Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2016/01/28) */
We understand from Dawn [redacted], Customer Service Manager, that your papers were not delivered to your door this past weekend as requested. The Distributor had assured us that the weekend carrier was instructed to deliver to the door and placement...
was going to be checked. We are continuing to work with the Distributor and his carriers to make sure delivery is to your door. We will update further when we are sure this is happening.
received your complaint to the Revdex.com concerning unwanted delivery and billing of a newspaper at your address.
I have reviewed the account information at your address and have confirmed that you do not receive any delivered products from the Star Tribune. I do see that you are receiving the St. Paul Pioneer at your home. As discussed during our phone call, I have contacted the customer service manager at the Pioneer Press, Sharon [redacted], (s[redacted]@pioneerpress.com) to assist you in this matter. You may wish to follow up with Sharon to make sure the Pioneer Press understands your wishes.
I have also added your address and phone number to our “do not contact list” for the Star Tribune. You may wish to request this “do not contact” from the Pioneer Press as well.
I hope this information has been helpful, Ms. Lan. Please call me if you have further questions about this matter.
Sincerely,
John [redacted]
Department Administrator, Circulation
cc: [redacted], Revdex.com Minnesota and North Dakota
Star Tribune Acct: # [redacted] Dear Ms. [redacted]: We are in receipt of your complaint regarding the continued delivery and billing past the expire date of your subscription 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 found two subscriptions: Acct. [redacted] from August 1992 to June 2014 and Acct. [redacted] from February 2015 to November 2016. On your most current account you started a 13-week, Sunday print plus Digital Access subscription on 2/9/15 from one of our kiosk vendors at a special introductory rate. The above policy is on the order form that you signed to start the subscription. You renewed this subscription several times with the last expire date listed as 8/7/16. Renewal invoices were sent to you on 7/17/16 (three weeks prior to the expire date), 8/21/16, 9/18/16, and a final invoice on 11/5/16 when service was stopped in our system for non-payment--all requesting that you call to stop delivery. There is no indication of you calling or contacting us to stop delivery or questioning the final past due bill. Your calls after receiving the collections notice are noted on the account. You were incorrectly told that you were charged for the digital access part of the subscription thru January. Dawn [redacted], Circulation Customer Service Manager, will also review the calls and deal appropriately with any miscommunication or inappropriate responses by the reps. As a one-time courtesy, we have written off the past due balance and pulled the account from collections. We apologize for any for any misunderstanding or inconvenience that this issue caused you. Also, thank you for the years you were a Star Tribune subscriber. 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, 8, 2015/04/29) */
Mr. [redacted]:
I apologize that you needed to take your complaint to the Revdex.com for resolution.
We reviewed your account. A Sunday-only print subscription was started on 4/12/2015 at the quoted direct mail offer dcb5x9a. You...
should have received your first invoice that was sent on 4/12/2015. Attached is a copy of the offer. Your $10 Target gift card will be sent as soon as the invoice is paid. The language on the offer states:
"Get a $10 gift card with your paid subscription when you reply by April 10, 2015!"
Thank you for trying the Star Tribune.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 10, 2015/05/06) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
I have been receiving the Sunday paper, but I still haven't received the $10 Target gift card yet that was part of the offer that I had sent in.
Thanks
Final Business Response /* (4000, 12, 2015/05/12) */
Mr. [redacted],
The $10 gift card will not be sent until the invoice is paid. I just reviewed your account, and a payment has not been posted yet. Again, the offer states: "Get a $10 gift card with your PAID subscription when you reply by April 10, 2015." I'm happy to hear that you are receiving your paper.
Final Consumer Response /* (3000, 14, 2015/05/13) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
My concern is that I will never receive the gift card once I pay the bill.
Thanks,
[redacted]
Dear Mr. [redacted]: I’m sorry you needed to take your complaint to the Revdex.com. Perhaps some background as to why we recently changed our vacation policy may better help you understand why we implemented this change. Also, written...
communication was sent to all subscribers using vacation holds in October 2014, prior to the policy 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 for each stop believing that this was an appropriate charge for the handling of a vacation stop. We reviewed your account and found that you only received credit for 1 of the 8 days you had a vacation stop in June 2015, as per our policy. I’m sorry for any miscommunication when you called our customer service center. Also, to answer your question about getting a credit if you did not receive a delivery; if you missed a scheduled delivery, you would receive credit for that paper. I hope this additional explanation at least helps you understand why we made this change. Thank you for your long tenure as a Star Tribune subscriber. Sincerely, Arden [redacted]Senior Vice President, Circulation
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/06/24) */
Mr. [redacted]:
We are in receipt of your complaint to the Revdex.com regarding continued billing past the expire date 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.
Upon reviewing your account, we see that you were a customer from 1988 to 2008, and then started a 26-week, Wednesday - Sunday subscription on April 7, 2014, via the internet with an expire date of October 8, 2014. You received renewal invoices on 9/21/14; 10/26/14; 11/23/14; and a final invoice on 1/6/15, when delivery was stopped for non-payment. There is also a note on your account that our customer service tried to call you and left messages prior to this stop.
As a one-time courtesy, we have written off the past due amount and pulled your account from collections. Our apologies for any inconvenience this cause 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.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 7, 2015/06/25) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
as long as this is settled I have fine with it.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/10/02) */
This is to acknowledge receipt of complaint, Mr. [redacted] the owner of the Distribution Company delivering in this area has been contacted regarding delivery to the door. The statement from the last complaint was: "Mr. [redacted] assured...
[redacted] on two occasions after the Revdex.com complaint was filed and once before, that he would make sure this address received the paper at the door OR between the doors. Paper was not promised between doors, but carrier would be asked to do it. There may be a new carrier on route that needs to be trained. We are sorry that this continues to be a problem, but between door delivery is not normal or guaranteed. We always try to accommodate top step, door delivery for elderly and handicapped.
A full resolution answer will be recorded after further investigation.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/10/03) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
I will never understand the excuse that there is a new carrier that needs to be "trained." They are obviously given the address so why would they not be given any special instructions at the same time. The paper was not even on the top step last Sunday, nor was it on the Sunday before Labor Day. The other days were between the doors and my mother was able to access them easily. However, the representative named Charlene that I spoke with last Sunday gave me such a different response that I decided not to wait for this problem to continue without resolution. She basically said that the paper was considered delivered as long as it was somewhere on the property and that anyone who told me differently did not know what they were talking about. I worry not only about my mother, but also other elderly and disabled people. I don't see why reasonable accommodations are not routinely made for them. I think they should be. Again, my mother does look forward to receiving and reading the paper, but I do not want to her risk falling on the step to get it.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/07/13) */
Ms. [redacted],
We are in receipt of your complaint to the Revdex.com regarding continue delivery and billing after the expire date and going to collections.
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 that you were a customer since 2004. During those many years, you utilized the grace period described abobe to not disrupt your service and paid up to several weeks after the expire date. You also received invoices dated 11/23/14, 12/28/14, 1/25/15, a call and voicemail regarding delivery and amount owed, and a final invoice on 3/14/15, when delivery was stopped for nonpayment. All inoivces clearly outlined the above policy and stated that the customer needed to call to stop delivery.
Based on your account activity, we would not have known that you wanted to stop delivery.
We apologize for any inconvenience this caused you. Thank you for the payment and being a Star Tribune reader for many years.
Also, please know that we do not report any past due subscription bills to any of the credit bureaus, so there is no impact to your credit.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 7, 2015/07/13) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
While the invoice may state that delivery would continue it does not indicate that the subscriber is responsible for the cost of papers delivered after the subscription runs out.
Again, I don't really care about the cost, it's the principle of this unfair business practice. Since this experience, I have found several friends had the same unpleasant experience with the Minneapolis Star Tribune. I hope they realize that this practice has turned many people off to them and they are losing more than my business over it.
your complaint to the Revdex.com concerning unwanted delivery of the free, StribExpress product at your address. I regret that your previous attempts to stop this delivery were not successful.
We have reviewed the account information at your address and have confirmed that you are not to receive any delivered products from the Star Tribune. We have also added your phone number to our do not contact list. Your account is not active so there is nothing in our data systems causing this product to be delivered.
I have contacted our local delivery agent for the Big Lake area directly concerning this problem – he has assured me that he will have his carrier stop this unwanted delivery immediately.
Please contact my assistant, John [redacted], at ###-###-#### should the need arise.
Star Tribune Acct: # [redacted] Dear Mr. [redacted]: We are in receipt of your complaint regarding several missed papers. We apologize that you needed to take this to the Revdex.com for resolution. ...
Upon review of your account, we see that you have called in approximately 30 complaints for missed papers and delivered to the wrong location in the past several months. We agree that this is totally unacceptable service and there is a problem. We contacted the new Distributor for your area and the Director of Home Delivery Operations upon receipt of your complaint. We did recognize that there was an issue in your area, which is the reason we recently contracted a new Distributor. The new distribution company is working hard to make sure reliable carriers are contracted for all delivery in the Northfield area. After reviewing your account, you already received credit for 8 of the missed daily papers and 3 of the missed Sunday papers (extending your expiration date). We just added credit for an additional 10 missed daily papers and 7 missed Sunday papers, which extends your expiration date to May 14, 2016. Also, in September, one of our customer service reps gave you a week’s credit because of your service problems. We feel that your account is correctly credited now. Again, our sincere apologies for the inconvenience this caused you. Thank you for bringing this to our attention and being a long-time Star Tribune customer. Sincerely, Arden [redacted] Senior Vice President, Circulation
We apologize that we did not respond earlier--just found complaint on 4/12/16--issues with new Revdex.com web site and complaint notification to the Star Tribune.Upon reviewing your account, We see your call on 3/7/16 requesting to cancel your automatic payment and your subscription. The rep put in a...
stop at expire on 3/31/2016 as discussed with you. Unfortunately, the rep forgot to stop the automatic payment, and your credit card was charged again on 3/23/16. You called in immediately upon finding the charge. A refund of $77.87 was processed on 3/25/16 to be credited back to your credit card. Your subscription was stopped effective 3/31/16.We are very sorry for the time and inconvenience this caused you. The rep will be coached and retrained on the steps to stop subscriptions that are on autopay. The autopayment has to be stopped as well as the subscription.Thank you for being a Star Tribune subscriber.Arden [redacted]Senior Vice President, Circulation
Dear Mr. [redacted]:
We are in receipt of your complaint regarding the delivery of StribExpress starting again after it has been stopped for a year. We apologize that you needed to take this to the Revdex.com for resolution.
Upon reviewing your former StribExpress delivery account,...
we see that you stopped in February 2015. We immediately contacted the Distributor for your area regarding the unwanted delivery. We also contacted the Verification and Quality Assurance Manger to make sure that the product is not delivered to you again.
We believe all the appropriate steps have been taken to make sure that your address no longer receives any unwanted Star Tribune products.
We are sorry for any inconvenience this has caused you.
Sincerely,
Arden [redacted]
Senior Vice President, Circulation
I am rejecting this response because:Although the e-mail response from the Minneapolis Star and Trib indicates I have been forwarded a gift card in the amount of $25, there was no attachment. Once more, lies/false and/or misleading information from the Mpls Star and Tribune designed to "get people off their backs" while they continue to lie/offer false promises.Also, the gift card was part of the promotional offer from the beginning (Dec. 2016), and should have been delivered to us at Panola Drive. I entered a gift subscription to the family at Reed Ave. and was to receive the gift card as an incentive/thank you. At no point in time was the recipient of the gift subscription (we paid for) to receive the $25 gift in addition to 6 month of free newspaper; this doesn't make sense!!!If the gift card was sent to Reed Ave., it was sent there in error and never should have been mailed to that address but to [redacted], Lindstrom, Mn 55045 as we already paid for a 6 month gift subscription to the Mpls Star Tribune to be delivered to the Reed Ave. address. This has also been an item of confusion and distress for us; the Trib can't seem to understand and/or fulfill the terms of their own offer.I will appreciate receiving the gift card as an attachment or in the mail before I accept the offer, as I have had nothing but false promises, false advertising and lies since December 2016, when we started asking for the gift card we were promised as part of the offer.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2016/02/04) */
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 Better...
Business Bureau 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 have been a Star Tribune subscriber since at least 1987, and have been paying your renewal invoices annually recently. You agree that you received the papers past the expire date, but did not call to cancel your subscription. All invoices clearly stated that the customer needed to call to stop delivery. Renewal invoices were sent to you on 6/28/2015 (three weeks prior to the latest expire date), 8/9/2015, 9/6/2015 and a final invoice on 10/20/2015 when delivery was stopped for non-payment. A customer service rep also tried to call you on 9/11/2015 and 10/7/2015--leaving a voicemail regarding your account both times. Based on the above, we would not have known you were not renewing without you contacting us.
As a one-courtesy, we have written off the past due balance of $96.82, and pulled the account from collections. Thank you for being a long-time reader of the Star Tribune.
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 Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 10, 2016/02/11) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
Star Tribune complied with my requests.
Star Tribune Acct: # [redacted] Dear Mr. [redacted]: We are in receipt of your complaint regarding several missed Sunday papers in the past few weeks. We apologize that you needed to take this to the Better Business...
Bureau for resolution. Upon review of your account, we see that you did not receive your Sunday paper five of the six Sundays from October 9th thru November 20th. You also called in a missed Thanksgiving paper delivery. We contacted the Distributor and Director of Home Delivery Operations for your area immediately upon receipt of your complaint this week. They have responded back that your address is on their list to be checked. Your account also did not have a missed paper complaint for this past Sunday, November 27th. I sincerely hope this means that you received your paper on Sunday. Your account was also credited for all the missed papers plus two weeks for all the delivery problems. Again, our sincere apologies for any inconvenience this caused you. Thank you for bringing this to our attention and being a Star Tribune customer. Sincerely, Arden [redacted]Senior Vice President, Circulation
Dear Ms. [redacted]: We are in receipt of your complaint regarding the increased renewal cost for your Star Tribune subscription. We apologize that you needed to take this to the Revdex.com for resolution. We understand that you may have been under the impression that your rate...
was a “lifetime” or “perpetual” rate of some sort. Unfortunately, Star Tribune does not offer rates or discounts that are guaranteed for a subscriber’s lifetime. You were on a deeply-discounted introductory rate and it clearly states on our printed and on-line promotional materials: “This offer is for new subscribers only and limited to households within designated home delivery areas. Rate may change after introductory offer period.” You received a renewal notice at the basic subscription rate. You are not eligible for another discounted subscription. Like most companies, Star Tribune needs to maintain the flexibility to adjust its rates from time to time to respond to changing costs and other conditions. For that reason, although we use commercially reasonable efforts to honor a subscriber’s rate through the end of the subscriber’s then-current paid subscription period, we do reserve the right to change rates at any time. We do our best to publish and deliver to you a high-quality newspaper at a reasonable cost, and we hope that you will continue to subscribe to the Star Tribune newspaper. Thank you for your many years of being a loyal Star Tribune subscriber. Sincerely, Arden [redacted]Senior Vice President, Circulation
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2016/02/26) */
Dear Ms. [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 Better...
Business Bureau 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 2007. You have utilized the grace period described above a few times. Your last expire date was 8/30/15. Renewal invoices were sent to you on 8/9/15 (three weeks prior to the expire date), 9/13/15, 10/11/15, and a final invoice on 11/28/15 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 10/14/15 and 10/24/15 and left voicemails regarding you account.
You mentioned that you spoke to someone in the summer of 2015 regarding renewing your subscription and you told them no thanks. Unfortunately, they did not stop your subscription or put a note on your account regarding the call.
Based on the above and as a one-courtesy, we have written off the past due balance and pulled the account from collections. Again, we apologize for any miscommunication on our part and any inconvenience and time 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
I spoke to Ms. [redacted] this afternoon. I have received assurance from our distributor that we will begin delivering this free product to her address starting this weekend. She will call me if future problems with delivery.
John [redacted]
Asst to SVP, Circulation
###-###-####
Star Tribune Acct: # [redacted] Dear Ms. [redacted]: We are in receipt of your complaint regarding the continued delivery of Sunday papers after you stopped weekend delivery in September. We apologize that you needed...
to take this to the Revdex.com for resolution. Upon review of your account, we see that you stopped your 7-day subscription the end of September, but continued with Monday thru Friday delivery until 11/5/2016. We contacted the Distributor, and he specifically talked to the weekend carrier to not deliver to your address. You were not charged for any weekend papers since the end of September. We believe that the problem has been resolved. Again, our sincere apologies for any inconvenience this caused you. Thank you for bringing this to our attention. Sincerely, Arden [redacted] Senior Vice President, Circulation
I am rejecting this response because: It doesn't matter what discount direct mail offer has to do with Customer service and the delivery problem. If you pay for something you would like what you pay for no matter what price it was. 4/9 when I spoke with Ron - He said he would send the complaint over to the delivery company and he would he would get me out a free gift. I said I will not be charge for this correct he said correct. He said they were running a special on star tribune cooler or umbrella. Yes, I have called more then the times stated and yes none of them did I receive a manager call back. you stated Shannon called me, she did but no the on the day stated she relized she called the wrong number and tried again this past Friday 4/28 at 12:43 pm in the afternoon. She admitted dialed the wrong number and tried again a few days later. I did let her know that I appiciate the call and she also said the next 4 weeks she will be driving and parking to make sure the paper is deliver. she will be in a black suv don't be alarmed. Thanks for your time. [redacted]
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2016/01/28) */
We understand from Dawn [redacted], Customer Service Manager, that your papers were not delivered to your door this past weekend as requested. The Distributor had assured us that the weekend carrier was instructed to deliver to the door and placement...
was going to be checked. We are continuing to work with the Distributor and his carriers to make sure delivery is to your door. We will update further when we are sure this is happening.
September 11, 2017
[redacted]
Arden Hills, MN 55112
Re: Revdex.com Minnesota Case No.: [redacted]
Dear Ms. [redacted]:
We have...
received your complaint to the Revdex.com concerning unwanted delivery and billing of a newspaper at your address.
I have reviewed the account information at your address and have confirmed that you do not receive any delivered products from the Star Tribune. I do see that you are receiving the St. Paul Pioneer at your home. As discussed during our phone call, I have contacted the customer service manager at the Pioneer Press, Sharon [redacted], (s[redacted]@pioneerpress.com) to assist you in this matter. You may wish to follow up with Sharon to make sure the Pioneer Press understands your wishes.
I have also added your address and phone number to our “do not contact list” for the Star Tribune. You may wish to request this “do not contact” from the Pioneer Press as well.
I hope this information has been helpful, Ms. Lan. Please call me if you have further questions about this matter.
Sincerely,
John [redacted]
Department Administrator, Circulation
cc: [redacted], Revdex.com Minnesota and North Dakota
Star Tribune Acct: # [redacted] Dear Ms. [redacted]: We are in receipt of your complaint regarding the continued delivery and billing past the expire date of your subscription 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 found two subscriptions: Acct. [redacted] from August 1992 to June 2014 and Acct. [redacted] from February 2015 to November 2016. On your most current account you started a 13-week, Sunday print plus Digital Access subscription on 2/9/15 from one of our kiosk vendors at a special introductory rate. The above policy is on the order form that you signed to start the subscription. You renewed this subscription several times with the last expire date listed as 8/7/16. Renewal invoices were sent to you on 7/17/16 (three weeks prior to the expire date), 8/21/16, 9/18/16, and a final invoice on 11/5/16 when service was stopped in our system for non-payment--all requesting that you call to stop delivery. There is no indication of you calling or contacting us to stop delivery or questioning the final past due bill. Your calls after receiving the collections notice are noted on the account. You were incorrectly told that you were charged for the digital access part of the subscription thru January. Dawn [redacted], Circulation Customer Service Manager, will also review the calls and deal appropriately with any miscommunication or inappropriate responses by the reps. As a one-time courtesy, we have written off the past due balance and pulled the account from collections. We apologize for any for any misunderstanding or inconvenience that this issue caused you. Also, thank you for the years you were a Star Tribune subscriber. 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, 8, 2015/04/29) */
Mr. [redacted]:
I apologize that you needed to take your complaint to the Revdex.com for resolution.
We reviewed your account. A Sunday-only print subscription was started on 4/12/2015 at the quoted direct mail offer dcb5x9a. You...
should have received your first invoice that was sent on 4/12/2015. Attached is a copy of the offer. Your $10 Target gift card will be sent as soon as the invoice is paid. The language on the offer states:
"Get a $10 gift card with your paid subscription when you reply by April 10, 2015!"
Thank you for trying the Star Tribune.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 10, 2015/05/06) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
I have been receiving the Sunday paper, but I still haven't received the $10 Target gift card yet that was part of the offer that I had sent in.
Thanks
Final Business Response /* (4000, 12, 2015/05/12) */
Mr. [redacted],
The $10 gift card will not be sent until the invoice is paid. I just reviewed your account, and a payment has not been posted yet. Again, the offer states: "Get a $10 gift card with your PAID subscription when you reply by April 10, 2015." I'm happy to hear that you are receiving your paper.
Final Consumer Response /* (3000, 14, 2015/05/13) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
My concern is that I will never receive the gift card once I pay the bill.
Thanks,
[redacted]
Dear Mr. [redacted]: I’m sorry you needed to take your complaint to the Revdex.com. Perhaps some background as to why we recently changed our vacation policy may better help you understand why we implemented this change. Also, written...
communication was sent to all subscribers using vacation holds in October 2014, prior to the policy 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 for each stop believing that this was an appropriate charge for the handling of a vacation stop. We reviewed your account and found that you only received credit for 1 of the 8 days you had a vacation stop in June 2015, as per our policy. I’m sorry for any miscommunication when you called our customer service center. Also, to answer your question about getting a credit if you did not receive a delivery; if you missed a scheduled delivery, you would receive credit for that paper. I hope this additional explanation at least helps you understand why we made this change. Thank you for your long tenure as a Star Tribune subscriber. Sincerely, Arden [redacted]Senior Vice President, Circulation
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/06/24) */
Mr. [redacted]:
We are in receipt of your complaint to the Revdex.com regarding continued billing past the expire date 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.
Upon reviewing your account, we see that you were a customer from 1988 to 2008, and then started a 26-week, Wednesday - Sunday subscription on April 7, 2014, via the internet with an expire date of October 8, 2014. You received renewal invoices on 9/21/14; 10/26/14; 11/23/14; and a final invoice on 1/6/15, when delivery was stopped for non-payment. There is also a note on your account that our customer service tried to call you and left messages prior to this stop.
As a one-time courtesy, we have written off the past due amount and pulled your account from collections. Our apologies for any inconvenience this cause 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.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 7, 2015/06/25) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
as long as this is settled I have fine with it.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/10/02) */
This is to acknowledge receipt of complaint, Mr. [redacted] the owner of the Distribution Company delivering in this area has been contacted regarding delivery to the door. The statement from the last complaint was: "Mr. [redacted] assured...
[redacted] on two occasions after the Revdex.com complaint was filed and once before, that he would make sure this address received the paper at the door OR between the doors. Paper was not promised between doors, but carrier would be asked to do it. There may be a new carrier on route that needs to be trained. We are sorry that this continues to be a problem, but between door delivery is not normal or guaranteed. We always try to accommodate top step, door delivery for elderly and handicapped.
A full resolution answer will be recorded after further investigation.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/10/03) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
I will never understand the excuse that there is a new carrier that needs to be "trained." They are obviously given the address so why would they not be given any special instructions at the same time. The paper was not even on the top step last Sunday, nor was it on the Sunday before Labor Day. The other days were between the doors and my mother was able to access them easily. However, the representative named Charlene that I spoke with last Sunday gave me such a different response that I decided not to wait for this problem to continue without resolution. She basically said that the paper was considered delivered as long as it was somewhere on the property and that anyone who told me differently did not know what they were talking about. I worry not only about my mother, but also other elderly and disabled people. I don't see why reasonable accommodations are not routinely made for them. I think they should be. Again, my mother does look forward to receiving and reading the paper, but I do not want to her risk falling on the step to get it.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/07/13) */
Ms. [redacted],
We are in receipt of your complaint to the Revdex.com regarding continue delivery and billing after the expire date and going to collections.
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 that you were a customer since 2004. During those many years, you utilized the grace period described abobe to not disrupt your service and paid up to several weeks after the expire date. You also received invoices dated 11/23/14, 12/28/14, 1/25/15, a call and voicemail regarding delivery and amount owed, and a final invoice on 3/14/15, when delivery was stopped for nonpayment. All inoivces clearly outlined the above policy and stated that the customer needed to call to stop delivery.
Based on your account activity, we would not have known that you wanted to stop delivery.
We apologize for any inconvenience this caused you. Thank you for the payment and being a Star Tribune reader for many years.
Also, please know that we do not report any past due subscription bills to any of the credit bureaus, so there is no impact to your credit.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 7, 2015/07/13) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
While the invoice may state that delivery would continue it does not indicate that the subscriber is responsible for the cost of papers delivered after the subscription runs out.
Again, I don't really care about the cost, it's the principle of this unfair business practice. Since this experience, I have found several friends had the same unpleasant experience with the Minneapolis Star Tribune. I hope they realize that this practice has turned many people off to them and they are losing more than my business over it.
September 8, 2017
[redacted]
[redacted]
Big Lake, MN 55309
Re: Revdex.com Minnesota Case No.: [redacted]
Dear Ms. [redacted]:
We have received...
your complaint to the Revdex.com concerning unwanted delivery of the free, StribExpress product at your address. I regret that your previous attempts to stop this delivery were not successful.
We have reviewed the account information at your address and have confirmed that you are not to receive any delivered products from the Star Tribune. We have also added your phone number to our do not contact list. Your account is not active so there is nothing in our data systems causing this product to be delivered.
I have contacted our local delivery agent for the Big Lake area directly concerning this problem – he has assured me that he will have his carrier stop this unwanted delivery immediately.
Please contact my assistant, John [redacted], at ###-###-#### should the need arise.
Sincerely,
Arden [redacted]
Senior Vice President, Circulation
cc: [redacted], Revdex.com Minnesota and North Dakota
Star Tribune Acct: # [redacted] Dear Mr. [redacted]: We are in receipt of your complaint regarding several missed papers. We apologize that you needed to take this to the Revdex.com for resolution. ...
Upon review of your account, we see that you have called in approximately 30 complaints for missed papers and delivered to the wrong location in the past several months. We agree that this is totally unacceptable service and there is a problem. We contacted the new Distributor for your area and the Director of Home Delivery Operations upon receipt of your complaint. We did recognize that there was an issue in your area, which is the reason we recently contracted a new Distributor. The new distribution company is working hard to make sure reliable carriers are contracted for all delivery in the Northfield area. After reviewing your account, you already received credit for 8 of the missed daily papers and 3 of the missed Sunday papers (extending your expiration date). We just added credit for an additional 10 missed daily papers and 7 missed Sunday papers, which extends your expiration date to May 14, 2016. Also, in September, one of our customer service reps gave you a week’s credit because of your service problems. We feel that your account is correctly credited now. Again, our sincere apologies for the inconvenience this caused you. Thank you for bringing this to our attention and being a long-time Star Tribune customer. Sincerely, Arden [redacted] Senior Vice President, Circulation
We apologize that we did not respond earlier--just found complaint on 4/12/16--issues with new Revdex.com web site and complaint notification to the Star Tribune.Upon reviewing your account, We see your call on 3/7/16 requesting to cancel your automatic payment and your subscription. The rep put in a...
stop at expire on 3/31/2016 as discussed with you. Unfortunately, the rep forgot to stop the automatic payment, and your credit card was charged again on 3/23/16. You called in immediately upon finding the charge. A refund of $77.87 was processed on 3/25/16 to be credited back to your credit card. Your subscription was stopped effective 3/31/16.We are very sorry for the time and inconvenience this caused you. The rep will be coached and retrained on the steps to stop subscriptions that are on autopay. The autopayment has to be stopped as well as the subscription.Thank you for being a Star Tribune subscriber.Arden [redacted]Senior Vice President, Circulation
Dear Mr. [redacted]:
We are in receipt of your complaint regarding the delivery of StribExpress starting again after it has been stopped for a year. We apologize that you needed to take this to the Revdex.com for resolution.
Upon reviewing your former StribExpress delivery account,...
we see that you stopped in February 2015. We immediately contacted the Distributor for your area regarding the unwanted delivery. We also contacted the Verification and Quality Assurance Manger to make sure that the product is not delivered to you again.
We believe all the appropriate steps have been taken to make sure that your address no longer receives any unwanted Star Tribune products.
We are sorry for any inconvenience this has caused you.
Sincerely,
Arden [redacted]
Senior Vice President, Circulation
I am rejecting this response because:Although the e-mail response from the Minneapolis Star and Trib indicates I have been forwarded a gift card in the amount of $25, there was no attachment. Once more, lies/false and/or misleading information from the Mpls Star and Tribune designed to "get people off their backs" while they continue to lie/offer false promises.Also, the gift card was part of the promotional offer from the beginning (Dec. 2016), and should have been delivered to us at Panola Drive. I entered a gift subscription to the family at Reed Ave. and was to receive the gift card as an incentive/thank you. At no point in time was the recipient of the gift subscription (we paid for) to receive the $25 gift in addition to 6 month of free newspaper; this doesn't make sense!!!If the gift card was sent to Reed Ave., it was sent there in error and never should have been mailed to that address but to [redacted], Lindstrom, Mn 55045 as we already paid for a 6 month gift subscription to the Mpls Star Tribune to be delivered to the Reed Ave. address. This has also been an item of confusion and distress for us; the Trib can't seem to understand and/or fulfill the terms of their own offer.I will appreciate receiving the gift card as an attachment or in the mail before I accept the offer, as I have had nothing but false promises, false advertising and lies since December 2016, when we started asking for the gift card we were promised as part of the offer.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2016/02/04) */
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 Better...
Business Bureau 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 have been a Star Tribune subscriber since at least 1987, and have been paying your renewal invoices annually recently. You agree that you received the papers past the expire date, but did not call to cancel your subscription. All invoices clearly stated that the customer needed to call to stop delivery. Renewal invoices were sent to you on 6/28/2015 (three weeks prior to the latest expire date), 8/9/2015, 9/6/2015 and a final invoice on 10/20/2015 when delivery was stopped for non-payment. A customer service rep also tried to call you on 9/11/2015 and 10/7/2015--leaving a voicemail regarding your account both times. Based on the above, we would not have known you were not renewing without you contacting us.
As a one-courtesy, we have written off the past due balance of $96.82, and pulled the account from collections. Thank you for being a long-time reader of the Star Tribune.
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 Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 10, 2016/02/11) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
Star Tribune complied with my requests.
Star Tribune Acct: # [redacted] Dear Mr. [redacted]: We are in receipt of your complaint regarding several missed Sunday papers in the past few weeks. We apologize that you needed to take this to the Better Business...
Bureau for resolution. Upon review of your account, we see that you did not receive your Sunday paper five of the six Sundays from October 9th thru November 20th. You also called in a missed Thanksgiving paper delivery. We contacted the Distributor and Director of Home Delivery Operations for your area immediately upon receipt of your complaint this week. They have responded back that your address is on their list to be checked. Your account also did not have a missed paper complaint for this past Sunday, November 27th. I sincerely hope this means that you received your paper on Sunday. Your account was also credited for all the missed papers plus two weeks for all the delivery problems. Again, our sincere apologies for any inconvenience this caused you. Thank you for bringing this to our attention and being a Star Tribune customer. Sincerely, Arden [redacted]Senior Vice President, Circulation
Dear Ms. [redacted]: We are in receipt of your complaint regarding the increased renewal cost for your Star Tribune subscription. We apologize that you needed to take this to the Revdex.com for resolution. We understand that you may have been under the impression that your rate...
was a “lifetime” or “perpetual” rate of some sort. Unfortunately, Star Tribune does not offer rates or discounts that are guaranteed for a subscriber’s lifetime. You were on a deeply-discounted introductory rate and it clearly states on our printed and on-line promotional materials: “This offer is for new subscribers only and limited to households within designated home delivery areas. Rate may change after introductory offer period.” You received a renewal notice at the basic subscription rate. You are not eligible for another discounted subscription. Like most companies, Star Tribune needs to maintain the flexibility to adjust its rates from time to time to respond to changing costs and other conditions. For that reason, although we use commercially reasonable efforts to honor a subscriber’s rate through the end of the subscriber’s then-current paid subscription period, we do reserve the right to change rates at any time. We do our best to publish and deliver to you a high-quality newspaper at a reasonable cost, and we hope that you will continue to subscribe to the Star Tribune newspaper. Thank you for your many years of being a loyal Star Tribune subscriber. Sincerely, Arden [redacted]Senior Vice President, Circulation
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2016/02/26) */
Dear Ms. [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 Better...
Business Bureau 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 2007. You have utilized the grace period described above a few times. Your last expire date was 8/30/15. Renewal invoices were sent to you on 8/9/15 (three weeks prior to the expire date), 9/13/15, 10/11/15, and a final invoice on 11/28/15 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 10/14/15 and 10/24/15 and left voicemails regarding you account.
You mentioned that you spoke to someone in the summer of 2015 regarding renewing your subscription and you told them no thanks. Unfortunately, they did not stop your subscription or put a note on your account regarding the call.
Based on the above and as a one-courtesy, we have written off the past due balance and pulled the account from collections. Again, we apologize for any miscommunication on our part and any inconvenience and time 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
I spoke to Ms. [redacted] this afternoon. I have received assurance from our distributor that we will begin delivering this free product to her address starting this weekend. She will call me if future problems with delivery.
John [redacted]
Asst to SVP, Circulation
###-###-####
Star Tribune Acct: # [redacted] Dear Ms. [redacted]: We are in receipt of your complaint regarding the continued delivery of Sunday papers after you stopped weekend delivery in September. We apologize that you needed...
to take this to the Revdex.com for resolution. Upon review of your account, we see that you stopped your 7-day subscription the end of September, but continued with Monday thru Friday delivery until 11/5/2016. We contacted the Distributor, and he specifically talked to the weekend carrier to not deliver to your address. You were not charged for any weekend papers since the end of September. We believe that the problem has been resolved. Again, our sincere apologies for any inconvenience this caused you. Thank you for bringing this to our attention. Sincerely, Arden [redacted] Senior Vice President, Circulation
I am rejecting this response because: It doesn't matter what discount direct mail offer has to do with Customer service and the delivery problem. If you pay for something you would like what you pay for no matter what price it was. 4/9 when I spoke with Ron - He said he would send the complaint over to the delivery company and he would he would get me out a free gift. I said I will not be charge for this correct he said correct. He said they were running a special on star tribune cooler or umbrella. Yes, I have called more then the times stated and yes none of them did I receive a manager call back. you stated Shannon called me, she did but no the on the day stated she relized she called the wrong number and tried again this past Friday 4/28 at 12:43 pm in the afternoon. She admitted dialed the wrong number and tried again a few days later. I did let her know that I appiciate the call and she also said the next 4 weeks she will be driving and parking to make sure the paper is deliver. she will be in a black suv don't be alarmed. Thanks for your time. [redacted]