ComplaintsforThe Herald-Sun Newspaper

• Initial Complaint

  02/15/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  In 2022, I purchased a one year subscription to the Herald Sun, which I had done in the past. As the subscription was ending, I was called by the Herald and told that my subscription was expiring and that it would be $365 to renew it. I told the person that this was too much and I wasnt going to renew at that price. The Herald continued to deliver for a few weeks (I was out of the country). Subsequently, the Herald informed me that I owed them $75 for the period they continued to deliver while telling me they wanted me back as a consumer. I refused and told them that I was contesting the charge. They continued to contact me about the money and threaten to turn this over to collection. They have now turned this over to collection and, despite my protesting the charge, they are threatening to damage my credit rating. I told them that I told their person that I wasnt renewing. They contend that the fine print required me to cancel 30 days before the term expired. I asked where and was only told that it was in the fine print, yet I am aware of no contract and I paid for a set period. I also pointed out that I had told their salesperson prior to the end of the term that I did not want to renew. They told me that they never call until after 20 days before the end of the subscription so that the cancellation period has expired. I believe that the papers conduct is unethical. I have since discovered that they did the same thing to one of my neighbors and intimidated him into paying. If nothing else, this is bad business as they have now lost at least two subscribers.

  Business response

  02/15/2024

  Thank you for your message to The Herald Sun. We are sorry to hear the experience that ***************************** had with trying to cancel the subscription at the expiration date October 31, 2023 when was receiving the calls from us. Our cancellation policy in on the back of each renewal notice, all subscriptions are not automatically cancelled due to we allow customers a grace ****** to send in their renewal payments for their subscriptions. We have looked at the account and showing it was officially cancelled on December 27, 2023. Customer spoken to our *************************** and the account has been put at a $0.00 balance owed effective on February 12, **** and closed with the ****************** ***************************** credit will not be affected. If you have any questions please contact us at ************. Thank you,
  
  

  Customer response

  02/15/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

• Initial Complaint

  01/25/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  Last year I had a subscription to the Herald ************* was atrocious and hours were spent trying to get the papers, so when the subscription ended, I cancelled. The amount owed on the subscription was just over $5.00, which I paid and which has cleared my bank.For weeks, the paper's semi-English speaking foreign agents called to get me to resubscribe and each time they were emphatically told NO and that I would never resubscribe to that paper. Despite my adamant refusal to renew my subscription, today I received a letter from a collection agency trying to get me to pay $85.49 for a paper I NEVER subscribed to and said I NEVER would subscribe to again. We have not received any papers as a result of this totally MADE UP subscription, and we owe the newspaper company NOTHING. This is utterly ridiculous.

• Initial Complaint

  03/28/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  I was a 28 year subscriber to the Durham Herald Sun until last November 2021. It was too expensive and the quality of the paper was declining, and I am semi-retired and budget is tight. I had my last deliveries in November 2021. I received many phone calls begging me to continue, up to three an evening. I told them no many times. Last week I received a bill for $72.47 for what they claim is my continuing subscription, they use autorenewal, but I was never notified. No papers delivered since last November. I wish I had never signed up at the ******* in ************, where a sales booth was located. I also emailed customer service at ********* website.

• Initial Complaint

  03/23/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  I had a similar problem to another reviewer. I allowed my subscription to expire and continued to receive the paper. When I called and spoke to someone, it was absolutely AGONIZING to get the subscription cancelled. It was worse than a cable company trying to get them to cancel it. Finally, they did and they told me I owed $13. I said I would not be paying that $13 because I intentionally let my subscription expire and they were delivered newspapers without my consent. They agreed to halve the fee. Fine. But in the last 2 weeks, I have received 15 phone calls from a ********** area code. No messages left. I assumed it was spam. Finally, today, I answered the phone and it was THE HERALD SUN. Asking me to continue being a customer and telling me that I owe them $15 --- which is more than my subscription would even be. I told them I wouldn't be speaking to them and hung up the phone. Then, I emailed the Herald Sun customer service and told them to stop calling me. They sent me an email telling me they would stop calling me. Not 30 minutes later they called me again. I had to block the number. I feel like this is harassment and predatory.

• Initial Complaint

  01/13/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  We were subscribers to the ****** Herald Sun. When we received a renewal notice in November of 2021, we decided not to renew the subscription. However, delivery of the paper continued, and we have recently received a barrage of phone calls saying that we owed for the papers delivered since November and urging us to renew. My husband called the paper today and spoke to someone in billing. He explained the situation and she kept saying that the continued delivery of the paper was for his "convenience" and insisting that he must pay for the papers that were delivered after he failed to renew. For every other subscription we have ever failed to renew, delivery was stopped. The person in billing said that the only way to clear up the problem was for him to pay for the papers delivered since November. He agreed that if they sent a paper bill, he would pay it. He did not agree to pay because he felt he should, but in order to end the hassle. However, I think that their business practice is fraudulent, so I am making this report.

*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. ↩