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Complaint Details
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Initial Complaint
07/01/2024
- Complaint Type:
- Billing Issues
- Status:
- Answered
On 4-10-2024 I paid the .99 cent trail run for one digital subscription to the Herald Online, *********, **************. It rolled over to a full access account with no issues noted. As I checked my credit card account for tax purposes, I noted that I had been charged for two accounts since *********. It began as two .99 cent charges and continued on to 5-12-2024 RH Herald ***** and a The Herald Circulation *****. This occurred again on ***** and 06-11-2024 RH Herald ***** and The Herald Circulation. I am being doubly charges and two accounts were created. Account numbers ******** and ********. I wish for a refund to be issued and all accounts closed immediately. I have tried to contact customer service several times and have been disconnected and put in a non ending queue. Please aid in resolving this issue. Thank you!Business response
07/02/2024
Thank you for your message to the Rock Hill Herald. Our records show the accounts ere created with the email address ending with @gmail.com. Both account were started by the customer on a $0.99/week offer with the terms of service stating, 'the account will continue on an automatic payment cycle after the initial promotional charge. We do understand there was no intent on starting 2 accounts. As of today, the accounts will be stopped and there will be a refund issued on the account #******** in the amount of $31.98.
Please feel free to contact us at ************ or ************************************************************* if you have any further questions or concerns.
Thank you
Initial Complaint
04/15/2024
- Complaint Type:
- Sales and Advertising Issues
- Status:
- Resolved
I've tried cancelling the annual renewal of my online subscription with the Herald five times now. Two days ago, I was on the phone with customer service who assured me my subscription was cancelled. They keep trying to charge my bank account just the same. Yesterday the charge was taken out of my checking account anyway and I filed a dispute with the bank. This is the hardest annual cancellation I've ever had to do and it's absolutely ridiculous that I have to go through all of this just to cancel an online news subscription that doesn't even start until next month. The total charge was $13.99.Business response
04/15/2024
Thank you for your message to the Rock Hill Herald. Our records show a stop was placed on the account on the expiration date 5/12/24. The charge for $13.99 was processed prior to the removal of the card information on 4/11/24. Your account was on an automatic payment option each month. We are sorry to hear you are canceling your digital subscription. And, we are sorry to hear about your customer experience. We do offer several ways to cancel a subscription (online, phone, email, chat or letter). As of today, 4/15/24, your account has been updated to stop immediately and a request to issue a refund for $13.99 has been approved and requested back to your card.
Please look for an email confirmation regarding the refund within the next ***** hours.
Please feel free to contact us at ************ or ************************************************ if you have any questions.
Thank you
Customer response
04/16/2024
Better Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to my complaint and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. It's not the most honest response, but as long as I receive my money back after repeatedly trying to cancel the account and no further debit is attempted, I'm good with it. Thank you for your assistance.
Thank you.Initial Complaint
02/12/2024
- Complaint Type:
- Product Issues
- Status:
- Resolved
The Rock Hill Herald is engaging in deceptive unethical business practices in its subscription services.In Dec of 2022, I subscribed to the Sunday edition and digital access for a year, paying upfront in full. The price was $288 for the subscription. In late Nov of 2023, I received 2 calls telling me that my subscription was coming due and would I like to renew. There was something off about the calls, and I told both, I would renew in the app. In the first week of Dec, I went into the app and saw my subscription was ending on Dec 5th. I renewed for the year, though I thought the price was high at $326. We did not receive a paper that week, but did have digital access. Paper was delivered the following week, but not for the next 3. I called **************** and found out the following:A representative claimed that the price of the paper had gone up and to cover that they shortened my subscription to September after I had paid upfront in full.They automatically renewed my subscription at a significantly higher rate without my knowledge or approval. The above action by The Herald or their agents is deceptive- the idea that after paying upfront for goods or services, that the time period or the price can be changed without notification is absurd. I offered good faith solutions that would restore the original rate and terms of my annual subscription. I had my credit card company reverse the charge. Shortly after the charge, I received an email stating that my subscription renewal was available, with no mention of any delinquency. This was the first written communication I had received from them. I once again called **************** and was told I had a delinquency of $80. Once again, the explanation made no sense and as was typical of previous conversations, the dates and the rates were different on every call and even different on the same call with numerous individuals.This behavior must be called out for what it is unethical.Business response
02/12/2024
Thank you for your message to The Herald. We re sorry to hear about the your customer service experience. The customer service representative should have been able to help you with your account. Our records show your account was paid and renewed online 12/9/23. Our hope is we can get your account updated and restarted, if you choose to restart.
At this time, the full payment of $326.56 has been canceled, which is why you are seeing the account with a balance due. The balance has been cleared as of today 2/12/24. If you are looking online, the update will process online tomorrow morning after overnight processes are complete.
Please feel free to contact us at ************ or ************************************************ if you have any further questions or concerns.
Thank you
Customer response
02/12/2024
Better Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to my complaint, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Thank you.Initial Complaint
10/30/2023
- Complaint Type:
- Billing Issues
- Status:
- Answered
Purchased 6 month subscription to the Herald news paper on 11/09/2022 paid in full $85.98. End date should have been June 6th 2023. No correspondence till I get a bill in October saying as of Sept 6th 2023 I owe $53.39. I have not received a paper since June. I never agreed on any additional deliveries. This is a scam by the Herald to extract addition money out of customers. This bill has been send to collection. A.R.M. ************** P.O. box **** ********* **. *****. ************. Please get Herald to cancel this debt and contact A.R.M to remove this collection. Also anything sent to any credit reporting agency must be removed. Thanks in advance *************************** PS. I have excellent credit rating. Why would I cheat someone a rule my credit.Business response
10/30/2023
Thank you for your message to the Rock Hill Herald. Our records show your account expired on 7/2/23. Since the Herald does not stop subscriptions automatically, the account continued in a grace ****** until 9/6/23. There was a renewal mailed on 6/6/23 and a second renewal on 7/12/23. All notices state the paper continues unless we are notified otherwise. Unfortunately, once the renewals are mailed out, we do not have control over the mail. We are sorry to hear you did not receive the notifications. At this time, your account has been cleared to a zero balance with the Herald and with ARM Solutions.
Please note, ARM is a non-reporting collection company. This will not appear on any credit report.
Please feel free to contact us at ************ or ************************************************ if you have any further questions or concerns.
Thank you
Initial Complaint
06/13/2022
- Complaint Type:
- Order Issues
- Status:
- Answered
In February of 2021 I signed up for a one year subscription of Sunday papers and paid for it right then. I did not agree to auto-billing/renewals, so at the end of that year (Feb 2022) that should have been the end of it. I also had no other interactions with them after that Feb 2021 phone call. When my subscription was up, even though I did not ask for it, they countined delivering Sunday papers for several weeks entirely of their own free will.Today I recieved a letter from a collection agency claiming I owe for those unsolicited papers delivered after my subscription ran out. You can't drop something on someone's property without their prior consent and expect them to pay for it.Business response
06/30/2022
The balance for ********************************* has been clearedBusiness response
06/30/2022
The balance for ************************* has been cleared
Dear *********************,
We do apologize for the billing issue you experienced with your newspaper subscription. It's important that we hear from our customers when they are not satisfied with services and we have addressed this issue. Our records show all balances have been cleared for The Rock Hill Herald #********.
We do apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused and will be glad to help you in the future should you have other questions or concerns.
Initial Complaint
04/11/2022
- Complaint Type:
- Product Issues
- Status:
- Answered
I have received an e-mail notice from the newspaper indicating that beginning May 9, 2022, my subscription will be shortened at a rate of $.39 per week to meet "a weekly supply chain charge" that "will change your current subscription expiration date." Of course it will change it--I'll be getting newspapers for a shorter period than I paid for. Is this even legal? It's a unilateral action I was not consulted on, do not agree to, and that was not part of my original subscription agreement. While the amount is, in one sense, a modest one, there's a principle involved that is very troubling. Also, if you multiply the $.39 per week times thousands of subscribers it suddenly becomes a significant amount.I have two basic concerns: (1) Is this legal? (2) Is there anything I can do about it?I'll conclude by noting that messages sent to the e-mail address given with this notice have not been answered, and calls to the customer service number given will eventually get you to an agent, but you are then put on hold for the next agent and I've never gotten one.Business response
04/20/2022
Thank you for your inquiry. This charge is effective starting 5/9/22, we are providing more than 30 days notice of this charge per our terms of use. Many service companies have recently had to implement a supply chain charge to continue to provide timely production and delivery. This small weekly charge will allow us to provide you essential local journalism as we navigate through these challenging market conditions.
Please let us know if you have any questionsSincerely,
The Charlotte ****************
Customer response
04/21/2022
Complaint: 17012706
I am rejecting this response because: It does not address the essence of the complaint; namely, that The Herald is changing the terms of an agreed upon subscription time period by arbitrarily, and without any consultation, changing their terms. I might also add that there are frequent delivery problems and any attempt to resolve matters through phone calls or e-mail is an exercise in frustration. But I reject the response simply because they do not address the key issue at hand.
Sincerely,
*******************Business response
05/10/2022
Dear ***********************,
Thank you for your inquiry regarding the Supply Chain letter you received. This charge is effective starting 5/10/22, we are providing more than 30 days notice of this charge per our terms of use. Many service companies have recently had to implement a supply chain charge to continue to provide timely production and delivery.
We know these are challenging times and we will continue to review as supply chain conditions change. Please know that we have worked to make this fee as minimal as possible. We did not make this decision lightly and please know that this is a temporary charge. We will continue to review and send email updates as market conditions change.
Please let us know if you have any questions.
Thanks,421 ***************. Suite 104 |*******, ** 27601
MCCLATCHY ******** -EAST- MIDWEST REGION MEDIA COMPANIES:
*The News & ******** (*******, **)
* The Herald Sun (******, **)
* The Charlotte ******** (*********, **)
* The Herald (*********, **)
* The State (********, **)
* The ************************************************, **)
* ************ (************, **)
* Kansas City Star (***********, **)
* ****************Democrat (**********, **)
On Tue, May 3, 2022 at 3:18 PM Kisis ***** <****************************************************> wrote:
***********************
The Rock Hill Herald
***************************************** 29730
Customer response
05/10/2022
Complaint: 17012706
I am rejecting this response because: The response, which is pretty clearly an automated or standard one, explains the company's justification for the charge, but it fails to answer my basic question; namely, how they can impose such a charge after we already had an agreement. Under this logic, which is completely illogical, anytime a company makes a miscalculation in its pricing or anytime costs change, they could raise prices after the consumer had already paid a mutually agreed amount.
Sincerely,
*******************Customer response
05/10/2022
Complaint: 17012706
I am rejecting this response because: The response, which is pretty clearly an automated or standard one, explains the company's justification for the charge, but it fails to answer my basic question; namely, how they can impose such a charge after we already had an agreement. Under this logic, which is completely illogical, anytime a company makes a miscalculation in its pricing or anytime costs change, they could raise prices after the consumer had already paid a mutually agreed amount.
Sincerely,
*******************Business response
05/23/2022
Dear ***********************,
Thank you for your email and I understand your concerns regarding the supply change charge. This charge is effective starting 5/9/22, we are providing more than 30 days notice of this charge per our terms of use. Many service companies have recently had to implement a supply chain charge to continue to provide timely production and delivery. This small weekly charge will allow us to provide you essential local journalism as we navigate through these challenging market conditions.
The supply chain charge is an average of $.07 per day and is to help offset additional costs.
Since this charge does not take effect until May 9, to show our commitment to your loyalty, we will apply a 2 week good faith adjustment to your account and ensure your expiration date of 11/10/2022 remains intact. Please let us know if you have any questions.Customer response
05/24/2022
Complaint: 17012706
I am rejecting this response because: While the response constitutes a token effort associated with the complaint through a slight adjustment of terms and commencement of the surcharge, it does not address the root issue; namely, that The Herald is changing the terms of the subscription after the fact and after payment was duly tendered. It is not my fault that they failed to anticipate increased costs, and retroactive changes to an agreement are simply wrong.
Sincerely,
*******************Initial Complaint
04/06/2022
- Complaint Type:
- Delivery Issues
- Status:
- Answered
I paid for the Herald home delivery service in June but I have yet to receive the first paper I have called numerous times only to be told that it would be delivered the next day and it has not yet well now Ive got a new **** in the mail for the amount of $68.99 and it says its going to take it to collections I refuse to pay for something that I still have not received and they auto renewed me why would they auto renew me for something I have not yet even begun seeing service for the address that the service was at because I recently moved to the address that I was getting service it is ******************************************************************************************** my account number was RHL Dash ********Business response
04/19/2022
We do apologize for the billing issue you experienced with your newspaper subscription. It's important that we hear from our customers when they are not satisfied with services and we have addressed this issue. Our records show all balances have been cleared for The Rock Hill Herald # ********.
Thanks,
The Herald
Initial Complaint
03/16/2022
- Complaint Type:
- Delivery Issues
- Status:
- Resolved
My wife and I have been a loyal customer of The ******************** for many years, but our loyalty is waning more and more these days due to extremely poor delivery and customer service we have experienced during February and March 2022. While we have always had intermittent problems with newspaper delivery, and the newspaper is not always placed in the paper tube located beside our street, this situation is getting much worse.On at least four occasions, we never received a newspaper and various times when the paper was delivered it was just thrown on the lawn or driveway to get wet from rain or from our sprinkler system.I also find it very frustrating when I am unable to speak with a local person responsible for circulation or distribution within The Herald organization for the simple purpose of resolving these issues. Whenever I have called the posted customer service number, I end up speaking with a foreign individual who I can hardly understand, and their typical response is that we can view the newspaper online and my account will be credited for the undelivered papers.This type of response is unacceptable as my wife and I both prefer the printed version of the paper for a variety of reasons. Consequently, it is most frustrating when we have no paper and the person on the other end of the phone is really of no help in this regard and comes across as having no concern for the poor delivery service. I have also never seen a credit to our account for any undelivered paper.To make matters worse, when I have requested to speak with someone local within the Herald organization, I am constantly told by the foreign speaking person they are unable to transfer me to a local representative, but they will have someone within The Herald organization call me back which has never happened!I sent a letter to this affect to The Herald on February 17th, but nobody has called to try and resolve our delivery problems. They simply do not seem to care!Business response
03/27/2023
Hello,
Thank you for contacting the Rock Hill Herald. We apologize that a response was not submitted in response to the complaint filed by *************************. Our team has spoken with ************************* today and will be resolving any delivery issue that have not been addressed. If you have any questions you can respond to this email or contact our customer service department at ************.
Thank you
********
Customer Experience Specialist
Customer response
03/28/2023
I am rejecting this response because there is no specific action cited that tells me the problem has been taken care of. If a Herald representative can provide details as to action being taken, then perhaps I can consider the problems resolved relative to my newspaper delivery.Sincerely,
*************************
Business response
03/28/2023
Thank you for contacting the Rock Hill Herald. The account for ************************* has been updated and noted to ensure the carrier delivers each day and that they do not drive on the lawn or damage any property. The coordinator and supervisor have been contacted and will ensure this is resolved. Our customer care specialist spoke with ************************* today 3/28/2023 and will follow up the next few days to ensure we have everything resolved. The coordinator and supervisor have responded that this will be resolved moving forward as well. If you have any questions please call our customer service department at ************.Customer response
03/29/2023
Better Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to my complaint, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Thank you.Initial Complaint
03/08/2022
- Complaint Type:
- Customer Service Issues
- Status:
- Resolved
I am filing this compliant on behalf of my 76 year old mother *************************************. For the last two months she has not received her newspaper from The Herald. She has called them every other day, if not daily to inquire about her services. Apparently the person over the route is no longer working there and they have continued to tell her that they have new carriers, but then the next phone call they say they are looking for a carrier. She has asked for a supervisor on many occasions, they place her on hold, then the same person comes back on the phone. They always tell her that they will make a note and that they would let the distribution center know. Most recently she has asked for a full refund and they basically keep blowing her off. The people she is talking to are from a call center and not the company directly. Not to sound mean, but the people are all foreign so they are hard to understand and are ******* her off of the phone. I am curious as to why they can not just mail the paper to her home daily until a carrier is found or just refund her money as she has asked. I had no other route to take but to submit a complaint, because elderly people should not have to deal with lack of service and care when they are spending what little money they have to have a service provided to them daily.Business response
03/13/2022
Thank you for your concerns.
We have reached out to the new distributor who has taken over this area to see if the carrier status has changed in this area. If not, we will convert the delivery to mail service at the same cost. We appreciate your patience and will get this fixed.
Thanks,
The Charlotte ************
Customer response
03/14/2022
Complaint: 16856735
I am rejecting this response because: They have told my mother this exact same thing as well for weeks. This is unsatisfactory service being rendered. Its almost like they have scripted responses to give to customers and it is always the same answers given. This is not an acceptable response from the business.
Sincerely,
Cresinna *********Business response
03/22/2022
We apologize for the continuous delivery issues and have cancelled services to 162 *************** ******* ** 29706-2615. A check refund in the amount of $93.60 will processed and mailed.
Thanks,
The Charlotte ****************
Customer response
03/23/2022
Complaint: 16856735
I am rejecting this response because: I want to get clarification that delivery services are discontinued and her paper will continue to come via mail.
Sincerely,
Cresinna *********Business response
04/01/2022
Thank you. Our records show a refund in the amount of $93.60 was processed 3/27/2022 and will be mailed to 162 ***************
******* ** 29706-2615.Kindest Regards,
The Rock Hill Herald
Customer response
04/04/2022
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.
Sincerely,
Cresinna *********
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