ComplaintsforNewspaperarchive.com

• Initial Complaint

  05/02/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I entered a one-week free trial with a newspaper archives company. I was notified that if I wished to cancel rather than enter into an annual membership, I would have to cancel within a week (by Feb. 26, 2024). On Feb. 22 or 23, I cancelled the trial and received an email confirmation to that extent. Unfortunately, I deleted the email, as I believed that all was taken care of. In the next statement of my credit card, I was billed $166.79 by the company. I don't even know the name of the company, as I was just looking, trying to find a way to research a topic of interest. All I have is the abbreviation of the company name as it appears on my statement. It is STRDNWSPPR TRIAL NEWS. I have been trying to contact the company, to no avail. Can you help?

  Business response

  05/02/2024

  Hello - 

  Thank you for reaching out. Yes, we are Newspaper Archive and we would be glad to assist you. I am sorry to hear that there were issues cancelling your free trial account and that the descriptor on your credit card statement was unclear. We have since changed the credit card descriptor to be easier to understand. You can find more information here: ************************************************************************************************************** We hope that will be of use to people going forward. 

  We always encourage people to reach out to **, we try to make our information as easily accessible as possible. You can contact us at any time via email and our ***** number during business hours (M-F, 8am-6pm MT) ****************************************************;

  Our information is also found here on the BBB website: *******************************************************************************************************************

  We look forward to hearing from you so that we can resolve this concern for you. 

  Customer response

  05/15/2024

   
  Complaint: 21658242
  
  I am rejecting this response because:  I have contacted the company by phone twice, and each time I have been assured that I would receive a phone call or email from a representative to discuss my problem.  I have never read from them at all.   
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****************************

  Business response

  05/15/2024

  Hello ****- 

  I am sorry to hear that you do not feel we are being responsive. We are doing our best to contact you, we just do not seem to be connecting. I have personally returned your calls on May 2, 2024 and left a message. I also left a message today, May 15, 2024. I have also sent multiple emails to ************************. 

  As I shared previously, I am sorry to hear that the descriptor on your credit card statement was unclear. We have since changed the credit card descriptor to be easier to understand. You can find more information here: ********************************************************************************************************************** hope that will be of use to people going forward.

  Regarding the cancellation, according to your account history, the free 7-day trial was started on February 9, 2024. The subscription was not cancelled and on February 16, 2024 the charge occurred. I see that your account was cancelled on February 23, 2024 and an email was sent on the 23rd at 8:41:20 PM CT, confirming the cancellation which is consistent with the log in history as well. The cancellation happened after the charge and as the charge is three months old, it is no longer eligible for a refund, per our terms and conditions. *************************************

  If you would like to discuss your account further, please let me know when would be a good time to connect with you and I will make an appointment to do so. *****************************************

  Customer response

  05/17/2024

   
  Complaint: 21658242
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  Although I have been in contact with ************** at Newspaper Archives, we have not yet come to an agreement as to how this situation should be resolved.
  Sincerely,
  
  ****************************

  Business response

  05/20/2024

  We have worked diligently with the customer to address concerns, clear up any misunderstandings about their subscription and explain our policies and terms and conditions. The customer is not eligible for a requested refund, as it is well beyond our ample refund policy window, which has been directly communicated via email. 

  Customer response

  05/20/2024

   
  Complaint: 21658242
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  I have acknowledged my error and that I mistakenly thought I was cancelling a few days in advance of the last date.  I feel it is unreasonable of the business to penalize my error by insisting on charging me for a full year, while I exceeded the trial period, although inadvertently, by less than two weeks.  One would expect that a company that values its customers would show some consideration of an honest error and offer a compromise in reduction of the fee.

  e
  Sincerely,
  
  ****************************

• Initial Complaint

  12/31/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I was charged $155.88 after 7 days of a free trial without being notified of the update.

  Business response

  01/02/2024

  Hello *******,
  
  We're sorry to hear you received an unexpected charge!  We've received a dispute for your charge, so while we would be happy to assist you with your request, I'm afraid that we cannot do so until January 20th once your bank finalizes their review of your pending dispute.  At that time, we would be happy to assist you with your case.  Additionally, we'll be reaching out via email to provide further assistance once that time comes and to remain in touch until that time.
  
  As a reminder, we're available at ******************************************.  That is also the email address we will be reaching back out to you at.

• Initial Complaint

  12/26/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I signed up for a trial membership for newspaperarchive in 2022 and was charged for that- I canceled in November 2022. I was last charged $152. Since then I've been charged semi-annually presumably for a membership that I was unaware I was signed up for- is this on Storied? I have no idea because there is no way to know apparently. I've been charged $82 semi-annually and when I log in to newspaperarchive, it says my membership is disabled. As i've read from other BBB complaints, and as I've tried to do myself- there is NO way to cancel the membership. I've emailed newspaperarchive and they said there are no charges, but the charges are on my credit card. I want this membership cancelled immediately. I will never use this service again. The business tactics are completely deceptive.

  Business response

  01/02/2024

  Hello ********,
  
  We're sorry to hear you've received an unexpected charge!  We believe we've already rectified the issue for you via the email exchange we've had regarding the additional subscription we had located.  The original account you had referenced was inactive, which did not allow you to cancel it due to the inactive state.  We had located an additional account which we were able to have cancelled for you as per your original request.
  
  If we may provide any additional assistance, please reach out to us at ****************************************** and we'll do our best to provide further assistance. 

• Initial Complaint

  12/23/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have a charger for ****** that i did not authorize! I would like A full refund back to my account. And a guarantee that this will not happen again! If not resolved charges will be filed.

  Business response

  01/01/2024

  Hello *******,

  We're sorry to hear you've received an unexpected charge!  We did locate a subscription under your ******************* account, which was eligible for a refund.  We've had your subscription terminated and you won't receive any additional charges going forward.  Please allow about five to ten business days for the funds to settle back to your account.

  If we may be of any additional assistance, please email us at ****************************************** and we'll do our best to assist you.

• Initial Complaint

  12/06/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  This company has been charging me $5.45 per month for quite a long time. I signed up for a trial subscription. When I tried to cancel it, there was no mechanism on their website to do so. When I tried to contact them, there was no way to email or phone them on their website. I removed my credit card information from my account and they continue to debit me each month. I have tried to dispute the charges with my bank, but the phone number the bank has does not work any longer. This is obviously a purposeful scam to continue to charge customers who have no way to cancel their subscription.

  Business response

  12/13/2023

  Hello ****,

  We'd be happy to assist you!  You had purchased a Monthly subscription under your ************************ account which would have been cancelled specifically through the ******************************************************* website you had subscribed through.  We did receive a phone call from you, with which we had reached back out the following day to issue a refund for the latest renewal on.  There was an issue with the phone number listed on our banking information for a short time, which has since been resolved.  We sincerely apologize for any confusion on our part, however we have maintained phone support and email support through your subscription's lifetime available through our any of our websites, including the one you had subscribed to.  If we may provide any additional clarification or assistance at this time, please let us know at ******************************************.  Otherwise, we will be available via email and phone to continue to provide support as you need it.  We're happy to continue our ongoing conversation via either channel as we have previously.

• Initial Complaint

  11/26/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I never subscribed to this service. I've tried to unsubcribe, but there's no way to do this.

  Business response

  11/30/2023

  Hello ******, we'd be happy to clarify!  The charge stems from a Monthly subscription you've had with us, which would have been cancelled under your Account Settings page.  We did not receive a cancellation request prior to the one made most recently.  The subscription was originally purchased and utilized in February, and was utilized for some time after that purchase.  While we sympathize with your request, I'm afraid we do not offer refunds on Monthly subscription purchases and we have to remain inline with the Terms and Services agreement you agreed to at the time of purchase.
  
  If you have any additional questions or concerns, please email us at ******************************************.  Otherwise, we will continue to remain in contact with you via email as we are now.

• Initial Complaint

  11/20/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  This unknown business billed me twice for $102.90.I don't know who they are or how they got my credit card information.I was billed $102.90 by:10/30/2023STORIED/NEWSPAPERARC HTTPSNEWSPAPE UT 10/29 I was billed the same amount about 6 months ago (which I will have to look up separately) and I disputed both via my bank (Chase). Below are the dispute numbers.Reversal: STORIED/NEWSPAPERARC HTTPSNEWSPAPE UT 04/29 ClaimId: *************** Reversal: STORIED/NEWSPAPERARC HTTPSNEWSPAPE UT 10/29 ClaimId: *************** Ancestry claims they have never heard of Storied.Who is storied?

  Business response

  11/29/2023

  Hello *****,
  
  We're sorry to hear you've received some unexpected charges!  The two charges stem from a Semi-Annual subscription you have under your ********************* account.  The subscription was originally purchased on 10/29/2022, and has renewed since that time in accordance with the terms of the subscription purchased.  Unfortunately, we haven't received any cancellation request for your subscription prior to now, with our refund period on renewals being seven days so we cannot oblige your refund request at this time.  Your subscription has been cancelled and you won't receive any additional charges however.
  
  We'll be reaching out via email to confirm your cancellation, however if you do not see that email please feel free to reach out to us at ****************************************** and we'll do our best to assist you.

• Initial Complaint

  11/13/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I received a notice of renewal for a subscription that I did not wish to have (I had a trial membership prior to that). There is no way to cancel a subscription while logged on to your online account. There is also no phone number to contact this company. I sent 2 emails in the past week requesting to cancel this expensive subscription that I do not want, and have not received a single reply. I am also requesting to be refunded, as I had no way of contacting anyone to advise them that I do not want this service. What is also confusing, is that emails for the subscription service come from Newspaperarchive.com, while other info about the service come from Storied.com. Not having a customer service phone number is Not a valid reason to ignore a request to cancel an unwanted/unused subscription.

  Business response

  11/21/2023

  
  We're sorry to hear that you've had a poor experience with our services!
  
  I've reviewed your account and I'd be happy to provide assistance and clarification regarding it.
  
  The renewal stems from a Semi-Annual subscription you have with us.  Your subscription can be cancelled by viewing your Account Settings and disabling your auto-renewal option there.  I have gone ahead and cancelled it for you at this time however as per your request.  I reviewed your login history, and I do not see any recent login history.  To clarify, are you potentially logging into another inactive account, or another service?  Additionally, I don't see any emails from ****************** address or account.  To clarify, were they sent under another email address?  I would be happy to review them, however I will also be reaching out to get in touch with you as well regarding your subscription.  Please keep an eye out for this email, and do not hesitate to reach out us at ****************************************** for a follow up if you do not receive the email we send.
  
  In regards to our services, we offer subscriptions through NewspaperArchive.com and Storied.com, which are two separate subscriptions, though closely tied.  We maintain both however.
  
  At this time we cannot issue a refund due to the lack of an official cancellation, however we would be happy to review any cancellation requests or communications you have made previously.  Please respond to the email we've sent you and we'll follow up with you there to provide additional assistance.

• Initial Complaint

  11/04/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I signed up for a trial way back in 2021. Since August of 2022 they have been charging me monthly and will not stop, despite the fact that I don't have an active membership and never did. I have opened a dispute with the credit card and my next step unfortunately is going to be to close that card.

  Business response

  11/08/2023

  Hello *******,

  I'd be happy to clarify!

  The subscription you cancelled previously was specifically to our NewspaperArchive.com subscription service, while the monthly charges you refer to stem from a subscription specifically to the Wisconsin State Journal.  We offer separate packages for some specific content collections at a reduced rate through separate websites, which in turn require a separate cancellation .

  Unfortunately, we do not offer refunds on Monthly subscriptions in accordance with our Terms and Services Agreement which I've included below for your reference:

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

  While we sympathize with your request, I'm afraid we must remain inline with our Terms and Service Agreement in this instance.

• Initial Complaint

  11/03/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On Oct 2, 2023 and Oct 30, 2023 my bank account was debited $ 22.99 to Storied/Newspapereach out of Provo UT. I have never used this website, nor would I have used the account that this was drawn from. I regard this as a hacking of my bank account. I am working with my bank, but these charges need to be stopped. The 800 number is not functioning.

  Business response

  11/07/2023

  Hello *****,
  
  We're sorry to hear you've received some unexpected charges!  We've reached out to you via email to provide assistance in reviewing the charges you mentioned.  Would you please let us know if you receive this email?

  If you did not receive the email, please reach out to us at ************************************ and we'll do our best to assist you.

*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. ↩