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NewspaperArchive has a rating of 1.5 stars from 60 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. Reviewers complaining about NewspaperArchive most frequently mention customer service, credit card, and search engine problems. NewspaperArchive ranks 1180th among News sites.
This company does not typically respond to reviews
Having a recent need to research a celebrity from the 1950s, I needed an online newspaper archive. newspaperarchive.com is a U.S. based organisation that delivers what they claim: an archive of (mainly) U.S. newspapers from ancient (at least the 1920s) to more recent days. Their interface is a bit clunky, but navigable and their prices are vastly more reasonable than many similar sites. When I went to cancel my 12 month subscription early (because I had sucked down everything they had that I needed) they surprised me by saying that I could continue accessing the site until the subscription actually expired. I did appreciate that.
I was charged without even asking to try the service. A charge of $103 suddenly appeared on my bank account. It is listed as pendin but woukd have hone through if I hadn't spotted it. I have never had any business with newspaperarchive.com and never will.
I responded to the NewspaperArchive.com "30 DaYS FREE" promotional order and (as I was directed) I clicked on the "Restart Membership" from my old expired membership and it charged me IMMEDIATELY without the opportunity to enter the PROMO code.
The Customer Service "Chat Box" they mention is non-existent.
I then "UNSUBSCRIBED" which eliminated the opportunity to remedy the situation.
This is a fast money scam in that they are quick to debit your account (instantaneous) and then disappear when it comes to being accountable for their actions.
I will always let people know how horrible these scammers are. Signed up for a month, could not find anything I was looking for so they say widen the search WIDEN it so anything with the persons first name came up which is ridiculous. I cancelled and they kept my money for the month but deactivated my acct 2 weeks early. They say if you cancel they cancel acct for "safety" but still keep your money. COMPLETE SCAM! Useless information. NEVER USE THIS SITE!
Tip for consumers:
Dont use the site, waste of time and they steal your money
Hello Sue,
We're sorry to hear you had a negative experience with our services! To address your grievances, it's likely we simply didn't have the newspaper content you were looking for concerning the location and dates of your query. Please use our Publications tool to review our current holdings for the most accurate estimate of newspaper content concerning your specific query for the most accurate results. Additionally, I would clarify that we do not explicitly provide assistance with specific searches in the majority of cases, and instead provide general instructions on finding the newspaper content you're interested in, though it will depend on the complexity of your request. Lastly, while you have not provided specific account information for us to refer to, it's likely that a request of refund was denied due to newspaper images viewed and/or images downloaded under your account. While we try our best to be flexible and sympathetic, I'm afraid we do have to adhere to limits within our Terms and Conditions.
If you have any active issues, or would like to follow up with us, please email us at customerservice@newspaperarchive.com and we'll do our best to assist you.
Tried using the obituary section, my parents no information, uncles and friends no information, could not find any useful information, will try and stop payment with credit card
Mark, Please try your search again in the newspaper section. There are hundreds of millions of obituaries in the newspapers that no one has clipped yet (to put them in the obituaries section). Any member can cancel at any time. Log in, choose Account, choose Cancel. If you are eligible for a refund according to our Terms you will be offered that option.
My experience was not good. I ordered a page of a newspaper. I thought I was ordering the entire issue of the newspaper and when I realized that it was just one page, I immediately sent them a message to cancel my order. I was then going to order just the page I needed rather than the front page (which wasn't the page I wanted). I received a message back that my order had been cancelled. I thought that was very good and fast service. However, it was a lie. I actually received the order in the mail of the front page of the newspaper (which was not the page I wanted). I wrote them immediately to tell them of their mistake and they said there was nothing they could do and they would not refund my money OR give me a chance to order the correct page. When I asked to talk to a supervisor, the same person wrote me and said he was the supervisor and there was nothing they could or would do once the order had been shipped. I cancelled it before it was printed or shipped and have the message that it was cancelled but they still would not refund my money. I would stay far away from this website and instead go to the local library to get a photocopy of an old newspaper. I'm very disappointed.
What a wretched, unprofessional company this is.
I had a one-year subscription and it was, without notice or receipt, renewed on my credit card on 28 November 2022.
Worse, the vendor name on my credit card bill is nothing like "Newspaperachive.com" and my bank tells me it's listed under "appraisals". So... we think it's a fraudulent charge, they cancel my credit card and start an investigation.
Then on 5 December 2022 I get an e-mail from Newspaperarchive.com telling me my subscription has been cancelled. I finally am able to deduce what the original charge was for which the bank refunded. So now, I have a new credit card, have to update all my accounts, the bank had to start an investigation... all because these people cannot advise their own customer of when their subscriptions are up for renewal or indeed provide a receipt at time of billing.
This is unacceptable business practice.
AVOID DOING BUSINESS WITH NEWSPAPER.COM
The headline for this newsaper should read: "DISHONEST SCAM WEBSITE"
UPDATE:
Sorry, Brad... but no e-mails were sent to me either advising of the subcription being due for renewal OR that the charge had been put through. None. They did not go to "Spam", they were never sent.
If you read the other reviews here you will appreciate this is standard practice by NewspaperArchive once they have your credit card details. Given the 1.6 rating here, I think I will let others judge for themselves.
Thank you for your reply.
Hello Peter, we're sorry to hear you had an unhappy experience with us! We try our best to ensure you're informed about when your subscription will renew, which will include automatic renewal notices provided via email one week before renewal as well as receipts that are also automatically provided after your subscription renews. Sometimes those emails can end up in your spam folder, or aren't received if your email address denies them (we wouldn't be able to say without an email address for reference). Your membership confirmation email you should have received when initially subscribed would have also provided an additional reference for the plan you purchased and when you could expect a renewal. We do sympathize with your frustration however and your feedback has been duly noted.
If you ever have any issues, or would like to follow up with us please email us at customerservice@newspaperarchive.com and we'll do our best to assist you.
I signed up for the 1 mo., billed for 5 recurring months, e-mailed customer service and ignored. Awful.
Tip for consumers:
DO NOT PROVIDE ANY BILLING INFORMATION. THEY WILL BILL YOU WITHOUT AUTHORIZATION.
Hello James,
Thank you for reaching out! We're sorry to hear you're not satisfied with our services, and we'd love to get in touch with you via email! You mentioned not having received service, though it's possible that we had simply not received your request, as we regularly address all requests sent to our customer service email address. Additionally, it's possible there was a misunderstanding regarding how our subscription plans work, as it would appear the unauthorized charges you mentioned were the result of your subscription's renewal being active. Would you please reach out to the email address below? We'll do our best to keep an eye out for your request.
customerservice@newspaperarchive.com
Too costly, can't print articles for free anymore, give too many close to spelling on searches (I know how to spell the names I'm looking for)
Hello Dana,
Thank you for reaching out! We're sorry to hear you're not satisfied with our services, and we've reached out via email to try and solve some of those issues you mentioned.
If you ever have any further issues, or would like to follow up with us, please email us at customerservice@newspaperarchive.com and we'll do our best to assist you.
They have been fined by the state of Iowa for deceptive practices. I made the mistake of trusting them. Stay away!
Dave,
Our site is trusted by more than 2 million people a month. We carefully honor our Terms and Conditions with all customers at all times. If you have a specific issue please let us know at customerservice@newspaperarchive.com.
Best wishes, Christian
I kept getting the "chat with me" box showing up as I was researching - very annoying. So I decided to ask if there was a way to shut if off - I typed my question and hit "enter" - the question did not show up so I retyped it thinking it did not go through. The customer service agent then said:
Juan: "The whole reason you are asked question is so we may read it there is no read (spelled that way) to retype. The window keeps coming up because you don't have a subscription"
Me: That was kind of rude, I did not see my question again and thought it didn't go through. And yes, I do have a subscription - I am logged in right now.
Juan: There is nothing rude about providing you information so that you don't loose your time retyping all you need to do is click "x". You may translate it as you wish however, is simple information. Have a great day Barbara.
Then he quit the session. By the way - hitthing the X only closes it for a few minutes - it pops back up again in a short time. So when "Juan" shut me off there was a "rate me" thumbs up or down option. I chose down. Didn't really get my question answered and was shut down before I could clarify.
About 3mn later I get the following email from "Juan"
"To provide information to you the user is not to be rude.
Your question was answered but didnt take the time to read it since you were too busy translating the text which is plain and has no feeling or emphasis.
Please note that besides taking multiple chats we answer emails, process cancellations, renewals, etc.
Every chat that is rated as bad takes 5 % of our customer service percentage to make that up we need three good ratings with a comment.
That is a rarity since most users get assistance and just close the chat.
All bad rated chats are reviewed by the supervisor if rating seems unfair he will place a ban on the user for the amount of time at his discretion.
Thank you.
Juan Hensley.
Customer Service
*******@newspaperarchive.com
*******@newspaperarchive.com
Newspaperarchive.com
4023 Kennett Pike #*******
Bloomington, Delaware *******"
If this is how this company operates - then I want my money back.
Barbara,
Based upon feedback from members like you clicking the X on the chat box now permanently disables the chat window - you will never see it again.
Thanks for using NewspaperArchive.com. Christian
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Search 5.6 billion genealogy records including newspaper articles, obituaries, marriages, births, passenger lists, arrests, divorces, war casualties and more.
Hello Mel,
We're sorry to hear you had a negative experience with our services! NewspaperArchive.com was purchased since the time of your review, and is under new ownership. We do sympathize with your frustrations however, and if you have any outstanding issues, please feel free to reach out and we'd be happy to assist you.
If you have any active issues, or would like to follow up with us, please email us at customerservice@newspaperarchive.com and we'll do our best to assist you.