The Mercury News reviews & complaints 45
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high pressure sales tactics/automatic renewal
The San Jose Mercury News employs high pressure sales tactics such as having groups of "students" solicit donations which include what appears to be a fixed length subscription to the San Jose Mercury News. A group of three women came up to me while I watching my children play in our developments. They were extremely insistent and claimed they would wind up on drugs and not be able to go to college if I did not help them out. I told them no several times. Told them I did not have any money on me and they would not take no for an answer. They asked me where I lived and said they would watch my children while I went to get the money. One of them then took my youngest son's hand. I should have called the police, but instead out of fear I went and got them the $20. While I was in my house one of them followed me in and told me I had to call a phone number. The other two had my two children outside. Honestly I did not listen to anything that was said as I just wanted my children back and these women to leave. I was hoping it was all for the best and that they did not mean to be so threatening and that I had done a good thing by helping them get to college.
This weekend however I was shocked to get a letter from a collection agency, "Coast to Coast Solutions" saying I owed $16.11 for a bill I had never received from the San Jose Mercury News. Apparently, the "donation" includes a subscription that automatically renews unless you cancel within a certain amount of time.
The woman who came into my house extracted a promise from me not to cancel because then she would not get her college money. I thought she meant call and cancel right away because that is what I should have done. I did not know that I would have to cancel immediately. I did not cancel because I was afraid she would come back.
I am sure most people just pay "Coast to Coast Solutions" immediately since the amount is small and the hassle is otherwise large, but I was so upset, mainly at myself for giving into this pressure sales force in the beginning that I fought the charges. I called the San Jose Mercury News at [protected] and after I explained that I had " just wanted to make a donation to the school" and did not want the subscription they agreed to forgive the charges. So as it currently stands the $16.11 that I owe will be erased at least according to the representative I spoke to. This is in contrast to what I was told by Coast to Coast Solutions who said that the San Jose Mercury News would have no record of this bill and that it had been transferred to them.
So, if you feel that you have been tricked into an automatic subscription with the San Jose Mercury News through this "donation" process, I would recommend contacting the San Jose Mercury News at [protected] and explaining the situation. I also requested proof of the charges in a letter to Coast to Coast Solutions, but that was because I was not able to contact San Jose Mercury News on the weekend.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
abusive, unethical and misleading sales practices
We have already paid the san jose mercury news paper subscription amount. We thought we are helping a low income family student with his studies. but end up getting a letter from coast to coast financial solution collection amount $32.22 .later u are getting threatening letters m COLLECTION AGENCY Coast to Coast trying to coerce you in paying a subscription you NEVER wanted and NEVER agreed to take.
Please help us in this
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
I paid my news paper bill. Why I am getting a letter from the Debt collector? If my credit is dinged, I am going to take you to court. THis is unethical and shame on you guys.
I am also facing the exact same problem for the same amount of $32.22 from Coast to Coast Financial Solutions. This looks a big scam. I paid $20.00 to a student and I am getting this letter and calls from collection agency.
What can be done to stop this scam?
BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU of San Jose:
The please "help put a poor student thru college subscription" scams from San Jose Mercury news continue to rise. I complained last year and dozens of people keep on getting hit by this same unethical business practice, (see San Jose Mercury News — annoying phone calls and repeat billings and see Sanjose Mercury News — abusive, unethical and misleading sales practices)
This is highly unethical and immoral to then coerce people to pay for somthing they did not want or knew they were getting in to not counting possibly having your credit score dinged.
Why does the BBB not escalate this problem to the consumer protection agency? How many more people must be misled and have their credit potentionally dinged and get harrassing calls from the Coast to Coast collection agency as a result of this scam.
Last year the San Jose Mercury News has reached 74+ complaints and now approximately 6 months later they are up to 95 WITH AN F rating!
I would really like to know what the BBB will do about this issue; is this not a matter that can be escalated to the consumer protection agency and have them closed down. Must we as victims start small claim court proceedings against them?
Look fwd to your response.
Denis
(PS I OFFER TO DRAFT A COMMON LETTER OF COMPLAINT SURROUNDING THIS ISSUE AND HAVE PEOPLE SIGN IT BEFORE SENDING IT TO THE CONSUMER PROTECTION AGENCY. JUST PROVIDE ME YOUR FAX OR EMAIL AND THEN SIGN IT AND EITHER FAX IT OR PDF IT BACK TO ME AND I WILL SENT IT TO THE CONSUMER PROTECTION AGENCY. EMAIL ME AT " denbois@yahoo.com" IF WANTING TO SIGN. LETS GET THIS UNETHICAL AND MISLEADING POOR STUDENT SCAM SHUT DOWN ASAP. ALSO CHECK UR CREDIT SCORES AT http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre34.shtm at no cost (this is the free govt website) and see if you have been dinged ... IF SO THEN WE MIGHT CONSIDER COMMON SUIT IN COURT)
repeated billings
This is regarding San Jose Mercury News bussiness practices:
In February 2009, I gave $20 for Mercury New subscription to a high school student earning 'commissions' for college savings. I don't have time to read the paper, I wanted to do a good deed. I opted for week-end only paper, but the paper arrived daily. I called Mercury News twice, to try to change the schedule, but they claimed they could not find my delivery address in their records. They could not find my account, but the paper was delivered to my address!? So I gave up, thinking that after $20 worth of papers they will stop. But no, after a while I received bill to renew the subscription. I ignored it, I did not need any more papers. After the second bill, I called them, this time they found my record (based on the account number), but I was owing them $12 dollars, for the extra papers they delivered to me. I told them I will not pay for something I did not ask. Now I received bill from Coast to Coast collection agency. it's not about the money, I just feel I was scamed.
incessant hang up calls
After canceling a subscription (prior to the end of the paid period) a representative of the SJ Mercury News called and tried to get me to re-subscribe to which I said no thanks. I got another call at which time I said emphatically NO! They have continued to call my number and say nothing, some low breathing then a hang up. Its happened too many times to be a coincidence. the callers number shown on my caller ID is [protected]. I have reported this to the FTC.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
The Mercury News - annoying phone calls and repeat billings
I ordered a one year subscription to the daily SJ Mercury for home delivery. The purchase was made from a high school student earning 'commissions' for college savings (I like to believe this is true). Anyway, the paper started arriving on schedule and then the bills started arriving. I paid the student and was told the payment was for a one year...
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one student came and asked for donation and donated some amount..but this ridiculous they are charging me for subscription fees. which i never wanted to subscribe. ..why do not you just stop the service
I had a "student" show up at my door to try to sell me a subscription. When I said that I wasn't interested, his demeanor changed and he started asking why. "Why man, it's only $20, " he kept saying. "You don't want to help me go to college?" Then when he finally realized that I wasn't going to give him any money, he said that I "must be a racist...###, " and then walked away.
I have no idea if he was legit, but if he was, The Merc should be extremely ASHAMED of this kind of sales pressure.