The Athletic HQ Reviews 264

Appalling customer service.
I cancelled my account - through their website in June 2020, yet they continue to charge me £7.99 a month. I have been complaining through their support function for two months, and just get inane responses that completely fail to take on board what I said. For example, the first few emails repeatedly told me to cancel my subscription through the website - despite each of my emails clearly saying this was not possible, as their website would not allow me to (the cancellation option was greyed out - presumably because I had cancelled several months earlier).
Now they have switched to telling me I need to cancel through an Apple subscription - even though I have told them I did not subscribe through Apple.
Basically, I am unable to stop them taking £7.99 a month from me.
It is a shame they behave this way, as the content on their website is actually very good.

As others have said, accepted a 30-day guest pass from my mate - cancelled auto-renew, yet they still took £59.99 with no warning whatsoever... most apps give a 7-day courtesy email to warn you they'll be taking a payment.

Customer service doesn't exist and is just automated emails. Would not recommend in the slightest. Don't know how they get away with it to be honest. Have reported to Apple and blocked them with my bank, cause I genuinely don't know if they'll tae another payment next year or not. Managing the subscription from your phone is impossible. Utter rubbish.

Please read below

Rating below one star (-)*

How I was double charged for the same year renewal
System let sign up for lower discounted rate per month total of $27.00 & change
then later charged me $72.00 & change for the same renewal
Talked with the customer service/email response was oh well no level of wanting to correct the mistake or work with me as a renewal customer

See below

Haley
Thanks for your Reply

Why did the system let me purchase at the discounted rate within a 5 to 10 min time span vs the full price
For renewal??

And not reject my lower price price purchase ??

Then you are saying i now paid 97$
Some odd dollars for a year .

Due to the mis read in your system for processing
If you can not refund me the 72.00 fee

I will not be a customer any longer of your periodical

And will give feedback to that short coming in your system and let existing & future customer Beware of charging & billing weaknesses in your system and as well no customer support for understanding something out of my control
And no attempt to correct the mistake

Your tech support area should be alert to this and customer care be understanding more in the customer’s
Perspective

Take care and thanks for your time

Mark Voorhees

Deeply unethical billing practices. Content was good but I unsubscribed on principal after they jacked up prices to £4,99 / month having sold it as £1 / month. I only realised after a couple of months. Im sure they said the £1/month was for life at the time I signed up but can’t find where it was. I can’t support an organisation that behaves like that and will take great pleasure in telling anyone who will listen to avoid them like the plague!

Auto-renewed with no prior warning.

Was charged £59.99 for another years subscription. I received no notification email that this was going to happen. Contacted their support was basically told NO REFUNDS lol.

Despicable company. AVOID.

Good articles and so on, a bit expensive but hey.

Terrible site, DO NOT SIGN UP.

DO NOT ACCEPT SUBSCRIPTION OFFER. They literally make it impossible to unsubscribe. You have to 1. remember how you subscribed (there are multiple options apparently) and 2. remember what method of payment you used and 3. download their app, if you haven't already and 4. get lucky that their system recognizes you. It's absurd. I've never seen anything like it.

Had a subscription auto-renew, cancelled within hours of being charged. Was basically told to F-Off there are no refunds, oh and we raised the rate too. Complete scam and I will NEVER buy this again.

Will scam you out of £60 if you sign up to their free trial.

In the same boat been charged £59.99 when the price I was quoted was £9.99 totally disgusting business practice!!

Super sketchy - signed up for a "free trial" - and there is no actual way to cancel. There is no cancel option and the "manage subscription" link doesn't do anything.

They also have no refunds if you don't cancel in time... which you can't do. Stay away! Never thought I'd have to warn anyone away from a free trial...

I’m not gunna write anything else that hasn’t already been said below. Rip off merchants

Their inane no refunds policy and lack of renewal warnings are scummy and deplorable, but their customer service is worse.

I cancelled my auto-renewal midway through my subscription. When I checked my account a few days before the end of the term, the system said I was going to be billed again! Luckily and for some reason I was never charged, however upon emailing them multiple times about why their site said it was going to fraudulently bill me, I received a bunch of useless auto-generated responses. No number to call or chat options, either.

Most pathetically, when their site and app give you errors, they tell you to email a support address — even though said address is “not actively monitored” according to its auto-replies. What?!?!

How can it possibly be this bad? Your typical small business with 5 employees has more sophisticated customer service than this company propped up by hundreds of millions of venture capital funding. It’s bewildering and infuriating in equal measure. Avoid at all costs.

Wow, I didn't even expect a page for them but I can see everyone has had the same issue that I have...

Took a free trial to read one article, then cancelled afterwards. Found today that they have taken over £50 from me for an annual subscription without any notification or forewarning.

I've lodged a dispute with my Credit Card provider and emailed them directly but no response.

Very dodgy operating processes by the looks of things

Did the free trial... wasn't impressed in the slightest. The big problem for me was the bs they constantly tried to fool me with when attempting to cancel the free trial before forking over 70+ dollars. Five times they gave a big red box (after starting the cancellation process) that would renew the subscription when the "continue cancellation" was very small underneath that bid red box. I felt like I was taking a test trying to navigate their bs to actually cancel my subscription.

Having signed up last year on a cheap deal, I was horrified to learn that they have recently taken £59.99 out of my credit card account without my permission. I have sent numerous emails and all I get is an automated response. I would leave well alone if I were you

No warning or even suggestion that I had signed up for an ANNUAL subscription and then they refuse to refund, seemingly disregarding any legal right to a 14 day cooling off period. Spread the word that the athletic are to be avoided at all costs! I had a fairly positive view of them before this, now the complete opposite is the case and I'll be making sure everyone I know thinks the same! SCAMMERS

I've opened a paypal dispute.

I signed up for the Athletic as they had a dedicated writer covering my University. As of a week or so ago, they no longer cover my University and I no longer want access. I canceled the subscription but I'm not being refunded any of my fee so now I have a complete year of access to something I'll never read!!! Do Not Subscribe!!!! Overpriced, limited content (unless you like Alabama, Clemson or Ohio State), no refunds AND NO CUSTOMER SERVICE. Scam

Same issues as everyone else. Charged £60 for a recurring annual subscription with no forewarning. Non-existent customer services and no refunds. They’re essentially trying to make money by scamming their customers.

The content isn’t worth anywhere near the annual subscription fee, so few people would voluntarily choose to pay so much money for what you get, so no wonder they have to trick their customers into handing over hard-earned money.

Please don’t sign up to any of their trials or introductory offers, you’ll regret it