ComplaintsforSynapse Group, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  04/21/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Synapse Group, Inc. has a scam going where it says you can purchase up to 3 magazine subscriptions for $2.00 a subscription. I ordered **** Magazine and **** ********* Magazine. I never started receiving the subscriptions. Synapse Group, Inc. said it couldn't charge my credit card. My credit card company said they did not deny any charges.

  

  Business response

  04/26/2023

  ***** *** **** ******* **** ********* ********** ****** ******** ******  ** ****** **** ********* ** *****           ***     ********* **** ** ********                         ********* ******* ******** **** *** ***** 
  
  I write in response to the inquiry registered with your office by consumer ******* ********.  We genuinely regret the inconvenience that Mr. ******** experienced regarding his magazine subscriptions and have attempted to resolve his concerns.
  
  Our records show that Mr. ******** ordered **** ********* Magazine and **** Magazine on February 22, 2023, through an online promotion that was presented to him through ******** Tuesday. This offer was redeemable through the app and customers receive a unique one-time use promo code to access the available magazines. The offer allowed him to select up to 4 magazine titles for only $2.00 for the first term of issues. After the first year, the magazines would automatically continue following the initial term and that the same credit card would be charged if he did not call us to cancel. In addition, it is our policy that customers who wish to cancel may do so at any time by calling our toll-free customer service number, which is provided on our renewal notice and also on the customer’s billing statement with each charge.
  
  We received notification from Mr. ********’s bank on February 24, 2023, that we could not obtain authorization on his credit card for his subscriptions to **** ********* Magazine and **** Magazine, which resulted in his orders being cancelled.
  
  For the inconvenience, we have placed a complimentary order to **** ********* Magazine and **** Magazine on his behalf. We have confirmed his subscriptions will start with the May 2023 issue.
  
  If Mr. ******** experiences any delivery issues to his subscriptions, we would request that he contact our customer service center directly at ###-###-####. One of our representatives will be happy to assist him.
  
  Please be assured that customer satisfaction is very important to us, and we take great care in providing our customers with the highest level of service. 
  
  
  Sincerely,                            
  
  Synapse Customer Care
  
  

  Customer response

  04/26/2023

  
  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. However, my bank did not decline the charge.  Further, no other merchant has issues charging my card.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******* ********

• Initial Complaint

  04/04/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  First I noticed a debit of $10.70 on 11/14/22. I inquired with the bank about info regarding who, they weren't able to help me on that date. On 11/24/22, I noticed there were debits on 11/17/22 & 11/20/22, these debits created two overdraft charges by the bank in the amount of $32 each. This time, however, there was a phone number in the description on the overdrafts "POS 1120 1035 885766 ************ ****** ************ *** and *** **** **** ****** ********* ******** ************ *** I called the number, spoke with Rose on 11/24/22 about 1515 EST. She refunded all three debits. When I asked about the overdraft fees, she gave me a fax number to the billing of ###-###-####. It was Thanksgiving day, I had to wait until Fri 11/25/22 to fax bank print out and note to the number. I did it at the *** and have a confirmation sheet. I told her I wanted no more magazines and no more unexpected debits to my checking account. On 11/30/22 yet another debit of $14.98 was posted. When Rose did the refunding, she had my email before I told her it, so why did they not send a "your bill is coming due soon" notice?! No, they just start debiting and creating a mess of my bank account. I do not like it going in the negative and I don't have a lot to begin with, but I like to know when a bill is due. In December, I got a check in the mail of $10.43, apparently to replace the funds taken on 11/30/22 because it mentioned order id *********. I have not cashed it. I emailed on 12/03/22 and 12/28/22 asking about the overdrafts. I received no response. I would have liked to continue with at least 2 of the 4 magazines, but I was so ***et about the lack of billing notice and lack of responds regarding the overdrafts, I am not at all happy with the company. They sent no notice, pulled without notice creating a negative in my account, somewhat cleaned up their mess and left me with $64.00 less. I feel they need to replace my money.

  

  Business response

  04/12/2023

  I write in response to the complaint dated April 4, 2023. I would like to provide some information regarding this customer's account and clear up any misunderstanding.

  This customers order for Readers Digest and **** ******** was place through an agency, and therefore, it is necessary that the customer contact them, (Synapse) to report this matter. Our agreement with all agencies is that any such actions regarding cancellations and refunds must be taken only with their approval.

  Agency Contact Information:

  Synape (New Sub Service)

  *** **** ***** ** **** **** ******** ** ***** **************Our records indicate the subscriptions listed above were cancelled on our system on November 30, 2022.

  I hope this helps clear up any misunderstanding. I apologize for any disappointment the customer may have encountered with our company. 

  Customer response

  04/17/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:  

  I appreciate the additional information; however, On Friday following Thanksgiving day, I faxed the overdraft information to the billing fax number I was told by the original Lady.  I keep getting the run around.  The subscription keeps being talked about, but not the overdraft fees.  I will reach out to the additional address provided, but I feel someone that has to do with the business needs to step up to the plate and get this to the correct place.  It is like a maze.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **** ******

  

  Business response

  08/04/2023

  ****** *** **** ******* **** ********* ********** ****** ******** ******  ** ****** **** ********* ** *****           ***     ********* **** ** ********                      ********* **** ****** **** *** ***** 
  I write in response to the inquiry registered with your office by consumer **** ******. We genuinely regret the inconvenience that Ms. ****** experienced regarding her magazine subscriptions and have attempted to resolve her concerns.
  
  Our records show that Ms. ****** placed an order for ******** ******, **** ********, **** *** ***** and ***** * *****, when she accepted our online promotional offer, which was presented to her after completing a ******* survey. The offer allowed her to receive the first term of her magazine selections for a nominal fee of $2.00 each. The also offer provided that her subscriptions would automatically continue following the initial term and that the same credit card would be charged if she did not call us to cancel.
  
  Prior to the billing event, a notice was sent to Ms. ****** reminding her of the upcoming renewal, the renewal charge, and the date by which to cancel to avoid being charged. In addition, it is our policy that customers who wish to cancel may do so at any time by calling our toll-free customer service number, which is provided on our renewal notice and also on the customer’s billing statement with each charge. 
  
  When we did not hear from Ms. ****** that she wished to cancel her subscriptions at the end of her first term, the annual subscription charges were posted to her account.
  
  On November 24, 2022, Ms. ****** contacted our customer service center and cancelled her subscriptions to ******** ******, **** ********, and This Old House, generating a full refund in the amount of $55.11 to her account. Unfortunately, part of that refund was unable to be processed back to her credit card account, and check refund was issued in the amount of $10.43.
  
  Regarding reimbursement of overdraft fees, although it is not our standard practice, we have honored her request and processed a refund of $64.00 back to her account. It should be noted that banks direct us to ask customers to allow one to two billing statements for written confirmation of the refund to appear, depending on their billing cycle.
  
  Ms. ****** can be assured that her subscriptions have been cancelled and all charges have been refunded. Please be assured that customer satisfaction is very important to us and we take great care in providing our customers with the highest level of service. 
  
  
  Sincerely,                            
  
  Synapse Customer Care
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  03/27/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On 4/23/23 this company started a Recurring monthly deduction from my personal checking account of $3.01 for a magazine that I did not renew. Initially I ordered the magazine via an elementary school fundraiser. I did not renew, but they kept sending it and taking more money out of my account. I finally thought it was resolved, over a year ago, and now they started it again. When I login to the ********* magazine website they've reactivated the closed account as if I had ordered a new subscription. Showing an end date in 2025. Their website option to cancel gives an error message, to try at a later date. I don't feel I should have to close my bank account to prevent this unauthorized Recurring payment from being stolen. I believe since it's a small dollar amount that this company assumes it will not catch my attention. They're wrong. I will pursue legal action to get my point across. I demand satisfaction and reimbursement plus costs from this company. They should be forced out of business, especially their association with school fundraiser event programs. Disgraceful. The magazine account number printed on mailing label is: #***************# My bank gave me a phone number to call ********* Magazine of ###-###-####.

  

  Business response

  03/28/2023

  ***** *** **** ******* **** ********* ********** ****** ******** ******  ** ****** **** ********* ** *****           ***     ********* **** ** ********                        ********* *** ******* **** *** ***** 
  
  I write in response to the inquiry registered with your office by consumer *** *******. We genuinely regret the inconvenience that Ms. ******* experienced regarding her magazine subscriptions and have attempted to resolve her concerns.
  
  Our records show that Ms. ******* placed an order for ****** ***** * *******, **** ********* ********, ******** ******* ***** and *********s, when she accepted our online promotional offer, which was presented to her after completing a ******* ******. This offer allowed her to receive the first term of her magazine selections for a nominal fee of $2.00 for each subscription. The offer also provided that her subscriptions would automatically continue following the initial term and that the same credit card would be charged if she did not call us to cancel. In addition, it is our policy that customers who wish to cancel may do so at any time by calling our toll-free customer service number, which is provided on our renewal notice and also on the customer’s billing statement with each charge.  
  
  When we did not hear from Ms. ******* that she wished to cancel her subscriptions at the end of her first term, the annual subscription charges were posted to her account.
  
  Upon receipt of your correspondence, we cancelled Ms. *******’s subscriptions to ****** ***** * *******, L*** ********* ********, ******** ******* ***** and *********s, generating a full refund in the amount of $196.84 to her account, which includes the previous years charges. It should be noted that banks direct us to ask customers to allow one to two billing statements for written confirmation of the refund to appear, depending on their billing cycle.
  
  Ms. ******* can be assured that her subscriptions have been cancelled and all charges have been refunded. Also, Ms. ******* may continue to receive one or two more issues of her magazines since they were in process at the time of cancellation. She may keep these with our compliments.
  
  Please be assured that customer satisfaction is very important to us and we take great care in providing our customers with the highest level of service. 
  
  
  Sincerely,                            
  
  Synapse Customer Care
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  03/17/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Synapse group got my information from an unknown third party- I did not provide any information about myself or provide any form of payment to this company. They registered me for a subscription to **** magazine that I did not sign up for, and has been charging me for months. **** magazine says the problem is with Synapse, not them, and they have not been responsive. I've been charged $26 for the past 3 months

  

  Business response

  03/23/2023

  ***** *** **** ******* **** ********* ********** ****** ******** ******  ** ****** **** ********* ** *****           ***     ********* **** ** ********                         ********* ***** ****** **** *** ***** 
  I write in response to the inquiry registered with your office by consumer ***** ******. We genuinely regret the inconvenience that Ms. ****** experienced regarding her magazine subscriptions and have attempted to resolve her concerns.
  
  Our records show that Ms. ****** placed a magazine order for **** when she accepted our promotional offer after making a purchase at a *************** store. The offer allowed her to choose from a selection of magazines and receive the first 60 days of a 14-month subscription without charge.  After the trial period, her subscription would continue automatically and be charged semi-annually to the same credit card used for her *************** transaction, unless she called our toll-free customer service number to cancel.
  
  *************** sales associates are instructed to inform customers of the terms of the offer and provide them with a copy of the brochure to keep. Customers are also informed that the credit or debit card provided for their purchase will be forwarded to us for processing the magazine orders. 
  
  When we did not hear from Ms. ****** that she wished to cancel her subscription at the end of her trial period, the semi-annual subscription charges were posted to her account.
  
  On March 21, 2023, Ms. ****** contacted our customer service center and cancelled her subscription to ****, generating a refund to her account reflecting the value of unserved issues in the amount of $18.68.
  
  Upon receipt of your correspondence, we issued the remaining balance on Ms. ******’ subscription in the amount of $33.62, which includes the previous years charges. It should be noted, however, that banks direct us to ask customers to allow one or two billing statements for written confirmation of the refund to appear, depending on their billing cycle.

  Ms. ****** can be assured that her subscription has been cancelled and all charges have been refunded. Also, Ms. ****** may continue to receive one or two more issues of her magazine since it was in process at the **** of cancellation.  She may keep these with our compliments.
  
  Please be assured that customer satisfaction is very important to us and we take great care in providing our customers with the highest level of service. 
  
  
  Sincerely,                            
  
  Synapse Customer Care

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  03/07/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Synapse group has been creating false identities for subscriptions to ******** ********** magazine and then charging my bank account every 6 months with a fee that increases each transaction. My efforts of recourse for these fraudulent transactions that are committed under ******** **********’s name have been met with deflecting responsibility. Upon BBB website review I now realize this is a common practice. There is a scheme taking peoples money and it involves synapse group. My next step is to file a complaint with ***

  

  Business response

  03/10/2023

  ***** *** **** ******* **** ********* ********** ****** ******** ******  ** ****** **** ********* ** *****           ***     ********* **** ** ********                        ********* ******** ********** **** *** ***** 
  
  I write in response to the inquiry registered with your office by consumer ******** *********** We genuinely regret the inconvenience that Mr. ********** experienced regarding his magazine subscriptions and have attempted to resolve his concerns.
  
  Our records indicate that Mr. ********** placed an order for ******** ********** Magazine, when he accepted our promotional offer after making a purchase at a *************** store. The offer allowed him to choose from a selection of magazines and receive the first 60 days of a 14-month subscription without charge.  After the trial period, his subscription would continue automatically and be charged semi-annually to the same credit card used for his *************** transaction, unless he called our toll-free customer service number to cancel. 
  
  *************** sales associates are instructed to inform customers of the terms of the offer and provide them with a copy of the brochure to keep. Customers are also informed that the credit or debit card provided for their purchase will be forwarded to us for processing the magazine orders. 
  
  Upon receipt of your correspondence, we cancelled Mr. **********’s subscription generating a full refund in the amount of $118.50 back to his account, which includes the previous year’s charges. It should be noted, however, that banks direct us to ask customers to allow one or two billing statements for written confirmation of the refund to appear, depending on their billing cycle.
  
  Mr. ********** can be assured that his subscription has been cancelled and all charges have been refunded to his account.  Also, Mr. ********** may continue to receive one or two more issues of his magazine since it was in process at the time of cancellation. He may keep these with our compliments.
  
  In addition, please be assured that it is our strict corporate policy not to sell, rent or lease the personal information of our customers for secondary purposes such as marketing or creating false identities for customers, as suggested by Mr. ********** in his complaint.
  
  Customer satisfaction is very important to us, and we take great care in providing our customers with the highest level of service. 
  
  
  Sincerely,                            
  
  Synapse Customer Care
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  02/28/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Synapse is the banking end of the ***** platform. After being the victim of identity theft and receiving thousands of dollars in charges my other account was made negative $2,8007. After reporting to the *** the ****** and *** ***** ****** ******* I contacted synapse with all the proper documentation as well as my claim and asked for help in reversing these the negative balance and everything else after an extremely long amount of time. I received confusing and conflicting emails and because they are not in touch with **** I have no idea what to do my account is locked with **** and they can unlock it until they hear from synapse completely horrible customer service absolutely no clear cut response and the person in the disputes department named J***** A***** who was supposed to have been completed the investigation by now has not directly responded to anything I've asked as well as I have not been allowed access to my account or my money where is my money.? I want this solved now before I take the next route which is litigation so I'm trying to hear hopefully I can get this figured out attached are some pictures related to the confusing and conflicting emails.

  

  Business response

  03/10/2023

  ***** *** **** ******* **** ********* ********** ****** ******** ******  ** ****** **** ********* ** *****           ***     ********* **** ** ********                         *********  ****** ********* **** *** ***** 
  
  I write in response to the inquiry registered with your office by consumer ****** *********. We genuinely regret the inconvenience that Mr. ********* experienced regarding his magazine subscriptions and have attempted to resolve his concerns.
  
  Despite multiple searches, we regret that we cannot locate Mr. *********’s account in our system with the information provided in his complaint. 
  
  In his complaint, Mr. ********* provided a screenshot with his correspondence from a company named Synapse Credit. Although we have a similar name, this is not our company, We took the liberty of researching them and if Mr. ********* would like more information regarding this company, he can contact their customer service by calling them directly at ###-###-#### or by accessing this link: ****************.
  
  Please be assured that customer satisfaction is very important to us and we take great care in providing our customers with the highest level of service. 
  
  
  Sincerely,                            
  
  Synapse Customer Care
  
  

  Customer response

  03/13/2023

  
  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

  02/07/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Synapse Group has been charging my **** card for a subscription that I have not authorized. I haven't used this credit card and I didn't track them. Having reviewed this more thoroughly, This company has been charging me for years without my authority. I've worked with **** to block this charges further, but I would like to get a refund for all the charges previously. The obviously are not sending the magazines to me - given they do now have my correct address. This is an unethical business practice! I don't even have an account to cancel my subscription. Please help correct these practices. Thank you in advance!

  

  Business response

  02/13/2023

  ******** *** **** ******* **** ********* ********** ****** ******** ******  ** ****** **** ********* ** *****           ***     ********* **** ** ********                         ********* ***** ***** **** *** ***** 
  
  I write in response to the inquiry registered with your office by consumer ***** *****. We genuinely regret the inconvenience that Ms. ***** experienced regarding her magazine subscriptions and have attempted to resolve her concerns.
  
  Our records show that Ms. ***** placed an order for *****, T***** * *******, *******, and *** **** ********, when she accepted our online promotional offer, which was presented to her after completing a ******* survey. The offer provided that her subscriptions would automatically continue following the initial term and that the same credit card would be charged if she did not call us to cancel. In addition, it is our policy that customers who wish to cancel may do so at any time by calling our toll-free customer service number, which is provided on our renewal notice and on the customer’s billing statement with each charge. 
  
  When we did not hear from Ms. ***** that she wished to cancel her subscriptions at the end of her first term, the annual renewal charges were posted to her account.
  
  On June 19, 2020, we received notification from the publisher that an address change was requested and therefore our records were updated to reflect the recent change.  
  
  Upon receipt of your correspondence and learning Ms. ***** did not receive authorize these subscriptions, we cancelled the subscriptions generating a full refund in the amount of $1,367.00 back to her account, which includes the previous year’s charges. It should be noted, however, that banks direct us to ask customers to allow one or two billing statements for written confirmation of the refund to appear, depending on their billing cycle.
  
  Ms. ***** can be assured that her subscriptions have been cancelled and all charges have been refunded to her account.  Also, Ms. ***** may continue to receive one or two more issues of her magazines since they were in process at the time of cancellation.  She may keep these with our compliments.
  
  Please be assured that customer satisfaction is very important to us and we take great care in providing our customers with the highest level of service. 
  
  
  Sincerely,                            
  
  Synapse Customer Care
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  12/12/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  After I placed an order with **** *** ******, I volunteered to complete a survey. As an incentive to complete the survey, I was offered an opportunity to take advantage of a $100 offer. The offer was the opportunity to get "free" year long subscriptions to 4 magazines. After making my selection, I was told there was a $2.00 fee to process each subscription. Each subscription ended up being only 2-3 issues of each magazine. Then after I entered my credit card number and the order was processed, I received email notification that the charge had been changed to $2.16. "You approved an authorization to ******** on December 9, 2022 for $2.00 USD. ******** has updated the total amount of your transaction. Your new total is $2.16 USD. See below for details." This seems like a small, but fraudulent, increase in the charge that I had approved. I imagine that most people are equally annoyed, but do nothing. Meanwhile, ******** pulls in all these small unapproved charges from thousands of people. Please do something about this. It seems like nothing short of a class action suit will stop this practice.

  

  Business response

  12/19/2022

  ******** *** **** ******* **** ********* ********** ****** ******** ******  ** ****** **** ********* ** *****           ***     ********* **** **   ********                      ********* ****** ********** **** *** ***** 
  
  I write in response to the inquiry registered with your office by consumer ****** **********. We genuinely regret the inconvenience that Ms. ********** experienced regarding her magazine subscriptions and have attempted to resolve her concerns.
  
  Our records show that Ms. ********** placed an order for **** *** *****, ******* ************, ********** *****, and ***** * *******, when she accepted our online promotional offer, which was presented to her after completing a ******* ******. The offer stated she could claim a value of up to $100.00 when she completed an online survey. At the top of that page, it stated “as a thank you for completing the survey regarding your shopping experience, you will receive a thank you valued at up to $100.00 – up to four of your favorite magazines…” After completing the short survey, additional information about the magazine offer is provided by the submit button. This offer also stated she would receive the first term of her magazine selections for $2.00 per title. In addition, it is our policy that customers who wish to cancel may do so at any time by calling our toll-free customer service number, which is provided on our renewal notice and also on the customer’s billing statement with each charge. 
  
  The additional $0.16 was sales tax that was applied to her order as the shipping address provided was in a tax applicable state.
  
  As a one-time courtesy to Ms. **********, we issued a refund in the amount of $2.16 to her account for the inconvenience. It should be noted that banks direct us to ask customers to allow one to two billing statements for written confirmation of the refund to appear, depending on their billing cycle.
  
  It is at the publisher's request that Ms. ********** allow 4 to 12 weeks to receive her first issue. Depending on the delivery of the magazines, daily, weekly, or monthly, she may start to receive the issues sooner than the time provided. Rest assured, she will receive all the issues in her subscriptions.
  
  Please be assured that customer satisfaction is very important to us and we take great care in providing our customers with the highest level of service. 
  
  
  Sincerely,                            
  
  Synapse Customer Care
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  11/21/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I started receiving unwanted magazine subscriptions from 3 different magazines. These magazines just started arriving to my house. I called the contact information on the magazine label. I was told the subscription to the magazines was part of a survey I took. I never agreed to or signed anything for magazine subscriptions or have permission for this. I am outraged this can happen. The travel magazine which was one of the magazines I was receiving said the subscription came from a 3rd party company called Synapse. I could contact the company at ###-###-####. I contacted the company asked for my name to be removed from their list. This company has been charging me for magazines I didn’t choose, subscribed to, or want. They took my contact information and I believe my debit card information illegally and deceptively.

  

  Business response

  11/23/2022

  ******** *** **** ******* **** ********* ********** ****** ******** ******   ** ****** **** ********* ** ***** *** ********* **** ** ********                         ********* ******* ************** **** *** *****  
  I write in response to the inquiry registered with your office by consumer ******* **************. We genuinely regret the inconvenience that Ms. ************** experienced regarding her magazine subscriptions and have attempted to resolve her concerns.
  
  Our records show that Ms. ************** placed an order for ******, ************, **** ******* ********, and ***** **** ********, when she accepted our online promotional offer, which was presented to her after completing a ******* survey. The offer provided that her subscriptions would automatically continue following the initial term and that the same credit card would be charged if she did not call us to cancel. In addition, it is our policy that customers who wish to cancel may do so at any time by calling our toll-free customer service number, which is provided on our renewal notice and on the customer’s billing statement with each charge.  
  
  On November 19, 2022, Ms. ************** contacted our customer service center and cancelled her subscriptions to ******, generating a full refund in the amount of $2.14 to her ****** account.
  
  Ms. ************** contacted our customer service center again on November 20, 2022 and cancelled her subscriptions to ************, **** ******* ********, and ***** **** ********, generating a full refund in the amount of $6.42 to her ****** account. It should be noted, however, that banks direct us to ask customers to allow one or two billing statements for written confirmation of the refund to appear, depending on their billing cycle.
  
  Ms. ************** can be assured that her subscriptions have been cancelled and all charges have been refunded to her account.  Also, Ms. ************** may continue to receive one or two more issues of her magazines since they were in process at the time of cancellation.  She may keep these with our compliments. In addition, we have added Ms. ************** to our purged customer list. We have also requested to have Ms. ************** name to be removed from our promotional mailing lists.
  
  Please be assured that customer satisfaction is very important to us and we take great care in providing our customers with the highest level of service.  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Synapse Customer Care
  

  Customer response

  11/23/2022

  
  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

  11/21/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have been getting magazine subscriptions that I did not order but did get charged for for months. I have contacted some of the magazines directly but was told that the subscription was through a 3rd party and they couldnt do anything. Today there was another charge to my bank account for $18.23 for ********** magazine, and I saw that a phone number was listed in the bank transaction. I called and finally reached a live person. They did cancel my ********** subscription and said I'll be refunded, but not without pushing. At first they tried to extend my subscription and I was adamant that they cancel now. The rep claims that that is now in process. Then I asked if I had other magazines with them. He said yes, three others: **** *******, ****, and ******* ******. I asked how those started and he claimed it was a survey "bonus" freebie that later gets charged. First of all, I do not have, nor have I ever had interest in **** or ******* ******. I would not have chosen that as a reward. IF it somehow happened that way, it was due to one of my children, who are minors. But I still don't see that happening. I MAY have done that with ********** and **** *******, but I don't remember ever doing that, and I KNOW that I wasn't told anything about subsequent charges. The representative told me that because those other magazines were charged over the summer, I cannot get a refund on those three. I am very upset because I feel that these practices are unethical and I can't believe they are legal. At no point did I authorize these charges.

  

  Business response

  11/23/2022

  ******** *** **** ******* **** ********* ********** ****** ******** ******   ** ****** **** ********* ** ***** *** ********* **** ** ********                         ********* ******** **********  **** *** *****  
  I write in response to the inquiry registered with your office by consumer ******** **********. We genuinely regret the inconvenience that Ms. ********** experienced regarding her magazine subscriptions and have attempted to resolve her concerns.
  
  Our records show that Ms. ********** placed an order for ******* ******, **** Magazine, **** ******* Magazine and **********, when she accepted our online promotional offer, which was presented to her after completing a ******* survey. The offer provided that her subscriptions would automatically continue following the initial term and that the same credit card would be charged if she did not call us to cancel. In addition, it is our policy that customers who wish to cancel may do so at any time by calling our toll-free customer service number, which is provided on our renewal notice and on the customer’s billing statement with each charge.  
  
  When we did not hear from Ms. ********** that she wished to cancel her subscriptions at the end of her first term, the annual renewal charges were posted to her account. 
  
  On November 18, 2022, Ms. ********** contacted our customer service center and placed her subscriptions to ******* ******, **** Magazine, **** ******* Magazine and **********, on “do not renew” status.  This would allow her to continue receiving the issues in her current term, however her subscriptions would not renew, nor would she be charged any renewal fees.
  
  Upon receipt of your correspondence, we cancelled Ms. **********’s subscriptions generating a full refund in amount of $164.09 back to her account, which includes the previous year’s charges. It should be noted, however, that banks direct us to ask customers to allow one or two billing statements for written confirmation of the refund to appear, depending on their billing cycle.

  Ms. ********** can be assured that her subscriptions have been cancelled and all renewal charges have been refunded to her account.  Also, Ms. ********** may continue to receive one or two more issues of her magazines since they were in process at the time of cancellation.  She may keep these with our compliments.
  
  Please be assured that customer satisfaction is very important to us and we take great care in providing our customers with the highest level of service.  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Synapse Customer Care

  
  

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