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:03/28/2025

  Type:Service or Repair 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.

  Today, on 3/27/25, I have repeatedly tried by phone to cancel my online e-subscription to ************. I have been put on hold and then abruptly hung up on when Im next in line. A recording says Ill be contacted to complete my request. No contact has been made. There is no online option to cancel my subscription. My subscription is due for automatic renewal on 3/29/25 and I do not want to renew. Please have ************ complete the cancellation of my account. Thank you.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/31/2025

  We apologize for the phone issue. I saw that **** ****** called back on 3/27 to assist with cancelling the subscription. Autopay was removed and the subscription stopped. If you need further assistance, please email us at **********************************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/11/2025

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  [Provide details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution.]
  
  Regards,
  
  ***** ******
  
   
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/24/2025

  Type:Service or Repair 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.

  Several times I've had delivery issues and changes of address in my system that were incorrect and not made by me- now I go into the system and my two different accounts both have wrong addresses, I haven't received my newspaper in over a week and I'm still getting charged and they don't take calls on weekends or even give you an email to fix the accounts and there's no way to cancel the accounts. I see this type of complaint has been lodged time and time again and still they get away with this stuff. THere's also no way to cancel my card from being charged. This newspaper is a racket.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/10/2025

  This has since been corrected by the Distribution Manager, **** and Retention Specialist, ********. The two accounts are set up correctly. If ever needed, we may assist at *************************************************************** 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/10/2025

  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.

  Re: Account ******** **** ********, ********************************************************************************** ************************* February 9, 2025 Dear Advocate Staff: For several weeks, I corresponded with The Advocates ******************* staff to determine whether unauthorized charges to my account and credit card were valid and therefore imH323337323236**363332Htely refundable to me. I respectfully request that you kindly consider the following, reach a determination, and take appropriate steps to resolve the matter.Terms and Regulations The entirety of Gambit Communicationss (Gambits) terms of use concerning accounts state: In order to obtain certain products or services through this Site, you may be required to set up an account. In such a case, you will be required to provide certain information about yourself when setting up the account. You may not provide inaccurate or incomplete information. You are responsible for any use of your account or this Site by anyone using your account password, email address, or other personal identifier. Thus, if for any reason you suspect that your account password or other identifying information has been compromised, you should contact ********************* at once. Terms of Use, Section H. Your Account, ****************************************************************************************************************************************************** (February 8, 2025). A Negative Option Feature is a provision of a contract under which the consumer&#**;s silence or failure to take affirmative action to reject a good or service or to cancel the agreement is interpreted by the negative option seller as acceptance or continuing acceptance of the offer. These include, without limitation, automatic renewals, continuity plans, and pre-notification negative option plans. 16 CFR *****. Further, it is an unfair or deceptive act or practice in violation of section 5 of the *** Act for a Negative Option seller to fail to disclose to a consumer, prior to obtaining the consumer&#**;s billing information, all material terms, regardless of whether those terms directly relate to the Negative Option Feature, and including, without limitation, whether consumers will be charged and whether the charges will be on a recurring basis, unless the consumer timely takes steps to prevent or stop such charges and the deadline to stop the charges. 16 CFR 425.4(a), et al. The disclosure must be clear and conspicuous. 16 CFR 425.4(b)(1). The disclosure must appear imH323337323236**363332Htely adjacent to the means of recording the consumer&#**;s consent for the Negative Option Feature before receiving such consent 16 CFR 425.4(b)(2), et ********* connection with promoting or offering for sale any good or service with a Negative Option Feature, it is an unfair or deceptive act or practice in violation of section 5 of the *** Act for a Negative Option Seller to fail to obtain the consumer&#**;s express informed consent before Charging the consumer. This includes obtaining the consumer&#**;s unambiguously affirmative consent to the Negative Option feature offer separately from any other portion of the transaction. 16 CFR *****. Facts Applicable to the Terms and Rules My Advocate subscription began on September 13, 2020 with the following summary provided by The Advocate: Subscription Offer Summary --------------------------Account Number: ******** Publication: The ********************** ******** Method: Home ******** ******** Frequency: Saturday and Sunday Edition: Final Edition Start Date: September 13, 2020 Billing Method: Automatic Renewal: Credit ********* Bill ******** Option: Printed Renewal The Advocate began periodically charging me $5.99 for a Special Edition newspaper at the beginning of 2024. To the best of my knowledge, I received eight separate charges totaling $47.92 plus (I presume) sales tax. At the beginning of 2024, my monthly recurring charge was $20.78 plus tax (total of $21.82). I am automatically billed and had no reason to anticipate the additional nearly 30% in charges. $66.21 (next Saturday) Further, I was unaware of receiving additional papers. It is well documented that The Advocate missed many deliveries over the years and provided credit when reported. I can only speculate that I did not notice some or all of the Special Edition deliveries because of The Advocates poor delivery reliability.I noticed the charges by a happenstance review of my itemized credit card charges in late 2024, thinking the newspaper charges seemed high. I brought this to the attention of The Advocate on December 21, 2024, via email. Much of that thread is available via email attachment (please request). I was charged again after explicitly stating these charges were not ************* short, I was told that an email was sent to me in 2023 and I was responsible for opting out. A copy of the email text was included in the thread in January of 2025, which was the first time I saw this email. My silence or failure to reject the Special Edition offer was interpreted by The Advocate as acceptance of the offer. Thus, the Special Edition offer was a Negative Option.Of the $47.92 charged to me since 2024, about $36 plus tax (six charged) were made to my Discover Card. I disputed $36 in charges with Discover, explaining the foregoing facts. Yesterday morning, The Advocate informed me that my services were permanently terminated because of this dispute, which is still pending (not final) with Discover. I spent an hour yesterday morning calling The Advocate, being disconnected twice after being placed on lengthy holds, treated rudely by indifferent staff members, and receiving no resolution.This morning, after being placed on hold for 20 minutes and spending 10 minutes explaining the unauthorized charges to supervisor ******, I was told that I had to pay $66.21 to resume services, though the Discover Card funds on temporary hold are still in dispute, meaning I could be double-charged should the dispute be found in favor the The Advocate. Alternatively, should the dispute be found in my favor, this means The Advocate is refusing services because Discover would not honor unauthorized charges.Gambits published terms make no mention of an obligation of an account holder to accept Negative Option offers. There is no disclosure of such in the foregoing subscription summary. To the best of my knowledge and recollection, there was no such disclosure to me and no consent to a Negative Option by me in the process of establishing my newspaper subscription services. Therefore there is no disclosure to prospective account holders that they will be subject to charges for such offers.The Advocate failed to disclose the Negative Option terms prior to obtaining my billing information at the commencement of my subscription in 2020. Therefore, once I was charged, more than three years after I provided my billing information, this practice constituted an unfair or deceptive act or practice in violation of section 5 of the *** Act. Further, while already in violation, The Advocates alleged attempt to disclose this offer was done via an inconspicuous personal email which regularly receives junk and spam messages. The notice, already untimely, was not clear and conspicuous and therefore the disclosure, even if timely, would have been noncompliant with the federal regulation governing it.Finally, I never consented to the Negative Option and, while not obligated to, expressly stated that there was no authorization to the Negative Option nor was there a disclosure of the Negative Option adjacent to a means of recording my consent. Therefore, The Advocate engaged in an unfair or deceptive act or practice in violation of section 5 of the *** Act, violated 16 CFR 425.4(b)(2), et al., and engaged in willful misconduct by charging me in January. Summary of The Advocates Conduct While not the issues from which this correspondence arose, it is worth mentioning that, given The Advocates circulation, I think it is reasonable to speculate that there are tens of thousands of dollars at issue among The Advocates subscriber base due to this Special Edition Negative Option. Additionally, the publications indefinite interruption of my services deprives me of the only comprehensive local newspaper source in the *********** metropolitan area. The Advocate has a de facto monopoly as there is no bona fide newspaper competitor in the area.The foregoing facts, in light of the subscription contract between The Advocate and me and the federal regulations governing Negative Options, demonstrate unfair and deceptive acts or practices in violation of section 5 of the *** Act. These violations, in addition to an estimated $53 in unauthorized charges (including tax), the missed newspapers from the aforementioned unjustified service interruption, cost approximately two to three hours of my time between ongoing correspondence (about an hour of which was by phone on 2/8/25 and can be documented by phone records), four hours of legal research, document gathering, drafting, and mailing of this correspondence.I respectfully request that The Advocate rectifies and resolves the impact upon me of its conduct in matters described herein. I can be reached by email, which is preferred at ************************* or by phone at **************. Sincerely **** C. ********, ****

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/10/2025

  This complaint is under review, and we will be in touch directly with the complainant via the contact information he provided. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/10/2025

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  I understand that this is a semi-automated process. The business merely acknowledged my complaint. There is nothing wrong with that but obviously is not a resolution as I was prompted to accept or reject. I patiently await the reply. Thank you.
  
  Regards,
  
  **** ********
  
   
  

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/21/2025

  Mr. ******************* have reviewed your complaint. To be respectful of your time and demonstrate our appreciation of your support, we would like to refund you $50.32.
  
  Please know we will use this opportunity to review with our customer service team to determine how we can improve in the future.
  
  If you have any other questions or concerns, please let me know.
  
  Thank you,
  
  **** *********
  Vice president, consumer revenue

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/11/2024

  Type:Customer Service 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 have been a subscriber to the new Orleans advocate/times Picayune for forty plus years. I now want to cancel my subscription but no one answers the phone I am told to leave a message but it is never returned. The payment is by credit card. I have been trying for weeks. I believe it is a scam where they make it difficult if not impossible to cancel.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/27/2024

  The account has been canceled and refund processed. If you need any further assistance, please email us at ***********************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/09/2024

  Type:Customer Service 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 have been trying to cancel my husbands subscription to the times picayune print edition and have tried several phone numbers and email but nothing has worked. My husband *** ****** has passed away and I no longer want the subscription. Please cancel it.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/09/2024

  We apologize for the troubles. Retention Specialist, **** ****** called on 12/9/2024 to cancel the subscription. She removed the card from the account and stopped the paper the following day, 12/10/2024. For additional help. we can be reached at **********************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/11/2024

  Type:Customer Service 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 have a digital subscription to The Advocate which I want to cancel. I have tried calling multiple times during business hours and no one answers the phone. There is no voicemail option and they say to send an email with my request. When I send an email it always says there is a problem and it didnt go through.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/22/2024

  I canceled account at the end of the subscription on 11/11/2024 and emailed subscriber, who now has my contact information. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/08/2024

  Type:Customer Service 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.

  In September 2024, after attempting to contact them unsuccessfully on multiple occasions by phone, I cancelled a temporary subscription with The Advocate online, and requested a refund of $23.95 after being charged for the next several weeks. This entity refused to provide a refund, so I asked that a manager reach out to me regarding the matter, which never occurred. Now, I cannot even access their paid online content, even though I paid for it. The ******* family aught to be ashamed of conducting business in this manner.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/31/2024

  We apologize for the inconveniences. I have reached out to this subscriber who now has my email address as well. We have processed the refund for $23.95. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/16/2024

  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.

  Today,09/15/2024, I did not receive the Sunday newspaper. I have been a subscriber for many, many years and am very dissatisfied with the carriers inability to deliver the newspaper to my residence three times a week. It seems that I am constantly calling the office to report non-delivery. I have been told that the carrier has been with your company for many years. If she has hired someone to help with her route, they are not doing their job. Additionally, I have a paper box attached to my mailbox. The carrier is not using it. The newspaper gets thrown in my driveway instead. Your prompt attention to this matter is greatly appreciated.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/17/2024

  District manager ***** spoke to the customer and assured them we were addressing the issues. We currently terminated the old contractor on this route and replaced her thus service should improve significantly here. We have instructed new carrier to place paper in the paper box. If by chance a Sunday paper is missed in the future, a replacement copy will be delivered the following morning. Subscriber has ******* phone number now for any further issues. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/11/2024

  Type:Customer Service 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've been trying to cancel my subscription for a week, the price went up and it's not worth the costs, the views and biased reporting is not a reflection of news but a political machine agenda promoting one political party over another.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/11/2024

  Subscriber spoke to **************** representative on 9/11. She worked with the subscriber and cancelled the subscription, effective 10/1/2024. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/08/2024

  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.

  The date is 7/7/2024 - SUNDAY PAPER - DID NOT GET TODAY!!!! This is not the first time. I just submitted a complaint a week ago. WHY can't I get my SUNDAY paper??????? This is just too much frustration. Please can't I get my Sunday paper - TODAY - Sunday. I need my Sunday paper delivered today and I also get the paper on Wednesday and Friday. SOMEONE please help me. This happens too many times! Thank you, ***********************************

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/02/2024

  We have addressed the issue her. Additionally, we have a DM following up on delivery. Problem should be resolved.