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Business Profile

Newspaper

The Columbus Dispatch

This business is NOT BBB Accredited.

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Complaints

Customer Complaints Summary

  • 84 total complaints in the last 3 years.
  • 9 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.

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Complaint status

Complaint type

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:07/17/2022

    Type:Service or Repair 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.
    This is about the digital subscription service. The Dispatch attempts to attract new subscribers with offers like $1 for 6 months. A good way to allow folks to check out the product. What I find unacceptable is the lack of cancelation options. Logged in as subscriber you can manage the account and they provide an option to cancel. When I first tried this, I was redirected to a web site telling me that the service is currently unavailable. What looked like a technical and temporary issue at first turned out to be a "feature" to prevent customers from leaving. I contacted the Dispatch via the contact option on their website but received no reaction or acknowledgement. Eventually the subscription renewed automatically. I called the Dispatch today only to learn that their automated (phone) system cannot handle cancelation. I will have to call them again during their business hours hoping to speak to a real person to cancel the subscription. We are only talking about a few dollars here but it is really disappointing that a company like the Dispatch has a web site lacking these critical features. Maybe it's just a lack of programming skills in their IT division and not actually done on purpose. With this complaint I'm hoping to get the company to improve the usability of their website. I am not looking for any other resolution or compensation.

    Business Response

    Date: 07/25/2022

    July 25TH 2022 
    ***** ********* 
    **** ********** ** 
    ******* ** ***** 
    Daytime Phone: ***** ******** 
    E-mail: ****************** 

    Complaint ********* 

    Please accept this as confirmation we have received Mr. *********’s complaint regarding our cancellation policy. We appreciate and welcome his feedback. We are in the process of converting our publications to a new circulation system. In doing so our websites are not yet able to systematically communicate with the new systems. We understand this can be an inconvenience and are working toward making the process more user friendly.  

    We appreciate the opportunity to address these concerns. 

    Thank you, 

    Heather 
    Subscription Management Specialist  



    Customer Answer

    Date: 07/25/2022


    Fine - I accept the business's response to resolve this complaint. Should they fail to honor my cancelation request (made by phone due to the shortcomings of their website) I will get back to you.
    Regards,

    ***** *********

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:06/27/2022

    Type:Service or Repair 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.
    poor service. poor follow up.

    Business Response

    Date: 06/28/2022

    June 27TH 2022  
    **** **** 
    **** ******* ***** 
    ******* ** ***** 

    Complaint #******** 

    Please accept this as confirmation we have received a complaint from your offices regarding Mr. **** and his delivery issues. We apologize for the frustration this has caused. I have notified his carrier and their manager of his concerns and asked for an immediate resolution. We encourage Mr. **** to continue reporting any missed deliveries using the automated systems.  

    Unfortunately, we are not able to guarantee someone from the delivery team will reach out as they work through the night and their schedules are unclear.  

    We appreciate the opportunity to address these concerns. 

    Thank you, 

    Heather 
    Subscription Management Specialist  

    Customer Answer

    Date: 07/06/2022

    Complaint: ********

    I am rejecting this response because: no one called me or offered to credit me for missed Sunday paper

    Regards,

    **** ****

    Business Response

    Date: 07/14/2022

    July 13TH 2022
    **** ****
    **** ******* *****
    ******* ** ***** 

    Complaint #********

    Please accept this as confirmation we have received Mr. ****’s rejection. As we mentioned in our initial response, we cannot guarantee a call will be made. In order for Mr. **** to receive the appropriate credit for any missed delivery, he must report the miss using one of our automated services such as dispatch.com or by calling 1-877-734-7728. As of this response, the last missed delivery complaint was on 6/26/2022. 

    We appreciate the opportunity to address these concerns.

    Thank you,

    Heather
    Subscription Management Specialist  

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:06/27/2022

    Type:Service or Repair 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 been paying for declining service for months now. The newspaper reduced service (no Saturday paper) and I understand that the nature of the newspaper business has changed. But that does not mean that I should be paying for a Sunday print addition that is either late, or as in the past 2 weeks, completely undelivered. I have attempted to contact them and get nothing more than some gibberish from their so-called customer service department where they don't even acknowledge your name and make generic apologies and promises. In a perfect world, I would like to receive my Sunday paper as promised (by 9 AM - still very late in morning paper terms). I should not have to pay for an undelivered paper, or a paper delivered after 9 AM (unless there are mitigating circumstance such as a weather event or power outage).

    Customer Answer

    Date: 06/28/2022

    I am rejecting this response because: I would have better luck shouting at the wind than to call or email their customer service. In writing, they send a generic email to "dear valued customer". Calling leaves you on hold for many many minutes, finally to be addressed by someone in rudimentary English from whom you receive a rubber stamped assurance that things will improve, and of course, it never does. Service never improves regardless of means of contact. So, due to these past experiences, I have found it a complete waste of my time to call or email them, hence their having no record of my dissatisfaction. 

    I will accept their extension of my subscription as a manner of refund, as I do not intend to continue to subscribe after that period expires. I can no longer abide the poor service and the continuing degradation of a once fine paper. Thanks to the BBB for your intervention. 


    Regards,

    ****** *****

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:06/14/2022

    Type:Delivery Issues
    Status:
    Unresolved
    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 March of 2022 I did not receive my Sunday paper. I filed online that I had not received it. When I came home from work on Monday my paper was there but my storm door was shattered from the paper hitting the door and breaking the glass. I contacted the Dispatch numerous times and was told that someone would get back to me. To this day no one has returned my calls. I then hired an attorney to send a letter for me. This letter was sent to the Statutory Agent (with pictures showing the door and the paper laying under the shattered glass on my porch) on May 12, 2022 by certified mail and by ordinary mail to the Columbus Dispatch. We received the certified receipt back signed but once again I have had no response from them. At this point I am out of pocket $1,194.50 with my door costing $394.50, the installation of the door was $300 and my attorney fees are $500.00.

    Business Response

    Date: 06/23/2022

    June 21st, 2022 
    ******* ****** 
    **** ********** ** 
    ********* ** ***** 
    Daytime Phone: ***** ******** 
    E-mail: ******************* 

    Complaint #********  

    Please accept this as confirmation we have received Ms. ******’s complaint regarding property damage. It has been advised to me that our legal department is working on this with Ms. ******’s attorney. Unfortunately, I am unable to assist her using this platform and she is encouraged to speak with her council.  

    We appreciate the opportunity to address these concerns. 

    Thank you, 

    Heather 
    Subscription Management Specialist  

    Customer Answer

    Date: 06/28/2022

    [If you do not say why you are rejecting the company's response, BBB must close your complaint.] 

    Complaint* ********

    I am rejecting this response because:  Nobody has contacted my attorney.  This is what I've been dealing with the whole time.  They keep saying someone will contact me and nobody ever does.  THEY HAVE NOT CONTACTED ME NOR MY ATTORNEY.  Once again they are passing the buck to someone else.

    Regards,

    ******* ******

The Columbus Dispatch is NOT a BBB Accredited Business.

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