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:10/19/2023

  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.

  This is the third letter I wrote on this matter. On 17 March 2023, I ordered DINOSAURS Magazine for my nephew ********************* *************************** Wentwort GA ******. It was paid by check **** issued 17 March 2023 in the amount of $15. It was cashed. My nephew has not received any magazine. Please start sending the magazine to him. Thank you.*******

  Business Response

  Date: 11/17/2023

   

  Thank you for your feedback and we apologize for the inconvenience this has caused. In checking the account there seems to be no delivery issues noted on the account and the recipient address was confirmed to match the address provided in the above complaint. We have attempted to contact **. ******* via phone with the number provided above (**************) and left a voice message to follow up to see if the delivery issue has been resolved. If needed we are happy to extend the subscription for the number of issues missed. 

  Again, thank you for your feedback and we apologize for the inconvenience this has caused.

  Ranger Rick Customer Care

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/30/2023

  Type:Service or Repair 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 charged 18.88 one to two times each month since june that I didn't authorize and it's supposed to be for books from them and none of them have been sent out. I did contact them and they pretty much said that we have tracking information and stuff like that and never gave me that information. They just charge on the 27th of September two times for 18.88 which I also didn't authorize. I ended up having our debit cards changed because they keep charging a debit card that expired in June of 2023 somehow.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/17/2023

  Hello and thank you for your feedback. We apologize for any inconvenience this situation caused.
  In researching the account, it was found that ****************** ordered Ranger Rick Dinosaurs magazine on 06/15/2023 and was offered an upsell offer to Ranger Rick Jr. Book Club with a special intro price of $6.95. From *** *******’s statement it seems this was done by mistake. Each of the book sets shipped included a pre enotification of the upcoming charge and an enotification when the charge is about to be applied. A request for a full refund has been submitted for all charges associated with the Ranger Rick Book Club.
  
  Again, we apologize for any inconvenience this has caused. Please let me know if any further action is needed.
  
  Thanks,
  Ranger Rick Customer Service

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/17/2023

  [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:08/21/2023

  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.

  In the fall of 2022, I subscribed to Ranger Rick and purchased 1-year magazine subscriptions for 3 of my grandchildren. A few months later, I started recieving renewal notices far ahead of the renewal date of the fall of 2023. I called and requested the renewals not be sent until a month or two before the expiration dates. I was assured they would stop but they didn't. So, I called and cancelled the subscriptions in late April / early May. Ranger Rick charged my card again, so I called on June 5th and spoke with '****'. **** confirmed that the subscriptions were cancelled, and a credit would be issued. I received the credit within a couple of weeks. On August 14, 2023, Ranger Rick charged my credit card again in the amount of $26.70. I called Ranger Rick today (8/21) once I saw the charge and again spoke with an '****'. Again, I was told that a credit would be issued, that the subscriptions were cancelled and that I would receive an email confirming the details of our discussion. **** stated that the 6/5 'cancellation ' did not get processed even though she told me it had during our conversation on that day (6/5). At a minimum, this is a bad business practice and it would seem that charging my credit card after confirming the subscriptions were cancelled may be unlawful.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/06/2023

  Our sincere apologies for the inconvenience this issue has caused. It has been confirmed the two active subscriptions were canceled on 8/21 as requested and a refund was provided. Actions have been taken to avoid this type of incident happening again. The accounts are closed and no further charges will be made to the customer's card. Customer has been removed from future mailings/emails (note any mailings in progress will still be received). Again, our sincere apologies. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/09/2023

  Good morning, I read the business response and it is the same as previous responses I made directly to the business.  We recently had another unauthorized charge to our card which, at the surface, appears to be related to the business.  The transaction is being researched at this time.  Because of this, we've gone through the effort of cancelling the card we've been using and updating the various companies that have been using it.

  I will not 'accept' the business response as it does not meet the requested actions I made while submitting this complaint.

  However, for the BBB records, this matter can be considered closed since the credit card is no longer valid.

  Thanks very much for your consideration and actions in this matter.

  Please contact me with any questions.
  

  Regards,

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/09/2023

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
  
   Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: PLEASE SEE MY SEPARATE EMAIL TO THE BBB REGARDING THIS MATTER.
  
  Regards,
  
  *********************
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/17/2023

  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.

  I ordered The Ranger Rick magazine on 4/23/23 to be sent to my grandson. It is now August 17 and he still hasn't received a copy. But they have emailed me to renew the subscription. I called customer service and finally had to ask for a supervisor. She said the first copy just got mailed out.4 months later! His sisters get Highlights magazines, but their mother is holding them because he didn't get one. The supervisor will not send back issues. They don't care. Customer service sucks .AND, they only deliver bi-monthly. I did not see any mention of that when I ordered.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/31/2023

  Hello,

  Please accept our most sincere apologies for this situation. In researching the account it was noted the account was suspended on 3/29/2023 due to credit card pending. On 4/11/2023 the service was reinstated with the next issue available  Aug/Sept Issue.  Customer feed back is greatly appreciated and passed to Customer Service Management team as areas for retraining. It has been confirmed *** *** ****** has been contacted and back issues/replacement issues provided as requested for the issues missed. Account information was also reviewed and confirmed.  

  Again we apologize for any inconvenience this has caused. 
  

  Please let me know if further action is needed. 

  Ranger Rick Customer Care

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/16/2023

  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.

  Ordered dinosaur magazine. Zoo books continued charging me for books I didn't order. They never returned my email regarding the problem and continued to charge me.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/31/2023

  Thank you for your feedback and we apologize for the inconvenience this has caused. With researching the account it looks as though when the order was placed for the Ranger Rick Dinosaurs subscription a book club offer was presented and also accepted. This seems to not be what the customer had intended.  Full refunds have been issued for all charges related to the book sets processed.  If there is any further action needed please don't hesitate to reach out. 

  Sincerely,

  Ranger Rick Customer Care

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/11/2023

  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 enrolled in Ranger Rick Wildlife magazine program for my grandchildren August 2022. The first problem I had was that I was charged multiple times per month and it took me months to finally get this resolved. I would be charged different amounts at random times of the month. In October 2022 I was finally refunded two of the charges. Then in December out of pure frustration I canceled everything and asked my account be closed. In June this year I received $4.94 which I assumed was a refund from when I had asked months ago. I had no idea why the $4.94 amount. Then on August 11, 2023 I had a charge for $26.57. When I called I was told they did not charge me because my account was closed. At this point I have been charged $163.20 for about 6 children's magazines. I want Ranger Rick OUT of MY BANK ACCOUNT!!!!

  Business Response

  Date: 10/17/2023

  Customer Complaint - Watkins, Arleta Complaint # ********

  I enrolled in Ranger Rick Wildlife magazine program for my grandchildren August 2022. The first problem I had was that I was charged multiple times per month and it took me months to finally get this resolved. I would be charged different amounts at random times of the month. In October 2022 I was finally refunded two of the charges. Then in December out of pure frustration I canceled everything and asked my account be closed. In June this year I received $4.94 which I assumed was a refund from when I had asked months ago. I had no idea why the $4.94 amount. Then on August 11, 2023 I had a charge for $26.57. When I called I was told they did not charge me because my account was closed. At this point I have been charged $163.20 for about 6 children's magazines. I want Ranger Rick OUT of MY BANK ACCOUNT!!!!
  The consumer provided the following when submitting the Complaint to BBB

  Response - 

  Please accept our most sincere apologies for this and any incontinence this has caused. It seems from what was provided by ****** ******* – ******** and researching the accounts the customer had two accounts and enrolled in the Ranger Rick book club when ordering the magazine subscriptions for grandchildren in August 2022.
  A gift subscription to Ranger Rick Jr. was received in August 2022.  She was charged $16.46 at that time.  June 2023 a refund for $4.94 was processed.  This was done via email.  This refund was applied to the ****** *******’ credit card, however, it does show on the recipient account in *****.
  An order for the Ranger Rick Book Club was also received in August 2022.  The shipments and charges for this are below.  This was cancelled January 8, 2023.
  8/30/22     $7.37
  9/26/22      $17.89
  10/26/22     $17.89
  11/22/22    $17.89
  12/29/22     $17.89
  Customer Service was able to pull the August call.  In the call the subscriber had said she was receiving three copies. With this information the CSR searched again and found a second account listed with just her first name.  The orders were placed online.
  The duplicate account for the RRJ book club is *******. There were two charges, $7.37 and $17.89.  These were both refunded in October 2022. 
  The duplicate accounts for RRJ have been combined.  The second account had a charge of $15.98.  This subscription was auto renewed in August 2023 for $26.57.  This order has been cancelled and the charge of $26.57 is now being refunded to her credit card.

  Again we apologize for this situation. Please let us know if there is any further action needed on our part. 
  

  Thanks,

  Ranger Rick Customer Care

  Business Response

  Date: 10/31/2023

  I want to share our sincere apologies for the inconvenience this issue has caused. With reviewing the account, we have found a gift subscription to Ranger Rick Jr. was received in August 2022.  Customer was charged $16.46 at that time.  We do not show any correspondence for this account until June 2023 when a refund for $4.94 was processed.  This was done via email.  This refund was applied to the donor’s credit card. An order for the Ranger Rick Book Club was also received in August 2022.  The shipments and charges for this are below.  This was cancelled January 8, 2023.
  8/30/22     $7.37
  9/26/22      $17.89
  10/26/22     $17.89
  11/22/22    $17.89
  12/29/22     $17.89
  These are the only charges made to this account.  We don’t have multiple charges per month, and the charges total $95.39.  We also do not show any refunds in October on this account.  The last charge we have was the $17.89 charge in December 2022. We do not show a charge of $26.57. Further research found a second account listed with just the customer’s first name.  These orders were placed online. The duplicate account for the RRJ book club is *******. There were two charges, $7.37 and $17.89.  These were both refunded in October 2022. The duplicate accounts for Ranger Rick Jr. magazine have been combined.  The second account had a charge of $15.98.  This subscription was auto renewed in August 2023 for $26.57.  This order has been cancelled and the charge of $26.57 is now being refunded to her credit card.
  Again, we apologize for this inconvenience. Please let us know if there is any further action that needs to be taken.
  

  Sincerely,
  Ranger Rick Customer Care 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/02/2023

  [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,
  
  ****** *******  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/24/2023

  Type:Service or Repair 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.

  I enrolled in the magazine subscription for a year and was offered an additional membership in a book club for my child. The book club was an additional cost, that appeared to be a yearly cost. Since February, they have been billing me $18.88 per month without email notifications. I just noticed it on my credit card receipt. The “book club” apparently is an extra magazine that is smaller than the actually Ranger Rick, Jr. and would be about $1.50 in any bookstore or short stop.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/08/2023

  ---------- Forwarded message ---------
  From: ****** ****** <*******@***.org>
  Date: Fri, Sep 8, 2023 at 10:42 AM
  Subject: BBB Complaint # ******** ******* ***
  To: Dispute Resolution Team <[email protected]>
  

  
  

  Hello,

  We received the attached letter from BBB in reference to Complaint ******** – ******* ***.

  We apologize for the inconvenience and frustration experienced by ******* ***. In response to the complaint ID ******** ******* ***, who’s complaint stated he ordered the Ranger Rick Book Club which he thought was a annual charge not a monthly charge and states charges were applied to his card without notification. In reviewing ******* ***’s account it was noted the email on file in his account  ************  is the same email included in the attached correspondence.  When a book club order is placed an email is sent to the customer confirming the order was processed. Each month before charges are applied an email is sent notifying customer of an upcoming charge. When the order is shipped another email is sent at the time the credit card charge is applied.  All emailed communications includes instructions for canceling the order with a link to Customer Service. A full refund will be issued as requested.  Customer Service will be reaching out to confirm the refund has been processed and assist with any further questions.    

  The details of the book club are clearly noted on the order page and placed where customers see this information before ordering. Included are instructions for how to cancel the order (see below). 

  OFFER DETAILS

  Join one of the book clubs now for just $6.95. We will continue to send 2 more books about every 4 weeks for just $13.90 plus $4.98 shipping and handling, conveniently charged to your credit card at the time of each shipment. When your child receives all the books at one level, we begin shipping books at the next level. If you feel like your child is ready for a greater challenge, just call to step up a level. Applicable sales tax will apply. All rates are in US dollars.

  100% Satisfaction Guarantee: There is no minimum number of books to buy, and you are free to cancel at any time. Your introductory shipment will arrive within 4-8 weeks.

  Again, we apologize for the inconvenience and frustration ******* *** has experienced.

   Please let me know if I can be of further assistance.

  Thanks,

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/03/2023

  Type:Sales and Advertising 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.

  I had cancelled my subscription for the dinosaur magazine due to the $10 jump in price, over a month in advance and this was in February and yesterday I was charged for this magazine. This is the second time in 3 months this has happened: for, I had cancelled the Ranger Rick magazine with the same results. Being this is 2 months later I had thrown away all information on the subscriptions. and I did try to contact them, but the site keeps saying my email address is not on file, so I don't know any other way to contact them and I don't want the magazine renewed. I would appreciate any help you could give me in this matter. Sincerely, *********** ******** 

  Business Response

  Date: 05/24/2023

  ---------- Forwarded message ---------
  From: ****** ****** <*******@nwf.org>
  Date: Mon, May 22, 2023 at 2:44 PM
  Subject: Complaint ******** – *********** ********
  To: Dispute Resolution Team <[email protected]>
  

  
  

  Hello,

  We received the attached letter in reference to Complaint ******** – *********** ********.

  We apologize for the inconvenience and frustration experienced by this customer. In response to the complaint ID ******** *********** ********, who’s complaint is the magazine was not to be renewed and canceled the Auto Renewal program. The Ranger Rick Dinosaurs subscriptions has been canceled per customer’s request. A refund to the credit card will be issued for the charges processed as an auto renewal and no further charges will be applied to the credit card. In this situation the Auto Renew was canceled for single and not the gift which led to **** ********’s subscription being auto renewed. This has been reviewed with the CSRs and noted if a customer requests to be removed from the auto renewal program both single and gift should be marked as non-auto renewal.

  Please also note when customers purchase with a credit card they automatically are enrolled into Auto Renew/Continuous Service. The below information is included on all order pages at the location of Amount Due and Order Now button which provides details of the Auto Renewal program and how to discontinue the continuous service if they desire. 

  Continuous Service: By ordering I understand that I am agreeing to the purchase of the selected subscription at the above price and to the convenience of continuous service. I'll enjoy uninterrupted service without the need to renew my subscription at the end of each annual term. My subscription will be automatically renewed, I will not be bothered by renewal notices and I will receive a clearly stated reminder notification with the then current rate about 30 days prior to any charge to my credit/debit card. I authorize you to fulfill my subscription and charge my credit/debit card accordingly. In addition, as my child grows, their subscription can grow with them. I may change any subscription to the next age-appropriate level at any time. Of course, I am free to discontinue any further automatic charges by simply contacting customer service. I can also cancel my subscription and receive a full refund for all undelivered issues. Sales tax will apply, where applicable. My complete satisfaction is guaranteed, no questions asked.

  Again we apologize for the inconvenience and frustration this has caused. Please let me know if you or the customer has any further questions or concerns and if anything else is needed.

  Thanks,

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/16/2023

  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.

  Mid November of 2022 I placed an order for 3 subscriptions and sent a check for $45.00 in payment. The check was cashed. These were for 3 of my grandchildren but 2 magazines go to one of them(******), 1 to Asa, and Lauren hasn’t received any. Asa lives at 1078 Fenton St. in Richmond,VA. ****** address is PO Box ***, Bayse, VA and ******'s address is **** ***** *****, Front Royal, VA. I am requesting that 1 copy of Ranger Rick JR. Be sent to ******, one RR JR. To ****** and 1 RR(age 7 and up) to *** as originally ordered. If this can not be fixed I request a refund. Thank you, ****** ******* *** ******* **. Jamestown, New York. *****

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/10/2023

  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.

  I received a postcard in the mail about a magazine subscription that ended around November 2021. It said thank you for being a Premier Ranger Rick Cub member (which I am not). Then is states the above subscription will be automatically renewed for $24.95 for one year and I will be sent a bill. A year and a half AFTER it expired they will automatically renew it???? If I didn't get this post card I would have had no idea they were billing me. I didn't ask for the renewal of any kind. How dare they just look up old subscriptions and start billing people. Sounds unethical to me. I did call them to complain and they had a different person's name and credit card attached to my account which sounds even more messed up.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/21/2023

  ---------- Forwarded message ---------
  From: ****** ****** <*******@nwf.org>
  Date: Tue, Apr 18, 2023 at 5:08 PM
  Subject: RE: [EXTERNAL] Ranger Rick Magazine
  To: Dispute Resolution Team <[email protected]>
  

  
  

  Hello,

  I wanted to revise my response to include the below.

  In checking further it seems a postcard was sent to **** *** for a second recipient ******* ***** account # ********.  She is correct there was an older order which was marked as auto renew with a 9-12-19 order date. ******* did have another non-gift order and two single auto orders applied after her original order.  This pushed Derrick’s expire out to June of 2023.  Since the order came over marked as auto and ******* has an 2306 expire and was selected with the 2306 auto renewal selection.  The postcard was sent back on Feb 1st letting her know that we would be applying an order.  She has since called and asked her account be marked as Do Not Promote, so there was no order applied to renew her gift to *******.

  As noted below **** *** has another recipient  ****** ******, but since she is now marked as a Do Not Promote, she won’t get anything to renew his order.

  Again, please let me know if you need any further information on this and we apologize for any inconvenience or confusion this has caused.

  Thanks,

  ******

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/21/2023

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
  
   Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
    I have three other active gift subscriptions, not just ******, that I have not heard from you about. If you wanted to try to automatically renew one of those that would make sense. ******* and ****** ***** are not active and haven't been for some time. ******* ended quite a while ago and that was the one you chose to automatically renew. Again it seems like a scam, automatically renewing a subscription that had ended over a year prior. Your account sign in page doesn't seem to show dates at all. Also, I still have no explanation as to why someone else's name and credit card number was joined with my account. That seems like poor record keeping also. I do not need any further action. I will renew my subscriptions, on my own, if I decide to in the future.
  
  Regards,
  
  **** ***