Chicago TribuneReviews of chicagotribune.com

Feedback Difficult to cancel online Can not reach a person via phone line  Exceeding expense Poor or No customer service

I would pay for 6 months and there was wording that it might be reduced because of "special issues". Those "special issues" meant I was only paying for three months. As soon as i called to complain, they reimbursed me for that crap, only to proceed to do it again. I called and cancelled my subscription. They confirmed I was paid up through September 14th. I stopped getting the paper delivered after September 14th, which was fine, but then a collection company sent me a notice that I owed them money, which I did not! This is a great newspaper with very shady, borderline illegal, business practices.

Deceptive billing from low-tier newspaper

Despite having settled a class action lawsuit over deceptive billing in the past, the Chicago Tribune continues with very questionable billing tactics. I had been paying $6.50 every 6 months for digital access only. Imagine my shock when I received a text message from my credit card that the Chicago Tribune had charged me $103.74 for 6 months of digital only access. No email, no letter, no notification at all from the Chicago Tribune about the ridiculous rate increase. When I called and spoke with customer service, they initially refused to cancel my subscription and immediately refund me. I had to request a supervisor to cancel my subscription and refund me. Customer service, including the supervisor, lied to me about my subscription and could have cared less to assist me. I am a long time Tribune subscriber and that meant nothing to them. I seriously think the Chicago Tribune needs an investigation into their continued deceptive billing and lies being told to customers. I will never return and will take every opportunity to warn people to stay away from the Tribune due to their continued deceptive billing practices.

I had been reading the Tribune for close to 30 years and was pleased to receive a promotional offer for digital access at only $4/year. Of course I should have expected the rate to increase after the first year but not to $300 annually. This does not even include physical delivery of the paper. Just ridiculous. Making matters worse, I called the billing department and was routed to a very rude overseas call center agent. I was given no other option but to pay up or risk having this sent to collections. Great way to treat your customers in an era where local newspapers are struggling.

signed up just to leave this review because I've been a subscriber to the Chicago Tribune for a long time, and my recent experiences have left me disappointed. When I went to renew my subscription, I noticed that the prices just don't make sense anymore. Compared to the service I used to receive, the current pricing feels way too high. The customer service is also nearly impossible to reach. My attempts to get in touch have either taken forever or I've ended up without any response. Additionally, I'm experiencing frequent access issues with the digital content. Some articles just won’t load or display correctly, which is frustrating. Overall, the Chicago Tribune used to be a great newspaper, but its current state has me worried. Unless something improves, I’m seriously considering canceling my subscription.

The Tribune overcharges regular, long term customers. My next bill is $124.00 for less than 8 weeks. Online a new customer can purchase the same subscription of Sunday & Wednesday delivery plus daily digital for$155.00 for 52 weeks. I asked for that and was denied. I was offered $9.50 a week for 8 weeks, which will increase after. I refused asking for the 52 week price. I was denied. I was also told that when I cancelled today I then had to wait 30 days to subscribe to a new subscription. I told her I likely wouldn't come back then and she just didn't care. How is that good even for Tribune? So my subscription completely ends 4/2.25. And there is nowhere to call that accepts complaints. Bad business. Kathy Russell

Subscribed for a 25 cents/week promotion and was immediately charged $23.96/month. Called and was told that "rates are subject to change" and no refund would be issued. This is outright fraud. Cancelled and will never again be a customer.