The Boston Globe
Reviews and Complaints

I signed up for the digital subscription for $1 dollar for six (6) months, it started in November . They billed me on April 26th $27.72 for the next month. I was not aware of this, they don't notify you, like every other decent business. On May 5th, I called to cancel my subscription but I decided to continue my subscription at a fair price. On May 17th (12 days after I was cancelling), I became aware they had already charged my account even though I had cancelled before my promotional period had ended. I talked and failed to make any changes with the management. They renewed my subscription before the promotional period was over and failed to email the new subscription rate. They stated they often prorated the renewals 1 to 2 weeks in advance.

BEWARE when you sign up for a digital subscription with THE BOSTON GLOBE they do not follow the contract and follow their own moral rules on fair business practice. They should be ashamed.

CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION AT LEAST A MONTH IN ADVANCE.

I have been a Sunday paper delivery customer for many years first in Belmont and now in ***. My paper has not been delivered properly for weeks now. What is wrong with your delivery person in East Falmouth that literally cannot deliver

We had tried to sign up for a Boston Globe account on a trial offer in Nov 2018, though after signing up I was never able to access The Globe online, and attempts to find my account via email/phone number didn't work so I figured the account was never processed. 18 Months later I noticed that I have been charged $558 ($27.72 per month) for the past 18 months for a subscription i was never able to log into. Customer service was able to cancel my subscription, but refused to process a refund for "services delivered". Our account, though, had never even been logged into, so clearly no services were delivered. I can't speak to the quality of the Globe, because i was never able to log in, but I was disappointed with their customer service.

Horrible experience with the Globe, which is too bad because I'm in Boston and I would support them otherwise. I tried their trial subscription offer for $1 for 3 months or something like that, but decided that $27/month was too much long term. So when I called to cancel (Yes they are still living their best 1985 life and you have to CALL you can't email or chat or cancel online you must CALL and wait in a long phone line) they told me finally, after waiting on hold and repeating over and over that I wanted to cancel while they offered me a million other choices to keep my subscription in place, they FINALLY agreed and said they had cancelled my subscription... or DID THEY? Today I wake up to a $27.18 charge on my credit card, several months later. A sleeper subscription! Criminal business practices. When I called them back AGAIN they told me they had never cancelled my subscription and this was my monthly charge... super shady and illegal practices they are just a bunch of liars. They promised me again they would cancel my subscription and refund me, which remains to be seen... prob I will just see another charge in a month and have to do this again. Idiots. They would have better retention if you could cancel online and didn't charge so much. I pay for other news bc its much more affordable and less scammy.

I have had a similar horrendous experience to those described in other comments. To cancel, you need to speak with a representative by phone, but then they NEVER ANSWER the PHONE! If you finally reach someone and cancel, that doesn't mean that you are cancelled. Since this was verbal, there is NO RECORD of your cancelation. TWO RECOMMENDATIONS: 1, DO NOT SUBSCRIBE! 2. If you have had the unfortunate experience of subscribing, rather than going through the Globe's nonsensical requirements to cancel, contact your bank or credit card company to get your card replaced and then DO NOT GIVE THESE CLOWNS the NEW NUMBER! Required to select a STAR. ONE Star is to high a rating for the Globe

Quality of articles aside (plenty of mostly negative to say, not the point here), their subscription and billing service is terrible. We were signed up for online articles and every few month's I'd get a fraud alert from my credit card because the Globe charged it multiple (3+) times in a row. This morning I got an alert to find that they had taken $55.44 off my card (2 times the $27.72 subscription fee) and had tried to charge again. I sat on hold with the Globe for 20min to be told by the agent I wasn't reading my bill correctly and to have him read me my payment history twice since March to "explain" - this demonstrated that their "billing history" didn't reflect what my credit card said. I cancelled the account - with a lot of back talk from the agent - but they don't send confirmations of cancellation so I only have a confirmation number. To be safe, I have had to reissue my credit card for the second time in a year thanks to the Globe. Don't get involved with them, their reporting isn't worth the hassle.