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:06/25/2023

  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.

  Very inconsistent delivery of weekly and Sunday papers. Today, no delivery. For several months, late, no delivery, or delivery into culvert or where could not be found.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/26/2023

  Thank you for forwarding the customer's complaint. I have reviewed the account and the delivery route for this customer is currently without a carrier and being delivered by available staff. The customer should have received and email notification alerting them to this situation. The route is currently on alert with a 3-hour daily delivery delay due to the staffing shortage. I also noticed when reviewing the customer's account that they had a vacation entered from 6/3/23 to 6/23/23. So, I am not sure if the customer is stating that they have not received papers for the last couple of days after returning from vacation or if they are referring to being missed last month? I have sent an email to our Home Delivery Manager for the area so that they can follow up. I will credit the account for the last couple of days and make sure delivery staff know that the customer is back from vacation. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/24/2023

  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.

  We want to support local business and subscribed to the Seattle Times for quite a long time. The price kept going up, so we decided to cancel the subscription in July 2021. In September 2021, we accidentally subscribed to Seattle Times while browsing/reading *********** on the phone. I called in to cancel the subscription again in December 2021. Today 04/24/2023, I realized that the account has never been canceled in 2021, and that I have been charged for the last 16 months for $15.99/month. The representative was not apologizing at all and mocked me about it too. UNACCEPTABLE!

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/25/2023

  Good morning, we will need additional information to investigate this claim. This appears to be a digital subscription price but the email the customer supplied is not registered in our system - nor is the phone number that was provided or name. I will need to know the email address the customer registered with their subscription for their digital access and the phone number that they used when calling The Seattle Times, the date of the call with the representative they referred to, so that we can pull the call up and review it. Thank you. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/25/2023

   
  Complaint: 19977236
  
  Here is the requested information:

  Email for this subscription: ***************** the name for this subscription is ******************

  please continue with the communication for this complaint via ******************

  Let me know if additional information is needed.

   

   

  the 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** To

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/27/2023

  I was able to find the account under the email **************** for ***************** and have reviewed the notes on the cases and stops and starts that ******** referred to. He did call to stop his account on 5/9/21 due to price. ***************** was offered a stop save reduced price to continue the subscription - which she accepted on 5/27/21 and the subscription was restarted. Then on 7/11/21 the account was stopped again. On 9/12/21 ***************** started a digital account which was registered and accessed. There is no record of any phone call to stop the account and I reviewed her access in our single sign on system (SSO) as well to see when she last logged in to access her account (customers have to login at least every 6 months. The last login to access the digital account/subscription for the email **************** was on 2022-02-17 08:43:55. As a courtesy I can offer a year's credit as a resolution. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/28/2023

   
  Complaint: 19977236
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  I dont want a credit. I only ask for a refund.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** To

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/01/2023

  I think my last response was misinterpreted by the customer. When I used the term credit I meant that we would apply a year's worth of credit to the account. Since the account is former and not active any credit would then be refunded back to the customer via the original payment method as long as it is still on the account. If it is not we would need to process the refund via check and would need a delivery address to mail the check to. I will go ahead and process this since the customer seems to be accepting of the information supplied regarding his wife's account. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/03/2023

   
  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. Please send the refund check to the address on the account.  Let me know if additional information is needed. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** To

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/11/2023

  Type:Customer Service 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 am attempting to cancel my subscription due to a pending charge dated for today, 4/11/23. However, there is no option to cancel online and they are only available to cancel during business hoursaccording to their automated system. I would not like to continue my subscription and would like a full refund of ***** credited back to my account as soon as possible. My account number is ********* for their reference.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/12/2023

  **************************************** account has been cancelled and the payment will be refunded back to his original payment method. In addition, he can email *************************************** or ****************************************** to cancel his account after phone hours. 

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/22/2023

  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'm a subscriber with the Seattle Times newspaper and have been for a long time. I went from having my paper delivered 7 days a week to digital and Sunday only paper a few years ago. Recently I can't even get my paper delivered on Sunday's, yet I had to pay up front for my subscription.I have complained many times vie email to the Seattle Times and have gotten absolutely no response. My Sunday paper has not been delivered for the last 4 weeks. This is unacceptable. I want someone from the Seattle Times to address my complaints and to tell me I will get a refund for the missed papers. When my subscription is up for renewal I will not be renewing. Horrible customer service. You look on social media and all you see is customers complaining about the Seattle Times!

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/23/2023

  We will contact the customer and investigate the matter with delivery staff for her route to ensure that she received her Sunday papers going forward and we will make sure her account is credited for the missed deliveries. She is in a delivery area that recently and is currently going through a restructuring process and there are many new carriers learning routes. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/23/2023

   
  Complaint: 18879541
  
  I am rejecting this until I hear from the Seattle Times.  This is not a problem just in my neighborhood, it's all over *******, **********.  I want to speak to a real person at the Seattle Times.  I don't that if I accept this now that I will hear from anyone with the Seattle Times.
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/24/2023

  The Seattle Times called me this afternoon and apologized and assured me that going forward I would receive a credit for all of my missed papers.  I have also been given a phone number to use in the future if I have any more problems.
  
  Earlier this morning I said my complaint was unresolved and now I would like to mark my complaint as resolved.
  
  Thank you so much for your assistance!
  
  *********************
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/19/2023

  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.

  I am tried to seek resolution to this issue through the customer service department at the **********************, but have been unsuccessful in getting them to contact me. I have not been receiving my paper consistently since subscribing around two years ago. However, since October of 2022, the problem has gotten much worse, receiving less than 50% of my paper deliveries. Currently, I have not received a paper since 12/25/22. I would like all of my missing papers delivered and someone to return my repeated calls and emails who can actually provide a resolution.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/20/2023

  Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I have reviewed ********************** account and it does appear that he has one or two missed Sunday deliveries per month. I do show that he was credited for these missed deliveries in our system. I am going to have one oru our **************** Specialist's reach out to ****************** today regarding this ongoing issue as well as reach out to the delivery staff and manager for his route to resolve the missed Sunday deliveries. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/20/2023

   
  Complaint: 18840156
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  1.  The Seattle Times has not contacted me via phone, email, or text to address this complaint. The respondent to my complaint said they would.

  2. The respondent dismisses my claim saying they had previously credited my account when my paper was not delivered in prior months.  That is not what I am requesting.  Through my account on their website, I selected the option of redelivery of my missed papers, which has not occurred.  In each case I received a form-email stating that my missed paper would be delivered the next day.  I still have not received any newspaper delivery or redelivery since 12/25/22.

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

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/30/2023

  We sincerely apologize for this inconvenience and delivery failure. I do see where ****************** had some back copy requests, but I also see a greater number where he requested credit. So, he did have a combination of both. ****************** was being delivered by our partner paper the *** and unfortunately, they failed to deliver his back copies. I see that ****************** has since stopped his paper and cancelled his service. This was done on 1/24/23. ****************** was just refunded $28.20 back to his credit card. ****************** also had free digital access to the Print Replica of the paper with his subscription as well. I hope this will make up for the missed paper. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/06/2023

   
  Complaint: 18840156
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  I have since cancelled my subscription with Seattle Times, as they refused to redeliver my papers when requested and would not contact me as requested.  At this point, there is no resolution to be offered. I am no longer a Seattle Times subscriber or advertiser, and never will be again.  Two years of poor customer service was enough.  They even made cancelling my subscription difficult, as I had to contact them for three consecutive days before it was cancelled.

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/10/2023

  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 subscribed to the Seattle times around July 1 2022 and paid for a whole year of the Seattle Times 7 days a week to be delivered to my address in ******* **********. The service was great with only 1 or 2 days where I didnt get my paper. However starting 1-2-23 I didnt get my paper, today is ******* 10Th and still havent received my delivered newspaper 9 days in a row. I call and complain daily and ask for a callback from a supervisor or manager or anyone in charge. They dont call back they wont write back to my email. I would never recommend the Seattle times to anyone. They dont care about the customer at all. It takes a long time everyday trying to talk to a human. Their automated system is awful. I can understand missing one or two days but today is day 9. Ive had to drive to the store to get my paper they charge $3.00 a day and $6.00 on Sunday. I would like them to pay for those days Ive had to purchase at a retail outlet. It seems fair since Ive already paid in full for a year. Thats $30.00 for the 9 days and counting.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/11/2023

  Case ****** was opened on 1/5 and notes on the case indicate that his route is on alert due to carrier shortage and reorganization of the delivery area to deal with this. Our area manager called ****************** on January 7th and spoke to him and the case was escalated to new delivery staff/management at that time for resolution. The last missed complaint was on 1/9 and ****************** account also shows that the customer service reps he spoke to, credited his account for all the days he was missed. We will credit him accordingly for the papers he had to buy as well. However, I see no indication that he was not able to get help assistance as the notes on the case and adjustments made to his account show otherwise. We will follow up with delivery staff to make sure new carrier being trained is delivery his paper. Thank you. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/13/2023

   
  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:11/01/2022

  Type:Customer Service 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 just subscribed to the paper and have had several missed deliveries, and they leave my paper in the rain. I have emailed to cancel and receive no response, and I have tried to call but a woman answered and then immediately hung up, and they tried to tell me to text and get help, but the text told me to type HELLO which I did, and I got a response at 10am yesterday saying they are experiencing high volume and will be with me shortly. Still have not heard back.I am being SCAMMED! They have my card number! I want to cancel or else I will move forward with a fraud case with my credit card company!I want you to cancel my subscription!

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/02/2022

  I am sorry that Mr. ******* had a less than satisfactory experience with the chat function. I reviewed his account and a stop was entered on November 1st and his account was credited for the missed deliveries he spoke of as well. So it seems he was able to reach a representative who was able to help him with his request. In addition to chat, we also have our ***** number, and he can also email **************************************** ****************************************** or contact us via our website. Tell us why here...

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/02/2022

   
  Complaint: 18345391
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  

  AS STATED IN MY ORIGINAL RESPONSE, I NEVER RECEIVED A SINGLE CONFIRMATION THAT ANYTHING WAS CANCELLED AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO CONTACT YOU BY *****, BY CHAT, OR BY EMAIL. YOU DO NOT TAKE ANY OWNERSHIP WHATSOEVER! YOU EVEN HAVE THE ***** TO MISSPELL MY LAST NAME, WHICH SHOWS YOU DO NOT GIVE A C*** ABOUT ANY OF YOUR SUBSCRIBERS OR ANYONE WANTING TO BE A SUBSCRIBER. 

   

  I MENTIONED PREVIOUSLY THAT I DID CALL YOU, AND A WOMAN ANSWERED AND THEN HUNG UP. I HAVE THE ***** CALL RECORDED SO DO NOT PLAY DUMB. I ALSO USED YOUR CHAT FEATURE, AND SAID HELLO MULTIPLE TIMES, AND THE ONLY RESPONSE I GOT WAS THAT ALL AGENTS WERE BUSY AND SOMEONE WOULD CONTACT ME SHORTLY, WHICH WAS 2 DAYS AGO AT 10AM AND I HAVE RECEIVED NOTHING FURTHER FROM THERE. I WILL ATTACH THAT CHAT MESSAGE.

   

  I ALSO MENTIONED I EMAILED YOU TWICE AND RECEIVED NO RESPONSE BACK. 

   

  ALL YOU SEEM TO HAVE PAID ATTENTION TO WAS THAT I SAID A ***** WAS MISSED (TWICE IN MY VERY SHORT SUBSCRIPTION TIME BY THE WAY). I ALSO EMAILED ASKING IF THE ***** COULD BE DELIVERED CLOSER INSTEAD AT THE END OF MY DRIVEWAY, WHICH WAS ALSO IGNORED. 

   

  I AM VERY UPSET THAT YOU HAVE DISMISSED ALMOST EVERYTHING I HAVE PREVIOUS TYPED, AND DO NOT TAKE OWNERSHIP. THIS IS WHY I CHOOSE TO NOT GET YOUR ***** ANYMORE. 

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/18/2022

  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.

  Spoke with Seattle Times employee Sellna on 10-18-22, 1130AM seeking resolution. Employee indicated it was ok to file compliant.Because Seattle Times is unable to find a carrier to deliver my ST newspapers in my neighborhood, they have decided to switch from carrier delivery to ***** As a result, I am now receiving a combined Saturday and Sunday paper (Weekend Edition) on Saturday which is an inferior product than the actual Sunday paper which is available to other subscribers paying the same subscription rate as I do and what I had been receiving prior to this delivery switch. I was unable to read about the Mariners 18 innings baseball game played on Saturday, 10-15-22. I enjoy reading a newspaper and books.My requested resolution of mailing me the actual Sunday 10-16-22 newspaper was denied. A credit to my account does not provide the enjoyment of reading a newspaper.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/21/2022

  We did receive a complaint from this customer. Unfortunately, we are experiencing a carrier shortage similar to the ** *********** and are trying a new method of same day mail. Because *********** does not deliver on Sunday we have combined our Saturday and Sunday content into a new Weekend Edition of the newspaper for those subscribers affected. In addition, all print subscribers have access to the Print Replica of the newspaper which would include all of the content in the paper (90-day archive) including the Sunday Sports content that ********************* is referring to. Our current Daily and Sunday Rate is $20.00 per week for Home Delivery and ********************* is paying a heavily discounted rate of $4.30 a week. Our Single Copy price for the Sunday paper at grocery stores, etc. is $4.00 and the daily is $2.00. A digital subscription is $3.99 week - and this is included with ************************* subscription for free. We have offered our customer's credits and discounted rates for the inconvenience they may experience. We are doing everything we can to ensure that customers are taken care of. 

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/22/2022

   
  Complaint: 18241624
  
  I am rejecting this unsatisfactory and insulting response because:
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

   

  Seattle Times did nothing in their response to resolve the issue or address the actual issue of me receiving an inferior product on Sunday, as compared to what other subscribers are receiving on Sunday.  ST response was an intentional avoidance to resolve the issue.  As the ST product and services continues to *****, so does the publication of a newspaper and employment.  I use to also read the former Seattle PI, no longer being published.  My BBB Complaint remains posted for 3 years, will ST still be around ???