Dear Mr. [redacted]:We are in receipt of your complaint regarding the continued delivery and billing past the expire date of your newspaper delivery and being sent to collections. We apologize that you needed to take this to the Revdex.com for resolution. First, it is important you...
understand all Star Tribune invoices advise that service and billing do not automatically stop at the end of the subscription term and that the subscriber should contact the Star Tribune if they wish to stop their subscription. We provide this grace period as a courtesy to our subscribers to prevent an unnecessary interruption in their delivery should their payment be sent after the due date. This information is also noted on all marketing communications including but not limited to direct mail, kiosk sales forms, and website solicitations for new subscribers. After reviewing your account, we see that you have been a subscriber since September 2013. You started your latest 26-week, Sunday-only subscription on 6/10/15 via the internet with a special introductory rate. You would have been notified of the above policy and had to check an agreement box to start the subscription. There was a past due balance on your account of $7.80 that was taken out of your payment first, which made your expire date 11/1/2015. Renewal invoices were sent to you on 10/4/15 (three weeks prior to the expire date), 11/8/15, 12/6/15, and a final invoice on 1/16/16 when service was stopped in our system for non-payment all requesting that you call to stop delivery. It’s also noted that we tried to call you on 12/9/15 and left a voicemail regarding your account. As a one-courtesy, we have written off the past due balance and pulled the account from collections. Again, we apologize for any inconvenience that this issue caused you.The Star Tribune does not report past due accounts for newspaper delivery to the credit bureaus, so you do not have to worry about your credit rating on this transaction.Sincerely,Arden [redacted]Senior Vice President, Circulation
Re: Revdex.com Minnesota Case No.: [redacted]
Star Tribune Acct: #...
[redacted]
Dear Mr. [redacted]:
We are in receipt of your complaint to the Revdex.com regarding missed deliveries of your Sunday Star Tribune. I truly regret that this delivery problem was not corrected more quickly.
John [redacted] of my staff has contacted our Bloomington distributor about this problem and will follow up with you to make certain it is resolved. In addition to the credit you initially received for missed papers, we have added 4 weeks of service to your account the inconvenience this caused.
Thanks for staying with us as we work to remedy this problem. John will follow up with you on the 30th of October to verify that the problem is corrected.
[redacted] L [redacted]
[redacted]
St Paul, MN 55124
Re: Revdex.com Minnesota Case No.: [redacted]
Star Tribune Acct: # [redacted]
Dear Ms. [redacted]:
I am replying to your complaint to the Revdex.com regarding missed deliveries of your 7-day Star Tribune. My apologies for mis addressing my original letter on 3-6-2018.
We have experience higher than usual carrier turnover this new year which has resulted in a spike in delivery errors. I have contacted our distribution agent in your area – he will work with your carriers to improve delivery. As a courtesy, I have credited your account for 2 weeks of additional service. This credit posted on March 6th.
I apologize for the inconvenience you have encountered of late and trust that this matter will be resolved to your satisfaction.
Sincerely,
John [redacted]
Department Administrator, Circulation
cc: [redacted], Revdex.com Minnesota and North Dakota
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/12/03) */
Dear Mr. [redacted]:
We are in receipt of your complaint regarding the continued delivery and billing past the expire date of your newspaper delivery. We apologize that you needed to take this to the Revdex.com for resolution. ...
First, it is important you understand all Star Tribune invoices advise that service and billing do not automatically stop at the end of the subscription term and that the subscriber should contact the Star Tribune if they wish to stop their subscription. We provide this grace period as a courtesy to our subscribers to prevent an unnecessary interruption in their delivery should their payment be sent after the due date. This information is also noted on all marketing communications including but not limited to direct mail, kiosk sales forms, and website solicitations for new subscribers.
Upon reviewing your account, we see you started a 26-week, 7-day print subscription on 5/21/2015 thru Newspaper Subscription Service at a low introductory rate with an expire date of 11/21/2015. We sent our first renewal invoice on 11/1/2015 (three weeks prior to the expire date). All invoices clearly stated that the customer needed to call to stop delivery. To further clarify, the introductory 26-week period was over and the rate increased to the normal rate of $7.05 per week ($3.15 for Sunday and $0.65 daily) on the renewal invoice.
The email notice you received was a reminder for you with some easy options for payment and was not a replica of the official renewal invoice mailed to you via USPS. I apologize if you felt it was confusing and misrepresentative. We will review the wording with our Marketing Department for the future use.
We have written off the past due balance of $8.15. Thank you trying the Star Tribune.
Sincerely,
Arden [redacted]
Senior Vice President, Circulation
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 7, 2015/12/04) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
The part I accept is the writing off of $8.15, because otherwise I would have continued complaining.
I am not pleased with the Strib's response on how to alert the customer, that they must take an additional step to get the paper stopped.
This is the problem sentence: "We provide this grace period as a courtesy to our subscribers to prevent an unnecessary interruption in their delivery should their payment be sent after the due date"
No, this policy is not "a courtesy to our subscribers", it's a courtesy to the Star Tribune. "Unnecessary" interruption?? When someone subscribes for six months, it means that the subscription must end at the end of six months.
If I subscribed for one year and agreed to pay every three months, and I forgot to send in my check at the end of the third month, then I could understand that the Strib would grant a grace period. But at the end of one year, the paper would stop. Then the phrases "unnecessary interruption" or "grace period" would not apply.
But it's up to the Strib to change their policy or not. I prefer the Internet.
Dear Ms. [redacted]: We are in receipt of your complaint regarding continued delivery, billing, and going to collections. This after returned renewal invoices to us, finally discovering that your subscription was started at the wrong address, and you had never received a paper. We apologize that...
you needed to take this to the Revdex.com for resolution. I am writing as a follow up to my Assistant Cindy [redacted]’s call and voicemail to you on May 25th. Upon reviewing your account, we see the Kiosk start for a 13-week Sunday plus Digital Access subscription on June 19, 2015. It is obvious that something was wrong when the first two renewal invoices were returned on September 10th and October 8th. We called on October 28th regarding your past due bill and left a voicemail. On November 5th, there is a note about your call and that you had never received one Sunday paper. It was then discovered that the address was incorrect and a correction was made from 40th Avenue to 46th Avenue. The rep should have credited your account for all the missed papers and adjusted any past due balance off your account at that point, however, that was not done. You stated you only received one Sunday paper after the address correction. The account was then perm stopped on December 2, 2015, due to non-payment. This should not have happened either. Your account and all the errors have been discussed with the Customer Service Manager Dawn Rose, and each area where your account was not handled correctly. This is not how we do business or want our customers treated. We are very sorry for the errors on our part. The past due amount has been written off, and the account balance is zero. Enclosed is a $25.00 Visa gift card to cover the subscription cost. We sincerely apologize for the poor service and inconvenience this has caused you. I hope you will consider the Star Tribune again in the future, and give us a chance to win back your confidence. Sincerely, Arden [redacted] Senior Vice President, Circulation
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.We did receive a Sunday paper from the Star Tribune on Sunday. We hope that the service problem has been corrected and that our service in the future will be good as in the past. From all indications, that appears to be the case.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/12/15) */
Dear Ms. [redacted]:
We are in receipt of your complaint regarding all the missed Sunday papers since late June. We apologize that you needed to take this to the Revdex.com for resolution.
Upon reviewing your account, we see...
many missed paper complaints and other notes regarding your calls. This is not acceptable and not the Premium Service that we want to give our customers.
We contacted the new Distributor directly about your continued missed papers. When the new distributing company took over your area in early November, they lost the carrier for your route and are having trouble finding a new one and even subs. They have assured us that they will make sure you receive your Sunday paper going forward.
Thank you for bringing your service issue to our attention and giving us the chance to correct it. Your account shows credits for fourteen missed papers, which extends your expiration date to 6/13/2016. Please contact us if your delivery does not improve immediately.
Again, we are very sorry for the problems that you experienced. Thank you for being a Star Tribune subscriber.
Sincerely,
Arden [redacted]
Senior Vice President, Circulation
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/12/16) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
If the issue is actually resolved and the paper gets delivered, AND delivered properly and in a timely fashion each week, then yes, I have no problem accepting the response. I cannot see how a business can just stop its service knowingly and without contacting the customer to let them know there is an issue and they will work on getting it resolved and credit the customer for the services that were not done. Also with the amount of time that has been spent contacting the business and not one phone call back as promised. Also, when I signed up for online viewing of my account, my old subscription is showing a .20 cent past due amount that I was (again) assured was taken care of months ago, but it is still showing.
Thank you
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2015/12/17) */
I'm sorry it was not mentioned in the letter, but I made sure that the 20 cents was written off your former account. Please contact us directly if your service does not resume this Sunday. You can call Conrad [redacted] on Sunday at [redacted], as he will be working.
Dear Mrs. [redacted]: We are in receipt of your complaint regarding the continued delivery and billing past the expire date of your subscription. We apologize that you needed to take this to the Revdex.com for resolution. First, it is important you understand all Star...
Tribune invoices advise that service and billing do not automatically stop at the end of the subscription term and that the subscriber should contact the Star Tribune if they wish to stop their subscription. We provide this grace period as a courtesy to our subscribers to prevent an unnecessary interruption in their delivery should their payment be sent after the due date. This information is also noted on all marketing communications, including but not limited to direct mail, kiosk sales forms, and website solicitations for new subscribers. After reviewing your account, we see that you were a long-time subscriber, and you have utilized the above grace period. Service was stopped in our system per your request with the last delivery on Sunday, June 18th, after receiving renewal invoices on 4/16/17 (3 weeks prior to the expire date), 5/21/17, and 6/11/17. All invoices clearly stating the above policy. As a one-time courtesy, we have written off the past due balance. Thank you for being a long-tenured Star Tribune subscriber and hope you will consider us again in the future. The Star Tribune does not report past due accounts for newspaper delivery to the credit bureaus, so you do not have to worry about your credit rating on this transaction. Sincerely, Arden [redacted] Senior Vice President, Circulation
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/08/21) */
Perhaps some background as to why we recently changed our vacation policy may better help you understand why we implemented this change.
Each and every week the Star Tribune processes more than 6,300 vacation stops and a like amount of...
vacation restarts. With each stop, numerous departments in the Company are impacted. This includes the call center, the production department, and Fleet transportation personnel. This also creates a big strain on our carriers and increases variances in their route lists every day. The continuance of billing for the first seven days of a vacation stop is a "processing fee" to cover the costs of having to stop and restart so many accounts each and every week. I am certain that if you disconnected your cable TV service for a vacation period, they would most assuredly charge a "reactivation fee" upon your return. The same would be true for your power company, your telephone service, etc.
Interestingly, about 75% of our subscribers do not stop their paper for vacation during any given year. That means the almost 13,000 vacation stops and restarts we get each week are coming from only 25% of our subscribers, some of which stop and restart their subscription many times each year. Taking these effects into consideration, we felt this program change seemed fairer than passing on a price increase to all of our subscribers to cover the cost for vacation stops and restarts.
Finally, most major metropolitan newspapers have changed their vacation policy to one of no credit for any stopped vacation days; we drew the line at 7 days believing that this was an appropriate charge for the handling of a vacation stop.
I hope this additional explanation at least helps you understand why we made this change. Thank you for subscribing to the Star Tribune.
Sincerely,
Arden [redacted]
SVP Circ
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/08/28) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
I understand that a company can change a policy, what I don't understand is how you can have a contract with someone and are able to change the condition of the contract without notifying the customer. I believe my agreement should stand until the initial contract period ends. Since I signed up for the paper in August 2014 and you changed policy in October 2014 I should fall under the rules in place at the time of our agreement in August. I want a refund for my lost days.
Re: Revdex.com Minnesota Case No.: [redacted]
Star Tribune Acct: #...
[redacted]
Dear Mr. [redacted]:
I’m sorry to learn that your home delivery service has been subpar of late. Please know that we will do all that we can to improve the timeliness and consistently of your service as soon as possible.
It’s unfortunate that you are being adversely affected by a significant carrier shortage in your area. Please know that we will do all we can to recruit additional caring and competent people.
I contacted our delivery agent regarding this issue and asked that field staff keep you apprised of efforts to improve service. I have credited your account for 2 weeks of service for your inconvenience.
I am sorry for the impact this service issue has on a loyal subscriber.
Sincerely,
John [redacted]
Department Administrator, Circulation
cc: [redacted], Revdex.com Minnesota and North Dakota
I am rejecting this response because:
The business (Star Tribune) appears to have not fully read or comprehended my complaint. First off, as both the Star Tribune and I know so I didn’t repeat it in the first letter, there are two newspaper carriers; the weekday and the weekend. The weekday deliverer did not deliver the paper while I had it on vacation hold. The weekend deliverer did. So the flaw in the system was either the intelligence of the weekend deliver for not following the sheet stating that there was to be no delivery at my address or the flaw was the system for not placing on the sheet that I was not suppose to receive papers on the weekend as well as during the week days. The business did not address my demand to be compensated for ALL newspapers that should have been on hold during the time period. The business did not address my proposed monetary solution of crediting my account (or anyone else’s account for the same error) for instances when a paper is delivered when it is not suppose to be, causing my home to appear unoccupied, alerting potential thieves to the easy pickings if they were to choose to rob the place. [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.
Sincerely,
[redacted]
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/04/08) */
Dear Ms. [redacted]:
We are in receipt of your complaint to the Revdex.com regarding continued delivery of the newspaper past the subscription end date, continued billing, and being sent to collections after you had called to stop...
delivery. We apologize that you needed to take this to the Revdex.com for resolution.
First, it is important you understand all Star Tribune invoices advise that service and billing do not automatically stop at the end of the subscription term and that the subscriber should contact the Star Tribune if they wish to stop their subscription. We provide this grace period as a courtesy to our subscribers to prevent an unnecessary interruption in their delivery should their payment be sent after the due date. This information is also noted on all marketing communications including but not limited to direct mail, kiosk sales forms, e-mail, and website solicitations for new subscribers.
Upon reviewing your account, we see that a 13-week, Wednesday-Sunday print subscription was started on May 1, 2014, via the internet on a special offer. Renewal invoices were sent to you on 7/13/14 (3 weeks prior to expire date), 8/17/14, 9/14/14, and 10/31/14, when delivery was stopped for non-pay (copies available upon request). The invoices would have all have explained the continued delivery and billing policy above and given you the expire date. There are no calls noted on your account to stop delivery on the end of July. I apologize for any error on our part that caused your account to go to collections.
We have written off the past due balance and pulled the account from collections. We are very sorry for any inconvenience this has caused you.
The Star Tribune does not report past due accounts for newspaper delivery to the credit bureaus, so you do not have to worry about your credit rating on this transaction.
Sincerely,
[redacted]
Vice President, Circulation
I spoke to Ms. [redacted] yesterday. Resolution requires input between Ms. [redacted] and our distribution agent which will take place this week. We will follow up with the customer and Revdex.com within the next week.
Dear Mr. [redacted]: We are in receipt of your complaint regarding the mistaken start of a Star Tribune subscription from a telemarketing call after you told them you did not want to start at that time. We apologize that you needed to take this to the Revdex.com for resolution. ...
This letter is a written follow up to your telephone conversation with my assistant Cindy [redacted]. Per your conversation, we are pulling the telemarketing call, so we can understand why the subscription was started and coach the rep. Cindy clarified that you did not have to prepay to receive the gift card on this offer, but that the gift card would not be sent until the bill was paid. This will also confirm that a subscription has been started based on the same offer effective Sunday, May 15th. An invoice will be sent to you, and the gift card will be processed after your payment is received. Finally, the small balance on your account from the mistaken start was written off. I believe this is a satisfactory resolution to your complaint. Thank you for being a Star Tribune subscriber. Sincerely, Arden [redacted] Senior Vice President, Circulation
Star Tribune Acct: # [redacted] Dear Ms. [redacted]: We are in receipt of your complaint regarding a Star Tribune newspaper tube not being installed after multiple requests. We apologize that you needed to take...
this to the Revdex.com for resolution. After reviewing your account, we see that you have been requesting a newspaper tube be installed for over a year. This is totally unacceptable. Unfortunately, we have turned over three Distribution Companies in your area over the past several months. My assistant has taken the following steps to resolve your complaint: Contacted our equipment room and requested that a tube be sent to the Northfield Distribution Center ASAP. Contacted the new Distributor Adam [redacted] to let him know that the tube is being sent to him and gave him your address and contact information, so he can contact you and have the tube installed as soon as he receives it. Also, made sure the Distributor is aware of the immediate need and that the carrier is instructed to put the paper in the new tube. We are very sorry that your simple request has taken so long and so many contacts to resolve. Thank you for subscribing to the Star Tribune. Sincerely, Arden [redacted] Senior Vice President, Circulation
...⇄ [redacted] ...⇄ [redacted] ...⇄ Bemidji, MN 56601 Dear Ms. [redacted]: We are in receipt of your complaint regarding the failure to start of your father’s Star Tribune home delivery subscription. We apologize that you needed to take this to the Revdex.com for resolution. First, our apologies that it took almost two weeks to resolve your complaint. It went to one of our off-site News offices first and didn’t get to the Circulation Department until a week later. This letter is following up and confirming the steps Scott [redacted], State Operations Manager, took to resolve your father’s home delivery issue. After speaking to you, your father, and locating the correct address in our system; Scott contacted the Distributor in your area and paper delivery started Friday, January 13th. Scott also followed up with your father to make sure that delivery continued and was satisfactory. Although credit was on the account for most of the missed papers, as of 1/16/2017, the full payment amount was back on the account for a fresh start. The new expire date is April 19, 2017. Again, our sincere apologies that the complaint was not resolved immediately. Thank you giving your father a Star Tribune subscription. Sincerely, Arden [redacted] Senior Vice President, Circulation
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/06/02) */
Mr. [redacted]:
First, I apologize that you needed to take your complaint to the Revdex.com for resolution.
After reading your complaint and reviewing your account, we see that the past due balance was written off on May 15, 2015. ...
The collection agency should have been notified immediately to pull the account from collections. We are contacting them again and requesting that they write you a letter assuring you that your account is not longer in collections
We are very sorry for the inconvenience this has caused you.
Also, be assured that the Star Tribune does not report past due accounts for newspaper delivery to the credit bureaus, so you do not have to worry about your credit rating on this transaction.
Sincerely,
[redacted]
Vice President, Circulation
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 8, 2015/06/03) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/07/27) */
Ms. [redacted],
First, we are sorry that you needed to take your complaint to the Revdex.com.
Upon receipt of your complaint regarding continued delivery of the TCV product, we took the following steps:
- Confirmed that your...
address was marked as non-delivery of the TCV
- Confimred that your address was on the NO TCV List
- Contacted the Distributor of TCV in your area to make sure that it was checked to make sure you did not receive it again
- Finally, Conrad [redacted] our Verification Manager is following up with the Distributor to make sure they followed the "DO NOT DEIVERY" instructions to your address.
We feel that we have taken the proper steps to make sure you do not receive TCV again.
Final Business Response /* (1000, 15, 2015/08/13) */
This has been forwarded to the Verification Manager and the Distribution Company delivering this address to have it personally checked, so it is not delivered.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/08/05) */
First, we are sorry that you needed to take this to the Revdex.com for resolution.
Conrad [redacted], Verification and Quality Assurance Manager was given your complaint. Your address has been on the NO TCV List for several weeks. ...
The Distributor was told multiple times not to deliver TCV to your address. Mr. [redacted] has now told the Distributor that he has to contact you directly to resolve this problem and personally guarantee you that TCV will not be delivered to you again.
Per your request, we have also taken your address and phone number off all our marketing, sampling, or any delivery lists that might be created from our database. If your address was already scheduled to receive any marketing by mail, it can take up to 30 days to be removed.
Again, we apologize for the inconvenience and frustration this has caused you.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 7, 2015/08/06) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
I am giving the STrib the benefit of the doubt, and will see whether 1) the Distributor contacts me directly, 2) delivery ceases, and 3) I cease to get unsolicited mail or products from them. If any of these does not happen, I will submit a further complaint.
I would highly recommend that the STrib provide the actual human feedback to customer complaints which is certainly implied in the autoresponse email sent when a complaint is sent to them, namely "You should expect a reply within 24 hours of receipt of this email." I have yet to receive a reply from them.
Dear Mr. [redacted]:We are in receipt of your complaint regarding the continued delivery and billing past the expire date of your newspaper delivery and being sent to collections. We apologize that you needed to take this to the Revdex.com for resolution. First, it is important you...
understand all Star Tribune invoices advise that service and billing do not automatically stop at the end of the subscription term and that the subscriber should contact the Star Tribune if they wish to stop their subscription. We provide this grace period as a courtesy to our subscribers to prevent an unnecessary interruption in their delivery should their payment be sent after the due date. This information is also noted on all marketing communications including but not limited to direct mail, kiosk sales forms, and website solicitations for new subscribers. After reviewing your account, we see that you have been a subscriber since September 2013. You started your latest 26-week, Sunday-only subscription on 6/10/15 via the internet with a special introductory rate. You would have been notified of the above policy and had to check an agreement box to start the subscription. There was a past due balance on your account of $7.80 that was taken out of your payment first, which made your expire date 11/1/2015. Renewal invoices were sent to you on 10/4/15 (three weeks prior to the expire date), 11/8/15, 12/6/15, and a final invoice on 1/16/16 when service was stopped in our system for non-payment all requesting that you call to stop delivery. It’s also noted that we tried to call you on 12/9/15 and left a voicemail regarding your account. As a one-courtesy, we have written off the past due balance and pulled the account from collections. Again, we apologize for any inconvenience that this issue caused you.The Star Tribune does not report past due accounts for newspaper delivery to the credit bureaus, so you do not have to worry about your credit rating on this transaction.Sincerely,Arden [redacted]Senior Vice President, Circulation
October 24, 2017
[redacted]
Bloomington, MN 55431
Re: Revdex.com Minnesota Case No.: [redacted]
Star Tribune Acct: #...
[redacted]
Dear Mr. [redacted]:
We are in receipt of your complaint to the Revdex.com regarding missed deliveries of your Sunday Star Tribune. I truly regret that this delivery problem was not corrected more quickly.
John [redacted] of my staff has contacted our Bloomington distributor about this problem and will follow up with you to make certain it is resolved. In addition to the credit you initially received for missed papers, we have added 4 weeks of service to your account the inconvenience this caused.
Thanks for staying with us as we work to remedy this problem. John will follow up with you on the 30th of October to verify that the problem is corrected.
Sincerely,
Arden [redacted]
Senior Vice President, Circulation
cc: [redacted], Revdex.com Minnesota and North Dakota
March 12, 2018
[redacted] L [redacted]
[redacted]
St Paul, MN 55124
Re: Revdex.com Minnesota Case No.: [redacted]
Star Tribune Acct: # [redacted]
Dear Ms. [redacted]:
I am replying to your complaint to the Revdex.com regarding missed deliveries of your 7-day Star Tribune. My apologies for mis addressing my original letter on 3-6-2018.
We have experience higher than usual carrier turnover this new year which has resulted in a spike in delivery errors. I have contacted our distribution agent in your area – he will work with your carriers to improve delivery. As a courtesy, I have credited your account for 2 weeks of additional service. This credit posted on March 6th.
I apologize for the inconvenience you have encountered of late and trust that this matter will be resolved to your satisfaction.
Sincerely,
John [redacted]
Department Administrator, Circulation
cc: [redacted], Revdex.com Minnesota and North Dakota
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/12/03) */
Dear Mr. [redacted]:
We are in receipt of your complaint regarding the continued delivery and billing past the expire date of your newspaper delivery. We apologize that you needed to take this to the Revdex.com for resolution. ...
First, it is important you understand all Star Tribune invoices advise that service and billing do not automatically stop at the end of the subscription term and that the subscriber should contact the Star Tribune if they wish to stop their subscription. We provide this grace period as a courtesy to our subscribers to prevent an unnecessary interruption in their delivery should their payment be sent after the due date. This information is also noted on all marketing communications including but not limited to direct mail, kiosk sales forms, and website solicitations for new subscribers.
Upon reviewing your account, we see you started a 26-week, 7-day print subscription on 5/21/2015 thru Newspaper Subscription Service at a low introductory rate with an expire date of 11/21/2015. We sent our first renewal invoice on 11/1/2015 (three weeks prior to the expire date). All invoices clearly stated that the customer needed to call to stop delivery. To further clarify, the introductory 26-week period was over and the rate increased to the normal rate of $7.05 per week ($3.15 for Sunday and $0.65 daily) on the renewal invoice.
The email notice you received was a reminder for you with some easy options for payment and was not a replica of the official renewal invoice mailed to you via USPS. I apologize if you felt it was confusing and misrepresentative. We will review the wording with our Marketing Department for the future use.
We have written off the past due balance of $8.15. Thank you trying the Star Tribune.
Sincerely,
Arden [redacted]
Senior Vice President, Circulation
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 7, 2015/12/04) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
The part I accept is the writing off of $8.15, because otherwise I would have continued complaining.
I am not pleased with the Strib's response on how to alert the customer, that they must take an additional step to get the paper stopped.
This is the problem sentence: "We provide this grace period as a courtesy to our subscribers to prevent an unnecessary interruption in their delivery should their payment be sent after the due date"
No, this policy is not "a courtesy to our subscribers", it's a courtesy to the Star Tribune. "Unnecessary" interruption?? When someone subscribes for six months, it means that the subscription must end at the end of six months.
If I subscribed for one year and agreed to pay every three months, and I forgot to send in my check at the end of the third month, then I could understand that the Strib would grant a grace period. But at the end of one year, the paper would stop. Then the phrases "unnecessary interruption" or "grace period" would not apply.
But it's up to the Strib to change their policy or not. I prefer the Internet.
Dear Ms. [redacted]: We are in receipt of your complaint regarding continued delivery, billing, and going to collections. This after returned renewal invoices to us, finally discovering that your subscription was started at the wrong address, and you had never received a paper. We apologize that...
you needed to take this to the Revdex.com for resolution. I am writing as a follow up to my Assistant Cindy [redacted]’s call and voicemail to you on May 25th. Upon reviewing your account, we see the Kiosk start for a 13-week Sunday plus Digital Access subscription on June 19, 2015. It is obvious that something was wrong when the first two renewal invoices were returned on September 10th and October 8th. We called on October 28th regarding your past due bill and left a voicemail. On November 5th, there is a note about your call and that you had never received one Sunday paper. It was then discovered that the address was incorrect and a correction was made from 40th Avenue to 46th Avenue. The rep should have credited your account for all the missed papers and adjusted any past due balance off your account at that point, however, that was not done. You stated you only received one Sunday paper after the address correction. The account was then perm stopped on December 2, 2015, due to non-payment. This should not have happened either. Your account and all the errors have been discussed with the Customer Service Manager Dawn Rose, and each area where your account was not handled correctly. This is not how we do business or want our customers treated. We are very sorry for the errors on our part. The past due amount has been written off, and the account balance is zero. Enclosed is a $25.00 Visa gift card to cover the subscription cost. We sincerely apologize for the poor service and inconvenience this has caused you. I hope you will consider the Star Tribune again in the future, and give us a chance to win back your confidence. Sincerely, Arden [redacted] Senior Vice President, Circulation
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.We did receive a Sunday paper from the Star Tribune on Sunday. We hope that the service problem has been corrected and that our service in the future will be good as in the past. From all indications, that appears to be the case.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/12/15) */
Dear Ms. [redacted]:
We are in receipt of your complaint regarding all the missed Sunday papers since late June. We apologize that you needed to take this to the Revdex.com for resolution.
Upon reviewing your account, we see...
many missed paper complaints and other notes regarding your calls. This is not acceptable and not the Premium Service that we want to give our customers.
We contacted the new Distributor directly about your continued missed papers. When the new distributing company took over your area in early November, they lost the carrier for your route and are having trouble finding a new one and even subs. They have assured us that they will make sure you receive your Sunday paper going forward.
Thank you for bringing your service issue to our attention and giving us the chance to correct it. Your account shows credits for fourteen missed papers, which extends your expiration date to 6/13/2016. Please contact us if your delivery does not improve immediately.
Again, we are very sorry for the problems that you experienced. Thank you for being a Star Tribune subscriber.
Sincerely,
Arden [redacted]
Senior Vice President, Circulation
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/12/16) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
If the issue is actually resolved and the paper gets delivered, AND delivered properly and in a timely fashion each week, then yes, I have no problem accepting the response. I cannot see how a business can just stop its service knowingly and without contacting the customer to let them know there is an issue and they will work on getting it resolved and credit the customer for the services that were not done. Also with the amount of time that has been spent contacting the business and not one phone call back as promised. Also, when I signed up for online viewing of my account, my old subscription is showing a .20 cent past due amount that I was (again) assured was taken care of months ago, but it is still showing.
Thank you
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2015/12/17) */
I'm sorry it was not mentioned in the letter, but I made sure that the 20 cents was written off your former account. Please contact us directly if your service does not resume this Sunday. You can call Conrad [redacted] on Sunday at [redacted], as he will be working.
Dear Mrs. [redacted]: We are in receipt of your complaint regarding the continued delivery and billing past the expire date of your subscription. We apologize that you needed to take this to the Revdex.com for resolution. First, it is important you understand all Star...
Tribune invoices advise that service and billing do not automatically stop at the end of the subscription term and that the subscriber should contact the Star Tribune if they wish to stop their subscription. We provide this grace period as a courtesy to our subscribers to prevent an unnecessary interruption in their delivery should their payment be sent after the due date. This information is also noted on all marketing communications, including but not limited to direct mail, kiosk sales forms, and website solicitations for new subscribers. After reviewing your account, we see that you were a long-time subscriber, and you have utilized the above grace period. Service was stopped in our system per your request with the last delivery on Sunday, June 18th, after receiving renewal invoices on 4/16/17 (3 weeks prior to the expire date), 5/21/17, and 6/11/17. All invoices clearly stating the above policy. As a one-time courtesy, we have written off the past due balance. Thank you for being a long-tenured Star Tribune subscriber and hope you will consider us again in the future. The Star Tribune does not report past due accounts for newspaper delivery to the credit bureaus, so you do not have to worry about your credit rating on this transaction. Sincerely, Arden [redacted] Senior Vice President, Circulation
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/08/21) */
Perhaps some background as to why we recently changed our vacation policy may better help you understand why we implemented this change.
Each and every week the Star Tribune processes more than 6,300 vacation stops and a like amount of...
vacation restarts. With each stop, numerous departments in the Company are impacted. This includes the call center, the production department, and Fleet transportation personnel. This also creates a big strain on our carriers and increases variances in their route lists every day. The continuance of billing for the first seven days of a vacation stop is a "processing fee" to cover the costs of having to stop and restart so many accounts each and every week. I am certain that if you disconnected your cable TV service for a vacation period, they would most assuredly charge a "reactivation fee" upon your return. The same would be true for your power company, your telephone service, etc.
Interestingly, about 75% of our subscribers do not stop their paper for vacation during any given year. That means the almost 13,000 vacation stops and restarts we get each week are coming from only 25% of our subscribers, some of which stop and restart their subscription many times each year. Taking these effects into consideration, we felt this program change seemed fairer than passing on a price increase to all of our subscribers to cover the cost for vacation stops and restarts.
Finally, most major metropolitan newspapers have changed their vacation policy to one of no credit for any stopped vacation days; we drew the line at 7 days believing that this was an appropriate charge for the handling of a vacation stop.
I hope this additional explanation at least helps you understand why we made this change. Thank you for subscribing to the Star Tribune.
Sincerely,
Arden [redacted]
SVP Circ
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/08/28) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
I understand that a company can change a policy, what I don't understand is how you can have a contract with someone and are able to change the condition of the contract without notifying the customer. I believe my agreement should stand until the initial contract period ends. Since I signed up for the paper in August 2014 and you changed policy in October 2014 I should fall under the rules in place at the time of our agreement in August. I want a refund for my lost days.
January 22, 2018
[redacted]
[redacted]
Minneapolis, MN 55407
Re: Revdex.com Minnesota Case No.: [redacted]
Star Tribune Acct: #...
[redacted]
Dear Mr. [redacted]:
I’m sorry to learn that your home delivery service has been subpar of late. Please know that we will do all that we can to improve the timeliness and consistently of your service as soon as possible.
It’s unfortunate that you are being adversely affected by a significant carrier shortage in your area. Please know that we will do all we can to recruit additional caring and competent people.
I contacted our delivery agent regarding this issue and asked that field staff keep you apprised of efforts to improve service. I have credited your account for 2 weeks of service for your inconvenience.
I am sorry for the impact this service issue has on a loyal subscriber.
Sincerely,
John [redacted]
Department Administrator, Circulation
cc: [redacted], Revdex.com Minnesota and North Dakota
I am rejecting this response because:
The business (Star Tribune) appears to have not fully read or comprehended my complaint. First off, as both the Star Tribune and I know so I didn’t repeat it in the first letter, there are two newspaper carriers; the weekday and the weekend. The weekday deliverer did not deliver the paper while I had it on vacation hold. The weekend deliverer did. So the flaw in the system was either the intelligence of the weekend deliver for not following the sheet stating that there was to be no delivery at my address or the flaw was the system for not placing on the sheet that I was not suppose to receive papers on the weekend as well as during the week days. The business did not address my demand to be compensated for ALL newspapers that should have been on hold during the time period. The business did not address my proposed monetary solution of crediting my account (or anyone else’s account for the same error) for instances when a paper is delivered when it is not suppose to be, causing my home to appear unoccupied, alerting potential thieves to the easy pickings if they were to choose to rob the place. [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.
Sincerely,
[redacted]
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/04/08) */
Dear Ms. [redacted]:
We are in receipt of your complaint to the Revdex.com regarding continued delivery of the newspaper past the subscription end date, continued billing, and being sent to collections after you had called to stop...
delivery. We apologize that you needed to take this to the Revdex.com for resolution.
First, it is important you understand all Star Tribune invoices advise that service and billing do not automatically stop at the end of the subscription term and that the subscriber should contact the Star Tribune if they wish to stop their subscription. We provide this grace period as a courtesy to our subscribers to prevent an unnecessary interruption in their delivery should their payment be sent after the due date. This information is also noted on all marketing communications including but not limited to direct mail, kiosk sales forms, e-mail, and website solicitations for new subscribers.
Upon reviewing your account, we see that a 13-week, Wednesday-Sunday print subscription was started on May 1, 2014, via the internet on a special offer. Renewal invoices were sent to you on 7/13/14 (3 weeks prior to expire date), 8/17/14, 9/14/14, and 10/31/14, when delivery was stopped for non-pay (copies available upon request). The invoices would have all have explained the continued delivery and billing policy above and given you the expire date. There are no calls noted on your account to stop delivery on the end of July. I apologize for any error on our part that caused your account to go to collections.
We have written off the past due balance and pulled the account from collections. We are very sorry for any inconvenience this has caused you.
The Star Tribune does not report past due accounts for newspaper delivery to the credit bureaus, so you do not have to worry about your credit rating on this transaction.
Sincerely,
[redacted]
Vice President, Circulation
I spoke to Ms. [redacted] yesterday. Resolution requires input between Ms. [redacted] and our distribution agent which will take place this week. We will follow up with the customer and Revdex.com within the next week.
Dear Mr. [redacted]: We are in receipt of your complaint regarding the mistaken start of a Star Tribune subscription from a telemarketing call after you told them you did not want to start at that time. We apologize that you needed to take this to the Revdex.com for resolution. ...
This letter is a written follow up to your telephone conversation with my assistant Cindy [redacted]. Per your conversation, we are pulling the telemarketing call, so we can understand why the subscription was started and coach the rep. Cindy clarified that you did not have to prepay to receive the gift card on this offer, but that the gift card would not be sent until the bill was paid. This will also confirm that a subscription has been started based on the same offer effective Sunday, May 15th. An invoice will be sent to you, and the gift card will be processed after your payment is received. Finally, the small balance on your account from the mistaken start was written off. I believe this is a satisfactory resolution to your complaint. Thank you for being a Star Tribune subscriber. Sincerely, Arden [redacted] Senior Vice President, Circulation
Star Tribune Acct: # [redacted] Dear Ms. [redacted]: We are in receipt of your complaint regarding a Star Tribune newspaper tube not being installed after multiple requests. We apologize that you needed to take...
this to the Revdex.com for resolution. After reviewing your account, we see that you have been requesting a newspaper tube be installed for over a year. This is totally unacceptable. Unfortunately, we have turned over three Distribution Companies in your area over the past several months. My assistant has taken the following steps to resolve your complaint: Contacted our equipment room and requested that a tube be sent to the Northfield Distribution Center ASAP. Contacted the new Distributor Adam [redacted] to let him know that the tube is being sent to him and gave him your address and contact information, so he can contact you and have the tube installed as soon as he receives it. Also, made sure the Distributor is aware of the immediate need and that the carrier is instructed to put the paper in the new tube. We are very sorry that your simple request has taken so long and so many contacts to resolve. Thank you for subscribing to the Star Tribune. Sincerely, Arden [redacted] Senior Vice President, Circulation
Star Tribune Acct: # [redacted]...
...⇄ [redacted] ...⇄ [redacted] ...⇄ Bemidji, MN 56601 Dear Ms. [redacted]: We are in receipt of your complaint regarding the failure to start of your father’s Star Tribune home delivery subscription. We apologize that you needed to take this to the Revdex.com for resolution. First, our apologies that it took almost two weeks to resolve your complaint. It went to one of our off-site News offices first and didn’t get to the Circulation Department until a week later. This letter is following up and confirming the steps Scott [redacted], State Operations Manager, took to resolve your father’s home delivery issue. After speaking to you, your father, and locating the correct address in our system; Scott contacted the Distributor in your area and paper delivery started Friday, January 13th. Scott also followed up with your father to make sure that delivery continued and was satisfactory. Although credit was on the account for most of the missed papers, as of 1/16/2017, the full payment amount was back on the account for a fresh start. The new expire date is April 19, 2017. Again, our sincere apologies that the complaint was not resolved immediately. Thank you giving your father a Star Tribune subscription. Sincerely, Arden [redacted] Senior Vice President, Circulation
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/06/02) */
Mr. [redacted]:
First, I apologize that you needed to take your complaint to the Revdex.com for resolution.
After reading your complaint and reviewing your account, we see that the past due balance was written off on May 15, 2015. ...
The collection agency should have been notified immediately to pull the account from collections. We are contacting them again and requesting that they write you a letter assuring you that your account is not longer in collections
We are very sorry for the inconvenience this has caused you.
Also, be assured that the Star Tribune does not report past due accounts for newspaper delivery to the credit bureaus, so you do not have to worry about your credit rating on this transaction.
Sincerely,
[redacted]
Vice President, Circulation
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 8, 2015/06/03) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/07/27) */
Ms. [redacted],
First, we are sorry that you needed to take your complaint to the Revdex.com.
Upon receipt of your complaint regarding continued delivery of the TCV product, we took the following steps:
- Confirmed that your...
address was marked as non-delivery of the TCV
- Confimred that your address was on the NO TCV List
- Contacted the Distributor of TCV in your area to make sure that it was checked to make sure you did not receive it again
- Finally, Conrad [redacted] our Verification Manager is following up with the Distributor to make sure they followed the "DO NOT DEIVERY" instructions to your address.
We feel that we have taken the proper steps to make sure you do not receive TCV again.
Final Business Response /* (1000, 15, 2015/08/13) */
This has been forwarded to the Verification Manager and the Distribution Company delivering this address to have it personally checked, so it is not delivered.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/08/05) */
First, we are sorry that you needed to take this to the Revdex.com for resolution.
Conrad [redacted], Verification and Quality Assurance Manager was given your complaint. Your address has been on the NO TCV List for several weeks. ...
The Distributor was told multiple times not to deliver TCV to your address. Mr. [redacted] has now told the Distributor that he has to contact you directly to resolve this problem and personally guarantee you that TCV will not be delivered to you again.
Per your request, we have also taken your address and phone number off all our marketing, sampling, or any delivery lists that might be created from our database. If your address was already scheduled to receive any marketing by mail, it can take up to 30 days to be removed.
Again, we apologize for the inconvenience and frustration this has caused you.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 7, 2015/08/06) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
I am giving the STrib the benefit of the doubt, and will see whether 1) the Distributor contacts me directly, 2) delivery ceases, and 3) I cease to get unsolicited mail or products from them. If any of these does not happen, I will submit a further complaint.
I would highly recommend that the STrib provide the actual human feedback to customer complaints which is certainly implied in the autoresponse email sent when a complaint is sent to them, namely "You should expect a reply within 24 hours of receipt of this email." I have yet to receive a reply from them.