Continuing delivery problem with no compensation. This has been an ongoing problem that they are either unable or unwilling to fix. I enjoy reading the newsprint or I would cancel immediately. I do not recommend. read more

I can't get through by phone I ordered 4 books celebrating the Giants, Niners and Warriors showing their accomplishments over these years ONLY RECEIVED ONE BOOK!!!! Charged for all ones ordered These are Christmas gifts and the set for myself FURIOUS Can't post no stars. One is too good too read more

NEVER give them your credit card! You will not be able to cancel your subscription without a whole world of hassle. You can't cancel online, you have to call. When I spoke with them, it was already after the Merc News renewal period and they wanted a new credit card for the $1.22 balance. I asked them to mail me a bill and they refused, it had to be a credit card over the phone. I only gave the credit card after she assured me it would not be charged further. And, what do you know - a week later it was charged for another year's subscription! When I called to get it refunded, they said they had to review the recording of the earlier call to make sure that I actually said I wanted to cancel. If they don't refund my money, I will have the charges reversed by my credit card company, but what a hassle! These are unethical business practices. read more

Scam. Avoid at all costs. They will try to fraudulently sign you up for memberships and will pester you with calls.

Yesterday, the Bay Area News Group published a full page ad in the middle of the local section, asking "Are you a longtime reader of this paper? Tell us what you love most about reading your newspaper. Yelp us..." Okay, I guess I can write about my experience with this newspaper. I am shocked to see there aren't any reviews. I am a longtime reader of the newspaper published by the Bay Area News Group. My reading the paper goes all the way back to a time when the late Robert Maynard was the editor of the Oakland Tribune. Back in those days I enjoyed reading the paper. Bill Fiset's column was witty and humorous. Perry Phillips offered an abundance of information on dining out and the night scene. Then there were columns written by William Wong, Brenda Payton and Martin Snapp. I didn't read much of the sports section, except on occasion I read articles by Carl Steward. Wednesday's edition had several good recipes in the cooking/baking section. One of the recipes I clipped from the paper was Fresh Peachy Tart, which I used to prepare a fresh peach cobbler. Gone are the days of preparing peach cobblers since I have to watch my sugar intake for health reasons. Another recipe that I still have in my possession (clipped from the Trib) is Al Attles' macaroni 'n cheese. Fast forward to nowadays. After numerous telephone calls from telemarketers, I finally subscribed to the Oakland Tribune. They had a deal that I could not turn down or refuse. It was get the newspaper for six days a week for $2.10 a month. The only day I did not get a copy of the paper was Monday. I still have the same subscription. The monthly charge has gone from $6.00 to $6.20 to the current rate of $8.00. This monthly fee is charged automatically to my credit card, which is fine with me. It was in April of this year that the newspaper had a name change to East Bay Times. Basically it is still the same format. The Sunday sections that I like are the food and travel. The sports section could be better. I don't like to wait until Sunday to see the prep football scores when games are played Friday evenings. Then I like to see a calendar schedule of upcoming games of the local professional sports team (Raiders, 49ers, A's, Giants, Sharks). The SF Chronicle sporting greens has a calendar schedule. I don't have a problem with the delivery person. He delivers the paper about the same time in the morning. Thus, I seldom call customer service to get an issue resolved. Overall, the East Bay Times, which is part of the Bay Area News Group, is somewhere between "meh" and A-OK. read more

Bay Area News Group - Print Media Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

Terrible door to door solicitation tactics. Young adult will show up at your door pushing a newspaper subscription to help him/her with whatever life goal they have. If you decline, they can be pushy. They have fake documents to try to show you that people have signed up or they have an acceptance letter to wherever. If you do not want a subscription, they will ask if you can instead donate money to them. If they get your name, they will sometimes forge the paper work to sign you up for a subscription. This happened to me. Beware. read more

Got my bill today: 24wks for $277.91 Seems like a lot of money for newspaper, so I asked my neighbor what he is paying, his bill: 52wks for $219.91 You read that right, unflipping real. So I called them and of course the guy on the phone says "today only, ~please don't tell your neighbor~ I can give you 52wk for $182.00" So to review: You're running a dying business, with mostly hack writing and you pull this crap on customers... 2 words for you East Bay Times, FU! read more

I ordered the East Bay times for my elderly mother, hoping to engage her mind a bit more in current events, and after seeing the paper, untouched on her kitchen table for three days, I called the paper to cancel. I was placed on a lengthy hold, funny how quickly they answer the phone when you are trying to place a subscription, when I finally got through to Frank, he said that I was paid through January and that the subscription was non-refundable. I was never informed that it was a non-refundable subscription and will be contacting the Better Business Bureau. When I asked to speak to a supervisor Frank told me that he was the "Floor supervisor" though I am sure he is only supervising his floor at home. I asked for another supervisor and was placed on another lengthy hold. Looking at the Yelp review for this organization it looks like their shoddy practices are business as usual. read more

Worse service. Have call 3 different times today. First excuse was carrier just late! 2 call 45 mins later stated paper on its way! 3 rd call 1 1/2 hours later stated that production was a problem. Bullsheep! Lies lies. This newsgroup is horrible! Can't wait to leave! Very poor customer service ( which is 0 ) You pay for a service and it's not there! read more

I got scammed by San Jose Mercury News (SJMN, aka Bay Area News Group) when a young male claiming to be a local high school student showed up at my door, asking for a "donation" that would help him pay for college textbooks. In return, I would get a temporary subscription to SJMN. I made it clear I did not want to do more than a one-time payment, that's it, and he said that was totally fine. I made sure I did not check off any of the subscription boxes on the form, I did not sign the form, and I wrote "Donation" on the check. I still have the form receipt and a copy of the check from my bank. First, I never received a single newspaper. I told SJMN this several times when they would call and ask if I had received it. Then I get a bill in the mail for an outstanding balance. I call and tell them the situation, and the customer service woman said there was a mistake and she would remove the balance due and close the account. This was in December or early January. I am now getting daily calls from a collection agency on behalf of SJMN, demanding that I pay. I called SJMN customer service AGAIN and the man I spoke with told me that my account was still active and a balance was still due. I told him that was supposed to have been resolved more than a month ago. He agreed to cancel the account and remove the balance due. I asked for this in writing, as I had already done this once before and nothing was resolved. He told me he could not send me written notice but gave me his Badge ID#. Still getting calls from the collection agency, who would not tell me they were a collection agency at first, but I persisted. I filed a formal complain with the BBB today. Will see what happens. read more

I was mislead by a salesperson who approached me at Pleasanton Walmart. I walked in and he offered me Walmart gift cards totaling $20 and a coupon book for the price of $14 something. He was annoying about it but I was convinced I could use a coupon booklet. So I paid the $14-something, got the gift cards and never got a coupon booklet. Instead I started getting the newspaper. When a rep called to ask how I was enjoying the newspaper I explained how I wasn't enjoying it because it's not what I thought I was paying for. They apologized and gave me a number to complain/cancel. That number they gave didn't work. I called a general contact number, complained/cancelled over a week ago. Still haven't seen a refund and they're still delivering the newspaper. The Bay Area News Group is a wheezle crooked business. read more

I wish they wouldn't use college students to make their subscriptions happen. The last couple of times I just gave them a cash amount to make them go away. I always tell them I am not interested in subscribing. The days of delivering dead trees are long gone, in my books. This is of course, completely aside from the fact that subscribing to their Mercury news is asking for trouble. Just read the other reviews here.. from auto-renew to inability to unsubscribe, to plain non-delivery read more

I've subscribed to the digital version for about a year now and was offered a free upgrade to receive the Sunday printed paper for free two months ago. I've yet to receive a single paper despite calling every week, and every week being promised they will fix the issue with the delivery folks. I strongly, strongly suspect they are selling 'free' upgrades to the Sunday printed version to falsely inflate their subscriber numbers for ad revenue. I do not recommend any Bay Area News Group papers, and hope another paper looks into this issue of counting subscribers but not delivering the actual papers to them. read more

Breach of contract. I signed up for daily delivery at a rather attractive rate for a full year. A few weeks after subscribing, I receive a post card in the stating they were going to only deliver Thursday through Sunday. What? That's not what I agreed to. After calling and stating they are breaking the terms of our original agreement. "Oh well" was the remark. I cancelled and requested a refund. That was three weeks ago. Still no refund. I am on hold now for over twenty minutes trying to find out when my refund will be processed. The content of the paper, coverage, poorly written articles with bad grammar and mis-spellings was horrible anyway. Wish me luck on my refund! read more

Biased garbage. Quit sending me your junk email. I unsubscribed from your one sided news.

YOUR SERVICE IS HORRIBLE I'm so frustrated I don't know where to start! I never had the WORST customer service from this company just for a measley SUNDAY PAPER DELIVERY. They offered me a great deal for like $11 bucks for a 52 week Sunday deliver. My delivery was suppose to start on June 21st and I STILL HAVE NOT RECEIVED MY PAPER! Really? Each time I called which today was the 3rd time, they kept on promising me they would contact the deliverer and they would extend my paper. I've asked them to transfer me to their district manager but they would not and the supervisors were no help! Don't get me wrong, I not mad at the people I spoke to, I'm just MAD at their customer service delivery. I have been a very long time customer of POST DISPATCH, EAST BAY TIMES, and now BAY AREA NEWS. Now, to top it off, I requested a refund and the supervisor told me its non refundable. I DON'T THINK SO! I'M GOING ABOVE HER HEAD TO MAKE SURE I GET MY MONEY BACK! LOUSY SERVICE! EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED!! read more

Do not subscribe to this newspaper EVER!!!! They wil charge and charge your account and never deliver the paper. Even after multiple calls the paper doesn't show up. Customer service? HA! They've been instructed to say "We have a no refund policy and thier is no one to here that can issue you a refund". Just have your bank reverse the charge. read more

when and if the paper arrives-which is the case on most day's. I have spoken to customer care so many times tat I give up. I am not alone-our entire area has the same issue-no paper arriving and if, and I mean if the paper does arrive it is well after 8am- I hate your delivery-I hate your worthless customer care who does nothing about the delivery issue- I strongly suggest that you pick another paper to read, like the SF chronicle---do not subscribe to this east bay times read more

worthless since the Argus, Oakland Trib, CC Times and several other East Bay papers were folded into a paper called the East Bay Times.. basically a stripped down version of the San Jose Merc.. likes to deliver wet papers and the route manager won't redeliver.. save your money and just read the re-published AP articles online.. read more

Have had the same experiences with the newspaper sending me a renewal billing for twice the amount than I have paid in the past. If you are paying more than $2.50 a week for online 7 days a week your paying too much. I had a billing problem a few months ago - took 3 weeks for them to apply my automatic payment. I just received another notice from them looking for a payment for another account they set up for me - without my permission. Isn't there a law against this? read more

How can I give less than one star? I have had a subscription to the Oakland Tribune/East Bay Times for at least ten years but in the last year the paper has went from being delivered once or twice a week (sometimes found in the bushes), to not at all for the last few months. Every local customer service number available sends me to speak with people in Arizona, and despite countless promises to fix the problem...nothing. I just got a notice in the mail stating they are raising the subscription rates for the paper they do not even attempt to deliver! Ha! How pathetic is this company? I tried to give them so many chances, but I will have to find a reliable newspaper like the Chronicle/Examiner even though I am loyal to the East Bay and want nothing to do with SF. The only salvaged nice thing to say would be that I can still access a digital copy online if I can get signal on my cell or if a computer is available. Stay away from this debacle of a company. read more

HORRIBLE!!!!!! EVIL!!!!! STAY AWAY!!!!! I was a customer for years but as their prices went up tenfold I decided not to renew. They later offered me a deal I accepted and had problems but finally got service...for a few weeks (out of the 1 year deal). After NUMEROUS phone calls and emails, they finally told me that they did not cancel my previous service and were charging me for the 'service' I had not asked for or received. What I paid for the new service they applied to their former illegal charges. Ridiculous...their inevitable bankruptcy is too good of a fate for this company. read more

I've been reading the paper since 1984 when I moved here from the west bay. It's actually fairly well put together and I think the Bay Area News Group (BANG) has tried to remain relevant in this digital age. I read it cover to cover every day, mostly in print but when I'm out of town I will revert to my smart phone app. While my wife and son each prefer accessing their iPad and laptop, I love having an actual paper to thumb through - however - In November of 2015 I went from $169 for the year to $234 which then paid me through December 11, 2016. I received a postcard telling me the subscription was increasing for 2017, but no mention of how much. Then I received a note from my credit card company that they had been billed by BANG for $322.40. That's another (very cavalier) 38% bump. That's more than the latest Obamacare increases, and is unacceptable. I am now day to day, trying to decide whether it's worth the extra money, leaning towards cancelling my subscription. I do like many of the journalists, and enjoy some of the editorials (whether I agree or not), but as a somewhat right of center voter who did not vote for Trump, I do see a very definitive slant to the left. This is not true journalism. I understand that "commentators" express opinion, however journalists should not. Just give us the unslanted news without frightening the readers, with headlines designed not to inform, but to inflame. read more

BEWARE!! My husband and I were scammed by a college student, we gave him $15 and he stated we would receive newspaper service for 3 months in return . . . well we never received a single newspaper. I called the customer service number several times, and never received a resolution. DO NOT give into this scam, we thought we were helping someone who needed help.. I am all for education, and it upsets me that they do not even care that there are people out there walking around stealing from others. read more

Horrible service for Santa Clara delivery. Never got a paper despite of constant complains. This is an elderly center and our clients look forward to read the paper but it was a big disappointments for them since San Jose Mercury News was never delivered. Called to cancel and they said they don't give refunds and hanged up the phone. read more

I have been reading this paper for decades, and have seen it change hands several times. Overall I really enjoy it, and think they do a good job. I read it almost every day. What I do not like? They started placing that advertisement folded page covering part of the front page, it is very annoying and pointless. I never read it, I pull it out, wrinkle it up, and throw it away. Secondly, the delivery service is pretty good during the summer. It comes early and somewhat in the general vicinity of the end of my driveway. I do at times have to crawl under my car to retrieve it, maybe once a week. In the winter, my paper is soaked almost every time it rains. They do not do a good job securing the end of the paper, they just put the paper in a plastic bag and toss it. More often than not it lands open end facing my house with the water pouring into it.. Then during the holidays I get a card from the delivery driver wanting a tip? I don't think so, it's not like the old paper boys who rode their bikes and put your paper on the porch. Now they chuck it from the car and make it an Easter egg hunt in the morning. Like I said, still a good value but much room for improvement. If there was a reputable competitor I would try them out. read more