ComplaintsforNewspaperarchive.com

• Initial Complaint

  09/14/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I recently signed up for the trial period with Newspaperarchives.com. When attempting to cancel the subscription I found their practices deceptive and confusing. They have embedded instructions to click on the red cancel subscription link that brings you to a pop up to sign up for their other company Storied. The branding and design of the website is clearly designed to mislead people. Consumers should be aware of their practices.

  Business response

  09/15/2023

  Hello *******, we're sorry to hear you've had a poor experience with our services!  I believe there may be some confusion in regards to what you saw while cancelling.  We offer access to our services at Storied.com for free with a subscription to NewspaperArchive.com.  Given you had a free trial with us at NewspaperArchive.com, you also had free access to Storied.com with that trial.  We simply wanted to remind you that cancelling your subscription to NewspaperArchive.com would also terminate your access to Storied.com, in case you had tried the services and were interested in them or hadn't yet and would like to try them during your trial period before cancelling.  It's likely you weren't signed in on Storied.com and that you may have seen an advertisement to start a 7 Day Free Trial which would be intended for new customers.  You would not have been able to subscribe to Storied.com while having a NewspaperArchive.com subscription.  I hope our explanation provides some clarification on our cancellation process and our desire to remind customers of the impact their cancellation could have on a related service.  If you have additional questions or concerns, please reach out to us at *************************** and we'll do our best to assist you.

• Initial Complaint

  09/09/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My debit card was charged ****** without my permission. There is no phone number to call to find out why I was charged. There was no advanced email or notification the charge was going to occur- which they state will happen on their site. This is more than what they even state a subscription cost should be.

  Business response

  09/13/2023

  Hello ******, we're sorry to hear you experienced this issue!  The charge was the result of a renewal of your Semi-Annual subscription you have with us.  We do not provide phone support at this time, however we did see the email request we had received from you.  The subscription renewal notification was sent via email on 6/27/2023 well ahead of your renewal period to inform you of the price increase your subscription was going to experience as well as the renewal that was upcoming.  Additionally, the subscription charge was issued as auto-renew was active under your account.  The subscription had been utilized consistently in the months leading up to the renewal, in which the subscription billing information (such as the renewal date and subscription cost) would have been viewable under your Account Settings.
  
  We didn't intend to upset you of course and we've had a full refund issued for your subscription renewal.  We hope you'll consider us again in the future.

• Initial Complaint

  08/31/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Charged by a Newspaper Archives account for a service I never purchased or agreed to,

  Business response

  09/06/2023

  Hello ******, we're sorry to hear you're experiencing this issue!  Would you please provide more information about your account?  I'm afraid we were unable to locate one under your name or under the email address you provided.  We're reaching out via email as well to see if we can resolve the issue much faster for you.  If you don't receive it, please contact us at ****************************************** and we'll do our best to assist you.

  Customer response

  09/06/2023

   
  Complaint: 20552039
  
  I am rejecting this response because:  
  I never had an account with Newspapers.com, but received a charge from Strdnwsppr trial news ***** **** on the day I cancelled a local paper trial subscription   I have filed a dispute through my credit card 

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

  Business response

  09/08/2023

  Hello ******, I'm afraid there may be some confusion.  While the charge is certainly from us, we are not Newspapers.com, we are NewspaperArchive.com.  We'll continue working with you via email however I wanted to ensure we were on the same page.

  Customer response

  09/08/2023

   
  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

  08/07/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I subscribe to Newspaperarchive.com. All of a sudden last week, I was unable to log into my account. There was a message saying either my user name or password was incorrect (which it wasn't). I clicked on the link to "reset my password" several times but NEVER received an email from Newspaperarchive.com. I don't know what to do because they will end up auto-renewing my account and they've blocked me from accessing my own account for reasons unknown. I sent an email to their customer service last week and have received two automated emails saying they would get back to me once their IT department determined what was the issue. No - I want to cancel my account immediately. They are holding my credit card hostage. Please help me!

  Business response

  08/08/2023

  Hello *******, we're sorry to hear you're experiencing this issue!  We did not receive a cancellation request with your original report of the technical issue, which is why the subscription remained active.  We did receive your cancellation request yesterday and it was promptly processed today.  If you have any further questions or concerns, please let us know at ******************************************.

• Initial Complaint

  07/25/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  on 7 4 23 I was charged ****** on my credit card to renew my subscription on 7 5 23 I was charged the same amount again on the same card WHY also when I tried to sign it cant find your account WHY I am disgurted I want my subscription canceled, Any help appreciated

  Business response

  07/25/2023

  Hello ******, we're sorry to hear you're experiencing a billing issue!  An email was not provided, so I'm afraid I do not have an account for reference, or a way to contact you to provide assistance.  While we would love to assist you with your request, we would need an email address for verification and to work with you further.  If you would please email us at ****************************************** we'd be happy to assist you further.

• Initial Complaint

  07/23/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Storied.com or newspaperarchives.com will not let myself or others cancel their subscription. There is no visible way on the app or website to cancel the subscription. They get people to sign up and won't let them cancel which is highly egregious

  Business response

  07/25/2023

  Hello ****, we're sorry to hear you've had a poor experience with our services!  We try our best to ensure you're aware of how to cancel your subscription, and to also provide a variety of ways to cancel your subscription depending on what works best for you.  We provide cancellation instructions in our ************ our automated chatbot can provide cancellation instructions upon request, and you can email our customer service staff for assistance if you'd like as well.  The cancellation button is conveniently located with your billing information in your Account Settings area.  In your instance I didn't see any customer service emails or requests from your email address, though we'll be reaching out via email to confirm your cancellation as per your request through the Better Business Bureau.  If you have any additional questions or concerns, please feel free to email us at ****************************************** and we'll do our best to assist you.

• Initial Complaint

  06/15/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I realized today that the PayPal payment notifications were not from my Ancestry.com and newspapers.con websites. World Archives was a company I paid for in August of 2021. The subscription continued until today when I canceled it, once I realized it was not associated with the ancestry company. To date I have received no notices that a bill was due, I have received no statements, I have received no notice when they increased prices. Even now on their website, I am unable to access billing records. I would like them to look at my records of when I logged into their website, which was completely unfamiliar to me today, and charge me only for the months I aceased the website. Had I received a warning notice of pending payment, I would have canceled immediately. Calls and emails sent today have gone unanswered, no one is answering the phones even now at 12:30 mountain time. Every other company I subscribe to gives me a fair chance to cancel their service before the bill is due. I have received no courtesy from this company and I have not used the information on their website for a long time, I cant recall how long. The initial monthly fee was *****, with taxes its now almost $25 per month. I can provide and documents you recquire. Sincerely,******************* *********

  Business response

  06/20/2023

  Hello, we'd be happy to provide clarification and assistance!
  
  I reviewed your account history, email history, and billing history.  We do not offer renewal notices via email on Monthly subscription plans, which is why you haven't received any renewal notice via email.  In your instance, I do see that you did not receive our notice for a renewal increase and have issued a refund for your latest renewal.  We apologize for that error.  However, we won't be able to oblige your total refund spanning years of renewals.  As you've mentioned, your receipts have been provided via PayPal in accordance with your form payment, which would include referential account information.  The subscription you purchased and requested at that time has been made available and provided as per the terms of your agreement.
  
  We've followed up with you via email to provide an additional form of contact, as well as to address your request you submitted via email.  We do not provide phone support at this time.  If you have any further questions or concerns, please reach out to us at ****************************************** and we'll do our best to assist you.

• Initial Complaint

  05/20/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Being charged monthly fees without my approval. Attached screenshots show transactions, as well as acct info that does NOT allow for acct cancelation. Per the company's own testimony, phone support is not provided. I have never received calls back, with the most recent message being left today. My account needs to be canceled, funds refunded to that card and, perhaps, THE OPTION FOR A CUSTOMER TO CANCEL THE ACCOUNT ON THE SITE.This is theft.

  Business response

  05/23/2023

  Hello *******,
  
  We're sorry to hear you've had a poor experience with our services!  I've reviewed your message and I'll do my best to address your concerns and provide assistance.
  
  First and foremost, I would mention that I do not see any screenshot with your message.  Therefore I cannot comment on the lack of a cancellation option under your account.  I do not see any login records under your ******************************************************* account since November, so I would likely guess you are currently logged into another service that is not associated with us, or logged into another account you have with us.  The account I reference however appears to be the source of the charges.
  
  Unfortunately, we do not have any cancellation requests from you in regards to your ******************************************************* account.  Therefore I'm unable to issue a refund on the charges you're requesting, as Monthly subscription charges and renewals are generally prohibited from receiving one.  If you have any previous cancellation request, I would be happy to assist you.  I'll be reaching out via email to get in touch with you and provide additional assistance and clarification there as well.
  
  If you have any further questions or concerns, please email us at ****************************************** and we'll do our best to assist you.

• Initial Complaint

  05/15/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On 5/2/22, I renewed my membership for Newspaper Archive with a one-time purchase of $74.95. This charge ********* months of membership. However, I noticed that for the past year, they have been billing my credit card every 6 months, which they were not authorized to do. The first unauthorized charge was 11/2/22 in the amount of $74.95, and the second unauthorized charge was on 5/2/23 in the amount of $95.94. The company agreed to refund the 5/2/23 charge but they are unwilling to refund the 11/2/22 charge. I have been a repeat customer with this business for the past three years with no issues. It was highly likely that I would have been a customer again in the future, but I am thinking twice about doing business with a company that engages in such practices.

  Business response

  05/16/2023

  Hello ******,
  
  We're sorry to hear that you're unhappy with our services!  Unfortunately, the charge is still ineligible for a refund given it's past the refund period on renewal subscription charges.  We offer our services as a subscription and we try our best to ensure you're informed of how your subscription will charge and function.  This can include clarifying that auto-renewal is a default feature when selecting your subscription, informing you of your renewal date when purchasing a subscription, informing you of your renewal date with a confirmation email after purchase, and we also provide renewal notices by email one week prior to renewal.  While we sympathize with your situation (and have done our best to accommodate you), I'm afraid that we must remain in line with our Terms of Service agreement in this instance.
  
  If you have any additional questions or concerns, please email us at ****************************************** and we'll do our best to assist you.

  Customer response

  05/16/2023

   
  Complaint: 20059798
  
  I am rejecting this response because I was never notified that the service would renew every 6 months on a subscription basis. After signing up for a 7 day free trial on 4/25/22, I was sent an email with the date I would be charged for a full subscription, which would occur on 5/2/22. I authorized that charge and I did not cancel my free trial period because I enjoyed the services. However, between the period of 5/2/22 to 5/2/23, I received no subsequent emails notifying me of further charges. Your statement that you provide renewal notices by email one week prior to renewal is not true. I have just completed a diligent search of my emails and I have been unable to locate such emails. The only way I was informed of the charges was by checking my bank records. I also reject your statement that reads, "...we try out best to ensure you're informed of how your subscription will charge and function." Respectfully, it is not a matter of trying your best, it is a matter of being legally obligated to inform the consumer of all charges and to ensure those charges have been previously agreed to. 

  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

  Business response

  05/18/2023

  Hello ******,

  I referred to our email records and they indicate we did send renewal notices.  As previously mentioned, the charges you're requesting a refund on are ineligible for a refund in accordance with our Terms and Services agreement you agreed to when purchasing your subscription.  While we sympathize with your situation, we cannot issue a refund for your full 18 months of subscription as requested, only being able to refund the last 6 Months with your latest renewal.

  If you have any further questions or concerns please let us know at ******************************************.

• Initial Complaint

  04/18/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  NewspaperArchive who claims it is from Provo, UTAH refused to cancel my account. I called the the 800 number months ago. When I asked the person I spoke to where she was taking the calls, she told me that she was from Colombia and we had a chat about how companies don't ever really have to exist, they just need telephone numbers, .etc. I asked her to please cancel the account. She told me that she was told not to cancel any accounts. But she would calls give me a number I could call, etc. I did all of that, and they still continued to bill me. I called my bank and asked them to not pay the account and to seek reimbursement The woman who I spoke with said that she would do it a "better way." She would just close that credit card and issue me a new one. THEY ARE NOW CHARGING ME ON MY NEW CREDIT CARD. THEY ARE GIVING UTAH A BAD NAME IN THE LARGE ANCESTRY RESEARCH UNIVERSE. THEY SHOULD BE CALLED OUT . I lived in Portland, OR when this all started, but I now live in North Branford, CT) ***** ******** *****************

  Business response

  04/20/2023

  Hello *****, we're sorry to hear you've had a poor experience with our services!  I've reviewed your message and would be happy to provide some clarification and assistance.  First and foremost I would mention while we did receive a voice message the 22nd of March, we don't provide live phone support so we wouldn't be able to comment on the experience you shared initially.  We did process an account cancellation with that voicemail (as per your request) and we reached out to your email address you included to provide a confirmation.  We did not receive a response, which is odd as we had previously spoken with you via email when you needed assistance in subscribing to our Annual subscription plan in March of 2021.  We haven't received any other request or contact from you since that time other than the recent voicemail message.
  
  The subscription was terminated with a dispute we received on 3/22/2023.  It was disputed as Fraudulent, however after reviewing the previous account usage and interactions you had with us your bank decided in our favor.  What likely happened is your request to your bank was interpreted as Fraudulent, which had the charge refunded until your bank could mediate.  After they reviewed your case, it was decided in our favor and your bank placed the original charge back onto your account.  That's why you received the charge after they replaced your card due to the fraud claim.
  
  We do hope the explanation above can provide some clarification, and we do sympathize with your situation as it stands.  If you'd like to reach out to us at [email protected] we'd be happy to provide any additional clarification you need and we'd also be happy to review your request in regards to your account.

*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. ↩