The Charlotte Observer

Delivery of unsubscribed subscription
I live in the *** subdivision in ***, . It is clearly posted at the front of the neighborhood no soliciting. Yet every week the Charlotte Observer-Encore newspaper spreads their papers all over the place.....street, driveways, front yards. I have contacted the company to have them remove my address and state that they should only be delivering to addresses that have a subscription. The customer service representative emailed back that I would be removed from the delivery list. That clearly did not happen. The newspaper continues to be littered all over my driveway and yard weekly. It is against the law to litter and soliciting should not be allowed when clearly a sign has been posted. I need them to remove me off their delivery list promptly.

Charlotte Observer is not canceling our newspaper subscription despite our repeated requests to do so.
Around December 20th of last year, we canceled our Charlotte Observer Newspaper subscription. All due amounts were paid by credit card at that time. However, they kept on delivering the newspaper, despite our notifying the subscription has been canceled. In the last few weeks we have received numerous phone calls demanding payment from us for the subscription we canceled. The calls have ranged from mildly harassing to outright threatening. Every time they call, we have made it clear we do not wish to receive the newspaper and requested them to stop delivering the newspaper right away. We want Charlotte Observer to simply stop their newspaper delivery to our house.

After 6 months of trying to cancel my account I still get charged and I NEVER received a single paper.
In September of 2017 I sign up to receive the Charlotte Observer in a Bi-lo store in Statesville NC. The first month I didn't get the paper, not even once. So I called them and asked them to cancel my account. I was told that it's no problem. They don't have a paper carrier in my area. The next time I got my credit card bill in the mail, I noticed they still charged me, so I called them again. Again I was told that they will take care of the charge and stop my subscription. Well, it's the end of February 2018 and I still get charged every month and actually in the month of December they charged me 2 times. I called them and called them and all I get is empty promises. I just don't know what else to do. I NEVER ONCE RECEIVED A SINGLE PAPER FROM THEM IN THIS WHOLE PERIOD. Not on a Sunday, not during the week, NEVER, NEVER NEVER!

Chronic non-delivery of paper. Lack of response from distributionanager. Inability to contact newspaper staff to advise them of lack of service.
Non-delivery of paper on Feb 20,21,23&26. Numerous calls to Customer service did not resolve problem. I always got the same canned response. Obtained phone number for distribution manager. Left multiple messages but no response. Received multiple papers on Feb 22&24. Attempts to escalate problem by contacting Observer Staff always ended back up with Customer Service contractor who could not provide contact info for a supervisor or resulted in call being on hold waiting for someone to answer. Each time I hung up after 10 min wait.

Charlotte Observer account# *** (***) Please fix my account.
Apply my Dec 18 2017 payment.
Not getting paper.
I made payment.
Have made more phone calls and emails to customer service and they seem to be lost as to actions required to fix my account for over 2 months.

I am not getting physical newspaper delivery, yet my outstanding balance grows every day.

Customer Service for Charlotte Observer is unacceptable.

Please cancel my account immediately, send me an email stating I do not owe Observer any money and refund me my last payment.

Customer Service acknowledges my payment but I do not get a physical newspaper nor has account been corrected with previous payment.

Am tiered of calls for payment, I want email from Charlotte Observer stating I do not owe them money and end of service, refund payment.

Misleading billing practices and advertising.
My complaint is actually in regard to my father's account (a long term customer and a senior citizen...even though I didn't check the senior box as I was the one making the complaint). We understand that printed papers are becoming less common and therefore more costly to print and distribute so I am not even arguing about the large percentages that the bill increases each year but what is the real problem is that when we pay his bill, we send in money for a set number of weeks (52 weeks or 26 weeks etc) and the company always claims his subscription runs out earlier that this due to "special issues". I believe that if a senior uses their limited income to select a service that is supposed to run for an agreed upon number of weeks, then it should do so. Quite a while back, we cancelled his subscription for this very reason...I felt the were being deceptive in their billing practices. Last Sunday, marketing called and we greed to 26 weeks at $75ish and I told them to mail an invoice for us to pay from. The bill that came had no choice that matched what we had agreed to. My dad would love to have a subscription again but I am not going to allow him to overpay due to deceptiveness.

It started out as a non-delivery issue so I cancelled my subscription and now they won't stop delivering papers to my home.
I signed up for a subscription on January 10, 2018 and was charged $23.72. I received on paper on January 12 and 14th. I contacted the paper and they told me the issue would get resolved. I received one paper within the following week so I called the business again. This time I requested the subscription be cancelled, a refund be given minus the three (3) papers I had received. On February 1, 2018 a refund posted to my account for $10.65. I contacted the company again asking why I did not receive more, 3 papers could not have cost $13.07; I was told they would not refund the $9.99 activation fee. On February 6, 2018 I received an email stating my subscription delivery would be restarted on 2/7/2018. I returned the email stating not to deliver the paper. I received another email stating the subscription has been cancelled as of 2/9/2018 but I am still receiving a delivery. I have called every other day asking them to stop the delivery. I am not paying for a subscription that I cancelled due to the company's negligence. I have not received any further refund either.

Littering our nieghborhood with unwanted advertising circulars
The Observer owns the *** advertising circular and they throw them out into the neigbborhood every Tuesday and Thursday. These papers are wrapped in plastic, are very light and blow all over the neighborhood on windy days. Many of them end up in the gutters and all over the streets. When it rains they go down the gutter into streams and city water run off. People do not pick them up espeaccially when in street and gutters. Often the deliverer will continue to throw them at a residence home when one or two already sit in driveway that are not picked up by residence .
live there. These circulars are littering our neighborhoods to a great extent and filling our water ways. When we call to stop delivery at our homes the request is not honored. Some residence complain that their calls are often never retureed.

Clt Observer chged my credit card for 7 day delivery with electronic access after I had called and advised I wanted to change to Sun del. No credit!
I t/c'd Observer on 12/21/17 to ask about changing my daily delivery to electronic access. I was advised that I should call back closer to my renewal date in February, 2018. January 26, 2018 Observer debited my credit card for the entire $270.00 for 7 day delivery and electronic access. I immediately t/c'd (Jan 26) to request refund to my CC along with email confirmation. I called again on 2/2; No Refund, No Email! Called again on 2/9: NO REFUND; NO EMAIL! ASKED FOR SUPERVISOR AND WAS TOLD I'D GET A CALL BACK! STILL NOTHING!!!! I still do not have a call, email, nor refund!!

street littered with the weekly marketing junk "***" from the Charlotte Observer
I do not want my driveway or the street littered with the weekly marketing junk c"*** - some of the most recent stories from the Charlotte Observer

It is nothing more than junk mail but it is thrown from automobiles to the end of every driveway.

I want it to stop

As a native Charlottean, and someone that has been a subscriber of the Charlotte Observer since the seventies, this has become one of the worst companies I've ever had the displeasure to do business with. Their customer service has become nonexistent over the years, unless you enjoy playing email or phone tag with their overseas phone center.

One issue, of many, has been ongoing problems with their vacation hold service. It seldom if ever works correctly - if at all.

The latest problem involves contacting the Observer back in November to have a paper box installed because for over a year I've been having to pick my paper up off the ground since I cancelled my paper the previous year due to delivery problems. My box disappeared at that time. I'm assuming they took it down. I guess that's what I get for giving them 2nd chance.

It took them a week to answer but promised the box would be installed within 5 to 10 days. About a month later, and time for my annual renewal, the box still hadn't been installed and after contacting them again via email and threatening not to renew, they promised the box would be installed. Weeks later still no box. After three attempts to get a box I called today and had the pleasure of waiting almost 30 minutes before 'trying' to communicate again with someone in their overseas call center. Forget trying to talk to someone locally, and when I demanded to do so I was refused.

So I cancelled my service again. We'll see what happens. The last time I was forced to cancel they continued sending the paper and billed me for it.

As a native Charlottean, and someone that has been a subscriber of the Charlotte Observer since the seventies, this has become one of the worst companies I've ever had the displeasure to do business with. Their customer service has become nonexistent over the years, unless you enjoy playing email or phone tag with their overseas phone center.

One issue, of many, has been ongoing problems with their vacation hold service. It seldom if ever works correctly - if at all.

The latest problem involves contacting the Observer back in November to have a paper box installed because for over a year I've been having to pick my paper up off the ground since I cancelled my paper the previous year due to delivery problems. My box disappeared at that time. I'm assuming they took it down. I guess that's what I get for giving them 2nd chance.

It took them a week to answer but promised the box would be installed within 5 to 10 days. About a month later, and time for my annual renewal, the box still hadn't been installed and after contacting them again via email and threatening not to renew, they promised the box would be installed. Weeks later still no box. After three attempts to get a box I called today and had the pleasure of waiting almost 30 minutes before 'trying' to communicate again with someone in their overseas call center. Forget trying to talk to someone locally, and when I demanded to do so I was refused.

So I cancelled my service again. We'll see what happens. The last time I was forced to cancel they continued sending the paper and billed me for it.

They charged my Credit card for $204.08 when it should have been $112.13 then lied and told me they only charged it for 102.04.
I sent a check they did not cash in 5 weeks (check sent 11/13). I called their CS (12/6)and she said we can use a credit card so I put a stop payment on the check thinking they lost it. I was told they would charge me 102.04 (why, I don't know?). I now see they charged me double, 204.08. They deny it but my card statement says otherwise. I never received one paper as of this past Sunday (Sunday only). I have tried to cancel this paper and some guy (Scott M)called last week saying he would give me 4 weeks free and they would refund my amount until he called after 4 weeks, to make sure I was satisfied. This is when I noticed they double charged me. They are saying there are credits but there is nothing credited as of 1/30. They owe me $91.95 as an overcharge and $51.82 for the 13 weeks of Sunday only that I never received that they said would start 12/10. THEY OWE ME $143.77 credited to my Card!!!

After my subscription ran out they continued to leave papers in my box. This continued for several weeks after my subscription ran out.
We have been a subscriber for years taking the paper. Each time I would always receive a statement in the mail with the option to choose number of weeks and the price. I would Check the weeks enclose a check and send back to Observer, However when we decided not to renew this time they continued to leave papers for a couple of weeks so I thought they were trying to get rid of their papers. However after several weeks we received a letter in the mail from a collection agency stating we owed $48.33 in which I was shocked. Nothing from the Observer they had turned it over to the Collection agency, I can understand Observer trying to get money since their business is off and they are probably overloaded with papers. I called Customer Service and talked with someone and I explained the situation after back and forth she promised to take care of the problem. So this month I received another notice from Collection Agency so I called again this time I had a different person who was very rude and told me that we owed this amt of $48.33 and wanted to know if I wanted to pay it then and I said absolutely not. I explained in the past how the system worked that you checked the amt of weeks you preferred and sent the check to the Observer. She informed me their system had changed and after your subscription runs out you have to call to cancel or either you will be charged for each paper. This is really sad as the carrier is constantly putting papers through out the neighborhood and if they expect you to pay they are insane !!! The lady also informed me I had signed for these papers and I told her I had not signed for anything other than when I sent in my previous renewal and why they can leave papers without your permission and then send you a bill or send to Collection. I know with their paper so small everyone is canceling their subscription so I know their business is way off so guess they need to justify charging you for the papers they leave without your permission. I would never subscribe to the Observer again and I'm definitely getting the word out how unprofessional they are.

They keep charging me for something I have already paid in full up front. Everytime I call, they tell me they will take the charge off my bill,
Every time I call the Observer to take the charge off by bill, they say they will, but they never do. And now they have taken this to a collection agency. I have been working on this since September. I have spoken to someone on 9/18/17, November and December. In September they charged me $111.02 that I had to dispute, which they did finally take off. I bought a Sunday only subscription for 52 weeks for $52.00 and paid this in full on 10/17/17. This was supposed to take me through Jan. of 2018. The amount they keep charging me is $27.52. I called on 12/29/17 and 1/11/18 and have now received my second collection agency letter. The following people keep saying my account balance has been waved: ***, *** (ID#***) and *** ref #***. Please help me with this matter. I have paid for my paper. They even stopped it in December and still keep saying I need to pay them.

I attempted multiple times, via phone and email, to cancel my subscription. Observer continued to deliver and charge me for papers. Would not cancel
Contacted Observer on 11/29/17 to cancel subscription via phone. I was told that I had to pay through 12/15/17, then it would cancel. Not sure why I had to pay ahead, but I did. I continued to receive the paper through 1/22/17 despite multiple phone calls and emails. I emailed on 1/7/18 pleading to cancel my subscription and not charge me additional charges as it was their error. Observer emailed me and confirmed that subscription was cancelled as of 1/10/18. I emailed again 1/16/18 to tell them I was still receiving papers and this was their way of extorted subscribers. Paper finally stopped delivery as of 1/22/18. I have received a bill for $103.26 for the additional papers they delivered.

Upon cancellation of E-edition subscription charged my bank car for additional amounts and has failed to reverse charges in a refund.
About August 16,2017, I cancelled my e-edition to the Observer. On August 18 my bank account was charged $88.00 for something the observer has not identified. Two calls to customer service in September indicated the charge would be reversed but this has not happened. Received a Pat Due notice dated Jan 10, 2018 for $22.02 indicated that my delivery was recently stopped. I have not received anything from the Observer since August, 2017. I have had several calls requesting that I restart my subscription following my calls to Customer Service. I declined each time. On Jan 22, 1018 I received a Collection notice from *** (a collection agency)in California requesting the above amount immediately. I have not availed myself of any services of the Charlotte Observer since August, 2017.

I re-located and transferred the service. I have not received a single deliver in weeks despite calling and reporting and being told it would be.
I relocated and when I renewed my subscription mid-December, I provided the new address and start date of 1/1. I didn't get my Wednesday or Friday deliver (1/3 and 1/5) so on 1/5, I went by my old address and the paper was there, so I called and the customer service person indicated that they didn't have the new address (so it didn't get changed despite my written request) but assured me there was a route in my new community in xxxxx and that within 24 to 48 hours it would be processed and I should have my Sunday paper. He put a vacation hold on while they assigned the route. Sunday came and no paper. I reported it. The next Wednesday came, and I reported it. This has gone on now for 3 weeks with me calling each day to report my missing paper and being told that it would be resolved. After 2 weeks, it was "red-flagged" and sent to the "manager" of delivery for the area to address. I was also told I'd receive a call to discuss. I received no call and of course, no papers. On Sunday 1/14, I was told they would request a re-delivery and I'd have by 10am. Of course, I got no re-delivery so I called back and they credited the account again and this time gave me the number of supervisor to call to discuss with assurances that they would take my call and help get this resolved. I called on Monday morning. They not only didn't take the call, but didn't bother to call back. As expected, I got no deliveries for this week-end again and quite frankly I'm tired of getting upset that I've paid for a service, in advance, that I've not received although I've given them every opportunity to rectify the situation. What makes it worse is the feigned concern about the non-delivery of the service I've paid for by stringing me along for weeks, telling me there was a route, it would start the next day, someone would call me, lie after lie just to keep me from cancelling my subscriptions. With newspaper subscriptions steadily going down, you'd think they'd want to keep every subscriber and I've been a subscriber since I moved to xxxxx in 1994. I have never experienced such poor service from an organization. And just for their information, to add insult to injury when I call to report a delivery issue, they have their call center say "you do know you have it online". If just wanted online, I can subscribe that way, but quite frankly, the app is horrible, it's difficult to use, it's slow, you watch the pages paint, you go to move to another page and the pop-up ads are right now the swipe and so you get an ad you don't want to see. I've never been able to get the circulars to load. And I'm IT and have been since 1982 so I'm not a computer novice. The app is HORRIBLE but even if it was great, I am paying for a delivery service. I look at a laptop 50 hours a week for work, I don't want to look at it to relax and read so it's just infuriating to have customer service person tell you when you don't get your delivery, use the online. They should re-consider having them say that as it's annoying and irritating. Having it online is not an excuse or a mitigation for their non-performance of delivery that was paid for.

The Charlotte Observer has charged me with papers that I no longer receive.
A representative (***) from the the renewal department (X-XXX-XXX-XXXX) for the Charlotte Observer called me on 1/22/2018, requesting I pay a $66 fee. I notified her that I no longer receive newspapers and had cancelled my subscription back in November. She advised me that there was no cancellation and that I had a balance due and that I would need to call customer service. When I called customer service the first time, I spoke with a woman named *** and told her the situation and she told me that I HAD to pay, and if I wanted to change it I would need to talk to the billing department. I first asked for the billing department's number and she said she didn't have it, then I asked for her name she became unprofessional and then hung up on me. When I called back to the automated system I learned that the billing department is only an automated system and there is no one you can talk to, except for those in customer service. I proceeded to talk to a customer service rep, by the name of ***, she then informed me that she would send the information to the finance department, and that they would get back to me within 7-10 days, and there is no guarantee they can take it off. I expressed how I did not understand how my newspapers stopped in November after I cancelled my subscription, but billing did not. I called on 11/27/17 but the payment of $9.00 did not post until 12/27/17. The number on my transactions reads:

Point of Sale Debit
*** DATE 12-24
THE CHARLOTTE OBSVXXX-XXX-XXXX $9.00

That $9.00 was for the period between October (when my subscription) and November when I had called about not wanting anymore newspapers and learning that I kept receiving them because I hadn't officially unsubscribed.

I was solicited to subscribe to a 13-week subscription to the paper, but the paper continued delivery after I asked for it to stop, then sent a bill.
I was contacted by The Charlotte Observer and asked to subscribe to a 13-week subscription to the paper. I agreed to do so. At some point during the subscription, I was again contacted by the paper, and I informed them that I no longer wanted to receive it--I had not had time to look at a single issue of the paper. They continued to deliver papers after the 13-week period, despite my request to have the paper stopped. Then I received a bill for the unwanted issues. I finally was able to resolve the issue by speaking with a customer service agent at the paper and paying half of the outstanding balance--for papers I never subscribed to nor read. It is completely deceptive to offer someone a 13-week subscription, then continue delivering the papers after the recipient has attempted to stop the subscription and then send a bill. This is the type of sales practice I would expect from a shady tabloid--not a legitimate news source. I have asked that the paper NEVER contact me again regarding another subscription. There are many other news businesses I can rely on who do not participate in such deceptive practices.