Subscribe Hearstmags Reviews 133

AVOID AVOID AVOID
I ordered the red beauty box from Hearst magazines, costing me £50.00 and was really excited for its arrival.
A couple of weeks had gone by and I contacted the company by email after not receiving my parcel. I was advised that it was signed for and shown a photo of it where the delivery company had left it in the porch of my communal building where there are over 90 other flats.

I phoned up the company and explained that I had not been notified of the delivery and it had been left in a unsafe place downstairs where anyone could access it. The company had not even bothered to leave it outside of my flat door. The woman I spoke to explained that a new box would be sent out to be within 48 hours, I asked her if she could confirm that I would definitely receive a new item and she said yes. She was very cagey on the phone and I was suspicious that she was not being entirely honest and transparent with me but trusted her word nether the less and ended the call, awaiting a new delivery of my goods.

The next day I received an email from ‘Mark Q’ saying that he had looked into my enquiry and that my parcel was delivered. His exceptionally dismissive email suggested that I ‘look around the building’ as they have ‘evidence of delivery’ - as if I hadn’t already attempted to ‘look around the building’ for my parcel that had been neglectfully placed downstairs in a communal area by their delivery company.

I replied to the email, explaining that I was alarmed by their response as I had been informed I would receive a new parcel by his colleague. I assured them I had not received the parcel and explained it had been left in an unsafe place without my permission. No reply, although it says that I may be waiting 10 days due to covid. I am a support worker in the nhs so by no means am I ignorant as to the effects that covid is having on our society. However, I am absolutely appalled of the way that this company has treated me and many, many others who don’t deserve to part with their hard earned money in return for no goods and a whole new level of poor customer service!

I don’t think I’m ever getting the product I ordered or my money back but the least I can do is persuade people not to use this deceitful company.

Good Housekeeping and Cotswold Life magazine subscription are managed by Archant (not Hearst Magazines or National Magazine Company). This is my experience of all 3, though where one stops and the other starts is beyond me. All get terrible reviews:

Operation is legal, though sharp practice and in my view a scam nevertheless. Signed up at Christmas, as many, and all seemed well on a discounted offer price. However, unless you cancel the subscription a full year at full cost is added a year later. No reminder is given, no notification that this is to happen.
Cancelling seems to involve a double layer of accounts and passwords, that I did not remember from signing-up to and an offshore call centre (probably due to Hearst, NMC and Archant). All time consuming and counter intuitive and seemingly designed at tripping over another year.

If you must use this company, cancel your subscription a day after signing up. You will be locked into the year you wanted and will not get a surprise a year later.

All reviews seem to be 100% negative, so 2.5* seems generous. I would never have used this company had I know the problems and never will again.

Ordered a beauty box for £60. Never arrived, 2 months later, don’t answer emails just fob you off saying wait 48 hours. Won’t give me a refund or send me the item. Had to select option to sign up just to speak to someone on the phone otherwise they cut you off. THIEVES!

You cannot unsubscribe from your account online. I contacted them by mail to do it. They sent an automatic reply saying they will reply within 10 working days. 3 weeks later no answer.
On top of that, I realised that I haven't been receiving my magazine for a couple of weeks. Turn out that I my address was oddly changed on my account...

I tried to cancel an order, immediately after placing it but never received a response to the email and two follow ups I sent them. No way of getting the refund I'm legally entitled to.

Appalling customer service. I contacted Hearst 2 months ago to notify themof a relative's death. It took almost a month to even get a response to arrange cancellation of subscription and (in theory) organise refund of the credit on the account. 6 weeks further on and I am still waiting for the refund!! Automated responses and ridiculously slow service, even allowing for the current Covid 19 situation. I would never use or recommend this company!

I ordered a magazine in April, I hadn’t received an update on the dispatch of it so I filled in the contact form to enquire about it and I haven’t heard anything back, I’m still waiting and now it seems to be because it’s all a scam. I wish I had it googled the reviews first. Looks like all have to open a dispute with my bank.

DO NOT BUY OR SUBSCRIBE FROM THIS VENDOR!! These books are NOT how they are described! AND, they will NOT offer a return label OR a refund if you have opened the envelope.

Absolute terrible customer service, and be warned once they have your money, you wll never get it back!
Had trouble right from the start of my subscription, can't even get simple things right on start up.
Will never use them again.

Terrible customer service. I signed up for 3 years of Men's Health and specifically made sure I checked 'NO' for any other subscriptions. Surprise they charged me for 'Beginner's Guide.' Called customer service and she HUNG UP. I called back and got the response, "WE CAN'T DO ANYTHING." I will be going to the bbb, any newspaper, (not owned by Hearst,) or news channel willing to hear my story. I advise against purchasing anything from this company

UPDATE: We have received your complaint and we are currently reviewing it. BBB of Detroit & Eastern Michigan (Southfield, MI) 20300 W 12 Mile Rd Suite 202 Southfield, MI 48076-6409 Phone: (248)223-9400 Fax: (248)356-5156

Dreadful customer service. I have emailed 9 times to this company with regards to a PayPal refund. 3 emails back with different agents looking into the issue and promising an update. Nothing. Doesn’t even warrant 1 star. Wish I had read the reviews before ordering with this company. Avoid!!!

I really wish I had read the reviews, DO NOT buy ANYTHING from them, beauty boxes never turn up, magazine subscriptions with months missed and final special edition magazine never turn up.
If you call them the operators are rude and do not care one jot for your inconvenience, I was appalled at the attitude I was confronted with. If you e-mail you get a response saying it will be a day, then after a day (or two) when you send again it says you will get a response in two days, then eventually someone gets back to you saying NOTHING, oh sorry they say "don't worry just wait a bit longer it will arrive" If I could give no stars I would

Cannot give 0 stars. Appalling service to subscribers. You are not their customer - the magazine owners are. Therefore, it is impossible to cancel subscription. Never ever sign up. You have been warned.

They take your money, maybe you’re lucky if you get one magazine but it arrives10 days after it appears in the shops. Then you don’t get it any more so you phone and they say they haven’t got any left so will add an extra month on at the end of the subscription. Shocking company! Wish I’d read the reviews before buying a subscription. Do not recommend buying their subscriptions!

Disgrace of a company. Signed up to a great offer of £6 for 6 issues, received the first then nothing arrived the second month. Tried to contact via email multiple times to be met with an automated response saying someone will get back to me. Nobody does. Phone number (they obviously want you to call to solve the issue) charges for you to call. I can only assume this is how they make the money after giving you such a good deal. Seems I am not the only one. Another thing is they make signing up to manage your account impossible so again you have to call! Looking forward to them charging my account full price after 6 months as I’ve no idea how to cancel as they make that near impossible too! 0 stars for this company if I could!

Shockingly bad customer service and lack of response. I ordered a magazine that didn't turn up and 1 month later still not resolved with each reply from a different person with a different message

Worst service ever. Signed up for Woman’s Health magazine in November 2019 and still waiting to receive my first issue, despite at least 5 emails news. Worst service ever please so not sign up with them.

I purchased instant pot cook books from Hearst magazine. First of all the books had very few recipes for the instant pot. Most of the recipes were for baking. Secondly it's been 2months now and I'm still arguing with them about the refund. Every time I call I get 2 more weeks. It will be there in 2 weeks. Don't waste your money with this company.

Very misleading direct debit prices on their website and no way of checking until you have agreed.
"5 issues for £5 by Direct Debit, renewing every 6 months at £19.95",
What they should put is that the issues are £5 EACH, which is no better than if you buy it in the shops.
Subscribed to a magazine for my mothers birthday present and their website said if I subscribe now it would come with the Christmas special issue. When I get the confirmation email they said the first issue would be February's even though I paid in November.
Rip off.

Just awful, skipping out on magazines that are meant to be posted, customer service saying they send replacements out and they never do, I contacted you twice and each time given pure garbage from your customer service team, avoid this disgusting company, bunch of thieves.