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:06/10/2025

  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 started subscribing to The Des Moines Register on 5/27/25. Delivery of the physical paper was to begin on 5/30/25. As of 6/10/25 I have still not received a delivery of the newspaper to my home. I have talked with 8 different individuals over the phone or via their live chat feature. Every single one of these people has said the same thing. "We are sorry you are having issues with delivery of the newspaper to your home, I will take care of this. I have reached out to the local management and local delivery team." Nothing has changed, I have still not had a resolution to my issue. The biggest kicker with this whole situation is I watch every morning as they drive down my road and deliver the paper to my neighbor right across the street from me. I have a porch camera that catches the car also and everyday it is the same thing, I wake up at 5am, I begin getting ready, I open the curtains in my living room and watch right across the street as they deliver my neighbors paper without issue, then they drive away to continue their delivery route. I have tried to flag them down, leave notes on the porch, talked to my neighbor who has tried talking to the delivery driver, and nothing has changed. I just want a solution, I understand that my subscription includes access to the digital paper, however I pay for a physical paper to be delivered and they have yet to deliver.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/24/2025

  June 24, 2025
  
  
  Zion Duke
  3017 Sheridan Ave
  Des Moines, IA 50310
  Daytime Phone: (319) 850-8395
  E-mail: [email protected]
  
  
  
  Complaint #23449245
  
  Please accept this as confirmation that we have received a complaint from your offices regarding Zion Duke and the delivery of the paper. We apologize for any frustration this may have caused. We reached out to the District Manager and received a copy of an email response from [email protected] dated 6/23/2025 @1:40 pm, stating that the delivery has gotten much better. At this time, it appears that the issue has been corrected.
  
  
  
  Zion Duke's account has been documented and credited accurately based on the choice made using the automated systems. We notified the carrier and their manager of the concerns and asked for an immediate correction. This will generate a resolution.  
  
  We appreciate the opportunity to address these concerns.
  
  Thank you,
  Subscription Management Specialist Team Lead
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/24/2025

   
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 23449245, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  Zion Duke

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/20/2024

  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.

  On August 23, 2023, my 92 yr old father had me, his daughter, cancel his subscription to the Des Moines Register. He was experiencing an eye disease that was causing him to lose his eyesight, thus no longer able to read the paper.I have been told that the original person who took his cancellation pushed the wrong button that stated he did not want a refund. He is owed $199.11. I let time lapse because I was busy with his eyesight and other health issues. On January 10th, I finally called and had the refund request implemented. I have called six times since then and my dad has still not received his refund. I continue to be told by people who answer the phone that they are sorry, and a supervisor will either talk to me or call me back. The supervisor either says the same thing or does not call back. On May 8th, I was told that a check would be in my dads mailbox on May 17, guaranteed. This did not happen. My dad is now 93, and in a *********** and could pass before he ever is issued this refund. The Registers only response is that there have been problems with the processing, but they do not say what or when the problems will be resolved. It has been since January 10 that I have been told a check would be sent in 10 to ******************************************************************************************************************************** getting this refund for my father.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/21/2024

  The Des Moines Register regrets this customer's poor experience.  We have initiated the requested refund, which the customer will receive via check within the next 3 weeks.  We spoke with the customer, informed them of the pending refund, and provided direct contact information in case further assistance is required.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/24/2024

   
  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.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/01/2023

  Type:Product 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.

  Subscribed for a free trial. Cancelled within an hour. They started charging my credit card after the free trial. I used their online chat to ask for the chat history (which would show I cancelled). They said they would email it the next day. This did not happen.Upon not receiving the chat history I contacted them again. They claimed they did not have the chat history. They refused to cancel the subscription without a reason (which I don't feel I need to give). This led me to (as of this time) 2 monthly charges that I disputed with my credit card (uploaded screenshots of the refusal to cancel). So far they haven't responded to the disputed charges.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/10/2023

  The Des Moines Register regrets the frustration experienced by this subscriber.  We are reviewing this customer experience and will take personnel action to ensure any mishandling by our customer care team is addressed.  We confirmed this subscription was successfully cancelled and the last 2 charges were disputed through the customer's financial institution.  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/11/2023

   
  Complaint: 20404849
  
  I am rejecting this response because:  A branch of the company is attempting to review the chat logs and mitigate errors that have happened, however, this should have never happened in the first place.  I was penalized financially for not providing a cancellation reason.  This is unethical and immoral.  The only reason that I wasn't charged a third month was that my credit card expired.  I may accept a response from the business if they acknowledge that I attempted to cancel numerous times and that it was denied; and--if measures are taken to mitigate this happening to other customers (i.e. training, policy review etc).  Basically, if the Des Moines Register takes accountability for its mistakes I will accept.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

  Business Response

  Date: 08/11/2023

  We acknowledge that this customer requested cancellation twice and that our team failed to process his request.  This is being addressed with our call center to ensure this does not happen again to other subscribers.  The customer was reimbursed by his financial institution, and we have cleared any balance due on this cancelled subscription account to ensure no further charges are processed.  We spoke with the customer and explained the steps being taken to address and resolve this matter.  The customer has our direct contact information in case further assistance is required.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/19/2022

  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.

  On 8-29-22, I subscribed for the online edition of the Des Moines Register newspaper. The total amount was $23.54.I was to have unlimited access. Within the first 1-1 hrs when I went back the 3rd or 4th time to check that day's issue, I was locked out. I was informed I'd exceeded the daily allotment of sign-ins.I immediately called customer service and requested a refund. They wanted me to try some things. I tried 1 suggestion that didn't work, so I again requested a refund. I was told it would take a couple of weeks for the refund to be processed.On 10-7-22, I called again. I was told a push would be put on the ticket for the refund. I was assured it had been canceled. Again I was told to at least a week.Today, 10-19-22, I called again. I was told it was canceled but I was put on hold while ****** checked something. When he came back, I was told that it was canceled but it was a non-refundable subscription and that no refunds could be made until the end of the subscription on 8-27-23 but even then I wouldn't get a refund.I canceled within 2-3 hours of subscribing. I was told that day I would receive a refund. I haven't gone onto the site since 8-29-22. Twice I was told I'd be refunded. Today was the first that non-refundable was ever mentioned. He then suggested I file a dispute with Discover, which I have done.I dont care if I ever see another DM Register. I just want my money back! I'm hoping between Discover & the BBB I'd be able to get my $23.54 back.As far as I'm concerned this was almost a bait & switch. There was no unlimited access. As I told them, I've not gone back to the site. To do so would be unethical on my part since I canceled. Nor did I ever see "non-refundable" anywhere in the offer. Something like that should be in bold red print, unless the goal is just to get people's money.I appreciate any help you might be able to give me to obtain this refund.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/04/2022

  The Des Moines Register regrets the frustration experienced by this customer.  We spoke with them, initiated the refund process and provided direct contact information in case further assistance is required.