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Business Profile

Publishers Periodicals

The Journal News

This business is NOT BBB Accredited.

Find BBB Accredited Businesses in Publishers Periodicals.

Complaints

Customer Complaints Summary

  • 6 total complaints in the last 3 years.
  • 1 complaint 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:11/04/2024

    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.
    I accepted a promotion.After I had canceled my Sunday subscription, I was still billed at an exorbitant rate.I tried speaking to their overseas customer service representative at length. They refused to honor a refund.This company also did not ever send ne renewal notices when my account was about to be charged.

    Business Response

    Date: 11/07/2024

    The Journal News regrets this customer's poor experience.  We are refunding the disputed amount.  We spoke with the customer, informed them of the pending refund and provided direct contact information via email in case further assistance is required.

    Customer Answer

    Date: 11/07/2024

    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 and the matter has been resolved.

    The *** was knowledgeable and contacted me immediately. I was impressed with the result. Thanks,

    Sincerely,

    ***** ******



     


  • Initial Complaint

    Date:06/17/2024

    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.
    June 17, 2024 Subject: Complaint for Non-Refund of Unused Digital Subscription Re: The Journal News Headquarters: ********************************, ** I recently did a live chat with a representative from The Journal News (Headquarters: ******************, ************, **) today, June 17, 2024. The male representative I spoke with ended the session while I was still typing my responses.I had a one year digital subscription based on a promotion in May 2023. It ended on May 7, 2024. A new debit appeared on my account on May 7, 2024 in the amount of $9.99 at my financial institution.On June 7, 2024 an additional debit in the amount of $14.99 appeared on my account.On this same date I called The Journal News to inquire about the $14.99 transaction. I was informed by their female representative that the transaction for $9.99 was for the month of May only.Since the $14.99 transaction appeared to be a $5.00 increase I immediately cancelled, during this conversation. I requested to have the transaction reversed and credited back to my debit card. At this point the transaction was processing and had not yet cleared my account. (I also unsubscribed from their emails on June 7, 2024.)The representative informed me that I could not cancel, and that the subscription would have to remain active until July 7, 2024. I want to make the public aware of my experience as a first time subscriber of The Journal News. (Headquarters: ******************, ************, **) In my opinion, this is greed. Why is it that I could not receive a refund to an automatically renewed and unused subscription? ($14.99 on June 7, 2024)The Journal News (Headquarters: ********************************, **) has lost a customer over $14.99.

    Business Response

    Date: 06/18/2024

    The Journal News regrets this customer's poor experience.  While our terms of service state we generally do not issue refunds, we can make exceptions to this policy on a case by case basis.  We have initiated a refund for the requested amount.  The customer can expect to see this refund reflected on their card within the next few business days.  We left a voicemail and emailed the customer, informing them of the pending refund and providing direct contact information.

    Customer Answer

    Date: 06/21/2024

    **** *** ****

     

     

    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.  However, as of 6:00 pm on June 21st the refund to my debit card was not yet received.  

    Sincerely,

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



     


  • Initial Complaint

    Date:11/06/2023

    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.
    The Journal News has been delivering their newspaper to our residence daily for over a year now. We are NOT subscribers. I have tried calling them numerous times in the past, but they continue to deliver it.My daughter has called at least 7 times in the past 2 weeks and asked to speak with someone in charge, but they just leave her on hold forever.We are concerned because my husband and I are both elderly and not in the best of health, and my husband makes it a point to go down the stairs out to the sidewalk everyday to pick up the paper because we cant just leave a pile of newspapers accumulating all over the sidewalk.We also fear that someone may slip on it and then we will have a lawsuit on our hands.We dont know what to do at this point. As I had said before, we are not subscribers, therefore they are actually losing money. It makes no sense.We would just like them to stop delivering the paper to our address please.******************************************

    Business Response

    Date: 11/06/2023

    The Journal News regrets this individual's poor experience.  We've escalated this matter to our distribution management team for review and correction.  We left a voicemail for this individual, informing them of the steps taken to resolve this matter and providing direct contact information in case further assistance is required.

    Customer Answer

    Date: 11/09/2023

    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 and the matter has been resolved.

    Sincerely,

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



     

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:09/01/2023

    Type:Delivery Issues
    Status:
    Answered
    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 the contacted The Journal News via telephone on 10 August, 17 August, 28 August and 1 September asking to stop delivery of the printed paper to my address. The company refuses to stop delivery. This is to the point of harassment by The Journal News delivery to myself and I ask an immediate resolution to end the delivery to ****************************************************************Thank you,

    Business Response

    Date: 09/15/2023

    The Journal News regrets this individual's poor experience.  We've escalated this matter to our distribution management team to ensure delivery of the Journal News is stopped going forward.  We emailed this individual to inform them of the steps taken to resolve this matter and provided direct contact information in case further assistance is required.

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:08/22/2022

    Type:Billing Issues
    Status:
    Answered
    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 January of 2022 I canceled my entire subscription to the Journal News. I have not receive the paper since, which was the point. However Ive been charged every month anyway. Ive had to call my credit card company to dispute these charges every month since the billing was originally setup as an autopay account. Each month, after hours on the phone with the Journal News, ** finally credited for the previous months bill, only to be charged again within days for the next month. All calls to the Journal News are exhaustive and fruitless as the billing continues, the arguing ensues and my patience are worn. Its an hour conversation every time. They always state that they see the error and everything has been taken care of, yet the very next month Im billed again. Im furious, Im frustrated and beyond irritated!!! Im at my wits end. Ive tried everything humanely possible to rectify this myself, but the result is the same every month. I need action, so Im going to News 12 with my complaint. I want my credit card information removed from their records and have asked this time and again. Im hoping you can help me get some resolution to this abusive behavior. They have no right to bill my credit account and its now going on nine months. This has to be resolved otherwise I will be forced to take legal action. Hoping BBB will help.

    Business Response

    Date: 08/23/2022

    The Journal News regrets the frustration experienced by this customer.  We spoke with them, explained the subscription billing and have initiated a refund.  Direct contact information was provided in case further assistance is required. 

The Journal News is NOT a BBB Accredited Business.

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