1/26/24 good morning Mercury News Management! I want to announce that my daily newspaper delivery person finally came closer to deliver my paper at my front doorstep like I requested for my subscription. I want to send my thanks to the manager who made this happen. Sincerely, Aiko read more

I signed up for a subscription at the request of one of those high school students who are trying to raise money for some activity or something. They charged me twice and I never received any newspaper. I called in to cancel and was disconnected twice. On the third attempt they said they were able to terminate the account but that I needed to pay the full amount that I had been charged. I said that I would not pay because I had not received anything. So then they said to pay half of the bill to have it canceled. This is not good service. I feel scammed. read more

Be careful with online subscriptions, they will quote you one price and charge you the full price. I have attempted to get a refund for over 3 months and they just give me the run around. Their billing department is a scam. I have filed a claim with my bank. read more

I recently moved into the area looking forward to receiving a daily physical paper. I subscribed on Nov 25th, it is now Dec 12 and I have received a single paper, once. Daily calls to the SJMN have not resolved the issue. Clearly, they need a new carrier! I'd consider switching to the SF Chronicle but worry they'd use the same carrier and I'd be out of luck. read more

They never deliver the paper. They're always say there is no manager. They can't cancel the newspaper and keep saying you owe more money. They deliver a Chinese language newspaper, (I don't even speak Chinese), and expect you to pay them. There are no newspapers delivered. It's fraudulent. Never sign up with this newspaper, just like you avoid fraudulent nursing schools that are prejudice and just want to steal money. They don't promise to teach, but steal money. Scams that the government won't help prosecute! read more

I have subscribed to the Mercury News since 2008. I always buy a year's subscription. This year's subscription was SUPPOSED to go through April 9, but the Mercury News decided to cut my subscription short by over 3 months due to "expenses." They ROBBED me of my last over three months of subscription. If they cannot fulfil a customer's year's subscription then they are NOT to be trusted. If this is the way they treat a customer who has been with them for over 18 years then they will no longer be in business for very long. If they GAVE me a year's subscription I would say NO. They are no longer trustworthy in my book read more

I just signed up for a subscription because there's an article I want to read. I'm then redirected back to the article, but still can't access it. After you sign up, they charge your credit card immediately, but they don't tell you it can take up to two days for your subscription to start. And when you call to complain about it, the service rep is hard to understand, won't stop talking, and then hangs up on you. Great service! read more

This is the best newspaper in the San Fran Bay Area. However, I'm finding that their subscription department is far too interesting. I only have a digital subscription. That started at $40.00 for 6 months. They managed to renew it, even though I didn't update my card information. In the last week, they managed to charge my $117.00 for 6 months and they seem to have a no refund policy. After one day of having my money, they already claimed that $6 and something had been used, even though I haven't looked at the E-edition. They need to be upfront with their service. It's a good newspaper, but their service leaves a lot to be desired. Update 2024.01.25: They reversed $111.86, which is wonderful. I still wish they had a better way to handle things, but I'm thankful for this, regardless of the timing. read more

It really doesn't matter, The Mercury News is horrible concerning deliveries. They do NOT bring the paper to your house, when they have failed to deliver in the first place. They don't give you a refund when they neglect to deliver your paper. They are totally irresponsible. 0 - rating!!!!! read more

Once again I could not open my online newspaper so placed a call to customer service to cancel my subscription as this has happened several times. The rep I spoke to said my account needed to be refreshed and to expect an email within 48 hours notifying me that the online paper was available. She was not helpful and said to check back on 9/2/2025 to cancel. Not helpful with my request. read more

SHAME ON YOU and YOUR TERRIBLE BUSINESS PRACTICES! My mother, Jean Barrick, who just turned 98 and is in Hospice dying, has been a customer for probably 47 years. She still shares the Sunday funnies with her grandson and either recycles the newspaper or puts it out in the lobby for other seniors to enjoy. She paid for automatic annual renewals ($539) which go into effect on August 26th. When we called on August 29th to cancel her subscription we were told that NO REFUND was possible! SHAME ON YOU FOR ROBBING AN OLD LADY AND A LIFETIME CUSTOMER!!! read more

Don't bother to try to get the newspaper delivered to your step. They take your money, never deliver it, and won't let you cancel unless you talk to a person on the phone. Not worth the bother. No wonder newspapers are having hard times. read more

I never write reviews, and I wish I had looked on Yelp before I signed up for a subscription because it seems everyone has had the same experience as I did. I signed up for service and never, not once, recieved the paper. I emailed and called many times always being told it would be handled and it never was. I asked for a refund since I didn't get any service at all, and they said it's not possible. What company can't refund people for a service that was paid for that NEVER happened !!!!!!!!! It's not like I had a bad opinion of the service and just wanted free papers, i legitimately never recieved one to look at!!!!!!!! I am in awe that I am having to pay for something that I never received. And you can't tell me you can't do refunds, you are just a terrible company. It's clear from all of the other 1 star reviews . If I could rate you zero I would. How hard is it to deliver a paper ? I didn't ask you to perform heart surgery on me, I asked for a paper to be delivered to a simple address . Zero stars! read more

What a terrible organization. I read one of their articles online and now they bombard me with subscription emails even though I have repeatedly asked to be unsubscribed. While I'm a supporter of local papers I hope the Bay Area Newsgroup goes out of business soon. read more

Was tired of reading news on my phone screen and gave them a chance. Did not disappoint outside of a day or 2 missed delivery I have gotten my paper delivered early morning like clock work. Nice to see journalism is still alive! read more

This newspaper has very POOR COMMUNICATIONS for subscription billings and costs. On November 15, 2023 I received a receipt documenting my payment of $124.55 (plus $20 carrier tip) for a subscription expiring on November 14, 2024. On 19 August 2024 I received a mailed bill stating my subscription would end on September 2 and I needed to pay $227.84 for a one-year subscription. On August 30 after not getting a delivery, I called to obtain the e-mail address to request continuing deliveries and a corrected billing. In my August 30 e-mail I attached my 11/18/2023 receipt. On September 1 I received an e-mail stating that due to an unannounced daily $0.15 daily surcharge my subscription had expired 3 months early on August 26, 2024. read more

I've never subscribed to the Mercury News, yet they continue delivering physical copies to my home, which is wasteful. I've called several times to stop the deliveries, but they persist! Many others have reported similar issues with their customer service, with difficulties in canceling subscriptions and ongoing deliveries despite requests to stop. Please stop. read more

This would be a 0 if I could put that. Basically, I had a 5 year subscription with the newspaper for my aging Mom (89 years old) whom gained her news only from the Paper & local news stations. We had this paper since 1958 and it came to us 2 times a day as the Mercury & the News. I have been attempting to get the refund of the 5 year subscription of $185 since my Mom passed in February. I am getting a lot of 'We will put in a request for the ____ department to return your call.....' and that was 3 of those which not 1 call has happened! I am not happy at all with the fact that this company does not even call back with ANY results! All I want is my $185 for the rest of the 5 year subscription that I paid for in full over 4 years ago. Is that too much to ask? Also, When I had the 5 year subscription made, they had to transfer me to the Business subscription department to take on my request. They did without any discussion of "After 7 or 30 business days, you will not be able to stop this and get a refund for the rest of the subscription" OR "Please look at our website for these rules" OR sending me any email of how the subscription rules are and I'd Never see my money, only the CHEAP paper that has gotten REALLY SMALL and was very badly written. Not happy at all! read more

The new format of the digital edition is not only nearly un-readable, but in the last three days, has become awash in hideous, animated advertising. {See attached photo, and imagine how distracting it is for the side ads to be in constant motion.) The previous format worked very well, with a page of the paper on the left, and if an article was clicked, it would appear on the right for easy reading. I so loved sitting at my kitchen table perusing the Sunday edition. They have stolen that pleasure. I can't imagine what they were thinking. read more

The Mercury News - Moving ads everywhere - Newspapers & Magazines Near Me - San Jose, California

Poor service... no refund given. On the phone for More than hour to deal with rude customer service individuals. I would absolutely NOT recommend using this service! Never received even one new article... horrible service! Horrible experience. Completely predatory, sales tactics, and billing services. read more

I cancelled my delivery service because I was no longer reading the paper. They promised a refund of my automatic prepaid advanced payment and even told me that they had credited my card, but when I hadn't received the credit, they then told me that my $392 was not refundable. Prior to this, the service was so so. read more

Whatever happened to customer service? My wife and I both have mobility issues. I am a disabled Veteran. All we have asked of our carrier is that he place the paper in the porch. It went along great but now the paper is down in the driveway. Hard to get a wheelchair down there. Customer service has been NO help at all and their supervisor the same. I'm just venting with full knowledge that nobody at the Paper will read and respond or even care how disabled people are treated! read more

Subscribed to the Mercury News long before the internet started in the late 1990s. Excellent consistency, timing, and location of the paper delivery. Always perfect. Enjoyed Dieter Kurtenbach, Mr. Roadshow, Dear Abby or was it Ask Ann Landers?, the editorial columns, the Tuesday supermarket ads for the following week. Used at one time or another the BOGO coupons for Pedros, Il Postale, Lion & Compass, and the Fish Market restaurant in Santa Clara in the Thursday Eye section. Used the Wednesday Cupertino Pet Club ad coupon in the past year to get free cans of cat food. I subscribe 7 days a week on an annual basis, renewing automatically using my on credit card on file. Recently checked my credit card statement: Nov 29, 2019 debt SJ Mercury $568.28. Ok, $568.28 is a bit steep for one year. Went back six monthly statements to see the previous credit card billing: May 31, 2019 debt SJ Mercury $430.77 That $568.28 is the bill for six months, not one year! But you wouldn't know it unless you checked back six months to find your previous credit card bill, as no mention of the subscription duration. Neighbor subscribed only to the Sunday paper at a one time promotional rate of $29.01 for 13 weeks, so he could get free digital access to www.mercurynews.com, normally $10 per month. After 13 weeks, the bill went up to $43.35 for 13 weeks, or $173 a year, just for Sunday! He cancelled, and got a $50 per year promotional rate for digital access to www.washingtonpost.com You can get a 7 day a week, one year home delivery paper subscription discounted at $187 at https://mercurynews.subscriber.services/?msclkid=23101e216b0217a0acb94065509e4806 After the one year promotion rate of $187, the subscription rate will be at least $284 billed every 3 months, or $1136 per year, which is a faster increase than the inflation ravaged prices in Venezuela! March 2, 2022, three weeks after cancelling, no refund check received nor credit in my credit card account for the $500+ refund. I read in Yelp that a lady subscriber in February 2019 got a renewal with the "Klay Thompson promotion" special of 11 months of the Mercury News for $35! I would be laughing too, at fools like me paying $1136 a year or $35 for 11 days! Of course Klay Thompson is out for the year, the "Klay Thompson promotion" special is history, and so is my 40 years of subscribing. read more

I have been subscribed to San Jose Mercury News for many years and paid my subscription yearly. Last year in Jan 2023 I decided to cancel and no longer needed. I called Mercury News and they didn't let me go and offered me a half-yearly subscription from the previous year I had paid. I took the offer and provided them with a credit card payment. A year has been passed and I didn't receive the bill for the following year. Caught by surprise when I received a monthly billing statement from my credit card and questioned about the charge. I contacted the San Jose Mercury News and they told me that I am signed up for a monthly auto-pay which surprised me that I never signed up and they have my credit card from last year in their file. Every time, I called Mercury News customer service and asked for a refund and requested to cancel, they were giving me a hard time. They told me their policy couldn't be canceled. I can't believe it I never signed up in the first place. They were not friendly, but rude and I am having a hard time solving this issue. This has been a terrible experience!!!! read more

Zero starts if I could, yes. You need to call to stop your subscription (are we in 1920?!) And to make it harder (so that users don t cancel, of course!!) they...just don't say how long is the wait on the call (and yes, I did wait on the line 15+ minutes, and NOTHING!!). I guess i will have to talk to my bank now... Run away from them, run run run read more

Have been on the phone with customer service for 33 minutes now. Thought I'd take this time to write a review... Don't bother with this paper. I've been paying for it monthly for my 90-year-old Grandmother. The delivery driver was great, and honestly that's the only good thing I can say. My rates went from roughly $60.00 a month when we first started service to nearly $200.00 in January of 2024. I can't justify that amount for a newspaper subscription! I've requested anything showing my account information. SO. MANY. TIMES. I've asked for a paper statement to be mailed to me, a receipt emailed to me, anything since their online portal is a joke. Every time, customer service "Oh Yes Mrs. M. We do apologize for the trouble. I will take care of this right away for you". Nothing. Ever. After multiple attempts getting any kind of statement or receipts, and this last rate increase, I decided to cancel. And again, someone will call you within 24-48 hours. Nothing. Now they're refusing me a refund, even though this was cancelled right after the rate increase, which I didn't receive notice of until after they had charged me. This is literally the only thing I've ever received from them, Ha! Guess they want to make sure they get their $$$. And now again, customer service has assured me they will be calling back. Thanks Mercury News! read more

Why post this deal on your webpage if you aren't going to honor it? You just lost yet another customer. read more

The Mercury News - Special "deal" for anyone not have a subscription for at least 30 days. Tried and was totally denied. - Newspapers & Magazines Near Me - San Jose, California

I have subscribed to this paper since 1988 and what once was an award winning paper has become a rag. Unfortunately, my 93 year old disabled father lives with me and still enjoys reading the sports section with his magnifier. The problem is that every 6 months the subscription costs increase and I have to call and threaten to cancel to get them to adjust it. I just got an invoice which indicates an increase of 122.00 per 10 week cycle. At that cost- $287.33- it will cost over $1500 per year for a newspaper not worth a dime in my opinion. Their subscription cost is also MORE than what it would cost to buy the paper in the store. What kind of courtesy is that to subscription customers?? If if weren't for my father I would dump this POS circulation. They print stories about how hard it is for people to keep up with the cost of living in the Bay area and then they have the gall to charge exorbitant prices for their paper. read more

FEBRUARY 2019 -My parents cancelled their subscription in early February of this year and was told that they would be eligible for a full refund on their next billing cycle. My mom, asked me to call in and confirm this (English is her second language), so I did and the representative informed me that my parents would receive the full refund since they put in the cancellation request prior to the actual delivery cycle. They told me to be on the look out for a refund in 30-45 days. APRIL 2019 -Come mid-April and there is still no refund. Keep in mind, that the account was successfully cancelled. Because they didn't not received papers since early February either. I call back in again, and the representative tells me that the "Finance Department" will mail a paper check to my parents in 10-15 days because the last representative failed to "check a box" to complete the refund process. MAY 2019 No check is received, I call back in and the customer service rep says that finance said that the amount was "written off" and no refund is eligible. She attempts to transfer me to a supervisor but ends up transferring me to an IT person who can't help me and tells me to call back in. I call back in and cannot get through the phone lines after waiting for over 15 minutes? CONCLUSION? So what now? Besides the poor customer service, outright lies, and just lack of business ethics. They owe my parents over $200. They took the money, didn't deliver the paper, and failed to come through on their promises. I have given up on their customer service and am seeking an external party to help me with this. I cannot recommend that anybody buy the paper from these scammers and thieves. read more

The Mercury News - Hmmm...I don't think it's ironic that their Customer Service Email (found on their official Facebook page) doesn't exist.... - Newspapers & Magazines Near Me - San Jose, California

See all

If I could choose 0 stars, I would. We tried this newspaper for 2 months and decided it wasn't for us. We stopped the paper and asked for a refund. We were told that they don't give refunds and then they stopped our paper. If we aren't going to get a refund, at least they could deliver our paper until the end of the subscription period. We have taken the Chronicle for years and never had a problem of getting a refund when we cancelled or delayed our service. read more

I'd give zero stars if I can. I have been trying for months to speak to a supervisor or manager. At least a dozen times I've been assured that I will hear back from a supervisor or manager. After 22 years of being a customer and canceling my subscription. If a newspaper can't be bothered to make a five minute phone call then they don't deserve the $2000 a year. I have been spending on a subscription. Shame on the mercury news. read more

Terrible delivery service! They give no 'credits' for missed deliveries, they add time on your end date. If you're going to be gone for more than 30 days, cancel it! They don't do ANYTHING for the first 30 days; yes, you heard me, you pay in full and get no paper! After 30 days then they'll give you the 'credit' by adding 30 days to you existing subscription. Total ripoff. No one tells you this when you call to place a call or do it online. Terrible company. read more

Will be sadly canceling my subscription at the end of the month. I've been a subscriber since 1991. The Merc was a great paper in the 90s and still has many great reporters, but the subscription terms for both print and digital-only subscribers stick in my craw. For instance, this (from the Arbitration and Refund Terms page on the website): SUBSCRIPTION REFUND POLICY Your subscription grants you a FULLY PREPAID, NON-REFUNDABLE license to receive and access the subscription materials for the duration of the subscription term. You will be billed at the term you have selected, which shall be your subscription term. This subscription is non-refundable and not redeemable for any other form of compensation, credit, or cash. No unused portion of a subscription term will be refunded. No credit is offered for vacation interruptions. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company reserves the right to issue refunds under certain limited circumstances, e.g., when technical issues prevent the Company from providing access to subscription content. In all circumstances, the availability and amount of a refund is subject to the Company's sole and absolute discretion, and the Company's determination shall be binding on the parties. You may call customer service if you have any questions about your subscription. read more

SCAMMERS YOU!!!! One fine Saturday, a college kid knocks my door and presents a long story on how if I get their subscription, it will get him some scholarship for attending college. He also tells me that if I cancel my subscription within a said period, all my money will be refunded. So the gullible me writes him 2 checks of 5.95$ (One for SJ Mercury News, and One for Argus). Now the real fun starts.. Money starts getting deducted from my bank account in terms of 9.90$ twice. I call these guys, explain the incident and ask to cancel the subscription and refund my money. I get told my subscription is cancelled and the money will be refunded within 10-15 days. Much to my surprise, I am still receiving online editions of their papers and within a period of 2 weeks, a deduction of 5.95$ happens. I call them again to find out what's going on. I am abruptly told by a lady that "my account is cancelled and of course they have sent money back. Sometimes it takes times to receive in mail" Shocked at the conversation, I decide to play the waiting game. (still receiving the online newspapers) A month later (no refund checks yet), another amount of 5.95$ happens. I call them again and I am told that I will get my money refunded. I receive a check of 3.05$ after 2 weeks. The same happens with Argus, but they cancel and refund the money after the first call. I called SJ Mercury News again the next day of getting that 3-dollar check and am placed on a hold for around 30 minutes. After explaining the entire situation to 3 different representatives (I was just getting redirected from person to person saying this is a different department and they will forward my call to the right department) Finally the third lady says that her supervisor would need to look into the entire issues and since she is not around, she will have to call me back. I ask for ETA, and am told it will take less than 48 hours. No calls from the Supervisor in the next 48 hours, so I call them again next week. I get told that my account is cancelled and I will receive my money soon. I just got off the call from them today, no money refunded yet! and told that a account manager will call me back to sort out the issue. If that does not happen within the week or so, I am going to file a case in the consumer court against these guys for scamming and employing false business practices. It's not about money anymore, it is just more about how can someone just play the pushing game on a consumer and still keep robbing them of their hard earned money. I am still receiving their online papers, and I have asked my bank to stop payments of any kind to these guys! Update 08/20/2013 - After emailing on the email address below and going back and forth several times, a email was sent to me saying all my money will be refunded. After a week, I get the same check for $3.95. I have sent out a angry letter to them to clear this out, else it is going to be bad for them. Final Update 08/29/2013 - Received all my money back. Never never never ever ever ever doing business with these guys again! read more

Subscribed and tried for a whole month to get a paper delivered. Called multiple times, and their service agents could not be more apathetic nor give any reason for the lack of delivery each and every week. They run this paper like the mob, they are criminals who will take your money, give you nothing in return, make you jump through hoops to try and cancel their service. For all the other victims of this company, please make sure contact the BBB and if there are any lawyers here, a class action lawsuit is definitely warranted. read more

The worst customer service! I want to cancel my subscription. It is not possible do it on line or by text, and they don't answer the phone What am I to do? read more

I ordered the Sunday News paper 70 days ago. Every Sunday since then we have not received the paper. I have called four times and they guaranteed me it would delivered. I have yet to receive the paper. I am now ready to cancel the subscription. I know I can read it on line but my husband likes the physical paper. read more

Mercury news use to be a paper I would read. Now I skim, maybe one article a week worth looking at, the paper is thin , I stack the sports on top then front page and then local, sadly when I see the obits in back of local I know I'm done. It has become a two minute paper. I would not subscribe to this paper. Only reason I glance at it is because my mother gets it. This is my opinion. Funny if you want to read good reporting with depth and content look no further than the local paper in aptos or santa cruz where reporting the news still means something read more

Their online version chronically includes an unsafe link (see photo and web address). Not sure what they're up to but it appears across all of my devices no matter the operating system and continues for days and sometimes weeks as each daily edition is released. Do I trust them enough to click the unsafe link? Nope. read more

The Mercury News - Newspapers & Magazines Near Me - San Jose, California

Scam! They sold me 1 month subscription, i got a receipt saying 1 month too. Then they charged my card for another 2 months. when i called them and showed the receipt, they said, the receipt was wrong and i was mis-informed. they refused to refund the extra 2 months charges or cancel my subscription! read more