Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Simon & Schuster, Inc.'s headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  1230 Avenue of the Americas, 11th Floor New York, NY 10020

• 

  Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  100 Front St. Riverside, NJ 08075

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:05/13/2025

  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.

  I am filing this complaint regarding the poor quality and misleading instructional content of the Pimsleur Russian language course, and the company's refusal to issue a refund despite clear evidence of the product not performing as advertised.

  Please open the attachment to see errors. 

  This inconsistency causes confusion and leads to learners adopting incorrect grammar.I contacted Pimsleur to request a refund under their satisfaction guarantee. Their first response took over 10 days, only after I followed up, despite a stated 72-hour reply policy. Their customer service team dismissed my concerns, claiming the correct masculine form appears in Lesson 6. However, this does not excuse the misleading presentation in Lesson 5, which violates expectations of a professional educational product. Language instruction must be precise, especially at the beginner level.Pimsleur refused my refund request, citing their terms and conditions, even though I am dissatisfied based on misrepresentation of the course quality. Their refusal contradicts their advertised commitment to learner satisfaction and is poor business practice.I am requesting a full refund and ask that the BBB help mediate this issue. The companys refusal to take responsibility for the instructional flaw and its delayed, dismissive customer support has left me with a product I cannot use or trust.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/22/2025

  We have reviewed the matter raised in Complaint ID ********, and although we stand by the quality and efficacy of the Pimsleur content and teaching method, because customer goodwill is very important to us, on May 13, 2025, we issued the customer a full refund in the amount of $131.96. This refund should now be reflected in the customers payment account statement and we consider this matter closed.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/23/2025

  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 and the matter has been resolved.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** ********
  
  
  
   
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/21/2025

  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.

  This company has been charging my ****** account: ************************** since February 2024. I never authorized them to charge my account monthly. I haven't used their system. I'm requesting a refund for all of the charges they have made and a refund. If this isn't resolved, I will have to file a complaint with my ********** and NY Ah.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/24/2025

  The customer subscribed to Pimsleur twice, most recently to a monthly plan on January 12, 2024. During the subscription sign-up process, all customers are required to check a box indicating agreement to subscription terms, which includes acknowledgment of the billing amount and frequency. A subscription will not start without a customers active authorization.
  
  However, because customer goodwill and satisfaction is very important to Simon & Schuster, we have canceled the existing subscription, issued a refund for the full amount requested by the customer, and consider matter #******** closed.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/16/2024

  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 am writing to formally lodge a complaint against Simon & Schuster, Inc. (********), regarding a recent attempt to purchase a lifetime license for the Latin American Spanish language course at a promotional rate. Today, I clicked on a link provided via email (************************************************************************************************), which clearly advertised the course at 50% off. The reduced price of $287.50, as opposed to the full price of $575, was displayed on multiple pages leading up to the final payment step.However, upon reaching the final payment page, the price displayed was the full $575. This discrepancy constitutes a form of bait-and-switch advertising, which is illegal under the ************************ (***) Act. I attempted to resolve this issue through ********* customer support, but they refused to honor the advertised price, instead offering me only a 20% discount coupon. The support representative also declined to escalate my complaint and acknowledged that this was a "known issue," yet no remedy was provided.I proceeded with the purchase because I still required the product, but I believe that ********'s actions are in violation of the **** prohibition against unfair or deceptive acts or practices. Specifically, the *** Act (15 U.S. Code 45) prohibits misrepresentation of material facts, which in this case includes the false advertising of a sale price. Furthermore, the practice of advertising one price only to charge a higher price at checkout constitutes bait-and-switch, a violation of consumer protection laws at both federal and state levels, including the Uniform Deceptive Trade Practices Act (UDTPA).I am requesting that Simon & Schuster, Inc. (********) honor the originally advertised price of $287.50 and provide appropriate compensation for the time and frustration I experienced in attempting to resolve this issue.I look forward to a prompt resolution of this matter.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/27/2024

  We reached out to ********** twice, on 9/19 and 9/25, and asked for additional information about how he came across this offer since, per the terms and conditions displayed alongside the offer, he was not eligible to receive it since it was valid for past customers only.  We have not received a response from *** *******,and despite the fact that he was not eligible to receive this offer, because customer goodwill and satisfaction is very important to Simon & Schuster,we provided a refund to *** ******* in the amount of $143.75 on 9/25 and we consider this matter closed.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/19/2024

  Type:Order 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 haven't been able to log into the Pimsleur website or the app for several months. When I log in with ******* it just hangs. I tried to resolve the issue and was unable to. I tried to cancel the service, but it never got canceled. Of course, Pimsleur/Simon and Schuster claims they "have no record" of that request. But you can certainly verify when the last time I logged into my account was. After they charged me their recurring fee on July 7 of this year, I noticed the charged 10 days later and tried to call to get the refund since I hadn't been able to use the app. They said they have a "24 hour" return policy. 24 hours? Seriously?? Yet the company doesn't send out an email to say, "hey, thanks for being a customer for a year...you're subscription is about to renew." Nor do they send an email that says, "thanks for you loyalty, here is a receipt for your latest subscription." No, they just expect you to monitor your credit every single day for charges. And despite being a single parent and disabled vet in financial hardship, the billion-dollar company has elected to stick to their guns and keep my $200, no exceptions.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/22/2024

  The customer was issued a full refund on 7/22/2024 and we consider this matter closed.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/23/2024

  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 and the matter has been resolved.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ************************
  
  
  
   
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/28/2022

  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.

  Simon and Schuster is the parent ******* of ********* who does not have a BBB listing. On December 25th, I purchased their 6 month subscription as a Christmas gift to someone wanting to learn the ****** language. Little did I know that the person I purchased this for already had a subscription with Pimsleur. On December 27th, I contacted Pimsleur for a refund for the original purchase price of $99. The gift had an activation code that had NOT been used, so there should be ********** refunding the money. ******** refused to refund my money. After a bit of arguing, they agreed to send a refund request form via email. This was never sent. I am simply asking for the original purchase price to be refunded for the product as it was purchased as a gift, and was not used as the person it was purchased for already has an account.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/03/2023

  The customer was issued a full refund on 12/29/2022 and we consider this matter closed.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/23/2022

  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 November 15th, 2022 I purchased what was advertised as a hand-signed copy of ********************* new book The Philosophy of Modern Song. The total price of the purchase was $650.51. Upon receiving the book, it was clear that the signature was not hand-signed, but instead an autopen signature. Autopen signatures are done by signing machines that use templates of the person's signature in order to "sign" a large number of items. From a collectible perspective, this makes the book worthless as the value is solely in having a hand-signed copy. I contacted Simon & Schuster to allow them to remedy the situation by issuing a refund for the book, but they refused and doubled-down on their attempts at deceiving consumers by continuing to claim these books were hand-signed. It has been well-documented online that the exact same signatures have been found on multiple copies of the book - something that would be impossible with true hand-signed copies. The publisher attempted to hide their deception by having multiple templates used by the autopen, but dozens of exact matches have already been found with more documented each day. Simon & Schuster is clearly committing fraud and when presented with an opportunity to remedy the situation, they chose to continue the deception. They even went so far as to include a signed letter from the **** *************************, claiming the books were hand-signed. As a large publisher, they are well aware of the distinction between autopen signatures and hand-signed signatures, the former being no better than a stamp. They charged a premium for this book under the guise of it being hand-signed because they know no one would pay $650.51 for an autopen signature. Simon & Schuster is openly committing fraud.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/26/2022

  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 and the matter has been resolved.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************
  
  
  
   
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/21/2022

  Type:Order 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.

  The company Simon and Schuster are currently selling a $600 book that they claim is hand signed by ***************** however it is not, it's a fraud and it has been signed by a machine called an auto-pen. A leading autograph expert (*************** ) has even come forth on social media ********* to call them out for their fraud.The signatures match perfectly, 100% with one another (although apparently they used 15 different variations) many people in my book club received signatures that match perfectly 100% when overlayed on top of each other which is imposible if the signatures were hand signed and not autopen.The company is refusing to issue refunds despite all the photo/video evidence that has been uncovered by defrauded buyers.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/29/2022

  The customer has been refunded.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/21/2022

  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.

  Simon & Schuster are knowingly selling fraudulent autographed books. Last week I ordered the **************************************************************************** . The book was "guaranteed to be Hand-Signed by *****************" and comes with a letter stating that form Simon & Schuster's CEO *************************. The book cost $599 plus taxes. The signatures have been found to be done by auto-pen. No refund has been offered. *********************************************************************************************************** ********************************************************************************************************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/21/2022

  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 and the matter has been resolved.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************
  
  
  
   
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/21/2022

  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.

  On Nov. 15, I purchased the signed edition of ************* new book through the publisher, Simon and Schuster, for more than $600. Mr. ****** signature is rare and very valuable so the price was reasonable. The publisher insisted it was an authentic autograph personally signed by **************. However, since the release of the signed book, it has become abundantly clear the books were not hand-signed and were in fact signed by an autopen machine. All of the leading autograph authenticators agree these are fake autographs, making them worthless. The publisher just found a way to get us to pay $600 for a $35 coffee table book. Myself, and many others, have demanded refunds and have either been ignored or were refused. This is fraud and its not right.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/29/2022

  Customer has been refunded.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/21/2022

  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.

  I ordered a copy of the philosophy of modern song by ***************** on the official Simon and Schuster website . It was guaranteed to be hand signed by ***************** . When I opened the book to look at the signature its clear that it is autopen . The company has a letter from the *** claiming its real and will not offer a refund . Other companys such as Indigo in ****** have already accepted refunds and in ****** the company is investigating the signatures. Simon and Schuster are doubling down telling people its real . To date their are 13 different autopen signatures that they used on 900 books . Its clear based on the even penmanship and exact copies that they are not handwritten . I will consider legal options if I do not receive my money back for a fraudulent act .

  Business Response

  Date: 11/29/2022

  Customer has been refunded.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/09/2022

  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 by your company. ***************** is a dirt bag.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************************