The Sacramento Bee

The delivery problems finally got sorted out and now consistently get paper. BUT — I received my renewal bill and there is a 31% increase in costs!!! 3 months ago it was 31% less! When I called customer service to get an explanation of why there was an unnoticed 31% increase, Mary did not know — except increased costs of production. 31%!!! I asked to speak with a manager/​supervisor and waited for 5 minutes. I was thanked for waiting patiently and told the supervisor is on another line. I was offered a lower rate — (17%) increase — I decided to accept it. I told Mary that I need an email confirming the new rate and upon receipt I would make payment via internet. I was told I would receive the confirming email by the end of business today.
I will take this next period of time to learn to read the paper on line I think… I hate giving up the tradition of the morning paper with coffee. Change is afoot and the Sac Bee is not doing a good job of informing its customer base of cost issues. A Bee customer since 1985 — it really doesn’t seem to count for anything…

I have called multiple times to have my MVP no longer delivered. Somehow I keep getting it. Please stop — it is a waste of paper. Please set up an online opt-​in/​out for people. All we do is throw it in the recycle bin.

Worst service Ever.
May 7, paper started
May 8, wet paper
May 12, no paper– I have called each time and let them know of my missing paper
May 14, no paper
May 17, no paper
May 19, no paper
May 21, no paper
May 22, no paper
May 29, no paper
June 5, no paper
June 8, no paper
This list includes the last 3 Sundays. If you look at a calendar you will see that I am missing a minimum of one paper a week. Every time I am promised that this issue will be fixed. I am also asked if I want to be on auto pay. From the sound of it, they are reading a script and no matter how many times you call nothing will change. The frustrating thing is there is no other paper delivery service for the bee. In addition they do give you a good discount for subscribing.

Im ready to cancel, the price keeps going up and now the delivery guy can barely get the paper on my property. The paper is literally delivered just off the sidewalk, maybe a foot onto the driveway… totally unacceptable for the prices we pay!

If I can give less stars I would, my 90 year old mother was over charged, 8 weeks ago I was told she would get a credit, it has not happened. Good luck trying to speak to someone at the Sac Bee for help.

What a horrible service. I grew tired of my paper always being late, not delivered, etc. I finally gave up and canceled. They continued to bill me even thou I was not receiving the paper. I called in and was told it was taken care of. Next I get a collection notice. Again I called in and was told it’s all cleared up. Months later same thing. It took 6 calls and me talking to a manager to get it solved. That in itself caused me to never want to be a customer every again. Everything at the sac bee is incompetent.

The Bee’s subscription department should
be ashamed of the tactics used to gain revenue.
Charging you after you have cancelled and then
sending your «none» paid account to collections.
Are they that sad and desperate?
Because of the Bee, I now have to protect my credit by
disputing a none existent subscription of 17.00.
On principle alone I refuse to just pay and let it go.
Shame on you Bee, Sacramento deserves better.

Calling Sacramento Bee… Hello? HELLO? Do you see all these horrible reviews? Your subscribers are reaching out to you asking for help with no answers. Don’t you see a theme here? No wonder you’re going belly up, if you can’t provide simple customer service why would anyone stay?
I used to love getting the paper delivered Fri-​Sun because it reminded me of my childhood where we would read the newspaper every morning, but then prices kept going up and up and UP so I had to reduce my subscription to delivery only on Sundays. The prices continued to go up about every other month, but at least it was a little more reasonable now getting the paper only one day a week.
That is, until we moved into a new house and the paper stopped coming. First Sunday not delivered, I called and got a refund. Second Sunday not delivered, I called again and got a refund. Third and Fourth Sundays not delivered, I had to call once again and get a refund. Was no one but me monitoring if I got my subscription or not? How was it my responsibility to get a refund for a service they didn’t perform?
So I called and escalated my grievance to the «delivery manager». Two more Sundays go by and still no paper so I call to get my refund and cancel.
The girl on the phone says «won’t you miss the money saving coupons that come with the paper?» Um, yes but you have failed to deliver them to me the last month and a half so it’s not like I’m receiving them now anyways.
«Oh I’m sorry, I can escalate your claim to our delivery manager and he can give you a call back…» Actually I did that two weeks ago and never was contacted and still didn’t receive my paper so please cancel. I’m tired of calling.
What a joke.

How crazy is it that the day after I leave my tirade of a Unilocal that I receive in the mail a «pre-​approved «qualification for a subscription to The Bee! I would think that since I was sent to collections for the last «subscription» I got that I would never be a candidate for their publication again. It’s all such bullshit. But for the numerous people whose Unilocal I’ve read the pic I added of their «guarantee» is the most laughable. And I didn’t add the highlighted areas.

I purchased a 10-​week weekend subscription and was repeatedly ensured that the subscription would not renew past that 10 weeks, nor would I be charged for any weeks past that time. After ten weeks, the paper was still being delivered and I cancelled the subscription, although I shouldn’t have had to, through the Bee’s online service. The paper was still being delivered. Again, I cancelled through the online system.
Some weeks later I started receiving calls from the Bee stating I owed them for the paper subscription that continued past the 10 weeks. I explained that I was ensured the paper would not auto-​renew, etc. and that I had attempted to cancel online multiple times. I was told I still owed them anyway, so rather than deal with the situation longer, I relented and tried to pay online (as I’m not comfortable giving payment information over the phone); but no matter the hour or day, my payment «could not be processed». I called the website account number and was told to just keep trying, after trying for an additional 4 weeks to pay, with the same website error message, I gave up.
This weekend I received a letter in the mail from a collections agency, on behalf of the Bee, for $ 24. That same $ 24 that I had tried for 5 – 6 weeks to pay, after initially being ensured multiple times this situation would not happen. To be clear: the Bee took me to collections for $ 24.

Very sad, but the Sac Bee has devolved badly over the years. I suspect the days of print newspaper are soon to be over. I’ve been a Sac Bee customer for almost 30 years now, and am about done with it. HORRIBLE customer service — not sure when the outsourced to India, but they did, and it shows. In the past couple of years, not sure I’ve gotten a full week delivered EVER. Finally dropped down to weekend only — and they seem incapable of delivering a weekend paper either. In spite of calling every single week and sitting on hold forever, with the promise they will deliver the paper — it never arrives.
Add to that — overcharging — I will never give them my credit card again. Went through a period where they charged me EVERY month for a 90 day subscription. Back on the phone with India — useless.
Finally — it use to be a great paper — now it is a tabloid. Why bother? When this year’s subscription is up, I will join the majority masses who no longer subscribe to a paper. I get better news watching the local news or listening to the radio or logging on to my computer.

This local paper ripped my mother off. Charged repeatedly for same month, over charged, canceled her paper on whim the charged a restart fee, told her it was for previous months. The Sacramento Bee is run by con artist.

I’ve been a customer for home delivery for over 20 years. When my subscription was going to expire at the end of September I called them to tell them I was not going to renew. I left a message because a «live body» did not answer the phone. I did this two more times and left notes on my door telling them to cease deliveries. The Bee kept delivering the paper for three months and then had the audacity to send a bill for those three months to a collection agency which has been sending me notices regarding the «past due» balance. This has now become personal and if the matter is not resolved soon I’ll be checking out what legal remedies are available.
Years of loyalty means nothing to these people. What a horrible business.

If Sacramento Union still around I would rate the Bee 3.5 stars, but Sactown were down to one paper. I like how sometimes the Newspaper takes on issues that are tough. Yet sometimes the Bee sort of takes the position of the poli. correct and doesnt want to make waves. One of the draw backs of the paper is they sign you up for a great deal and then the deal, savings changes and the Bee keeps going to your house at a higher rate. If I think about this, Bee not the only one, Dish works this way, and other Companies also works this way. I go to the store and pick up a paper or the newsstand. Having someone deliver paper might make more sense, due to the fact, house has someone driving by the house everyday, kind of a securtiy feature, this statement might be up for debate. Newspapers in 10 years might be gone across the country, …

I’m giving it one star because I can’t give it zero. After 6 months of harassment I may have finally gotten my account closed. In April some crying teenager kid comes to my door selling subscriptions so he can get a scholarship. I buy the $ 20 non-​recurring subscription just to get him off my doorstep. it was supposed to last for 10 weekends. But after 10 weekends, the papers kept coming. I called the phone number on their website but it referred me to a message system based out of Modesto. Still the papers kept coming. I called again, again with no results. Finally I find a different number and speak to a person in Sacramento. She apologized for the inconvenience and assured me that it was taken care of. Then I received a bill for $ 25. I called again and explained that it was a trial offer that was not supposed to be recurring. Again I get an apology for the inconvenience and somebody saying its been taken care of. Today I get a notification that the bill has been sent to collections. Again I call and wait on the phone to finally speak with a representative. That representative assured me its been taken care of. This time I remembered to get a name and employee number though.
Avoid The Bee at all costs. Run the other way if you have to. There is nothing they offer you can’t get for free online somewhere else or in person at the store. This was probably one of the worst services I’ve ever received from any company in any field. How they are still in business I have no idea.

The content of the newspaper was good/​informative of the area and the delivery person was superb (came all the way from Carmichael). My papers were never damanged even when it rained! I think he delivers about 3am in the morning because I am up doing papers/​project that late and walk outside to see the paper already there. I wish I could’ve bumped into him once to say thank-​you.
What I’m most annoyed about was that they kept giving me papers after the 13 weeks I bought from a student so that she can get a scholarship. I ONLY signed up for 13 weeks and never continued anything else.
Once I moved out of my apartment, I didn’t think too much of it but I guess they kept delivering newspapers to my old address. I never got any notice that I was charged for extra deliveries until I stopped by my old apartment for somethings and found the letter than they have forward my account to a third party debt collection agency. There was no point to argue this since they said they sent notifications. I have been called before asking if I wanted to continue my subscriptions and I have always said no, at least twice.
They probably have an auto-​renew subscription that they tack onto your account without you knowing since when you buy the subscription, it only said for 13 weeks only (Friday, Saturday, Sunday). Watch it be in the fine print that people usually skip, I probably will hit myself since it probably was written there.
Final Thoughts: I’m beyond furious with this service and a bit at myself. I should’ve known something was wrong when I kept getting the only version of the Sac Bee sent to my email. I really didn’t think much of it since I was not getting any physical copies. To any of my friends in the Davis/​Sac area, please get your news online or at another newspaper and not here unless you want to keep paying for things you don’t get (I wouldn’t be surprised if they use this to ruin people’s credit too).
I’m a broke college grad and $ 24.49 is a lot to me to just throw away. I’m mad at myself for trying to be nice and buying the subscription from that student in the first place. A small good deed only got me into more trouble.

It’s been awhile, SacBee. I don’t know what made me think of this newspaper, but I decided to look it up… Seeing the reviews, it looks like nothing has changed from my experience at the tail end of 2011 until the beginning of 2012.
I had just moved to California from the East Coast, and one of the first nights I was there a young girl came up asking for me to take a newspaper subscription so she could win a scholarship. She reminded me of my sister, and I figured why not, I paid in cash filled out the information and we were both on our way. I never actually read the newspaper, although my roommate did occasionally so it didn’t totally go to waste.
Eventually the papers just kept coming, but I thought nothing of it. That was until I started getting phone calls telling me that my payment was overdue. I wasn’t very happy that this was apparently a self-​renewing service, and I told them to cancel my paper and that I did not wish to pay for additional service, nor would I pay for the additional charge at this time unless they could provide literature that proves I agreed to a self-​renewing subscription.
I moved into a different apartment. I kept getting phone calls. My balance kept going up and every time I told them to cancel my subscription and that I didn’t even live at the address they were sending the papers to anymore. In lieu of cancelling they wanted my new address. I told them that the only thing I wanted was to cancel the subscription.
Eventually, a new kid walked up to the door at my new apartment selling Bee subscriptions. His head was filled with visions of the ski trip the Bee had promised him if he met his quota, and he was not interested in my refusal to subscribe. I gave him $ 5 and told him to keep it for himself.
The Bee stopped calling, at some point. To be honest, I don’t even remember if I broke down and paid them or not. All I do remember is the terrible service and experience and the exploitative selling practices that the company engaged in.

Horrible newspaper and subscription service. They failed to provide me my newspaper the first three weeks of my subscription and then would not give me any credit for the missing newspapers.
Then they have an auto-​renewal process that they do not clearly and conspicuously communicate to you where they continue to provide you with newspapers after your subscription ends up to 90 days unless you actually cancel with them.
Then they will send you to third party collections without calling, emailing you — let alone send you an invoice for service. And they will threaten to report you to credit reporting agencies over $ 20.
Finally, they record your calls without telling you.
So, do not subscribe.

Shame on you Sacramento Bee
Sending small children to my door after dark with absolutely no sales Training. They won’t take no for a answer. One lil guy started crying once. You have promised them trips and prizes that are completely unattainable. You have really sunk to a new low since all the adults at your company must have moved on to real sales positions. Sometimes you need to look in the mirror and tell yourself its time to Quit. raise the white flag. What part of no one reads the newspapers anymore you do not get. My alarm clock tells me what’s in your paper. You are no different then a Chinese sweat shop. You better quit using children before Indiana Jones comes and sets them free.

I’ve posted screen shots of the reply I got in May from a carrier. This is what happens when the Bee abandons its responsibility to its customers… and carriers. While I understand the carrier’s frustration, it’s not okay to tell the paying customer to go to 7 – 11 if you want your paper on time.
Some months later I got an email apology from some one at the Bee, offering me a free month’s subscription which I accepted. I was charged for it any way and since the Bee and its contractors never communicate, we were threatened with collections if we didn’t pay. We paid and quit. I’m blown away that a business can be so tone deaf and uncaring.