In Search of a Newspaper

First, let me say that I am a big believer in print newspapers.  You can call me old school if you like (or just old), but reading a newspaper has always been a big part of my life.  I know this will sound foolish to some, but one of the many things we were taught elementary school was how to fold the newspaper so that you could read it on a bus without disturbing your fellow passenger.  Since those days, newspapers such as the Baltimore Sun, The Washington Post, the Dayton Daily News, the San Diego Union Tribune and now the Atlanta Journal-Constitution have been part of my morning routine.

When I moved to Georgia earlier this year, I looked forward to renewing my lifelong friendship with the print media.  Unfortunately, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution was determined to make this friendship an ordeal.  In order to start my subscription I had to go online and give them a credit card number.  I was assured that my 13 week subscription would start the next day.  Three days later, I still did not have a paper.  So, I went back on-line, which apparently is the only place you can find a phone number for the customer service line for the paper, called and told them I wanted to cancel my subscription.  No problem, I was assured.  Well, it turns out there was a problem.  My credit card charge was not reversed for another two weeks and only after I called to complain.  So the bottom line was – I would still be paying for a newspaper that I had not gotten for two weeks.

When the reversed charge finally did hit, I called the newspaper back and again they promised that my subscription would start (and I’d actually get a newspaper).  And believe it or not, I actually had a newspaper in my driveway the next morning.  That would normally be the end of the story except, if you know me, you know it’s not.

Thirteen weeks later my subscription had ended, but the papers kept coming.  I waited and waited for them to mail me an invoice.  I went online and I emailed them and asked that they send me a bill.  After all, I didn’t want to continue to receive papers that I was not paying for.  But despite my best efforts and entreaties, no bill was forthcoming.

About three weeks ago, I went online and discovered that they now claimed I was delinquent and I owed them $20.00 for delivered newspapers.  To be fair, I absolutely agreed with them because I had not paid for those papers, but I wanted to. After all, they had not sent me a bill.  Finally I emailed them and said please send me a bill so I can pay the balance of my account.  The email I got from them said “… thank you for subscribing to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.  We are unable to send you a bill because your subscription has been suspended because of nonpayment.  Once you send us the $20.00 you owe us we will restart to subscription.”

You’ll note in the above email there was no address provided to me to mail a payment.  So I had to call customer service again to get an address which turns out by the way to be in Cincinnati, Ohio.  So with my check I included a very nasty letter explaining how this situation was their fault and could have been avoided if they had sent me a bill as I had requested three times previously, but I honestly doubted it would be read.  Sadly, I was prepared to chalk up my short-lived Georgia newspaper experience as something not to be repeated that is until last week.

I got a phone call from the customer service people at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution who wanted to fix my subscription problems.  As I explained to the young lady on the phone, our conversation was going to be very short if they are unable to provide me with an invoice via mail.  She assured me that she would and could and that my newspapers would resume in two days, if I desired.  I said go ahead.  She said I should received an invoice within a week and on that note we concluded our call.  I don’t know if I have become the classic definition of a insanity, but I’ll wait and see what happens.  But honestly, based on previous experience I don’t have very high expectations for the outcome.