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:02/27/2025

  Type:Billing 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 attempted to cancel a recurring subscription with this business for months. I was easily able to sign up for this subscription online, however after emailing them I was told to call them during their business hours. Sometime between Oct 29, 2024 and Nov 5, 2024, I did call them, and spoke with someone who hung up on me. I called again and spoke to someone who assured me that my recurring membership had been canceled. I even received an email a few days later asking what they could do to "win me back as a customer". I thought it was resolved. However, it was not. I was charged a renewal fee again the next month. I emailed again, then called again. Still got renewed again, but this time I have been so busy with the holidays and such that I didn't notice the small charges until I noticed today that I have continued being charged their small monthly fee, and a larger charge was initiated this morning. This is unacceptable business practice. It feels predatory and if not illegal, then morally wrong to disallow someone from ending a subscription and terminating access to charge their credit card on file. It is questionable to force someone to call their phone during their relatively short business hours in order to cancel a subscription that can be started easily online also.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/27/2025

  Dear ********
  Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We have reviewed Mr. ******** account and taken the necessary steps to ensure his concerns are fully addressed.
  His subscription has been canceled, effective 2/28/2025.
  A refund of $4 has been issued for the charge made on 2/9/2025.
  Auto-pay has been removed to prevent any future charges.
  We did receive a cancellation request from Mr. ****** in December and, as part of our standard process, reached out for confirmation of a cancellation reason before processing the request. Unfortunately, we did not receive a response, and the subscription remained active with auto-pay enabled. However, we understand his frustration and have now ensured that his subscription is fully canceled with no further charges.
  Please let us know if any additional information is needed. We appreciate the opportunity to resolve this matter.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/28/2025

  Dear ********
  We have reviewed ***** ******** concerns and taken the necessary steps to resolve his issue. A $4 refund was already processed yesterday, and we have now submitted an additional $20 refund request, covering five payments since October for his online-only subscription.
  Once this $20 refund is processed, the customer will have received a total of $24 refunded, and his account should be fully resolved. We have also reached out to Mr. ****** to confirm if this resolution is satisfactory or if there is anything further we can do to assist.
  Please let us know if you need any additional details.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/03/2025

  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. The business received the screenshots of the emails and outgoing phone calls indicating that there was correspondence made canceling the subscription in October 2024, and not just the one email referenced by them from December 2024. The refund of all charges made after the cancelation date in October was sufficient for me to find this matter resolved. Thank you for your help.
  
  Regards,
  
  ***** ******
  
  
  
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/19/2024

  Type:Billing 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.

  Ongoing billing issue along with customer service issue and delivery issue with The Amsterdam Recorder Newspaper. As an elderly man, I am being severely over charged on my account. I have asked for several discounts due to delivery issues to my home and incompetent customer service reps can not bill accurately according to verbal discounted confirmations. On 10/19/24 Delivery person threw paper so hard at garage door waking my daughther **** ****** up at 5:00am she called again on my behalf with delivery instructions of delivering paper as of 10/21 in maibox and another added discount of $18.00.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/25/2024

  Thank you for informing us of Mr. ******’s complaint. We have addressed his concerns by adjusting his account to cover his subscription through November 11, and we will be sending a new invoice for $16 at that time for an additional 4-week period. We have also provided Mr. ****** with information regarding potential promotional rates should he wish to renew at the end of this term.
  Please let us know if there are any additional details we can provide, or if further steps are required.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/03/2024

  Type:Product 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 of the Schenectady Gazette for decades! subscription account **** I pay by credit card automatic payment. On August 26 I notified them by telephone to cancel my subscription And to credit my credit card with any refund. They refuse to do so and claim that my subscription is paid until December. This is not acceptable, I no longer want the paper and they should not keep my money!

  Business Response

  Date: 09/03/2024

  Subject: Response to BBB Complaint ID ******** – ******* ****
  Dear Better Business Bureau,
  Thank you for notifying us of the complaint filed by Mr. ******* ****. We have reviewed the matter and taken appropriate action.
  A refund of $157.71 has been processed back to Mr. ****’s credit card ending in ****, and his subscription account has been closed as per his request. We have also communicated this resolution directly to Mr. ****.
  Please let us know if there are any further steps needed from our side, or if you require any additional information.
  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/04/2024

  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. 
  Thank you for your valuable service!
  Regards,
  
  ******* ****
  
  
  
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/23/2024

  Type:Product 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 receiving the Register Star newspapers for many years in my mail each day. This was working fine for years until The Daily Gazette took over. On Feb. 7, 2024 I paid them $345 for two years of paper delivery by mail as I have done before. Since that time my papers were delivered two days late or not at all. I reached out to the Daily Gazette to see what could be done. I started calling them in Feb 2024 and spoke to many customer service reps. who promised me they would find out what could be done. At times I was promised it would be resolved by the end of that week. I never heard back. I continued to call. Finally, on April 29, 2024 I cancelled and asked for my money back. On May 16, 2024 I received $93.11 of the $345. On June 10 I called asking for the rest of the money, I was told they would look into it. On July 23, 2024 I called back to ask what was going on with the rest of the money. I was put on hold and no one came back on the line. I called back and was told in essence that was all I was getting back. I asked to speak to a supervisor and was put on hold, I waited four minutes with no one answering again ( the on-hold music ended after about 30 seconds then silence). I paid for 2 years starting Feb 2024, I cancelled in April 2024, that is 2 out of 24 months I paid for. I should get much more back. I believe I should get it all back as I have not received what I was promised by the Daily Gazette when they took my $345. The customer service of this company is horrible to say the least. Please help me get my money back.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/25/2024

  Update on Complaint ID: ********

  Dear Better Business Bureau,
  I am writing to provide an update on the complaint filed by **** ******** regarding account #****** with *** ******** *****
  We have processed an additional refund of $251.89, which is being included in this week's check run. Mr. ******** should receive the refund within 7-10 days. He has confirmed that this resolution is satisfactory and has expressed relief that the matter has been addressed.
  The account has been closed as requested, and no further action is required on his part.
  We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience Mr. ******** experienced and are committed to improving our customer service processes to prevent similar issues in the future.
  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/29/2024

  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.  Thank you for your support and help in this matter. The Daily Gazette has promised to send the additional refund within the next few days. I did write back expressing my concerns with how they handled this. I have since received an apology from them. Again thank you very much **** ******** Regards, ******* ********

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/17/2024

  Type:Delivery 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.

  My subscription to the paper expired 5/18/24 and I notified the billing office by mail that I did not plan to renew. I dislike receiving my paper by mail after home delivery was discontinued by the company. It has now been a month and I am still receiving the paper by mail. I contacted Customer Care twice, the revenue VP twice, phone texted the director of audience development in effort to stop receiving the paper. Other customers have contacted BBB for assistance on this issue as well. I just want The Gazette to stop mailing me their paper physically and digitally since I did not renew it. Thank you. EM

  Business Response

  Date: 07/09/2024

  Thank you for bringing this complaint to our attention.We have spoken with ********* ******* and resolved the issue. The delivery of the paper has been stopped, and she has not been charged for any papers she did not request. She is satisfied with the outcome as we have spoken with her today.Please let us know if there is anything further we need to do.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/09/2024

  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. Gazette contacted me 7/3 and my complaint is resolved. Many thanks for your help. EM Regards, ********* ******* 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/01/2024

  Type:Delivery Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore 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.

  Schenectady Gazette started mailing me the newspaper and sending me bills for something I never wanted or subscribed to. I canceled the paper over a year ago in 2023. Out of the blue they started billing me and then started sending me the paper. I have called numerous times and told them to stop the paper and refused to pay. They still are sending it! I do not want it!

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/19/2024

  Type:Delivery 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.

  2 /15/ 2024 subscription for home delivery of the Daily Gazzette Payed for the year for Sunday delivery after 2 weeks company decide it was inconvenient to do home delivery and told me they were switch to mail delivery which would mean Monday delivery by mail I requested to stop mail order because it would be day late news and asked for refund and stop delivery. Recieved 2 papers mail delivery which I refused and both papers mailed were missing sections called to inform waiting for return call not recives after 2 weeks of B... Sh..

  Business Response

  Date: 04/04/2024

  Called business and spoke with a rep who stated that he would escalate a call to the consumer.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/14/2024

  Type:Delivery 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 canceled my subscription to the Daily Gazette effective January 28th, 2024. They have continued to deliver newspapers despite my making four (4) phone calls to the Gazette's customer service line telling them to stop. I don't want a newspaper, I certainly don't want to pay for a newspaper, I've tried complaining to the Gazette, and I am at my wit's end. Please help!

  Business Response

  Date: 02/16/2024

  In response to Mr. ******** Complaint File ID #:********.We are able to confirm the carrier delivery concerns have been resolved. Determining the root cause to be a systematic conversion error.2/15/24 attempts were made to reach Mr. ******** both by telephone number ************* resulting in no answer and then followed up by reaching out via email to address: ****************On behalf of The Daily Gazette, I would like to sincerely apologize for the issues he experienced with home delivery and customer service. We would like to extend an offer of a free two week trial subscription of Mr. ******** *****, should he be willing to give us another chance.It is our mission at the Daily Gazette to provide superior customer service to our readers and thank Mr. ******** for supporting local journalism. Please feel free to contact us anytime. We are here to help. Kind Regards, Summer C***Circulation Operations, Daily Gazette Family of Newspapers2345 Maxon Rd Ext | Schenectady NY 12308 | ###-###-####

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/16/2024

  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. 
  
  Regards,
  
  ******* ********
  
  
  
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/18/2024

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore 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 was a subscriber to the gazette for some time. I chose not to renew my subscription and didn't remit payment. Today I received a call from the gazette seeking to collect payment for the paper from the end of December until today. When my carrier left me a not yesterday informing me subscription had expired I called the gazette. I assumed that I had been credited with all the times I had not received a paper for one reason or another. Today I was told there was only 1 call on record in March. Apparently them telling me that a paper would be delivered later ( that never came ) negated my future credit.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/10/2023

  Type:Delivery Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore 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 subscribed to the Leader Herald newspaper (which is now owned by the Gazette) up until November of 2022 when I canceled it. Sometime this past summer 2023, they began delivering the paper again without any authorization or request from me. I called them to say I had NOT resubscribed and to please stop delivering the paper. Then I received a bill from them in the mail. I wrote on the bill that I had not subscribed and asked them to cease deliveries. They took no heed, kept delivering papers and sending bills I kept returning the bills with the same notation that I had not subscribed, etc. At one point I tried to email them, but got the message that their electronic emsil circulation mailbox "had not been set up". I continued to receive papers every day including the Sunday edition. I finally started collecting each week's worth of delivered papers in a box and re-delivered them to their doorstep at the Leader Herald with a letter enclosed stating who I was and the fact that I was NOT a subscriber and did not WANT the newspaper. They finally stopped delivering the paper, after I delivered two wekks of papers back to their doorstep, but they then started to call me several times a week asking me to subscribe and asking for past payment. I blocked @ number they used, but the calling never stopped. Yesterday (11/10/23) I received a call asking me to subscribe and the caller (who identified herself as Karen M*****) said she had been given "permission to forgive my past balance"! I picked up the phone today and called the number Ms. M***** left (************) and I then sat on hold for 8 minutes before giving up. I want them to stop the harrassment and confirm the fact (in writing) that I never re-subscribed to their paper after cancelling it in November 2022. Thank you