a three-year reporting period, except for customer reviews. Customer reviews posted prior to July 5, 2024, will no longer be published when they reach three years from their submission date. Customer reviews posted on/after July 5, 2024, will be published indefinitely unless otherwise voluntarily retracted by the user who submitted the content, or BBB no longer believes the review is authentic. BBB Business Profiles are subject to change at any time. If you choose to do business with this company, please let them know that you checked their record with BBB.

As a matter of policy, BBB does not endorse any product, service or business. Businesses are under no obligation to seek BBB accreditation, and some businesses are not accredited because they have not sought BBB accreditation. BBB charges a fee for BBB Accreditation. This fee supports BBB's efforts to fulfill its mission of advancing marketplace trust.

Cookies on BBB.org

This business has 1 alert

Complaints

Customer Complaints Summary

If you've experienced an issue

Filter and sort by

Sort by

Complaint status

Complaint type

Complaint statuses

Business Response

Customer Answer

Business Response

Complaint statuses

Customer Answer

Complaint statuses

Business Response

Customer Answer

Business Response

Complaint statuses

Business Response

Complaint statuses

Business Response

Complaint statuses

Business Response

Complaint statuses

Business Response

Customer Answer

Complaint statuses

Business Response

Customer Answer

Business Response

Customer Answer

Complaint statuses

Business Response

Customer Answer

Complaint statuses

Customer Answer

Business Response

Customer Answer

St Louis Post-Dispatch is NOT a BBB Accredited Business.