The Athletic HQ Reviews 264

Exactly the same as others have mentioned. Took a trial out a year ago at a reduced price and 12 months later with no warning they’ve taken a payment of £59.99. I’ve emailed twice for a refund to be told by automated replies that there is no refund and I can enjoy my subscription until this time next year.

I don’t think so. The fact I use the app so infrequently ontop of having no prior warning I was coming upto 12 month renewal price means you don’t have a case for telling me to enjoy something I don’t want.

I want my money back - stop hiding behind automated replies. I will be raising this with my bank as the payment is still pending. Furious.

This company is terrible they take your money for renewal before the 30th of the month so when you go in to cancel it you have all ready been charged. They sat they will refund your money but then don’t and ignore all messages from you. I’m still waiting and all my messages of which there are countless are just ignored.

APPALLING COMPANY who stole £59.99 from my PayPal/bank account for a supposed subscription renewal when I specifically notified them that I did NOT want to renew and to cancel my subscription.

Their billing / subscription department also seems to be in a complete mess as they don't seem to know what's going on. I've raised a dispute with PayPal and will be reporting them to Trading Standards, with court proceedings to follow against them if they do not pay back the money.

Avoid this company like the plague and DO NOT take out a subscription with them.

It’s mediocre at best, and definitely not worth paying money for. Every time I hear one of their journalists on the air he seems pompous and self-absorbed. I don’t want to support that. It’s sports for heaven’s sake. Get over yourselves!

the athletic claims i am no longer subscribed but keeps deducting $2.99 from my card "THE ATHLETIC HTTPSTHEATHLE CA CARD NBR" is the way it is itemized on my statement. I have to pinch pennies right now and don't appreciate these filthy business practices.

This company took 59.99 without contacting me i have never used this site looked at the app with free trial and it never mention that a subsciption would be taken. Best To avoid this company.

I subscribed to this website for a year after receiving a cheap offer and being impressed by the quality of articles. Then today, with no warning whatsoever I received a notification from Paypal that £60 was coming out of my account for a subscription renewal. I was not contacted to say I was up for renewal, given a price or any forewarning.

There is zero customer service and it is impossible to speak to any actual humans, and I guess I'll lose the Paypal dispute resolution I immediately filed, so I feel I've been conned by filthy business practices which should be illegal.

I would implore anybody reading this to not give a penny of your money to a company that uses such underhand business practices - the journalism isn't good enough to justify the cost or the bad taste in the mouth this leaves.

DO NOT SIGN UP. The Athletic have some horribly scummy business practices such as silently upping your subscription price without consent or warning and taking a £60 payment before you can do anything about it.

A genuinely dispicable company, stay well clear.

I subscribed for my wife in the early days of the platform. I never turn on auto-renewal but it was auto-renewing and I didn't notice it. When the NY Times acquired it, they (the Times) allowed me to include The Athletic in my subscription. The 'old' subscription auto-renewed on 8/2. Within 5 days, I wrote to ask for a refund b/c I now had TWO subscriptions. The answer was, "We don't allow cancelations via email. Go to the webpage and cancel. We don't offer refunds. Enjoy your subscription through 8/21/23." This a billing practice calling out for a class action suit - a complete ripoff. And it looks like I'm not alone.

Way to kick people when they’re down. Everyone is struggling, watching the pennies and suddenly £60 comes out of your account with no warning or communication. Appealing. I wouldn’t recommend The Athletic to anyone. That’s a weeks worth of food impacted by the athletic. Shocking.

The company auto renewed for 59.99£ without any warning and for a subscription I did not use. The content is not that good, and can find better on most free sites. In seeing all the reviews I can see I am not the only one this has happened to. I have filed a claim with PayPal, ands I will keep up my email to get a refund. What a ripoff!

I signed up for a discounted trial in August 2021. 12 months later with no reminder I was billed £59.99. Every other subscription service or membership I've used send me reminders before taking payment, even on a monthly basis (e.g. Harry's, Beer52), let alone annual (e.g. The National Trust who physically write to you). This feels like a deliberate trap since many payment systems will automatically generate reminders.
I'll be taking this up with Which?, Citizens Advice, MasterCard and the Financial Ombudsman.

Like many posts here, I just got stung by a renewed subscription with no advanced notification and they offer no refunds on cancellation. I actually quite enjoy the content but this approach of not notifying subscribers/ taking money without notice and making cancellation difficult leaves a bad taste so I'm cancelling. Seems like a great way to lose customers.

Absolute crooks!!! They auto renewed me without telling me AFTER I told them last year I never wanted to renew their garbage publication again. They are crooks!! They cannot be trusted with your credit card info. They are a scam rip-off, plain and simple. TOTAL RIP OFF!

Edit: When I first emailed them I got a response that said renewals are not refundable. After contacting them again via email several times they issued the refund.

Like everyone else, I subscribed with an intro offer that I didn't realize was a recurring payment. 1 year later I got billed. No biggie I thought, I'll just cancel and email them and get a refund. I thought wrong. They offer no refunds

The articles aren't even that great. Save yourself the headache of

Like many others, my experience with The Athletic has been poor. The journalism is no better than other sports websites - despite their best efforts to poach every journalist with even a bit of a reputation with sport. But, worse of all, they've now charged me unknowingly using automatic renewal (without sending me any reminder), after I signed up through an introductory offer. And, as we all know, they don't do refunds - and I think that tells you all you need to know about The Athletic.

Awful, awful, awful.
Take money from your account without telling who and then say you cannot get a refund. Good journalism. Extremely bad customer management.

They have taken £59.99 from my account which I have not agreed to. How do I get a refund?

Really poor - no notice of a subscription renewal and today £59.99 was taken out of my account. I cancelled immediately and emailed them, only to be told by an automated system no refunds. Dreadful way to treat people by taking money without warning and offer no refund especially when I don't want to use it (was offered as a free trial with BT). Very disappointing.

UPDATE: Made a claim on paypal and after a couple of emails got full refund. Was offered discounted amount if I wanted to continue - strangely remember getting same deal when I cancelled during the year (90% sure I did this to avoid these kind of shenanigans). Either way very underhand of them to do this.

Gosh depressing to see so many other people in a similar situation.

Steer clear of any introductory offer or invite! Absolutely appalling subscription renewal management. Totally incompatible with consumer law.

Got a complementary subscription from BT for a year. Renewal took place this week at a full £59.99 without any prior warning, messaging at all - just withdrew the money.

This is contractually unfair (no notice) and will not stand up with the Financial Ombudsman. I asked for help on Twitter as there are no contact details or help desk because they are hiding behind a “website”.

This is sharp practice. I have already submitted a complaint to PayPal. I will also be contacting the Financial Ombudsman shortly and recommend anyone else in this situation does.

You will be found out “The Athletic” your “subscription renewal” practice is incompatible with law. You won’t be getting away with this much longer I am sure. You may have money now but eventually the regulators will be on your case.

Disgusting.