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Business Profile

Media Consultant

The Athletic Media Company

This business is NOT BBB Accredited.

Find BBB Accredited Businesses in Media Consultant.

Complaints

This profile includes complaints for The Athletic Media Company's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see

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The Athletic Media Company has 2 locations, listed below.

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    Customer Complaints Summary

    • 61 total complaints in the last 3 years.
    • 11 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.

    Sort by

    Complaint status

    Complaint type

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:02/04/2023

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Unanswered
      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 was charged twice in one day by this company in the amounts of $48 and $61.19. The subscription falsely states it is $1 per month so why was I charged $109.19 for anything without any warning or email regarding auto renewal. I submitted a subscription cancelation request on the same day and also requested a refund and received an auto-reply from a robo email that said no refunds would be given.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:01/11/2023

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Unanswered
      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.
      They randomly auto-renewed my subscription from my college email that I haven't used in 4 years for $70. I noticed it a day later and they refuse to refund me.So I was annoyed, but whatever at least I can use the account for a year. But then they canceled my account in general and said I cant access it. So I cant get a refund and I cannot use the account. AKA they just robbed me of $70.How is that fair?!

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:01/07/2023

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Unanswered
      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 signed up with the athletic for what I was told was $1 per month for 12 months. Today I received a charge for $72. There is no customer service number to call.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:01/05/2023

      Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
      Status:
      Unanswered
      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.
      My husband had a subscription that automatically renewed and the credit card was charged $71.99. Because this was his account I didnt remember to cancel before the new cycle began. He has memory impairment which has worsened and he is no longer able to retain or even remember to read the articles. As soon as I saw the charge I canceled the subscription and assumed there would be a refund. After several days I emailed The Athletic and asked for a refund, explaining that he could no longer benefit from the subscription. The response was that they never issue refunds. Not even the same day it was billed? To a man who isnt capable of using your product? Great way to do business.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:01/05/2023

      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.
      The company renewed my subscription without prior notice. The company also changed the payment amount. The company also changed the payment frequency from once a month to once a year without prior notice.

      Customer Answer

      Date: 01/26/2023

      Hello,

       

      This issue is resolved.

       

      Thank you,

      ****

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:12/26/2022

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Unanswered
      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 was charged, without warning, $71.99 on my credit card as "auto-renewal" on Dec. 19th. It's patently absurd that nearly every complaint filed in the BBB against The Athletic Company starts exactly like that, and yet they are still allowed to scam customers like this. I've emailed them and received an automatic response denying me a refund. Problem is, The Athletic is a company that sells their product internationally, and thus have to comply to local customer service laws in the countries they're doing business. Denying a full refund on an online purchase made in ******, within 7 days of its purchase, for example, is against article 49 of the ***** de ****** do Consumidor.With that aside, my story is the same of everyone that has been at one point subscribed to The Athletic. 91% of TrustPilot users rated the company 1-star. On their own website, 150 out of 3800 users found their "refund" page helpful.I find it odd that a company is allowed to be regularly scam consumers, openly, like this for so long. It's a sorry excuse for a business model, one that the BBB should - in their own power - attempt to stop.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:12/22/2022

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Unanswered
      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.
      Unsubscribed early in 2022, thought that was the end of it . I realized no refund would be given for that subscription. My credit card was billed for a 2023 subscription renewal. I did not authorize a renewal. Please help!

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:12/18/2022

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Unanswered
      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.
      Consistent with The Athletic's subscription policy, I cancelled my annual subscription on May 9, 2022. However, The Athletic charged me for a renewed subscription, ON MY CANCELLED SUBSCRIPTION, in November 2022. It is against their own policy for them to charge a renewal on a cancelled subscription. However, they are refusing to refund the fee for the subscription renewal, even though I did not reactivate my subscription or give them permission to charge me for a new subscription.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:12/13/2022

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Unanswered
      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.
      Circa Sept. 2022, I canceled my subscription renewal to The Athletic (note, there has never been a customer-facing record of this date available; it only shows as canceled). It was in response to the site's decision to place advertising on a product that previously was free of advertising, and, to be *****, because I felt I could sign up for a cheaper price at a later date after my current subscription ended. I was set to renew for $71.99 if I didn't opt out of renewal.However, on Dec. 13, 2022 -- the date of my scheduled renewal -- I was charged for another annual subscription. I tried multiple times to contact The Athletic through its web forms and received automated responses saying that I had no right to a refund. The Athletic does not have customer service call centers, so I contacted the customer service center of its parent **********************, The New *********** The representative I spoke with at NYT confirmed that The Athletic has no customer service calling and told me to continue trying The Athletic's web-based forms.I was charged through PayPal, indicating that my subscription was created through The Athletic's web portal (per its website). I have since canceled the agreement with The Athletic through PayPal (something I should not have had to do; The Athletic should have canceled it) and filed a dispute seeking refund through PayPal.I am upset. I continue to be a fan of some of The Athletic's content but a combination of budgeting and decreased attention to sports content led me to see it as no longer necessary. I want not only my $71.99 back, but for The Athletic to review its policies and treat its customers with more respect. My incident appears to be very common, per a review of ******* complaints (see here: ***********************************************************************************************). There is no reason for a business like this to be conducting itself in the manner that it does. The Athletic has lost a subscriber for life.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:11/29/2022

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Unanswered
      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.
      Today, 11/29/22, I was charged $71.99 via PayPal for an annual subscription to the Athletic Media Company. I received no advanced notice that I would be charged for this subscription. I do not want this service/subscription. I cancelled my account and requested a refund and received an auto-generated email that they have a 'no refund' policy. Had I received advanced notice of the charge I would have cancelled my account sooner and avoided this charge. I requested the refund within 1 hour of being charged. There is no way to contact a representative from the Athletic to resolve this issue.

    The Athletic Media Company is NOT a BBB Accredited Business.

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