I file a BBB complaint about the Oregonian's "premium editions"

Just when I thought the Portland Oregonian couldn't irritate me any further, the newspaper DID! (Since 2013, I only get four print editions a week delivered to my south Salem home, and I don't like the Oregonian's increasingly right-wing editorial positions.)

A few days ago a letter arrived from The Oregonian informing me they'd now be charging my EasyPay account $2.99 for each of four "premium editions" -- the first of which would be a 100 page Investment & Retirement Guide that will be delivered with my September 18 Sunday Oregonian.

Even more irritating: in addition, I'm slated to be charged $4.00 for "the premium Thanksgiving Day edition." So apparently I'm supposed to pay four bucks for all of the Thanksgiving Day newspaper ads that my wife and I dump into the recycling bin without looking at them.

Here's a PDF file of the letter I got:
Download Oregonian letter about premium editions

I've filed a Better Business Bureau complaint, and have sent a link to this blog post to the Home Delivery email address on the August 12 letter, along with a demand that my EasyPay account NOT be charged extra for the so-called "premium editions" that I didn't request, and which have nothing to do with the Oregonian subscription that I signed up for.

This is the gist of my Better Business Bureau complaint: 

TELL US ABOUT YOUR PROBLEM: 
I've received an August 12, 2016 letter from the Oregonian informing me that my EasyPay (automatic deduction from checking account) subscription account will be charged $2.99 for each of up to four "premium editions," the first of which is a 100 page Investment and Retirement Guide that will be delivered on September 18 with my Sunday Oregonian. I have absolutely no interest in paying for this Guide, or the other "premium editions" that are an unwanted and unasked-for add-on to my Oregonian subscription.

The letter also says that my EasyPay account will be charged $4.00 for the premium Thanksgiving Day edition, which sure seems to be the regular ad-filled thick newspaper that I now would have to pay $4.00 extra for, even though my wife and I take out all of the Thanksgiving ads and recycle them without looking at them.

The Oregonian says: "Since the charge is applied to your subscription account balance, it will shorten your paid-through date so that the next charge comes about sooner." So this is an extra charge for (1) non-news material that I don't want and has nothing to do with the Oregonian newspaper that I bought a subscription to, and (2) the Thanksgiving ad-filled newspaper that until now has just been a regular edition of the Oregonian. 

DESIRED RESOLUTION: Billing adjustment

DESIRED OUTCOME: 
I've received an August 12, 2016 letter from the Oregonian informing me that my EasyPay (automatic deduction from checking account) subscription account will be charged $2.99 for each of up to four "premium editions," the first of which is a 100 page Investment and Retirement Guide that will be delivered on September 18 with my Sunday Oregonian. I have absolutely no interest in paying for this Guide, or the other "premium editions" that are an unwanted and unasked-for add-on to my Oregonian subscription.

The letter also says that my EasyPay account will be charged $4.00 for the premium Thanksgiving Day edition, which sure seems to be the regular ad-filled thick newspaper that I now would have to pay $4.00 extra for, even though my wife and I take out all of the Thanksgiving ads and recycle them without looking at them.

The Oregonian says: "Since the charge is applied to your subscription account balance, it will shorten your paid-through date so that the next charge comes about sooner." So this is an extra charge for (1) non-news material that I don't want and has nothing to do with the Oregonian newspaper that I bought a subscription to, and (2) the Thanksgiving ad-filled newspaper that until now has just been a regular edition of the Oregonian. 

If any other Oregonian subscribers decide to file a BBB complaint, here's a tip. The BBB web site had difficulty finding the main office of the Oregonian when I typed in the name of the business I was complaining about. I had to enter the address information manually:

The Oregonian 
1500 SW 1st
Portland, OR  97201

UPDATE: Today, August 29, I got an email reply from the Oregonian's Home Delivery folks. Here's what Linda said.

Thank you for contacting the Oregonian.  

I have simply opted your account out of being charged for the premium issues.   I am sorry if the letter you received did not state that you could simply opt out. A correction was placed in the paper several times about this. You will not be charged for ANY premium issues.  If the carrier delivers this to you in error, please note that your account WILL NOT  be charged.   Due to the nature of your email, did you wish to cancel your subscription? Please call or reply to this email if I can assist you in another way other than opting your account out of being charged for any and all premium issues.

Customer Care
Linda

This was my reply to her.

Linda, the letter I got said that my EasyPay account WILL be charged for the premium editions. It didn’t say I could opt out. Anyway, I do NOT want to cancel my subscription. I just don’t want to be charged for any premium issues. I also don’t want anyone else charged for them either. Thanks for responding. I do have a question: I didn’t see any correction in the Oregonian. What day(s) was this correction published?

         — Brian

Comments

[Rain Trueax]

Wow, seems very unfair of them. Good for you on lodging a complaint.

I had wanted to take out a digital only subscription (which is not yet available), as they do some good research pieces like on Eastern Oregon water issues, but did not want the paper in its physical form for the reasons you mention. Any temptation I had to get what they do offer just ended with your experience. The newspapers are not easy for us to dispose of, and they'd have to come in the mail a day late or more.

[Harry Vanderpool]

Anybody that "takes out all of the Thanksgiving ads and recycle them without looking at them" and does not take advantage of coupons, I have no sympathy for if they lose a couple of bucks.
If you are so almighty, high and mighty above spending in a thrifty manner; sucks to be you!
How can you bitch about the Daily Dead Fishwrapper's high prices when you ignore offers for low prices? GET REAL!

[Brian Hines]

Hey, Harry, we get all the free coupons we want from Fred Meyer, via their free rewards program. Oh, did I mention the coupons are FREE? Why should we, or anyone else, have to pay for the previously-free coupons and ads in the Oregonian's Thanksgiving Day paper?

Join me in rebelling against this un-American outrage. We can dump our copies of the Oregonian in the river, following in the patriotic footsteps of the Boston Tea Party folks. (Of course, we'd probably run afoul of environmental quality laws, but if I drove our electric Chevy Volt to the rebellion, maybe the liberals in state government would let us off.)

[Rain Trueax]

To be honest, I hate sales for any product. They used to make sense when they had a seasonal aspect but that's not the case today. I prefer to shop somewhere that the prices are as low as they can be. The idea that i have to clip a coupon or maybe miss a sale by a day is offensive to me. Prices would be overall cheaper if they didn't run those temporary ads for which they pay. Yeah, I guess they do fund the Oregonian but at this point print editions don't make as much sense as digital. I'd rather pay for what did not cut down as tree to make *yes a little satire*

[Harry Vanderpool]

I agree with Rain & Brian but they are ignoring seasonal pricing.
How are you suppose to know when to buy things in season and where?
Tea leaves?
Our heavy trucks take 16 quarts of oil per change.
There are sales that slash the cost of diesel motor oil that cannot be missed.
Same with seeds and plants.
Crops in season.
School supplies.
Beer, wine & pop.
A penny saved is a penny earned.
Don't spend harder, spend smarter!

[Rain Trueax]

Seasonal sales is what we used to have and I am fine with them, Harry. Lots of something in the market and it's cheaper. Season ends and clothes are left. That's not what most sales are today. Spending smarter is to buy somewhere that prices it fairly to begin. My mom was a huge coupon clipper and I don't know if I ever have. But I buy farmer's markets and use our own grassfed beef and lamb in addition to getting as good a price as I can at the store. But I don't want to eat something just because it's on sale. Of course, a lot of sales are processed foods and I don't do a lot of them.

[BRIAN L. MOBLEY]

I DID NOT SUBSCRIBE FOR THIS MAGAZINE AND I DO NOT WANT IT!

[BRIAN L. MOBLEY]

I HOPE THE BBB RECEIVES MY COMMENT.

[Concerned subscriber]

What was the bbb outcome?

[Brian Hines]

The BBB contacted the Oregonian and asked for a response to my complaint. I heard from the Oregonian that they they wouldn't charge me for the premium editions. But I was more concerned that the Oregonian not charge anybody for them. I believe the BBB case ended when I eventually said that my own personal case had been resolved. I guess the BBB doesn't get involved in what would amount to a "class action" on behalf of many subscribers. Since the Oregonian resolved my individual complaint, this seemed to be the end of what the BBB could do,

[concerned subscribber]

That's really too bad.

I work for a newspaper company (Not the Oregonian) that is trying to do something similar and I'm looking for some precedence that i can take to leadership on why it can't legally be done. I guess i'll keep looking to see if anyone has done a class action against this type of practice.

[loretta joyce]

i also have a problem with the Oregonian newspaper. i was out of town over the holidays and put a vacation hold on it(as i have several times in the past with no problem). when i came back into town i called them and paper was to resume(all done w/o a real person) but i never did start getting again. when i finally got sick of waiting for them to get it together someone there told me that i had never put it on vacation hold so therefore i am still getting the paper,,,hmmph ! i guess i just dont recognise a newspaper on my porch ! the person i just talked to said that ive only called once and i am getting my paper. WOW they have just lost an 8 yr sunscriber and i will talk trash abt them until i run out of breath!!

[R. Imboden]

I had a proposed price increase (starting March 2017) in my Oregonian home delivery of 32%. When I asked why I was told it was due to production increases. Nonsense! If they are increasing production, which is what it sounds like, then their price should drop not increase: They should have more subscribers and higher sales of their paper resulting in lower prices. This proposed increase came after I had spoken with a supervisor and asked them to stop delivering the premium issues, so the result? An overall subscription price increase of on my next bill, 32%. I have cancelled the Oregonian and we will live with our local, twice-a-week, paper at $86 a year.

[Bess]

Chicago Tribune does this too. Quite irritating since it shortens a yearly subscription by as much as 4 months.

Is this something that the Office of the State Attorney should be fixing and can fix?

[Alecia Spiering]

I would like to add a complaint of my own, regarding the price of the Oregonian Newspaper.

In the past several years the price has gone up and up.

We receive the print edition for Sunday, Wed, Fri and Saturday issues, along with the digital. The cost is now $12 per week, or $636 per year! I am wondering how retired people can afford to keep up with the local news, via the local paper?
2020 the cost will be $636
2018 cost was approx. $465
2017 cost was approx. $352

If you want an "digital only" copy, the cost is $318!

I just cannot justify the price for the paper anymore.