The Pantagraph

Another day and especially another Sunday without a paper. Since August I have had delivery issues. Most days no paper, reported and was given credit. I'm not paying for credit. Last week I did receive paper for a few days thought things were better and now day without. I understand why advertisers have cut back on advertising when the money spent is not delivered on ad's for the consumer who would read them.

Ms [redacted] s subscription was shortened due to certain days that have premium content, which are charged at a higher priceThis content may include numerous coupons which provide heightened value to the consumer or special editorial or advertorial content including Thanksgiving, Better Holiday sections, puzzle books and other contentThe higher price of these papers accelerates the termination of subscriptions We strive to provide very visible notice of this varied rate by advising the consumer in the paper and our our web site that premium days will occur throughout the year and will reduce the length of their subscriptionWe are sorry for any inconvenience to Ms***We understand her concerns and are happy to extend her subscription for the full weeks

Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 5, 2016/01/19) */ We apologize for the poor delivery in CarlockWe have a new carrier on route effective 1/19/and expect our service to improve to the standards that our customers deserveUnfortunately in areas outside of Bloomington-we are unable to deliver missed papers, but we do credit customer accounts so they are not charged for papers they don't receiveWe will also extend this customer's subscription by two weeks at no charge Initial Consumer Rebuttal / [redacted] (2000, 7, 2016/01/20) */ (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)

Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 5, 2016/03/28) */ Response: We apologize for the lack of delivery to Ms [redacted] We are refunding her $payment made in JuneWe will also offer her 13-weeks of free Sunday deliveryWe will put Ms [redacted] on our Do Not Call list Initial Consumer Rebuttal / [redacted] (3000, 8, 2016/04/10) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) I did not get reimbursement for having to buy the paper each week nor interest on my refundI received the refund and sunday papers but no paper again this sundayAgain misleading saying I will get it for 13weeKS and after papers no more

Ms***’s subscription was shortened due to certain days which have premium content, which are charged at a higher priceThis content may include numerous coupons which provide heightened value to the consumer or special editorial or advertorial content including Thanksgiving, Better Holiday sections, puzzle books and other contentThe higher price of these papers accelerates the termination of subscriptions We strive to provide very visible notice of this varied rate by advising the consumer in the paper and our website and renewal notices that premium days will occur throughout the year and will reduce the length of their subscriptionWe are sorry for any inconvenience to Mr [redacted] We understand his concerns and are happy to extend his subscription until Feb1, 2018, so that he receives his full year of deliveryWe are also going to lower the renewal rate of Mr [redacted] ’ subscription from $to $should he decide to continue subscribing to our paper

To whom it may concern:This letter is in response to the complaint filed by Gary [redacted] Mr [redacted] complains that the term of his subscription was shortened due to charges for premium days.These days are charged at a higher price due to premium content included in the paper on those daysthe higher price due to premium content included in the paper on those daysThe higher price of these papers accelerates the termination of subscriptionsWe provide notice to the consumer of this varied rate by advising the consumer in the paper and on our website that premium days will occur throughout the year and will reduce the length of their subscription.We are sorry for any inconvenience to Mr [redacted] and we will honor his request to has subscription paid through July 15.We trust this will resolve the matterIf you have any further questions or need any further information, please feel free to contact me.Sincerely, [redacted] Retention Manager, The Pantagraph [redacted]

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID *** and find that this resolution is satisfactory to meI am pleased that my newspaper subscription will continue until Feb1, I will not be renewing my subscription after this subscription runs out due to the substantial rate increaseWe are senior citizens and feel that a rate increase of $is excessiveAfter looking at our statements from the Pantagraph it appears that they also shorted their subscribers one month for the last three yearsIn our subscription ran out in MayWe have always paid yearly so one would think it should always be due the same month each year I didn't take time to go back any further in my records but it is apparent that while my subscription is not as long as it used to be and the price keeps going up this should be a real money maker for the Pantagraph

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to meTo clarify, I would appreciate confirmation from the Pantagraph as to to when my week subscription will expire

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2016/04/27) */
We have pulled the service request logs of Mr*** and saw that he called on April at 9:a.mto complain about placement of his Sunday paperThis was the only call received in Our District Manager tried to call the subscriber
on April at 1:p.mand April at 9:a.mThe phone was not answered but we did leave messages both timesNeither phone call was returned
We have spoken to the carrier about providing the same porch service on Sunday that Mr*** receives six days per week
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 7, 2016/04/28) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
Acceptable if the paper is delivered on the porchWe do not recall any messages left on our answering machineWe get numerous junk calls, so if a message was left that did not properly ID the caller and issue, e.gPantagraph concerning delivery issues, then it would have been deleted as junkAdditionally I have contacted them more than time on this matter

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/12/28) */
December 28,
Dear Ms***:
This is written as in response to your letter to the Revdex.com of Central Illinois, Incregarding your digital access and our pop up surveys
Upon further research of your
account it appears digital subscription has been stopped due to lack of paymentOn November 18, you were contacted and stated you were waiting on a new credit card and asked and received a month free for previous "technical difficulties"
I've asked one of our customer service representatives (***) to reach out to you for active credit card information to get your account re-activated
Once we receive payment and you log into your account you should no longer see those survey pop upsIf you do please feel free to contact *** at XXX-XXX-XXXX
Cordially,
*** ***
Regional Director/Audience Development
Central IL SBU
***@pantagraph.com
XXX-XXX-XXXX
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2016/01/04) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
The number of the credit cared given to accounting for payment was stolen and cancelledI was waiting for a replacement card to arrive and the paper did comp me days until the new card arrivedI have since contacted them and gave them a new number and set up a recurring payment dateI would like to add that according to the dates given by the Revdex.com e-mail I received, it coincidentally coincides with the date that the mandatory surveys disappeared from the text of the paperThat said, I am no longer getting the text of the paper being blacked out and being required to complete a survey in order to access the news I am paying forThank you for your help and if the surveys appear again I will file another complaintI would also like to add that these surveys have been going on for over a one year period but until the last three months a closed button was available to close the survey out and read the textAgain, thank you for your help and if these surveys appear again; I will let you know
*** ***

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2016/01/19) */
We apologize for the poor delivery in Carlock. We have a new carrier on route effective 1/19/16 and expect our service to improve to the standards that our customers deserve. Unfortunately in areas outside of Bloomington-Normal we are unable to...

deliver missed papers, but we do credit customer accounts so they are not charged for papers they don't receive. We will also extend this customer's subscription by two weeks at no charge.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 7, 2016/01/20) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)

To whom it may concern:This letter is in response to the complaint filed by Gary [redacted] Mr. [redacted] complains that the term of his subscription was shortened due to charges for premium days.These days are charged at a higher price due to premium content included in the paper on those days. the...

higher price due to premium content included in the paper on those days. The higher price of these papers accelerates the termination of subscriptions. We provide notice to the consumer of this varied rate by advising the consumer in the paper and on our website that premium days will occur throughout the year and will reduce the length of their subscription.We are sorry for any inconvenience to Mr. [redacted] and we will honor his request to has subscription paid through July 15.We trust this will resolve the matter. If you have any further questions or need any further information, please feel free to contact me.Sincerely,[redacted]Retention Manager, The Pantagraph[redacted]

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2016/01/22) */
In looking at Ms. [redacted]'s service complaints, we see she called in on Jan. 19 and 20. 2016, about receiving no paper. We have credited her for those days. Those are the only complaints we have officially logged in 2016. Before that we see her...

last service complaint was made in March of 2012.
Ms. [redacted]'s neighborhood does have a carrier, who started his route on Jan. 20, 2016. Unfortunately new carriers do sometimes make mistakes as they are learning the route, and we apologize that Ms. [redacted] was missed on his first day.
We do issue refunds for papers not received and we strive to deliver the best customer service possible. Our carriers are out every day in the early morning hours in all kinds of weather, braving the cold, snow, ice and rain. They deliver in the dark and strive to meet multiple customer placement demands. Even when schools and businesses are closed, our carriers are doing their best to deliver in hazardous conditions.
We did not change our distribution method. We optimized and consolidated routes to provide our customers with a better service and make it more economically profitable for our carriers. We continue to tweak routes as circumstances change, including number of subscribers on a route and carrier turnover We feel that our route optimization has been successful for the majority of our subscribers and carriers.
As with all businesses, our costs increase every year, and it is with much hesitation and deliberation that we pass a fraction of those increases onto our customers.
We have several subscription options that might be more economical for Ms. [redacted], including Wednesday-Sunday delivery, Sunday only, and our digital only subscriptions. We appreciate Ms. [redacted]'s business and will continue to strive to give her the stellar service all our customers deserve.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2016/03/28) */
Response:
We apologize for the lack of delivery to Ms. [redacted]. We are refunding her $13.99 payment made in June. We will also offer her 13-weeks of free Sunday delivery. We will put Ms. [redacted] on our Do Not Call list.
Initial Consumer...

Rebuttal /* (3000, 8, 2016/04/10) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
I did not get reimbursement for having to buy the paper each week nor interest on my refund. I received the refund and 2 sunday papers but no paper again this sunday. Again misleading saying I will get it for 13weeKS and after 2 papers no more.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 10, 2015/12/08) */
Much as television and internet providers struggle with rural delivery, newspapers are also challenged with providing the same type of service to those in a heavily populated city districts versus those living in less densely populated rural...

areas.
Mr. [redacted] was switched from carrier delivery to mail delivery on Sept. 15, 2008. As stated in his complaint "This has been going on for the last couple years." So perhaps Mr. [redacted] has been upset with his method of delivery for the past seven years. We much prefer to have subscribers receive their papers via carrier, as we then have control of the delivery time and method. Unfortunately, declining print subscribers have meant that in some geographic areas it is no longer profitable to continue carrier delivery, so we change the method of delivery to the USPS.
Unfortunately we cannot guarantee same-day delivery for our mail subscribers. As reported in a USA Today article dated Aug. 14, the U.S. Postal Service has been consolidating and shutting down mail sites as more people abandon mail for communicating and paying bills through the Internet. But the agency had no idea that its cost-saving measures and other delaying complications would push the envelope.
Mail delays rose by almost 50% to the tune of almost 500 million pieces of mail in the first six months of the year compared to last year, the U.S. Postal Service self-monitoring office said in an audit report to managers. In the 12-page document dated Aug. 13, the agency's Office of Inspector General blamed Post Office organizational changes and the brutal winter.
In looking at the customer account, we do see that the customer contacted us twice in 2015 (March 23, Nov. 10) On Nov. 10 the customer threatened to cancel and our customer care specialists explained that mail delivery can be delayed.
To help offset the lag time in mail delivery, we do offer full access to all of our digital offerings including pantagraph.com and our e-edition, which is a page-by-page replica version of our print product. The e-edition goes live around midnight every night, so in fact Mr. [redacted] could see the paper earlier than if his paper was carrier delivered. We see that Mr. [redacted] has a registered email address with us, with indicates he does have access to a computer.
We are unable to provide Mr. [redacted] with same day print delivery. As much as we would hate to lose him as a print subscriber, perhaps subscribing to our digital products would help ease the frustration of a late newspaper.


Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 12, 2015/12/11) */
To the Revdex.com Complaint Department:
In response to the Pantagraph response to the Revdex.com concerning my complaint. The Pantagraph said that it preferred carrier delivery, but it is no longer profitable due to the declining Print subscribers. The Print subscribers decline is due to the delayed delivery of the paper. The rural carrier system is the most preferred service but the postal service that we have now was working ok as long as the paper was delivered to the Dana, Illinois Post Office. The people in Dana receive their paper on time and we did too when the paper was delivered to the Post Office in the mornings. The delivery truck used to drop off the Pantagraph paper at the Post Office so the Rural Postal Mail Carrier could pick them up and deliver the papers to their customers. The delivery truck don't drop off the papers to the post office anymore. Why? This could solve the problem. Furthermore, the carrier service is still in use for our neighbor who live 3 or 4 miles away. The carrier that delivers our Sunday paper said that he would have no problem with adding our route to his on the daily basis. If this would happen, their lost subscribers would probably come return. As of now, their excuse is not acceptable.
[redacted] at [redacted]@maxiis.com

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.   I am now aware of this practice.    Saying that I still feel that when the subscriptions are sold the rate should match the number of weeks advertised and received.   The price should reflect the premium papers and the ACTUAL weeks received.  Thank you for bringing my issue to the panagraph.

Ms. [redacted]s subscription was shortened due to certain days that have premium content, which are charged at a higher price. This content may include numerous coupons which provide heightened value to the consumer or special editorial or advertorial content including Thanksgiving, Better Holiday...

sections, puzzle books and other content. The higher price of these papers accelerates the termination of subscriptions.      We strive to provide very visible notice of this varied rate by advising the consumer in the paper and our our web site that premium days will occur throughout the year and will reduce the length of their subscription. We are sorry for any inconvenience to Ms. [redacted]. We understand her concerns and are happy to extend her subscription for the full 20 weeks.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2016/01/05) */
We apologize for the inconsistent service that Mrs. [redacted] has received. It is not up to Pantagraph standards and we are working hard to correct this problem.
We will issue a full refund to Mrs. [redacted] of $13.99 and we will also...

deliver her 13 weeks of the Sunday Pantagraph free starting January 10, 2016 as an apology for the poor service.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 7, 2016/01/06) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)

We will honor the requested end date of July 17, 2018

Ms. [redacted]’s subscription was shortened due to certain days which have premium content, which are charged at a higher price. This content may include numerous coupons which provide heightened value to the consumer or special editorial or advertorial content including Thanksgiving, Better...

Holiday sections, puzzle books and other content. The higher price of these papers accelerates the termination of subscriptions.      We strive to provide very visible notice of this varied rate by advising the consumer in the paper and our website and renewal notices that premium days will occur throughout the year and will reduce the length of their subscription. We are sorry for any inconvenience to Mr. [redacted] We understand his concerns and are happy to extend his subscription until Feb. 1, 2018, so that he receives his full year of delivery. We are also going to lower the renewal rate of Mr. [redacted]’ subscription from $473.58 to $426.09 should he decide to continue subscribing to our paper.