ComplaintsforThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution

• Initial Complaint

  07/09/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On March 21, 2024 the Atlanta Journal Constitution newspaper offered me an attractive price for three months of their on-line newspaper. They told me I could not pay with a check, only with a credit card. Little did I expect they made this attractive offer not to get me hooked on their newspaper, but instead to get my credit card information so they could deceptively sign me up for services I did not want and could not cancel.After I learned the AJC had charged my account, I phoned them and spoke with ****** (ID# ****** on July 8. She told me the AJC informed me of their action by email. We have no record of this email and would immediately have taken steps to stop them if we had received this email ****** also told me on July 8 that I could not cancel until July 14, but could offer no legitimate reason why The AJC newspaper has lost the majority of its subscribers and so suffered a dramatic drop in advertising revenue. Apparently, their current effort to compensate for this is to unethically cheat their remaining customers.The small amount of money involved is not the point; my credit card being openly robbed by a desperate business entity is an appalling act of contempt I cannot tolerate.I am hoping the Better Business Bureau will shame this corrupt company from cheating me. I am asking for a PROMPT return of their deceitful charge.

  

  Business response

  07/25/2024

  Dear **************,
  
  We apologize if there has been any confusion regarding the terms and conditions of your subscription. We value our relationship with our customers and strive to maintain fair and transparent business practices. After reviewing the details of the subscription, we have found that it was initiated and maintained in accordance with the terms and conditions that were emailed to you at ********************* on 03/21/2024 at 11:00 a.m. We resent a copy of the document for your records.

  If you have any further questions or concerns please feel free to contact me directly at ********************************************************.

  
  Thank you,

  
  *********************
  Customer care
  ************

  Customer response

  07/26/2024

   
  Complaint: 21963137
  
  I am rejecting this response because:  when you subscribe to the AJC, you will receive several emails in the 3-5 days after.  Let me clarify:  you will receive several emails

  EACH DAY for several days.  This is how the AJC sneaks in details they don't want you to read.  The emails they send are useless fluff, so after a while you stop reading them because they say nothing.,

  The AJC  is desperate to increase their number of subscriptions so they can raise advertising rates.  They could not care less about subscribers' reactions.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

  

  Business response

  08/12/2024

  Hello **************,

  We send subscribers emails on the same day when they start or complete a transaction on our website, and these emails are time-stamped to confirm when they are sent. In addition to these transaction-related emails, you may also receive our daily news updates, our AJC ePaper, and breaking news emails, which are sent at specific times daily. We apologize for any inconvenience you may have experienced and hope that this experience does not discourage you from supporting the AJC in the future.

  Please feel free to contact us at customer care if you have anu further questions or concerns.

  Thank you,

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

  Customer care

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

   

   

• Initial Complaint

  06/11/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Date of transaction is 5/30/2024. I have never heard of this magazine and someone have not one but TWO charges from them, both on the same date, and both for the amount of $2.99 ea. I have no order confirmation number because I did not create an order and again, have never even heard of this magazine. Please explain what these charges are and why they are on my statement, refund me the amount I was charged and remove my card information from your billing department. Again I have no account with you, never purchased a subscription or anything else from your website, and yet I have charges with the name of your business on them on my bank statement,

  

  Business response

  06/18/2024

  Hello,

  Thank you for contacting the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. We apologize if there has been any confusion. Please know that we do not offer magazine subscriptions, and we currently do not have any promotions at the price point mentioned. If possible, we would like to speak with you to ensure that we understand and address your concerns. Please let us know the best time and method to contact you, and we will be happy to reach out at your convenience.

  Thank you,

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

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

• Initial Complaint

  11/27/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I searched for one item in the AJC and paid 99 cents for a month subscription over 2 months ago. Without ever using the AJC ever again I have bermen billed $***** a month for 2 months each. I contacted ************* at the ********************** email provided twice and have no response to a refund. The system is unfair and deceptive because AJC does not notify their e-customers by email that their bill is not 99 cents a month, but now *****, and that they are being billed each month accordingly and the record will show that is true. I caught this on my last monthly statement from the bank. I want a refund for the service not used.

  

  Business response

  01/02/2024

  Hello ********, I was able to locate the customer account and we issued a refund of $12.95 back to the customers PayPal account on 12/1. I have requested that an additional $12.95 be refunded back to the customers PayPal account, refunding both payments. We apologize if there was some confusion.

   

  Please feel free to contact me if there are any further questions or concerns.

   

  Thank you,

• Initial Complaint

  07/06/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have called AJC many times trying to get the to stop delivering their ad newspaper, The Evening Edge to my address. They say they will stop delivery of it, but it is still being thrown on my property every week. I do not want it and want delivery permanently stopped.

  

  Business response

  07/06/2023

  Hello **************,

  Thank you for contacting the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. We have contacted our distribution management team and have asked that delivery of the Evening Edge be stopped at your address immediately.

  Please feel free to contact us at ************* if you have any further questions or concerns. 

  Thank you,
  
  *********************
  *************

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

   

• Initial Complaint

  06/20/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On June 16, 2023 I paid AJC ***** for a month subscription, and the guy said I would get my first paper on June 18, 2023, but I still havent got a newspaper delivered yet, and here it is June 20, 2023: it is like Atlanta Journal Constitution is running a scam!

  

  Business response

  06/28/2023

  Good evening ********************,

  Thank you for contacting Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

  We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you. We have contacted our distribution management team and have asked for an update on a solution to address this problem. We will follow up with our delivery team over the next few days to ensure your delivery is started. In the meantime, we have applied a two weeks credit to your subscription for the service issue you have experienced.

  Please feel free to contact us at customer care if you have any further questions or concerns.

  Thank you,

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

  Customer care

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

   

• Initial Complaint

  06/08/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I have complained several times to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution about them throwing the Evening Edge into my driveway.I do not want this newspaper and am tired of picking it up and throwing it directly into the trash.They continue doing this to fraudulently inflate their subscription numbers. My address is ***************************************************************.

  

  Business response

  06/19/2023

  Good morning **************,

  Thank you for contacting the Atlanta Journal-Constitution,

  We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. We have contacted our distribution management and have asked for an update on actions that will be taken to address this problem. We assure you that we are addressing this with a real sense of urgency and we will follow up with our distribution team over the next few weeks to ensure delivery is stopped permanently as quickly as possible.
  
  Please feel free to contact us at customer if you have any further questions or concerns.
  
  Thank you,
  
  *********************
  Customer care
  ************

   

  Customer response

  06/20/2023

   
  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

  06/08/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have called AJC many times trying to get the to stop delivering their ad newspaper, The Evening Edge to my address. They say they will stop delivery of it, but it is still being thrown on my property every week. I do not want it and want delivery permanently stopped.

  

  Business response

  06/19/2023

  Good morning,

  Thank you for contacting the Atlanta Journal-Constitution,

  We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. We have contacted our distribution  management and have asked for an update on actions that will be taken to address this problem. We assure you that we are addressing this with a real sense of urgency and we will follow up with our distribution team over the next few weeks to ensure delivery is stopped permanently as quickly as possible.

  
  Please feel free to contact us at customer if you have any further questions or concerns.

  
  Thank you,
  
  *********************
  Customer care
  ************

   

  Customer response

  06/19/2023

  Hello, I appreciate what AJC has said in their response, but I would like to see if the deliveries of the Evening Edge are permanently stopped before I can call it resolved.  When I have called them I have been told many times that they would stop the delivery but it has not so far.

   

   

   

   

   

  

  Business response

  06/20/2023

  Good afternoon **********,

  Thank you for speaking with me today. As we discussed, I have contacted our distribution management team and have asked them to stop delivery of the Evening Edge effective immediately.

  Please feel free to contact me or our ************* team if you have any further questions or concerns.

  Thank you,

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

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

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

   

• Initial Complaint

  06/08/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I do not have a paid subscription for any newspaper delivery with the AJC. I have never signed up for delivery.I want the AJC to STOP the weekly delivery the Evening newspaper on every Thursday at this address *******************************************************************I want the delivery each week to STOP immediately. It is a violation of my privacy at this residence and it is littering on the property because I never authorized or paid for any newspaper subscriptions at the AJC.I want this issue escalated and resolved ASAP.

  

  Business response

  06/08/2023

  Hello **************,

  
  We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. We have contacted our Senior Manager over distribution and delivery for your area and have asked for an update on actions that will be taken to address this problem. We assure you that we are addressing this with a real sense of urgency and we will follow up with our distribution team over the next few weeks to ensure delivery is stopped permanently as quickly as possible.

  Please feel free to contact us at customer if you have any further questions or concerns.

  Thank you,
  
  *********************
  Customer care

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

   

   

  Customer response

  06/08/2023

   
  Complaint: 20161077
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  I am not going to wait a few weeks for this to be resolved. I want this issue resolved TODAY ASAP.

  I want the person driving this route to be told TODAY to STOP delivering to this address. 

   I want this address ***************************************************************** deleted and removed from this paper delivery route TODAY.  This person is deliberately being a nuisance and littering because I do not have a paid subscription and this paper is junk mail.

  I am working with the local police department to enforce penalties due to this issue based on littering, trespassing and nuisance violations.

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

  

  Business response

  06/21/2023

  Hello **************,
  
  Thank you for contacting The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 
  
  We understand your concern and frustration with this matter. We have contacted our distribution management team and asked that delivery of the Evening Edge be stopped at your address immediately. Moving forward, you should not receive any further deliveries. Please feel free to contact us at customer care if you have any further questions or concerns.
  
  Thank you,
  
  *********************
  Customer Care
  ************

   

• Initial Complaint

  05/18/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I am being charged for a paper that I have never received. I have voiced this concern several times to different people and was told that I will not be charged. The organization could not even verify my address correctly. This has been an ongoing issue since November 2022. However, I keep receiving phone calls every other day regarding payment for a service I have never received. I would like for this situation to be taken care of immediately because it is becoming annoying at this point.

  

  Business response

  05/26/2023

  Hello ******************,

  We apologize for the confusion. Your subscription has been stopped, and the balance of $10.84 has been waived. We have also issued a refund of your payment of $16.80 back to your credit or debit card ending in ****. Please allow this refund approximately **** business days to receive.

  Please feel free to contact ** at customer care if you have any further questions.

  Again, apologize for the confusion.

  Thank you,

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

  Customer Care

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

   

   

   

  Customer response

  05/27/2023

   
  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

  02/07/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  The AJC forced us to use an Ipad for the weekly paper in ***********. The one they gave us worked for awhile, then stopped working. A week ago they were to send a replacement and I would send back the faulty one. They have done nothing since. Two supervisors, one named *************************, say I have to send the defective unit back abd they will check it out before sending a new one. I have gone up a level to his supervisor, who has not returned my call. The treatment by this monopoly of customers is atrocious, thus I have filed this complaint. Nothing seems to move them to satisfy a customer of 60 years.

  

  Business response

  02/15/2023

  Hello **************,
  
  Thank you for contacting the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. According to our records, you have spoken with our **************** manager ********************* and he has addressed your concerns. If you need any further assistance, please feel free to contact us Customer Care..

  Thank you,

  
  *********************
  Customer Care
  ************

*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. ↩