subscription vanished after a couple weeks – LA Times Review

Disappointing experience with this app and the LA Times. I try to support print journalism, and have paid subscriptions to several of the other big papers (NYT, WP, WSJ), and a handful of smaller news organizations. In Nov 2020 the LA Times offered me a Unlimited Digital Access - $98.00/year subscription, which I purchased and used with the iOS app. The iOS app worked for a while, and then in January the iOS app started reporting "You've reached your monthy free article limit". After verifying I was signed in, on 1/31 contacted emailed LA Times customer service. They initially confirmed my subscription and had me uninstall the app, and then wanted screenshots of the error. After several back-and-forths they reported they couldn't find my any trace of my subscription, and asked for copies of my bank statement showing the purchase, which I provided the same day (2/3). I followed up the next day (2/4) asking for an estimate on when this would be fixed. On 2/11 I still hadn't received any acknowledgement that they had received my bank statement, so I emailed them again for a status update and an estimate on resolving this. On 2/12 they replied stating "We have forwarded this matter to the sales team for further assistance regarding your subscription". On 2/18 (after 19 days and 5 emails to them), I still didn't have a working subscription, or an estimate for resolving the the problem, so I asked for a refund. No reply. On 2/22 I followed up again, they replied on 2/24 they replied only that they had sent an "urgent escalation" to sales team. On 3/3 I followed up again: no reply. But on 3/5 I receive a scam-like email from CyberSource Customer Support informing me that Tribune Publishing Company in Chicago was refunding my $98, but with my billing address, city and zip all incorrect. On 3/6 I received a very terse email from LA Times customer service: their finance department had located my Nov 2020 payment for $98, and that I would receive a refund in 7-10 business days. No explanation of the problem, no apology for the delay, no offer of credit, and most importantly, I ended up with no working LA Times subscription. Experiences like this make it difficult for readers to do the right thing and support professional journalism.
Review by samorris359 on LA Times.