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:06/01/2023

  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.

  You have several complaints of the scheme this place is doing from me now and lots of others. My issue is the same problem previously described by others. Received a magazine called architectural design in the mail that I didnt ask for or subscribe to. Called architectural digest at ************** told the same thing as others that National Publisher Exchange placed the order, so called them at ************** to be told that yet another third party enrolled me in the subscription which was western readers service, called them at ************** and guess what same as all others this line just goes to voicemail assuming that no one ever answers the call and no one ever returns a call. This is a totally scam that needs looked into that this company is subscribing people to magazines that they didnt ask for and never gave consent for. I want to ensure Im not be charged for something I didnt ask for and didnt consent to. I want to ensure ** never enrolled by this company again and that all my data is erased and destroyed in their database.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/01/2023

  Hello....I reviewed the subscription details and it appears that this magazine is a free promotional subscription with no billing on file.  I do see it was canceled by National Publishers Exchange, so I made sure it was also canceled on our end as well.  Doing so also removes your name and address from the file so that this will never happen again.  You may receive one more copy if it has already been mailed, if so please disregard.  I apologize for the trouble this has caused and can assure you that this will put a stop to that.  

  Sincerely, Ed

  Customer **********************, ************************************************************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/02/2023

   
  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. One item to note is why there is no one answering their customer ********************** line goes straight to voicemail. Im sure this will happen to others and it appears the only way to resolve is contacting BBB. Shouldnt they have someway for people to contact them to resolve by themselves? 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/15/2023

  Type:Sales and Advertising 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 received an unsolicited copy of Architectural Digest (AD) in the mail on 5/12/23. I called AD customer ********************** immediately and was told a subscription in my name was created by a third party agency named National Publishers Exchange (NPE). AD gave me their NPE's phone number and when I called NPE, they indicated that Western Reader's Service was the originator of this request. NPE provided Western Reader's number but that only went to voicemail. I did not subscribe to any magazine, have not had any contact or made any request with AD, NPE, or Western REader's service. I did not enter into any legally binding relationship with any of these companies and did not authorize or request that a subscription be created in my name or authorize use of my Name and Address for any business purposes. This is an unauthorized, unilateral action on your part, bordering on identity theft. I request you to cancel any and all subscriptions you have taken out in my name and to refrain from taking out any further subscriptions in my name. This applies to you and any of your affiliates and business partners. I will refuse any and all invoices issued by you and your business partners.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/18/2023

  Hello,
  I checked and it appears this was a free promotional sampler subscription. I did notice it was canceled by National Publishers Exchange, so I confirmed that and canceled on our end as well. There may be one more copy received if already mailed.  This also removes your name and address as well. I apologize for the trouble this has caused.
  Regards,
  Ed,Western Readers

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/31/2023

   
  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:05/09/2023

  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 received an unsolicited copy of GQ magazine in the mail. Upon reaching out to GQ they said that my subscription was held by National Publishers Exchange. I called them and they said they were just a distributor and that they did not have access to billing info, and that Western Reader's Service was in charge of my subscription. I did not order any magazines and I do not approve any transactions made by Western Readers or its affiliates. I wish any subscriptions held to be canceled and refunded.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/18/2023

  Hello,
  I checked and it appears this was a free promotional sampler subscription. I did notice it was canceled by National Publishers Exchange, so I confirmed that and canceled on our end as well. There may be one more copy received if already mailed.  This also removes your name and address as well. I apologize for the trouble this has caused.
  Regards,
  Ed,Western Readers

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/02/2023

  Type:Sales and Advertising 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.

  Like other recently filed complaints registered with BBB re/ Western Reader's Service, I recently started to receive a magazine I did not subscribe to and traced the issue back to Western Reader's Service, via a redirect from National Publishers Exchange and Architectural Digest. The subscription # is: ARD1754332896/3#. As there seems to be an adequate response rate via filed complaints, I'll register my issue here as the answering service didn't seem promising for resolution. Please confirm that my name has been removed and that I will receive no further mailings nor any future ********.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/18/2023

  Hello,

  I checked and it appears this was a free promotional sampler subscription.  I did notice it was canceled by National Publishers Exchange, so I confirmed that and canceled on our end as well. There may be one more copy received if already mailed.  This also removes your name and address as well. I apologize for the trouble this has caused.

  Regards,

  Ed, Western Readers

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/01/2023

  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, ************************ did not purchase, subscribe nor asked for, nor order Architectural Digest. A couple months ago, I tried to contact Architectural Digest to ask why or who was sending the magizens/book. I did not order or subscribe to this company. I tried to contact this company on or around 4-20-23. To no avail, one number sent me to another, one number said I should refer to account #, I do not nor shall be charged for something I did not or nor do want. Help me with this so no one else have to go through this. Stop means nothing to this company.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/24/2023

  Hello...it appears that the magazine was a free promotional subscription, with no billing whatsoever.  I did cancel it and removed your name and address so that this does not happen again.  Again, there was no billing nor any such information on file.  Please be advised you may receive one more copy should it already have been mailed.  I apologize for the trouble this has caused.  Regards, *** ******** **********************, ****** ******************.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/04/2023

  Type:Sales and Advertising 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.

  Was signed up for a subscription magazine without consent called magazine company to resolve issue was told to contact National Publishers Exchange, they proceeded to tell me the subscription originated from Western Exchange. Try to contact Western exchange only to go to voicemail.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/06/2023

  My apologies, I did not see this complaint.  Sorry for the late response.  I checked and it appears that this was a free promotional subscription, no billing of any sort on file.  The subscription was also canceled (at the time of the complaint), so there should be no further deliveries.  In addition, your name and address was removed from the file so that this does not happen again.  ********** ** at Western Readers.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/09/2023

  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 received an unsolicited copy of Architectural Digest in the mail. Upon inquiring with customer ********************** at ARD, I was informed that a subscription had been taken out in my name by a third party agency. They named a company -National Publishers Exchange- as this agency. They also claim, I cannot cancel this subscription, since it was made by you. Subscription number is: ARD1754354965/9 I filed a complaint with BBB against National Publishers Exchange, who claim your company --the Western Reader's Service is the originator of this request.I never had contact with your company, I did not order any magazines. I did not enter into any legally binding relationship with you. I did not authorize you or request you to take out subscriptions in my name or use my Name and Address for any business purposes.This is an unauthorized, unilateral action on your part, bordering on identity theft. I request you to cancel any and all subscriptions you have taken out in my name and to refrain from taking out any further subscriptions in my name. This applies to you and any of your affiliates and business partners. I will refuse any and all invoices issued by you and your business partners.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/13/2023

  Hello.  I checked and the Architectural Digest was a free promotional subscription and no billing of any sort.  You may receive one more copy if it has already been mailed, so if so, please disregard.  Usually a postcard is sent in advance advising of the free subscription.  In any event, I also removed your name and address so that this does happen again.  I also checked but did not see any other subscriptions.  We apologize for the trouble this has caused.  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/20/2023

   
  Complaint: 19560245
  
  I am rejecting this response because: Please double check the subscription is actually cancelled, I keep receiving magazines. MAKE IT STOP.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************************

  Business Response

  Date: 03/22/2023

  Hello,

  This promotional subscription was only just recently canceled.  While I understand the frustration, there may have been an issue already in the process of being mailed out and probably is the most recent issue you received.  Please know that it was canceled and if you did just recently receive a copy, it most likely is the last one.  Again, my apologies for the trouble this has caused, and also rest assure there is no billing of any sort as well.

  Best regards,

  Ed, customer ********************** at ************************************************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/01/2023

  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 received an ****************************** today ( Feb27,2023) that I didnt signed up for and called the publisher.They said its a third party (National Publisher Exchange) and gave me the contact number to cancel subscription. When I called the National Publisher to cancel the subscription that I didnt sign up for, the customer ********************** she will cancel and transfer me to another publisher (Western Readers Service) to opt out. And It was just an answering service. I would like to make sure it was cancelled. And my name or address to be remove from their system and opt out to any subscriptions of sort. Thank you

  Business Response

  Date: 03/13/2023

  Hello.  I checked and the Architechtural Digest was a free promotional subscription, with no billing of any sort.  I canceled it on our end, however, you may receive one more copy if already sent in the mail.  If so, please disregard.  I also deleted your name and address so that this does not happen again.  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/09/2023

  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.

  12/29 I received a "** Magazine" in the mail, I had never ordered the magazine let alone read a ** magazine. I had called the ** customer ********************** and they had informed me that I could not cancel the subscription through them and that a "third party publisher" had been the one who put the subscription together. I was given a phone number for the "National Publishers Exchange" ***************) to cancel the subscription. I called the *** and spoke with a employee named "El" (Employee ID: ****** and asked for my name and zip code. She was able to identify where I lived. I asked to have the magazine subscription cancelled, she informed me that "I have cancelled the subscription". She was unable to provide me a confirmation code, told me that I could not cancel the "membership" and would have to speak to another person at "Western Readers Service" ***************) and got a voice mail requesting a "call back number". I left a message and have not heard back. I filed a complaint about the *** and was told It wasnt their issue and that I needed to contact the Western Readers service who has yet to call me back. I did receive a response from the BBb on the national publisher exchange, and I see there are multiple complaints against this company already. Ultimately I would like to have all of this removed/cancelled because I do not have any interest in this charade. This feels predatory towards people my putting together magazine subscriptions without the consent of the person they are filling the subscription for.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/09/2023

  Hello....I have been advised of the complaint and looked into the situation.  It appears the ** subscription was a free trial sampler and promotional subscription, with no billing associated with it.  I verified that it was indeed canceled by National Publishers Exchange and was further canceled by Western Readers Service (which removes name and address from the file to prevent this from happening again).  Please be advised one more issue *** arrive if already mailed but it is canceled and there is no billing of any sort.  I apologize for the trouble this has caused.  Regards, *************, Customer **********************.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/29/2022

  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.

  I received a ******************** Oct22. Then a second and then a third. I never made a request for a subscription. I researched VFs web site on magazines & called their customer ********************** rep. **** canceled ******* subscription but told me to call National Publishers Exchange when I asked where the subscription came from. I called NP Exchange and was told the magazine would be canceled but to call Western Readers Services to cancel an account. I called the *** and no one answered. Left a message to formally cancel any accounts associated with my name/address. Western Readers has yet to return my call requesting cancellation of this scheme of automatically charging for subscription renewals unless the consumer, really victim, makes it a point to cancel.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/30/2022

  Hello,

  I spoke with the customer yesterday (Nov 29, 2022) and explained everything and believe this has been resolved.  The subscription was a free trial, with no billing or auto-subscription, and no obligation of any sort.  

  Our apologies for the inconveneince this has caused.
  

  Sincerely,

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

  Western Readers Service