ComplaintsforSynapse Group, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  10/21/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  A couple of years ago I purchased a magazine subscription for my wife. The magazine was ******** ******. When the subscription ran out I did not renew. We kept getting magazines with subscription cards. I tried to return one, but our postmaster said they just throw them away. This morning I found that $49.00 charge was in my checking account. The charge was for the Synapse Group. I contacted my bank (***** *****). And was sent this...We're making progress on your dispute Dispute Number: *******2. Date Posted: 10/19/2021 Merchant Name: ************ ******. Amount of Transaction: 49.00. Card Number: **************** Status: Information Received We received your inquiry about a disputed transaction on your credit card account. We appreciate your patience while we continue to research the transaction and will let you know our findings as soon as our research is complete.

  

  Business response

  10/26/2021

  ******* *** **** ******* **** ********* ********** ****** ******** ******  ** ****** **** ********* ** *****             ***      ********* **** ** ********                      ********* ****** *******
  
  Dear *** ****: 
  
  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 we received an order in the name of ****** *******, for Southern Living, which was presented by ******** ******** ******. This offer allowed him to receive the first 90 days of his subscription risk free. The offer also provided that his subscription 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 on the customer’s billing statement with each charge.
  

  When we did not hear from Mr. ******* that he wished to cancel his subscription at the end of his first term, the annual charges were posted to his account.
  
  On October 22, 2021, we received notification from Mr. *******’s bank that he disputed the charges for his subscription to ******** ******, resulting in his subscription being cancelled and a full refund in the amount of $49.00 being processed to his account.
  

  Upon receipt of your correspondence, we have issued another refund in the amount of $49.00 back to his account for the previous year’s charge. 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.

  Mr. ******* can be assured that the subscription has been cancelled. Also, Ms. ******* may continue to receive one or two more issues of her magazines since it was 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

  Customer response

  10/26/2021

  
  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

  10/11/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I signed up for ********* **** ******* *** which included a magazine subscription service I was not aware about, I swiftly cancelled the subscription to **** ********* **** but the magazine subscriptions continued and after research I have found that the Synapse group is the one that has purchased the magazine subscriptions. I want the subscriptions to be cancelled and a full refund. I didnt sign up or authorize purchases on my account.

  

  Business response

  10/21/2021

  ******* *** **** ******* **** ********* ********** ****** ******** ******   ** ****** **** ********* ** ***** *** ********* **** ** ********         ********* **** *****
  
  Dear *** ****:  
  
  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 ******* *****, ******** ********** ****, ******** ********** ******** and ************* ******, following a purchase he made 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 being charged.  After the trial period, his subscriptions would continue automatically and be charged monthly to the same credit card used for his ********** ************* transaction, unless he called our toll-free customer service number to cancel.  Prior to any billing event, a notice would be mailed to remind him of the upcoming billing, the amount that would be charged and the date by which to cancel to avoid being charged. 
  
  ********** ************* 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 Mr. ***** that he wished to cancel his subscriptions at the end of his trial period, the monthly charges were posted to his account. 
  
  Upon receipt of your correspondence, we cancelled Mr. ***** subscriptions to ******* *****, ******** ********** ****, ******** ********** ******** and ************* ******, generating a full refund in the amount of $23.79 to his 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.  
  
  Mr. ***** can be assured that his subscriptions have been cancelled and all charges have been refunded.  Also, Mr. ***** may continue to receive one or two more issues of his magazines since they were in process at the time of cancellation.  He 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
  

  Customer response

  10/22/2021

  
  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

  09/15/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I am being billed for magazines, I did not order.

  

  Business response

  09/21/2021

  ********* *** **** ******* **** ********* ********** ****** ******** ******  ** ****** **** ********* ** *****             ***       ********* **** ** ********                      ********* ***** ******
  
  Dear *** ****:  
  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. 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 charges were posted to her account.
  
  Upon receipt of your correspondence, we cancelled Ms. ******’s subscriptions generating a full refund in the total amount of $24.00 back to her account, which includes the previous year’s 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 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

  08/17/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  SynapseConnect charged $50 on my credit card when they were not authorized to do so for a supposed “magazine subscription”. I never signed up and did not authorize them to charge my credit card.

  

  Business response

  08/25/2021

  ****** *** **** ******* **** ********* ********** ****** ******** ******   ** ****** **** ********* ** ***** *** ********* **** ** ********                        ********* ******* *****
  
  
  Dear *** ****:  
  
  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 T***** * *******, when she accepted our online promotional offer, which was presented to her after completing a ******* survey. 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 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 May 21, 2021, Ms. ***** contacted our customer service center and cancelled her subscriptions to *** *** ****** and ****** * *******, generating a refund reflecting the value of unserved issues in the amount of $47.00 to her account. During that same inquiry, Ms. ***** accepted a “more time” offer that was extended for her subscriptions to **** ****** and *******. This would allow her to continue to receive her subscriptions for an additional two months. If, at the end of that period, she decided to cancel the subscriptions, her account would not be charged for the renewal charges.
  
  Upon receipt of your correspondence, we cancelled Ms. *****’s subscription to **** ****** and *******, generating a full refund in the total amount of $36.50 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 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

  07/28/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  3 charges were charged to my ****** account that I never made and I do not know these charges happened and when I called the number listed on my ****** they said I did not have an account and could not help me

  

  Business response

  08/02/2021

  ****** ** **** ******* **** ********* ********** ****** ******** ******  ** ****** **** ********* ** *****             ***      ********* **** ** ********                      ********* ******* *****
  
  
  Dear *** ****: 
  
  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 ************, ********* *** ****** ***********, when she accepted our online promotional offer, which was presented to her after completing a ******* survey.  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 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 ************, ********* *** ****** ***********, generating a full refund of $30.62 to her account.  It should be noted, however, that although refunds have been processed, 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.

  If Ms. ***** can provide us with additional information regarding her Paypal charges, it would help us to identify the transactions and any other name or address that the subscriptions might be listed under.
  

  Ms. ***** can be assured that her subscriptions have been cancelled. 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

  07/19/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I was charged for two subscriptions that I never agreed to. One was $21 and the other is $54.50 for magazines! I noticed two withdrawals that happened in my ****** account when I researched this, I never authorized these subscriptions.

  

  Business response

  07/26/2021

  **** *** **** ******* **** ********* ********** ****** ******** ******   ** ****** **** ********* ** ***** *** ********* **** ** ********                        ********* ****** ********
  
  
  Dear Ms. ****:  
  
  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 **** * ***** ******* **** **** ******* ***** *** *********** ****, when she accepted our online promotional offer, which was presented to her after completing a ******* survey. 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 on the customer’s billing statement with each charge.  
  
  Please note that on December 9, 2020, we received notification from the publisher of *********** **** that the title had ceased publication therefore her subscription was cancelled, and a full refund was processed back to her account. 
  
  On July 16, 2021, Ms. ******** contacted our service center via our online website and requested to cancel her subscriptions to **** * **** *** ***** ** ****. Her request was honored, and a full refund was issued in the amount of $75.50 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. 
  
  We received notification from Ms. ********’ bank on July 20,2021 that we could not obtain authorization on her credit card for her subscription to Woman’s Day, resulting in her order being cancelled. 
  
  Ms. ******** can be assured that her subscriptions have been cancelled and all renewal 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

  
  

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