In the past few years I got a lot of enjoyment out of this large archive of old newspapers, and the archive end of it is good. But the functionality of the site, especially login, has been getting bad and getting worse. Customer support has never sent me a solution of substance, always blaming my computer, telling me to delete cookies, try a different browser, or call them during business hours. I have no problem with any other member site. I think they might have blocked me which is illegal since I paid for the service, blocked me because I live in the Philippines. If so they are going to have to give me back my money. But I don't want my money back, I want the site to be usable again like it used to be. This site went from awesome to bad to broken and I tried today one more time to get a response of substance from their tech support, but I have no hope. Another reason they might have blocked me is that I took advantage of a low price offer for a year and I think my account is now being treated as a last priority when the site is busy.

Have had to change my code name and they said I didn't get in because of phishing, that I didn't understand. My changed name still does not work...

I signed up for 3 month subscription and assumed I would get an e-mail communication about renewal (they claimed to have sent one, which is false). I never received an e-mail informing me of the renewal information, nor of the one unsuccessful billing of my credit card when the expiration date changed, nor of the change they made from my original service from 3 months to the more expensive 1 month billing. All of these billings and adjustments were done with no contact to the consumer. My husband reviews our credit statements and didn't ask me about the charge. It never occurred to me that the subscription service could continue to charge me in this way without any contact! Avoid using this service! They tell me I agreed to the recurring charges when I signed up (believe me, this is NOT clear in their terms of agreement) and they claim they contacted me which is an outright fabrication. Underhanded, shady business practices, at best. Downright dishonest in my book!

WITHOUT NOTICE VIA EMAIL, NewspaperArchives.com automatically renewed my subscription. Two days after the renewal became effective, I contacted this company to ask for refund (I rarely used service and found is substandard even for obituary searches). They denied my request. I've contacted Pam Williams, the Customer Service Director and have yet to receive a respond. This company is engaged in manipulation and deceit. I recommend that anyone who has been ripped off by this company, contact BBB and Iowa Attorney General.

On December 2, 2008 I wrote:

On November 27, my your company debited $95.88 renewal fee for my subscription to Newspapararchive.com. While I appreciated your service, I no longer need it, nor do I have the money to pay for it. Please credit my account immediately and CLOSE MY SUBSCRIPTION!

Barbara G

They responded on December 3:

Dear Barbara G,

Your membership has been cancelled and you will not be re-billed. Cancelled indicates that the billing has been disabled, you will not be charged again but you are not eligible for a refund. You will have access to the service until the end of your subscription. This means that you can still login and search the archive. Our services will still be available to you until: 11/27/2009 6:12:26 PM. Unfortunately, we are unable to refund the amount you have already paid for your subscription. All our accounts are automatically renewing. According to our Terms and Conditions, to avoid further charges the account must be cancelled prior to the renewal date.

Sincerely,

Customer Service
NewspaperARCHIVE.com®
[email protected]