After letting my many years subscription to Consumer Reports magazine lapse some time ago, I recently reordered the magazine. After receiving the first edition, I was sadly disappointed. In order to access the product testing, I had to access the web site and then could only view limited info, unless I would upgrade my subscription/membership. That was going to cost me as much as my subscription, again. I called Customer Service and clarified my understanding, then asked about cancelling the magazine subscription. I was informed that since ordering the magazines on Dec. 30 and cancelling on Jan 18(20 days), my “pro rated” refund would be roughly 54% of my subscription price. When questioned, the CSR informed me that they had already mailed out two more magazines. So, 3 magazines of 15 subscribed too(20%), costs 46% of the price paid. She said that the charge was $4 per magazine, for the three, with the refund of the remaining 12, at $1.17 each(my math). The “pro rating” certainly doesn’t track with my understanding of the term.Unfortunately, the high regard that I previously held for this organization had now deteriorated to close to nothing. While I still feel the testing is valuable, their apparent bait and switch tactics in offering access to their results, infuriates me. I will be letting my subscription expire, never considering future offers.
Claim your business profile now and gain access to all features and respond to customer reviews.
Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit member organization that works for truth, transparency, and fairness in the marketplace. Consumers Union was chartered on February 6, 1936, at a time when consumers had very few options to gauge the value, quality, or authenticity of goods and services. It was an era of unfettered advertising claims, rapid technological progress, and patchwork regulations. Since then, CR has remained true to its mission, testing and reviewing countless products to make sure they’re safe and worth your money. Through our advocacy, we’ve helped people save billions. And we’ve influenced some of the most critical issues of the marketplace: the dangers of smoking cigarettes and eating toxic foods, predatory practices of credit card companies, safety risks in cars, and more.
See more