This was a sample subscription which should have been preceded with a post card notifying the resident of a sample delivery. I put a stop on the sample and noted the address as "no samples". I apologize for any frustration this may have caused.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 10, 2015/10/07) */
I am sorry for the confusion with your newspaper account. I have extended your subscription to December 26, 2015 and can confirm the missing papers that were entered via the web were credited. I trust that your newspaper service has improved...
as I have notified the district manager of the missing and/or late newspapers.
Thanks for reading the Pioneer Press.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 13, 2015/10/08) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
While my service has improved and my account was appropriately extended, there are still some questions left unresolved. I have asked why the date randomly changes. You deduct for holiday delivery, but not consistently. Sometimes several weeks are deducted after one holiday delivery, and sometimes as little as one day. A weekday paper is 75 cents and a Sunday paper is $1.50. Therefore a holiday delivery should count as an extra day, not several, or several weeks. Also I have asked why I cannot prepay for an entire 365 day subscription that would include Sundays and holidays, so that I do not have to constantly monitor and question my account. Why not address these issues and focus on delivering to the customer what they have requested and paid for? I don't think you are really addressing what the problems are.
Final Business Response /* (1000, 21, 2015/11/13) */
Holiday and bonus day newspaper are charged at the rate you pay for a Sunday paper that reduces the expire date. Also a factor that can affect the expire date is if we have a rate increase during the term of your subscription your expire date with decrease. If we could guarantee that the rate would stay the same throughout the year we could charge you one rate for 365 days unfortunately we have no way of knowing what the year may bring. I hope this helps to clarify.
Final Consumer Response /* (3000, 23, 2015/11/17) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Your response floors me. Not only does it not address my concerns in any way shape or form, it is simply ridiculous. I know that a holiday delivery costs the same as a Sunday paper, I already acknowledged that earlier. I ask yet again, why does the end date of the subscription RAMDOMLY change after a holiday rather than consistently each time? I checked my subscription a few days ago. 6 days were subtracted at random since the last contact with you. Why? There was no holiday during that period, yet you reduced it anyway. Also you state that subscription rates change during the year. Ok, so what? YOU CANNOT CHANGE THE RATE OF A PREPAID SUBSCRIPTION! That is why they are called PREPAID!! You also say that there is nothing you can do. There is ALWAYS something a business can do. Here is the answer, plain and simple. Offer the subscriber a 365 day subscription that will include holiday delivery for the price it will cost, bill them for it, and deliver the paper for the entire length of the subscription. No suprises, no ripoffs. Very, very simple. Maybe you could give it a try rather than making very poor excuses, trying to get away with theft and not providing any form of customer service.
I will confirm that you are on the exception list for Bulldog Bargains delivery, it usually takes a week or two to discontinue that delivery but I will make sure that the message gets to the company that handles this delivery. I apologize for any frustration this may have caused.
I will get this information to the Agent responsible for the delivery of this paper. My message will be that the carrier must comply with the customer request to have the Sunday paper delivered to the door each week. Our customer service office is open on Sunday morning from 8AM to noon....
Please reach out to us if we can offer further assistance.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/05/21) */
I apologize for the problems getting your Sunday newspaper started. The division manager drove out to your home in the light of day because apparently the carrier was having difficulties locating 10830 and could only find 10820. The address is...
found and the carrier knows where you are. The account has a balance on it of $20.00 the original amount you paid. I believe the situation is finally resolved. Please feel free to contact me if the need arises in the future, [redacted]@pioneerpress.com.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 7, 2015/05/26) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
The last payment we received on the account was on 4/11/17 which paid for the papers until 5/28/17. The past due amount is for papers delivered between 5/28 and 7/10/17 when you stopped. Any papers delivered after that point will be paid for by the carrier. I see a reminder was...
sent to the carrier a couple days ago, I will follow up with the Agent in charge of this carrier instructing them to discontinue delivery immediately. Thanks for your patience.
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.Although I don't believe the Pioneer Press has the integrity to live up to its claims.
I forwarded this phone number, ###-###-####, to all of our telemarketers asking for immediate confirmation that the number has been added to all Do Not Call files.
I have removed that past due balance and per the customers request have added them to our do not call, do not mail and do not sample lists. Please let me know if further assistance is needed.
The payment for $26.00 that was made in May of 2015 was for the subscription that started on 2/1/15. The past due balance is for papers received after the expiration date of 3/13/16, for bonus day and special editions plus rate increases during this time. When the new start was requested we...
were unable to process it due to the past due balance.
I apologize for the sample paper that was delivered to the address listed, [redacted]. That address has been removed from all sample files. The other address, [redacted] - #[redacted], has been stopped and that has been added to the do not call files and is listed as not starts...
Our records indicate that this subscription stopped on October 15, 2016 and there has been no starts for this address. I will send a reminder to the carrier that this address is not active and they should not be delivering here ([redacted]). As we do not have a subscription set...
up at this address there is no charge for papers delivered by the carrier. I apologize for the confusion.
This address is coded in our system not to accept any starts any longer. No sample papers or sales should go to your address again. I apologize for the error with the starts in the past.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/11/13) */
I apologize for the error with the start of a newspaper to your address. The paper is stopped and there is zero balance on the account.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/11/18) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the...
response from the business.)
Since filing this complaint a good friend of mine said the exact same thing happened to him.
The apology does nothing to recognize the deception involved - starting the paper and account and billing me without ANY acceptance/agreement on my part. I cannot believe that starting a paper and sending a bill was a simple error, especially since it has also happened to a close friend. For the record, I was out of the country from October 18 - November 3, so they cannot claim a telephone call started the paper.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/05/07) */
We have been working with agent in the area to resolve the service issues at this address ([redacted]). The agent is dedicated to saving this customer by providing excellent service. If problems resurface please feel free to reach...
out to me directly.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/05/11) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
The response indicates to reach out to 'me' directly with any issues. It doesn't say who it is or how to contact them. Given when I call customer service they frequently no longer let me talk to a manager, I'm not sure how this resolves anything.
They have been working with the service agent in this area for the past two years, things get better for a few weeks and then go right back to the way they were, horrible delivery.
I even once had the carrier call me directly and leave me a voicemail telling me they would not be delivering my newspaper as I requested. When I talked to customer service, they claimed to have no idea how they carrier got my phone number.
In order for me to consider this resolved to my satisfaction, I would like a name and direct phone number of who I should contact if the issues continue. Additionally for every late or missing paper, I want a week's worth of credit for my time to have to call over and over about each situation.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2015/05/21) */
I apologize that my contact information was not included with my last response. Please feel free to contact me at[redacted] or [redacted]@pioneerpress.com.
Sincerely,
[redacted]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this...
resolution is satisfactory to me as long as they do as they say. In past, they have said the same thing to me over the phone and it was only temporary before I received calls again.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2016/02/13) */
I have flagged this address as a "no sample delivery" so no more sample papers will be delivered. I don't see newspaper starts other than sample papers at the address. I apologize for the sample delivery.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000,...
This was a sample subscription which should have been preceded with a post card notifying the resident of a sample delivery. I put a stop on the sample and noted the address as "no samples". I apologize for any frustration this may have caused.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 10, 2015/10/07) */
I am sorry for the confusion with your newspaper account. I have extended your subscription to December 26, 2015 and can confirm the missing papers that were entered via the web were credited. I trust that your newspaper service has improved...
as I have notified the district manager of the missing and/or late newspapers.
Thanks for reading the Pioneer Press.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 13, 2015/10/08) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
While my service has improved and my account was appropriately extended, there are still some questions left unresolved. I have asked why the date randomly changes. You deduct for holiday delivery, but not consistently. Sometimes several weeks are deducted after one holiday delivery, and sometimes as little as one day. A weekday paper is 75 cents and a Sunday paper is $1.50. Therefore a holiday delivery should count as an extra day, not several, or several weeks. Also I have asked why I cannot prepay for an entire 365 day subscription that would include Sundays and holidays, so that I do not have to constantly monitor and question my account. Why not address these issues and focus on delivering to the customer what they have requested and paid for? I don't think you are really addressing what the problems are.
Final Business Response /* (1000, 21, 2015/11/13) */
Holiday and bonus day newspaper are charged at the rate you pay for a Sunday paper that reduces the expire date. Also a factor that can affect the expire date is if we have a rate increase during the term of your subscription your expire date with decrease. If we could guarantee that the rate would stay the same throughout the year we could charge you one rate for 365 days unfortunately we have no way of knowing what the year may bring. I hope this helps to clarify.
Final Consumer Response /* (3000, 23, 2015/11/17) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Your response floors me. Not only does it not address my concerns in any way shape or form, it is simply ridiculous. I know that a holiday delivery costs the same as a Sunday paper, I already acknowledged that earlier. I ask yet again, why does the end date of the subscription RAMDOMLY change after a holiday rather than consistently each time? I checked my subscription a few days ago. 6 days were subtracted at random since the last contact with you. Why? There was no holiday during that period, yet you reduced it anyway. Also you state that subscription rates change during the year. Ok, so what? YOU CANNOT CHANGE THE RATE OF A PREPAID SUBSCRIPTION! That is why they are called PREPAID!! You also say that there is nothing you can do. There is ALWAYS something a business can do. Here is the answer, plain and simple. Offer the subscriber a 365 day subscription that will include holiday delivery for the price it will cost, bill them for it, and deliver the paper for the entire length of the subscription. No suprises, no ripoffs. Very, very simple. Maybe you could give it a try rather than making very poor excuses, trying to get away with theft and not providing any form of customer service.
I apologize again, please be assured that I have removed your information from [redacted] St and delete your name and phone number from our system.
I will confirm that you are on the exception list for Bulldog Bargains delivery, it usually takes a week or two to discontinue that delivery but I will make sure that the message gets to the company that handles this delivery. I apologize for any frustration this may have caused.
I will get this information to the Agent responsible for the delivery of this paper. My message will be that the carrier must comply with the customer request to have the Sunday paper delivered to the door each week. Our customer service office is open on Sunday morning from 8AM to noon....
Please reach out to us if we can offer further assistance.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/05/21) */
I apologize for the problems getting your Sunday newspaper started. The division manager drove out to your home in the light of day because apparently the carrier was having difficulties locating 10830 and could only find 10820. The address is...
found and the carrier knows where you are. The account has a balance on it of $20.00 the original amount you paid. I believe the situation is finally resolved. Please feel free to contact me if the need arises in the future, [redacted]@pioneerpress.com.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 7, 2015/05/26) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
I apologize for the late billing and I have deleted that balance. This account is stopped and noted per instructions for no more contact:
The last payment we received on the account was on 4/11/17 which paid for the papers until 5/28/17. The past due amount is for papers delivered between 5/28 and 7/10/17 when you stopped. Any papers delivered after that point will be paid for by the carrier. I see a reminder was...
sent to the carrier a couple days ago, I will follow up with the Agent in charge of this carrier instructing them to discontinue delivery immediately. Thanks for your patience.
There isn't any active subscription with this account number nor is there anything owed.
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.Although I don't believe the Pioneer Press has the integrity to live up to its claims.
I forwarded this phone number, ###-###-####, to all of our telemarketers asking for immediate confirmation that the number has been added to all Do Not Call files.
I have removed that past due balance and per the customers request have added them to our do not call, do not mail and do not sample lists. Please let me know if further assistance is needed.
The payment for $26.00 that was made in May of 2015 was for the subscription that started on 2/1/15. The past due balance is for papers received after the expiration date of 3/13/16, for bonus day and special editions plus rate increases during this time. When the new start was requested we...
were unable to process it due to the past due balance.
I apologize for the sample paper that was delivered to the address listed, [redacted]. That address has been removed from all sample files. The other address, [redacted] - #[redacted], has been stopped and that has been added to the do not call files and is listed as not starts...
in the future.
Our records indicate that this subscription stopped on October 15, 2016 and there has been no starts for this address. I will send a reminder to the carrier that this address is not active and they should not be delivering here ([redacted]). As we do not have a subscription set...
up at this address there is no charge for papers delivered by the carrier. I apologize for the confusion.
This address is coded in our system not to accept any starts any longer. No sample papers or sales should go to your address again. I apologize for the error with the starts in the past.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/11/13) */
I apologize for the error with the start of a newspaper to your address. The paper is stopped and there is zero balance on the account.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/11/18) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the...
response from the business.)
Since filing this complaint a good friend of mine said the exact same thing happened to him.
The apology does nothing to recognize the deception involved - starting the paper and account and billing me without ANY acceptance/agreement on my part. I cannot believe that starting a paper and sending a bill was a simple error, especially since it has also happened to a close friend. For the record, I was out of the country from October 18 - November 3, so they cannot claim a telephone call started the paper.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/05/07) */
We have been working with agent in the area to resolve the service issues at this address ([redacted]). The agent is dedicated to saving this customer by providing excellent service. If problems resurface please feel free to reach...
out to me directly.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/05/11) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
The response indicates to reach out to 'me' directly with any issues. It doesn't say who it is or how to contact them. Given when I call customer service they frequently no longer let me talk to a manager, I'm not sure how this resolves anything.
They have been working with the service agent in this area for the past two years, things get better for a few weeks and then go right back to the way they were, horrible delivery.
I even once had the carrier call me directly and leave me a voicemail telling me they would not be delivering my newspaper as I requested. When I talked to customer service, they claimed to have no idea how they carrier got my phone number.
In order for me to consider this resolved to my satisfaction, I would like a name and direct phone number of who I should contact if the issues continue. Additionally for every late or missing paper, I want a week's worth of credit for my time to have to call over and over about each situation.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2015/05/21) */
I apologize that my contact information was not included with my last response. Please feel free to contact me at[redacted] or [redacted]@pioneerpress.com.
Sincerely,
[redacted]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this...
resolution is satisfactory to me as long as they do as they say. In past, they have said the same thing to me over the phone and it was only temporary before I received calls again.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2016/02/13) */
I have flagged this address as a "no sample delivery" so no more sample papers will be delivered. I don't see newspaper starts other than sample papers at the address. I apologize for the sample delivery.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000,...
7, 2016/02/16) */