Press-Telegram Sucks
There, I did it. I stopped thinking about using that as a title for a post, and actually did it.
Last week, a friend of mine told me that, despite her repeated attempts to have the Press-Telegram stop delivering the paper to her house, the paper was still coming. She refused to pay for a paper she didn't want, and was then sent a collections notice.
I figured that I had won my own battle (chronicled here, here, and here), since we had stopped receiving the paper. However, today our own collections notice came.
It would be easy to just pay the $22 and be done with it. However, I can't seem to let this rest. According to the notice, I have thirty days to dispute this notice in writing.
You'd think that a newspaper that is struggling as it is would treat its customers better. Friendly service might even have persuaded me to resubscribe, at least on the weekends, if not daily. But I will certainly not give money to a company that has such poor customer service. (Are you listening, Press-Telegram? That's some free advice for you, from me.)
If you have a similar story, please comment. (If you are reading this as a facebook note, go to www.fieldofdandelions.com to comment.)
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3 comments:
Why do we all have the same story? Hummm. Because it's true. I too canceled my subscription in March before the renewal date. Then got a past due payment notice, which I replied in writing I had already canceled. Then another one a month later. When I tried to phone to confirm my cancelation nobody would answer the phone so I replied in writing again! Then a phone call from the PT and a notice in June they were going to cancel my subscription for non-payment. So end it already!! Finally a notice from a collection agency in July demanding a $56 payment. I told the collection agency I applaud them if they can get my account closed and the PT off my lawn in less than the 4 attempts I have already made. Your way ahead of me. Four months later the PT is still on my lawn with no end in sight. Signed "Lost in PT Land"
Now my family is going through the same grief. We canceled the paper, but they continued billing us for $15. We've sent back the bill with a note that we canceled, but they sent us to collections. We called recently, and they said that because we wrote them instead of calling, it doesn't count. This smells of fraud to me. Having worked for a Magazine subscription department in the past, I KNOW that it's not worth hassling customers over the non payment of a trial subscription. Almost all magazines churn out bills for several months after the trial period, and then quietly drop the customer from the list. They NEVER send trial customers to collections.
I wonder if the bill is from a real collection agency, or some branch of the Torrance Corporation that bought the Press Telegram? (see http://thedistrictweekly.com/2008/daily/writing-shotgun/more-amputations-at-press-telegram-to-turn-lb-daily-into-corporate-bureau/ ) Perhaps we should call
MediaNews Group, Inc. directly and demand a stop to this nonsense!
Thanks for commenting, Allison. You know, I haven't heard from the Press-Telegram in quite a while now, although last week some high school student knocked on the door and said he was doing a fundraiser by selling subscriptions to the Press-Telegram. I felt bad for him, but not bad enough to fall for that tactic again.
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