ComplaintsforThe New York Times Company

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Initial Complaint
02/14/2024
Complaint Type:
Delivery Issues
Status:
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.
Starting around Jan 15, until today, Feb 14, I have only had the paper delivered about 3-4 times. I have complained online, by phone, and chatting ******* to the ** Times but the issue has not been resolved.
Business response
02/15/2024
Please accept our sincerest apology for the delivery issues you are experiencing. We have contacted our distribution partner to look into the matter and are working to have it corrected moving forward. Thank you so much for your patience with this.
Initial Complaint
02/12/2024
Complaint Type:
Service or Repair Issues
Status:
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.
We have been subscribers to New York Times for years. In these years, their delivery accuracy is atrocious. I would estimate it around 20% of the time we have gotten the paper. We have lived in three different places all over the ******************* and nothing has changed. If youre getting a paper delivered, you expect it to arrive. New York Times just cant get it right. They even connected me to their district manager or someone like that and she told me she would personally see that the delivery would be right. Once again an empty promise because nothing changed. I do not recommend NYT to anyone for their paper delivery. It will likely never happen and creates more problems for you to resolve with them, which they are incapable of doing.
Business response
02/13/2024
Please accept our sincerest apology for the delivery issues you are experiencing. We have contacted our distribution partner to look into the matter and are working to have it corrected moving forward. Thank you so much for your patience with this.
Customer response
02/16/2024
Better Business Bureau:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

Nothing has improved when it comes to delivery, no one has reached out to me for an update and I have not been provided any concessions for the numerous delivery issues Ive experienced. There is no resolution as far as I am concerned

In order for the BBB to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

Sincerely,

****************************

Business response
03/07/2024
Correspondence via email was successful on 2/20/2024. An investigation into delivery has begun and three additional emails regarding updates to delivery were sent on 2/21/2024, 3/5/2024 and 3/7/2024. We appreciate your patience with this matter as we work with our distribution center to resolve this delivery issue.
Initial Complaint
02/09/2024
Complaint Type:
Service or Repair Issues
Status:
Resolved
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
On January 9th **** the ** Times withdrew $4.00 from my bank account for a monthly subscription. I chatted with someone and explained that I did not have a subscription. The person/s researched and found out that I did not. That money was refunded on January 22nd in 2 amounts of $1 and $3. On February 5th another debit of $4 came out of my account. The memo stated that this is a recurring payment. I chatted again with representative ******* who resolved to check into my problem. He noted that he did not see an account attached to my either of my two emails, ************************* and **************************** My concern is that my account would be repeatedly debited and I want this to stop immediately.
Business response
02/13/2024
Hello,
Please be advised that we were able to locate the subscription and can confirm it has been cancelled and the $4 charge refunded back to the credit card on file.
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 and the matter has been resolved.

Sincerely,

**************************************
Initial Complaint
02/05/2024
Complaint Type:
Product Issues
Status:
Resolved
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
The New York Times does not always respect paid subscriptions.I've been a subscriber since 2020. On February 1, **** I went to view an article on my Android phone and was told I needed to resubscribe. *******, I hadn't been notified my subscription was about to expire. Oh well. I subscribed to the New York Times through ****** Play.I could then access *** articles on my phone, but not in my web browser, even with the same account. Strange.I waited a couple days to see if the *** backend just needed time to be aware of my subscription. It still didn't work.I spent an hour communicating with *** customer support. They refused to help me. I told them the *** has a software bug: the app knows I am a subscriber, but the website does not, even though my email address and account number are the same in both places. I asked them to report the issue to engineering and to update my account to reflect that I am a paid subscriber. I said I didn't want to pay for two subscriptions so I could access their content on two devices. They blamed ****** Play and refused to give me access to the subscription I paid for.I requested a refund from ****** Play, thinking that then I could subscribe to *** through the web and hopefully have access on multiple devices then. ****** Play declined the refund, since it had been more than 48 hours since the purchase.This is a severe bug on the ***'s part, either with their mobile implementation or their backend. If part of their system knows I am a subscriber, all of their system needs to know I am a subscriber. Worse, it is a failure of customer service. With a screenshot, I proved I had paid. I am deeply disappointed that they refused to honor that payment and help **** paid for a *** subscription because I trusted the integrity of *** as a news organization. I'm disappointed they are now betraying that trust.I want them to give my account access to the subscription I paid for. Alternatively, a refund would be acceptable.
Business response
02/08/2024
Hello,
Please be advised that we have reached out to the customer to further assist and he responded that the issue was already resolved.
Customer response
02/11/2024
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 and the matter has been resolved.
Although NYT customer service had been unhelpful, their software bug was fixed after I made the BBB complaint, so by the time a NYT employee reached out to me to discuss the BBB complaint, I was able to access my subscription successfully.

Sincerely,

***********************
Initial Complaint
01/30/2024
Complaint Type:
Product Issues
Status:
Resolved
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
I accidentally paid New York Times ****** for my newspaper subscription on 12-18-23. My normal bill is ***** a month. I recognized the overpayment and contacted them on 12-22-23 . **************** told me a refund would be issued within 2weeks. That didnt occur and I called back on 1-9-24. I was told the refund was in process in their billing department and would take another week. That didnt occur and I contacted them a third time on 1-30-24. I was again told the refund was in process and would take another week. I should note that the ****** payment was electronic thru my checking account. Also the account is in my wifes name. I have been paying this bill for 20 years. This was explained to customer service. my wifes name is ***************************. I dont know if you need the account number, but it is *********. Thank you for any assistance.
Business response
02/02/2024
Hello,
We have confirmed the refund check for $215.10 was processed on 12/26/23 and should be received by the customer within 21 business days.

Customer response
02/14/2024
Better Business Bureau:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

Hello, I recently filed a complaint about my New York Times account (wifes). *** responded and said a "refund of $ ****** was processed on 12/26/23 and should be received by customer within 21 business days. As of February 14, **** I have yet to receive a refund. I am quite surprised by the lack of customer service from the **** as they have always been prompt and responsive to any previous issues.
Anything you can do to assist would be appreciated.
Thank you,

*********************
********************.

Business response
02/23/2024
Hello,
We would like to apologize for the delay with the refund. Due to a system glitch, the initial refund was not processed. However, a new check was issues and overnighted to the customer and should be received on 2/23/24.
Customer response
02/28/2024
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 and the matter has been resolved.

Sincerely,

*********************
Initial Complaint
01/29/2024
Complaint Type:
Product Issues
Status:
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.
Enter into a subscription last year, it automatically renewed 12-21-23,, called New York Times January 27, **** ask to cancel subscription and to refund the $54 that was charged on December 21, 2023, and they refused, they would only cancel the subscription
Business response
01/31/2024
Hello,
Please be advised that we were able to locate a Cooking subscription under email address ********************, and can confirm it is cancelled and last payment refunded back to Paypal.
Initial Complaint
01/23/2024
Complaint Type:
Product Issues
Status:
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.
Hi,I started to subscribe to New York Times for 6 dollars a month in August 2022 with my email *************************** The rate was increased to 25 dollars a month in August 2023, and I was never notified of this increase through any platform. No email, no text message, no phone call. I contacted the customer service of ********************** to report the issue and request a full refund of 150 dollars I have been charged since last August. I was told to check my spam folder for the notification email, but I couldn't find it at all. They never sent me the email. When I told them that I never received the notification email, which was not my fault at all, they refused to refund me. This is such a terrible experience because the company failed to do their job of notifying the customer about a huge raise of the fee, and they expected the customer to be responsible for the **********************'s fault. I'm deeply disappointed. I want my full refund of the subscription fee I have never agreed to. The total number is 150 dollars (25 dollars per month from August 2023 to January ****). Thank you for your time and help!
Business response
01/26/2024
Hello,
Please be advised that according to our Terms Of Sale (see link below), the subscription will automatically renew at the full rate, unless the customer contact us to cancel. That said, we do try to address our subscribers concerns, and,as a good-faith gesture, we have refunded the last 3 charges back to the Credit Card on file.
Initial Complaint
01/22/2024
Complaint Type:
Product Issues
Status:
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.
I was charged for a subscription when I was told a different price would be offered. It was almost impossible to cancel the subscription and I did not get a refund for the unauthorized charge. I would like a refund of $25.
Business response
01/24/2024
Hello,
We can confirm the subscription is cancelled and $25 refunded back to the credit card on file.
Initial Complaint
01/03/2024
Complaint Type:
Service or Repair Issues
Status:
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.
They will not let me cancel my account online. I was able to begin my subscription online with a couple of clicks. In order to cancel they require a phone call or a "chat" in which they never have an agent log in to the chat. I have currently been waiting for an agent to chat for 45 minutes. This further requires a call where you have to spend 15 minutes on the phone explaining why you want to cancel and turning down all their attempts to keep your business. As a consumer, this is incredibly frustrating. I will never subscribe again solely because of this onerous process to cancel when they make it incredibly easy to sign up. This is predatory practice on consumers who should be able to cancel subscriptions just as easily as they sign up.
Business response
01/04/2024
Hello,
Please accept our apology for any troubles with cancelling the subscription. We can confirm All Access account has been completely cancelled as of 1/3/24.
Customer response
01/11/2024
Better Business Bureau:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

[Your Answer Here] While I was able to cancel my account after along wait, this does not resolve the issue of allowing consumers an easy way to cancel their accounts. That is my complaint. It should be just as easy to cancel accounts as it is to sign up, with the click of a few buttons. Customers should not have to be made to wait long periods on hold or waiting for a chat agent (I waited 45 minutes) and be begged to stay with the company. If the company would like to change those practices, I will withdraw my complaint. Otherwise it stands.

In order for the BBB to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

Sincerely,

***********************

Business response
01/24/2024
Hello,
Please be advised that digital subscriptions can be cancelled by following the steps below.
Go to *********************
Click on "Subscription Overview"
Click on "Manage Subscription"
Follow instructions to cancel

If you have any other questions or require further assistance, please feel free to call us at ************, or chat with us.
Initial Complaint
01/02/2024
Complaint Type:
Service or Repair Issues
Status:
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.
I would like the New York Times to stop bombarding my emails. I would like all emails and ads stop being sent to ************************************* and *************************
Business response
01/02/2024
Hi there,
We have made sure you are unsubscribed from any email newsletters. We also added both email addresses to our "Do Not Solicit" list, so you should no longer receive any marketing or promotional emails.
Warm Regards

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