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Q: I've subscribed to the paper edition of The Wall Street Journal for a few years. Several months ago, I received a notice that the newspaper would be switching delivery to a new subcontractor.
Then, I stopped receiving my papers.
I've written and called many times, and the polite but apparently ineffective customer service reps tell me they will look into this. But nothing happens. It's been nearly three months.
Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal continues to extract the subscription price from my bank account.
Yesterday, I decided that there was no point continuing to wait for results, and asked a customer service rep to return the funds extracted for papers we have not received. He said that's not possible.
I saw an indefinite future of money leaving my bank account and no papers arriving at my house. I believe this is called theft.
I want a refund for the papers never delivered, I want to cancel my subscription and I want to know when I can expect a reliable delivery of my paper. Can you help me? -- Diane Blitzer, Portland, Ore.
A: The Wall Street Journal should have delivered your papers as promised. And if it couldn't, it should have given you a prompt refund.
Disclosure: I started my career at Dow Jones, the Wall Street Journal's parent company, and at the time you wrote to me, I still had friends there. The Journal had a new editor and was busy making a lot of changes. Apparently, the new delivery contractor was part of that overhaul.
It looks as if a considerable amount of your communication with The Wall Street Journal was by phone. You contacted the newspaper through its website, but then it urged you to contact it by phone, which you did.
That's completely understandable -- after all, when you don't get your newspaper, you want to let someone know right away. A phone call seems like the most efficient way of doing that.
Only it isn't.
You needed a paper trail between you and The Wall Street Journal. The company may keep a recording, but typically, you would not be able to obtain a copy of the recording. I publish the names, numbers and email addresses of the top executives at the Journal on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org. Remember, there's no reliable record of your phone calls.
As a trained print journalist, I find it heartening that someone is still interested in reading the news on paper. Printed newspapers are quickly becoming a relic of the past, much to the dismay of my colleagues and me. Our livelihood depended on the continuation of print. Now, everything is online. Sigh.
I contacted The Wall Street Journal on your behalf. Separately, you sent paper letters to six of the newspaper's executives.
The conclusion of your case was unexpected. The newspaper fully refunded your missed three months and canceled your subscription as requested. That same day, for some mysterious reason, you received a print copy of a newspaper from your contractor. It was the New York Times. And after that, you never heard from them again.
I guess that answers your question about the reliability of delivery.
Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy (https://elliottadvocacy.org), a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help by contacting him at https://elliottadvocacy.org/help/
