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Business Profile

Newspaper

Philadelphia Newspapers, LLC

This business is NOT BBB Accredited.

Find BBB Accredited Businesses in Newspaper.

Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Philadelphia Newspapers, LLC's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see

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Philadelphia Newspapers, LLC has 2 locations, listed below.

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    Customer Complaints Summary

    • 90 total complaints in the last 3 years.
    • 37 complaints closed in the last 12 months.

    If you've experienced an issue

    Submit a Complaint

    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.

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    Complaint status

    Complaint type

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:12/04/2023

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      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 ordered a subscription for my son to a facility. The facility nor my son never received any newspaper. I called every week in which I was told that a supervisor would call me back when I ask to talk to a supervisor or manager each time I was told none was available. I was told that they didn't know why it was happening than when I spoke to another rep after being placed on hold for a really long time she said there was a problem there and the newspapers were never sent out. I was told on several occasions that I would receive credit from Sept to Oct which I never received, I stated that I just wanted my son to receive the newspapers like I paid for them to do. I NEVER received a call from anyone even after calling everyday at that point. I than called and stated that I wanted my money returned since no newspapers were never sent or received, To this day I still have not received my money nor has he received any newspapers

      Business Response

      Date: 12/04/2023

      Hi *******************:

      I hope all is well with you.

      09/29/23 I see you ordered a 4 week mail subscription in the amount of $27 to:
      *************************
      Attention: ******
      ****************************************************************************;
      Account #*********
      10/11/23  You called to report no delivery.  Our agent looked into this and saw a mail label was not generated until 10/06/23 for this address.  The account was credited $6.75 for missed papers from 09/29/23 - 10/05/23. 
      10/27/23  Called to report a missed paper.  Account was credited $1.13
      10/30/23  Called to report a missed paper.  Account was credited $2.25
      10/31/23  Called to report a missed paper.  Account was credited $1.13
      11/08/23  We attempted to contact you and left a voicemail with our supervisor's name and contact number.
      11/09/23  You called to cancel due to poor service reporting you received no papers at all and requested a full refund.

      Our previous communications reported individual missed deliveries on certain days and your account was credited accordingly in the total amount of $11.26 for the missed papers.  Had it been reported that no papers at all were received, the agent would have noted this on the account.   

      As a one time courtesy, I have requested a full refund in the amount of your purchase price of $27.  

      If I can be of further assistance, please let me know.

      Thank  you.
      ***********************
      The Inquirer
      Customer Service Associate Director

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:10/30/2023

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Unanswered
      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.
      On 9-6-23 I called the paper to cancel my subscription. *** the service rep, offered to extend my subscription until 3-27-23 for $3. Then on 10-27-23, they billed me for $15.96. I called today on 10-30-23 and talked to ****. I asked him to refund the $15.96 and honor the $3 offer. He said too bad and they don't give refunds. The only way you can cancel a subscription is to call. So you can't verify correspondence via mail or email. That's why the Philadelphia Inquirer enters into bait and switch tactics since there is no way to verify phone conversations. My Acct # is ******.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:10/26/2023

      Type:Billing Issues
      Status:
      Unanswered
      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.
      Canceled subscription online in August and was billed 3 times since. When I log into my account there is no active subscription or payment methods saved, yet they continued to charge my credit card without providing online access to their service. They do not have 24 hour customer service support and are difficult to contact. I had to contact my credit care company and file both a dispute and a request to block the vendor from charging my card.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:10/18/2023

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Resolved
      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.
      On 9/18/2023, I paid the Philadelphia Inquirer $0.99 for a subscription, which when ended, would be raised to a $3.99 weekly payment automatically. It was easy to subscribe and pay online. I would now like to cancel my subscription, but the only way to cancel is via phone, not online. I have tried calling their provided number *************) for cancellations several times this week, each time being put on indefinite hold. Because of this, I contacted the Inquirer through their Contact Us form attempting to cancel there but simply received a reply saying that I have to call this number. I would like my subscription to be cancelled, and because of the hold issues and lack of online cancellation it appears that this is not possible.

      Business Response

      Date: 11/06/2023

      Hi *******************:

      I hope you are well.

      I apologize for any inconvenience you have experienced with your subscription to the Inquirer.

      Your account is paid through 11/10/23 and I have input your cancellation request for 11/11/23.

      If I can be of further assistance, please let me know.

      Thank  you.**********************

      Associate Director of Customer Service

      Customer Answer

      Date: 11/13/2023

      [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

      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:09/29/2023

      Type:Billing Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      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'm unable to cancel my subscription without calling them - and when I call the line is busy. This is an unacceptable, manipulative practice.

      Business Response

      Date: 11/16/2023

      Hi *** ***:

      I am sincerely sorry for any inconvenience you have experienced with your subscription to the Inquirer.

      Whereas our Customer Service Center does experience some peak call volume periods, there are many times throughout the day where we have no wait time at all to speak to a representative.

      Although online cancellation is not a service we currently provide, we are actively testing that feature and will keep customers informed when it becomes available.
      Please let me know if I can be of further assistance.

      Thank you.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:08/23/2023

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      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 cancelled my subscription with The Philadelphia Inquirer when they solicited me in March of 2023 with a renewal solicitation phone call. At that point the Sunday news paper was no longer delivered to my house - the rest of the week is on-line distribution only. Each time I received a subsequent bill I returned it letting them know I cancelled the subscription. They should be able to see that I did not access the account on-line. They need to waive the remaining balance since March of 2023.Thank you for your assistance.

      Business Response

      Date: 09/10/2023

      Hi **********************:

      I hope you are well.

      I checked your account history and do not see a cancellation on your account from back in March.  I also checked our telephone records and cannot find a record of a call

      from the telephone number listed on your account - ************.

      I do see a one time credit card payment was made on 04/18/23 and we have received no payment since that time.

      Your account was recently stopped due to non-payment on 08/13/23 with an outstanding balance of $182.36.

      If you called to discontinue your service from a different telephone number, please let me know as I would be glad to search for the call. 

      I apologize for any inconvenience.  If I can be of further assistance, please let me know.

      Thank you.

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

      The Inquirer

      Customer Service Associate Director

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:08/04/2023

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      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 Philadelphia Inquirer does not allow accessible cancelation of subscription. While you can easily subscribe online they make it difficult to cancel your subscription. they only allow cancellation by phone then put you on hold for a really long time alerting you there are tons of people in the cue before you which can be discouraging for anyone with limited time to make such a call. I have attempted to cancel, I have emailed and been redirected to the phone and then expected to wait for a long time to cancel. In a digital age where most other major news companies allow online subscription and cancelation this practice feels odd. If one can subscribe online one should be able to cancel online. this is also an accessibility issue. After finally getting someone on the phone I was told they do not send email confirmations that the subscription was cancelled and therefore costumers have no way of documenting they made the call to cancel the subscription. I had to advocate to have an email sent to me saying the call was made and the subscription is cancelled. I will wait and see if I receive the email.

      Business Response

      Date: 08/31/2023

      Hi **********************:

      I hope you are well. 

      I apologize for any inconvenience you may have experienced with your subscription to The Inquirer.

      While online cancellation is not a service we currently provide, we are actively testing that feature and will keep customers informed when it becomes available.  Confirmation emails are routinely sent to all subscribers when they terminate their subscription. 

      As a courtesy I have requested a refund of your last payment of $15.96.  You should see it appear on your credit card statement sometime in the next week.
      Thank you.

      ***********************
      The Philadelphia Inquirer
      Customer Service Associate Director

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:07/28/2023

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      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 am having trouble canceling my subscription to The Philadelphia Inquirer. They have no option for online cancellation and you are put on endless hold if you call the phone number provided.

      Business Response

      Date: 07/30/2023

      Hi *******:

      I hope you are well.

      I apologize for the inconvenience you have experienced with your subscription to The Inquirer. 

      I'm having some trouble locating your account under the email and telephone number you provided via this complaint.
      If you could provide an address, another email address or telephone number that would help locate the account so I can assist you, I would be happy to help.

      Thank you.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:07/27/2023

      Type:Billing Issues
      Status:
      Resolved
      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 subscriber of Phila Inquirer for over 50 yrs. Have always paid. I have acct for delivery Sun only for all Digital for 5 weeks at $38.25 Billing was sent for Feb to pay Thru 3/4/23..check was sent. NO bill received until... Date of billing notice was 4 /29/23. I paid by check on 5/8/23. ( This covered period pd thru 3/18/23. ) The Sunday Delivery ceased on 4/11/23 and the digital weekly a few days later. I then received a Final Bill for $57 notice date 6/17/23 for $57.44. I have now received another final notice on 7/27/23 advising I owe $95.69. I am willing to pay the 3/18/23 to 4/15/23 Final bill for $30.60. I also want phone calls 2x or more with 3 rings only..no message to stop... Calling to Customer service does not work. Hold for 20 minutes then disconnected.

      Business Response

      Date: 07/30/2023

      Hi *****************:

      I hope you are well.

      I apologize for the inconvenience you have experienced with your subscription to The Inquirer.

      Your account was in arrears and we did receive your payment of $38.25 on 05/11 covering your past due balance from 02/11/23 through 03/11/23.

      Your account was stopped due to non-payment on 05/14 due to the balance owed from 03/11/23 through 05/14/23.

      As a one time courtesy, I have cleared your outstanding balance of $57.44 from your account and the balance is now zero. 

      You should receive no further bills from us and I have requested that you are removed from all calling lists. 

      If I can be of further assistance, please let me know.

      Thank you.

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

      The Inquirer

      Customer Service Director

      Customer Answer

      Date: 08/02/2023

      [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

      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,

      ***********************
        Thank you for your very prompt intervention. Philadelphia Newspapers LLC has cleared my account. Your employee who handled this is to be commended. ( and also the 3 or 4 phone calls each day ( with no messages left) from Philadelphia Newspapers will stop)

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:07/27/2023

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Resolved
      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 am requesting that the company allow customers to cancel their subscription online. The company requires phone cancelation, despite allowing online subscription sign up. Is it unacceptable that a digital subscription does not provide for digital cancellation. Further, the company's customer support line does not keep regular business hours, and when I tried during the available hours, I was on hold for more than 30 minutes, at which point I had to get to a work meeting. Of note, it took less than a minute to subscribe online. For this reason, I am reporting these practices, obviously designed to make it unnecessarily difficult to cancel the service, to the BBB. NB: After searching online, changing my account settings to stop automatic payment, calling customer service, and emailing twice, I have not been able to cancel my subscription. This is a predatory business practice that should be suspended, and the company should provide for online cancellation. Thank you!***************************

      Business Response

      Date: 07/30/2023

      Hi **********************:

      I hope you are well.

      I apologize for the inconvenience you have experienced with your subscription to The Inquirer.

      Your subscription renewal occurred on June 8 and your account was charged $21.96 which paid you through 08/29/23.

      Per your request, I have cancelled your service at the end of your current term and your account will be stopped effective 08/30/23.

      Our phone lines were unusually busy this week and I apologize for the wait time.  Cancellations via phone allow for more personal contact with our customers.  We are able to inquire further as to why our customers are cancelling  

      to be better able to facilitate or troubleshoot any potential issues.  

      I will be sure to pass along your suggestion for online cancellations to upper level management for review.

      Again, I sincerely apologize for your inconvenience. 

      If I can be of further assistance, please let me know.

      Thank you.

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

      The Inquirer

      Customer Service Associate Director

      Customer Answer

      Date: 07/31/2023

      [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

      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, however, the unfair practice which led to my complaint persists. 

      Regards,

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

    Philadelphia Newspapers, LLC is NOT a BBB Accredited Business.

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