ComplaintsforThe New York Times Company

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Initial Complaint
03/26/2024
Complaint Type:
Service or Repair Issues
Status:
Resolved
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
I subscriped to "home delivery" by the New York Times at the end of February. Since then, the paper has not been delivered once. I have contacted customer service every single time the paper was not delivered, only to be told they have "elevated" the case and "alerted" their delivery team to the issue. Still, I have not received a solution, or a delivery. Sometimes I have been promised redelivery, which then has not happened; other times, I have been offered a statement credit for the next billing cycle -- but that is only useful if I continue the subscription, which is useless if I do not receive a delivery.
Business response
03/27/2024
We sincerely apologize for any frustration this delivery issue has caused. Our delivery team and distribution center has been alerted and there is an active investigation ongoing to improve and resolve this issue. We appreciate your patience with this matter. Thank you
Customer response
04/02/2024
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.

Sincerely,

*****************
Initial Complaint
03/19/2024
Complaint Type:
Delivery Issues
Status:
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.
I am a Sunday home delivery customer of the **********************. The ********************** has been unable to deliver a paper to my home for nearly 2 months. I have reported my paper missing each week since mid January. I have additionally contacted the customer support chat interface twice since this problem began. If I do not report my paper as not delivered each time it is not delivered, the New York Times will charge me for that week. Customer support chats indicated that the ********************** is having wide-spread delivery issues in ********, ****** reaching many customers beyond me. I requested that the New York Times stop charging me and stop requiring me to indicate my paper is missing every week in order to not be charged until they are capable of delivering papers. Customer support could not offer me that option.It is inappropriate for the New York Times to continue to charge me and other home delivery customers in ******** ****** as long as they are unable to actually deliver papers. I request that the New York Times:1. Provide a timeline for when they think they will be able to deliver papers again in ********, ****** 2. Stop charging me and other home deliver customers the New York Times is not able to deliver to until their inability to deliver papers is resolved, and 3. Not require me or other customers in areas affected by a know and continuing inability to deliver papers to report missing papers until the inability of the New York Times to deliver papers is resolved.
Business response
03/25/2024
Hello,
Please accept out apology for the delivery issues. We have contacted our distribution partner to look into the matter and work to have it corrected moving forward.
Initial Complaint
03/05/2024
Complaint Type:
Product Issues
Status:
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.
I started my subscription for weekly Sunday paper in late 2023 and after waiting couple of weeks, I received no papers. **** deliveries made all the while NYT kept charging my account. So I cancelled my subscription and now NYT is harassing me for payment due on my account. Payment for what???? I received no services or product. Awful company, running a scam.
Business response
03/07/2024
Hello,
We would like to apologize for the delivery issues and can confirm the account was cancelled, the payment refunded back to the credit card on file and balance due removed.

Customer response
03/13/2024
Better Business Bureau:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

[Your Answer Here]
I have not received the credit to my original payment method.

In order for the BBB to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

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

Business response
03/28/2024
Hello,
Upon further investigation, it was discovered that payment was disputed and charged back, so no refund is warranted.
Initial Complaint
03/04/2024
Complaint Type:
Order Issues
Status:
Resolved
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
I have been a NYTimes subscriber for many years. I was paying $5.24/month on a subscription, and evidently the special price expired, and the subscription jumped to $26.22/month beginning in October 2023. I just now caught it with my bank, and I reached out to the NYTimes to ask if they could rectify this, and they refused.I am asking for reimbursement for the 5 payments of $26.22 made between October 2023 and the end of January 2024. I'm happy to pay the $5.24/month for those 5 months, which would make the difference to be reimbursed $104.90.
Business response
03/07/2024
Hello,
Please be advised that according to our Terms Of Sale (see link below), the subscription will automatically renew at the full rate, unless the customer contact us to cancel. That said, we do try to address our subscribers concerns, and, as a good-faith gesture, we have refunded the last 3 charges back to the Credit Card on file.
************************************************************************-Terms-of-Sale
Customer response
03/07/2024
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. I appreciate your good faith effort in resolving this issue.

Sincerely,

*********************
Initial Complaint
03/04/2024
Complaint Type:
Product Issues
Status:
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.
I signed up for a promotional subscription to *** news, for a $4/month rate. When I was notified of an increase, I went to cancel the subscription (September/October 2021). The person I spoke to said I could continue at the promotional rate if I didn't cancel. I agreed, since I'm not a frequent reader of the **** but was happy to keep my access and support the paper to some degree at that price. I went to cancel my subscription today and was shocked to see that beginning in November 2022, I was charged $17/month, which then increased again in May 2023 to $20/month (screenshot attached). I have no notifications in my email of such price increases, and was not told on the phone that the promotional rate would expire. So I've now paid the *** $373 for a period in which I thought I was paying $80. I would like the *** to refund me the $293 difference. This is completely unethical and unacceptable business practice. Many thanks for your help here!
Business response
03/18/2024
Customer reached out in September 2021 to cancel their subscription and was offered a 1-year promotional rate. We offered a credit for the difference they paid since the end of their promotional rate and the price increase since they claimed they never received the email notification we sent out of the price increase.
Initial Complaint
02/29/2024
Complaint Type:
Service or Repair Issues
Status:
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.
I have been a subscriber of Cooking and News for about 4 years. My subscriptions are current. For about 2 weeks I have not been able to view any recipes. I still get the email in my Inbox, but when I try to click on the recipe, all I get is a message: "Just a small kitchen spill, were experiencing an error loading this page. Refresh to continue". After one day of this, I called all the numbers listed on the NYTimes' so called **************** and they all lead to one place - a ********* call center that does not know how to fix problems and refuses to escalate to the New York Times IT department. I subscribe to *************** and other cooking sites and have been receiving all their content without a problem, so I know it is NOT my computer. I spoke to at least 8 people, including 3 who identified themselves as "supervisors" and lied to me. At first they tried to make me believe I was the only one having this issue. They instructed me to clear my caches, use ****** incognito, etc. Nothing worked. A couple of the people I spoke to hung up on me, which is why I started dealing with the "supervisors". Another call center employee (****) claimed he could not find me, and asked me over and over for my phone number, to spell my name (he was spelling it "******") and asked for my account number, which I do not know since I subscribe electronically. One of the supervisors gave me a URL and asked me to describe the issue in detail. See the document I uploaded. The third "supervisor" whose email is the last in the attached document, suggested I needed to download the NYTimes app from ****** store.I want to view recipes on my laptop with its 32" monitor, not on a tiny phone screen, as I am older. I realized that the app he was trying to have me download was for an Android phone, but I have an iPhone, so of course it did not work. They say they will call me back/email me, but they do not respond and I have to keep calling them. I am done calling.
Business response
03/07/2024
Hello there,
We identified the root cause of the issue that a new browser extension called "Malwarebytes Browser Guard" was causing this "Kitchen Spill error. Users are being prompted to turn off this extension and check again to see if it's properly after that.
We've reached out to this customer on 3/6/24 to provide this guidance and are awaiting response.
Thank you.
Initial Complaint
02/20/2024
Complaint Type:
Billing Issues
Status:
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.
Change in billing practices. Cannot cancel subscription unless you speak to someone on the phone. I try to call and get hung up on, they can't find my account even though I clearly have been charged. I speak to another representative, somehow he can cancel my account but then I don't get any confirmation of cancellation like I was supposed to. They won't let me cancel my account!
Business response
02/23/2024
Hello,
Please be advised that we have spoken with the customer and she said the matter seem to have been resolved and will contact us if there are any more issues.
Initial Complaint
02/14/2024
Complaint Type:
Delivery Issues
Status:
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.
Starting around Jan 15, until today, Feb 14, I have only had the paper delivered about 3-4 times. I have complained online, by phone, and chatting ******* to the ** Times but the issue has not been resolved.
Business response
02/15/2024
Please accept our sincerest apology for the delivery issues you are experiencing. We have contacted our distribution partner to look into the matter and are working to have it corrected moving forward. Thank you so much for your patience with this.
Initial Complaint
02/12/2024
Complaint Type:
Service or Repair Issues
Status:
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.
We have been subscribers to New York Times for years. In these years, their delivery accuracy is atrocious. I would estimate it around 20% of the time we have gotten the paper. We have lived in three different places all over the ******************* and nothing has changed. If youre getting a paper delivered, you expect it to arrive. New York Times just cant get it right. They even connected me to their district manager or someone like that and she told me she would personally see that the delivery would be right. Once again an empty promise because nothing changed. I do not recommend NYT to anyone for their paper delivery. It will likely never happen and creates more problems for you to resolve with them, which they are incapable of doing.
Business response
02/13/2024
Please accept our sincerest apology for the delivery issues you are experiencing. We have contacted our distribution partner to look into the matter and are working to have it corrected moving forward. Thank you so much for your patience with this.
Customer response
02/16/2024
Better Business Bureau:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

Nothing has improved when it comes to delivery, no one has reached out to me for an update and I have not been provided any concessions for the numerous delivery issues Ive experienced. There is no resolution as far as I am concerned

In order for the BBB to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

Sincerely,

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

Business response
03/07/2024
Correspondence via email was successful on 2/20/2024. An investigation into delivery has begun and three additional emails regarding updates to delivery were sent on 2/21/2024, 3/5/2024 and 3/7/2024. We appreciate your patience with this matter as we work with our distribution center to resolve this delivery issue.
Initial Complaint
02/09/2024
Complaint Type:
Service or Repair Issues
Status:
Resolved
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
On January 9th **** the ** Times withdrew $4.00 from my bank account for a monthly subscription. I chatted with someone and explained that I did not have a subscription. The person/s researched and found out that I did not. That money was refunded on January 22nd in 2 amounts of $1 and $3. On February 5th another debit of $4 came out of my account. The memo stated that this is a recurring payment. I chatted again with representative ******* who resolved to check into my problem. He noted that he did not see an account attached to my either of my two emails, ************************* and **************************** My concern is that my account would be repeatedly debited and I want this to stop immediately.
Business response
02/13/2024
Hello,
Please be advised that we were able to locate the subscription and can confirm it has been cancelled and the $4 charge refunded back to the credit card on file.
Customer response
02/15/2024
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.

Sincerely,

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

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ComplaintsforThe New York Times Company

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