The Austin American Statesman is the local newspaper for the Austin area. They've also got a website that does a pretty good job. The reporting tends to be a bit on the conservative side. They do some investigative journalism and get into the issues. Being that they're in the center of Texas politics, it's their responsibility to find out what's going on in the branches of Texas government. I feel that they do a fair job at this. They seem to be a lot more conservative than the populace of Austin is, advocating for a conservative approach to government. There's a lot of ads in here, and it seems to be overtaking the news. I wish they'd expand the cartoon section. I've never subscribed to this paper, but I always read it when I'm in town. read more

There is no way to cancel the subscription. When I called any of the phone numbers to do so, the robot says there's no record of my account. Clearly there is since they keep billing me. There is also no way to cancel the subscription online. It's a scam. I called my credit card to block the charge. read more

Horrible experience trying to cancel subscription. When I was finally able to get to an agent he was very rude and belligerent. I had heard that canceling was tough and unfortunately it was. No way to run a newspaper. read more

if i could give it no stars i would. this newspaper is owned by hearst corporation now and subscribing with a special ratefor digital only for 6 months with option to "cancel at anytime" is a lie. i have spent several days and at least 15 phone calls trying to cancel and they say they can't find an account for me. yet this morning they took $19.96 from bank account for a new subscription. i can't cancel because this is a big scam so i have had to cancel my debit card to keep from getting continued charges. do not ever subscribe to austin american statesman!!!!! hearst has turned it into a scam!!!!!!! read more

Not the quality newspaper it once was. It seems to me that each day is just a repeat of the news from the night before and they really don't give a crap about their delivery service anymore. I know most people don't want delivery, but for the few of us that prefer it, the service is sub-par at best. Cancelling my subscription today. read more

I remember when a physical paper would hit my front door at 3am carrying all the news from the prior day including the previous day's sports scores and boxes (excluding west coast games). Now, the paper goes to print early each afternoon, so I don't get Tuesday's scores until Thursday. I decided to cancel my subscription, but woe be unto you if you go down this dark path, for your way will be blocked at every turn. In short, it's a sad day for me. My old school world is gone and I miss it greatly. read more

Their content is fine, but never have I dealt with such awful customer service people. Two separate people hung up on me because I didn't know which of our many phone numbers (business account) were associated with our account. Finally, I got someone to agree to not hang up on me. He located my account by using the account number, which I was able and ready to provide. Turns out there was no phone number associated with my account, which either of those first two folks would hae been able to figure out - and remedy - if they had bothered to ask, rather than just hanging up. read more

I recently signed up for a digital subscription with the Austin American-Statesman, but quickly decided I did not want it to renew in the future. When I tried to manage my account online, I discovered there was no option to make changes or cancel digitally. The only option provided was a phone number. When I called the next morning, the first representative I spoke with was unhelpful and then hung up on me without resolving my request. I called back, only to be connected to a different representative who argued that because I had just started the subscription, they could not assist me with any changes. That call also ended with the representative hanging up on me. The problem isn't the amount I paid -- it's that they are holding my credit card information and yet refuse to let me manage my subscription on my own terms. Whether I want to continue, pause, or discontinue in the future, I should be able to make that decision now. Instead, I am left with no options other than contacting my credit card company to ensure I am not billed again. This is not how a major newspaper should treat its customers. read more

Can't go lower than 1 star, although this rag can. Horrible experience with the online version -- not to mention the fact that they ripped me off for one year: $69 for a year of only digital??? Then, I'm offered 6 months for $0.99. But then a weird twist: the person I spoke to on the phone told me I wasn't eligible, even though I was being hammered with emails about it every day! I hung up and went online, and in less than 90 seconds I got the deal anyway. What a mess they are. Customer service is not in their vocabulary. As for the paper itself, it's the only local rag so it's the only source for most local news. The writers, though, seem to have barely graduated high school -- at the bottom of their class! Almost every article is riddled with misspellings and bad grammar and occasionally just wrong information. And don't even get me started on their sports pages. Thank goodness Bohls is gone, but the air of misogyny still exists. I've written them several times about their complete lack of coverage for UT women's volleyball. For every story about the team there are at least 10-15 articles on the football team. They are so far up Del Conte's butt it's ridiculous. A team that won the national championship 2 out of the last 3 years gets barely 2 small columns of text after an incredibly thrilling match, but football gets 1 or 2 complete pages' worth of stories. Do you just not care? If so, say it! Oh, and the app? Garbage. Just garbage. Stories don't load, you can't zoom in enough to actually READ anything, and some sections don't even allow you to click on a story to read it. Any updates they release for the app are never tested, meaning updates mean more failures within the app. Right now, as I write this, I can't even get in to read the paper because the app just doesn't work. No explanation why, and conveniently enough there is no help link. read more

Haven't received the daily print edition for 9 days even though I've called & emailed every other day. Customer Service is incapable of resolving this non-delivery, saying its a subcontractor issue. But Customer Service can't/won't give out any contact information for the delivery service. Complete waste of time. read more

If there was a zero, I'd do that. I have a subscription, for a year, that I bought in 2024. It was due to renew on 9/8/25. Today, 9/4/25, I was charged over $95 for an annual supscription I DO NOT want... I was planning to call on Friday, 9/5/25 To cancel for next year. This morning, the withdrew $98.68, which is the money I have budgeted for my monthly medications. They will not give it back, even though I cancelled before my renew date. DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THESE PEOPLE. They steal from retirees. read more

Their customer service is by far the worst I have ever dealt with. Up until about 3 years ago, I could at least talk to someone to get delivery issues straightened out, but now the system directs you to one after another holding pattern where all you can do is leave a message or click 1 or 2... I have missed getting so many papers delivered recently that the automated system even recognizes that and says "I see you have multiple issues with your delivery system which we will try straightening out soon". The last time was for the Sunday paper which was finally delivered to me on Tuesday, wrapped with a folded note that was printed in bold red letters "HOT CUSTOMER"-deliver ASAP. Makes you feel like you are a bother... read more

29 year subscriber lost! - liars in customer service Moved from print subscription to digital december 2023 due to prices, unreliable delivery, no delivery on holiday, and news 2 days behind. Renewed subscription for digital Dec 2024 with repeating monthly charge of $7.99/mo. I was last charged April 11, but last days of April, subscription listed as expired and unable to log in, Called customer service 5/1 and talked to "Roy" who claimed he was a supervisor. Roy claimed that Statesman attempted to charge credit card Apr 29 and 30 and that credit card was declined. Bank says no such attempt was made and credit card in good standing with no other rejections during the following 3 days (Nice try, Roy) . Roy also claimed we were getting print edition through all of 2024 (another lie)- Oh, and by the way- due to inflation they were changing the amount to $19.99 per month and would not respect terms from December. I can get better local news from the Chronicle. Nobody wants to post obits anymore at in this paper for the cost of $500+. Gonna sign up for NY Times for $53/ year and say goodbye to the Statesman. ref account number MNS000512740. Roys service was rude, not helpful, and will cost the Statesman more lost customers in the future. read more

I had an online subscription last year and canceled it in December of 2023. In August of 2024, I started the subscription again. A couple of months later I realized they were charging me for both subscriptions even though I canceled the earlier one. I called and spoke with somebody who told me I was lying, that I had not canceled the earlier subscription. Terrible customer service and very unethical business practices. read more

It is absolutely criminal how much they charge to post an obituary (over $700....they even had the nerve to send me a 10% discount code, like that would make a huge difference). After some research, and finding out it's not owned locally but by Gannett (big greedy company). Corporate greed runs high in America folks. I would stop giving your money to corporations like this who just take advantage and increase prices for their own pockets and drain us for all we have. Get your news from free outlets. read more

I've put up with their high prices for 17 years and when I'm finally trying to cancel I can't get them to cancel the account. I've had to dispute on my credit card and they continue to put charges through after three attempts to cancel. Very aggravating. read more

I had a good carrier until she quit at the end of May 2022. Ever since then, it's been late or not delivered at all. Their response to emails/calls is either it's being escalated or read the digital version. 6 weeks and still no resolution. I might be better off just getting at the newsstand if I need a print copy because I subscribe to Sunday/Wednesday and don't expect to get it two days later at the rate they have been handling my complaints. And telling me to read a digital copy when I pay for a print edition doesn't solve the problem. It's gotten so bad, they have quit responding to emails. The report delivery problem online feature use to be resolved same day or next morning but not anymore. It's almost like they want people to unsubscribe. read more

Dad has been getting the Statesman for at least 30 years. Since moving, he has had all sorts of problems getting the paper delivered. The paper, when he does get it, is now maybe a few pages. No crossword puzzle included. It seems now they are taking out a majority of the categories but yet you still pay same price. He wasn't even delivered a Black Friday paper the other day. When you call customer service, you get someone from another county with broken English. read more

If I could give it zero stars I would. I tried to get a subscription delivered to my house. They took my money and never delivered it. Never mailed it. Terrible. I can't do the digital due to not being able to see that well so no news for me until we move back to Dallas it seems. read more

I have a problem believing anything could be this fucked up unless it was planned to be. I had a subscription. It expired. I signed up to a new promotion and found that it created a continuing charge. When I discovered it I cancelled. I found out that it was charging me for 2 subscription, one on a credit card and one at the bank. I cancelled everything again. The charges showed up again changed to Gannent News instead of GCI News and with a new Web ID number. I called to talk to a live person and stayed on the phone with him until sent me an email showing I canceled. Later I got a notice that I could give access to a friend for free. I went on line to help again and they had changed the entire access program and I found that I had a subscription again. I just discovered that they are still charging my bank with the new name and Web ID number after I had put a Stop Pay order on the other one. 1 star is a huge compliment to them. read more

I was on a one-year subscription at an introductory rate. Without authorization, this company started to make large monthly charges against my credit card. I cancelled. They call me from their call center every few days seeking more payment. Each time I tell them that I have cancelled, that I have the paperwork to prove it, and I ask them to please stop calling me. It is harassment! Dealing with these people, called Gannet, is a nightmare. Aside from that, the Statesman has become a shell of its former self because Gannet cut most of its reporting staff to save money. Avoid any dealings with them. Brian Furlong read more

Here's an update to my review of the Austin American Statesman that posted yesterday: I followed up my phone calls and trail of voice mail messages with a detailed email to all the executive officers, which I sent this morning. I never received the promised phone call, but I did receive a response to my email this afternoon. They have taken care of my account and my Sunday delivery will continue at the same price. My questions about the new pricing structure and the cost of the e-edition were not answered. Oh, well. My Sunday home delivery will continue and I won't have to pay $10 per issue. read more

Thievery, basically. They owed me $60 when I canceled due to constant missed deliveries, and have not yet refunded it even after they acknowledged that they owed it to me, and even after going through BBB. They have a website that does not show the balance on the account or how much is owed, perhaps because they can pull such shenanigans. My friend had the exact same issue, and gave up his $80 after trying to get his refund. The money is not a huge amount, but being stolen from is never nice. I did enjoy reading it, though, when I did get the paper. And that is what the 1 star is for. read more

BEWARE! I renewed digital at $9.99 in Sept/Oct'21 but they kept charging $14.99. I just caught it when I saw "Gannett" for $15.86 on my Jan '22 statement. AND I discovered they charged me twice in Dec. '21 - looks like they moved from beginning to end- of-month charging. That's important because they tried to only refund my Jan payment but I was due the 2nd Dec payment as they'd "charged ahead". As others say, cancel online doesn't work. You must call so they can try to convince you not to cancel. Their offer to me? New rate of $9.99. UMM, NO! FELL FOR THAT LAST TIME! No confirmation given for cancellation or refund & apparently no notes on my account about the $9.99 rate at renewal last time. I have had my bank block the merchant and disputing all the over charges until I get my refund. Customer service is AWFUL. Fully outsourced & missing all but 12/21 account info from last year. I had to hang up (on Dana who was terrible & refused to give me a supervisor) and call back to get a different agent (Gaby was much better). Sad state of affairs because I enjoy local info on what's happening around Austin. read more

Time and time again I have had issues With A S. We have a steep driveway and difficult for us to walk down to pick up the paper. As Senior citizens we are not internet savvy and the A S really does not care helping with the delivery. They hirer independent delivery people therefore take no responsibility for their actions. The A S in the past they helped us but now everything is going DOWN HILL. Now I know why they receive a one star rating. The A S has no problem raising the price of the paper without improving the service. Shame on you for not helping our Seniors Citizens. . read more

I'd give less of a rating if I could. My online news access stopped working. I spent a lot of frustrating time with their agents. Tried to access e-newspaper, I got an error that locked up my computer. They insisted that the problem was on my end. I followed their instruction (didn't agree though) clearing each, changing password and reinstalling my browser. I refused to change my browser from Google Chrome as they suggested. Had to call to cancel my subscription and lost a month of charges but worth it to be rid of this poorly managed newspaper. read more

My mom passed away and I transferred her remaining deliveries (about 5-6 months) to my home. I got one paper the whole time. I have called multiple times to report and try and resolve and nothing, promises it will come and then never comes. I am too tired to keep calling. read more

One star is too generous, but it's the default-lowest option. I haven't received my paper for over half-a-year and have been trying to cancel my subscription in the interim, to no avail. (I'm actually on hold with them as I write this [update: they hung up after 20 min]). You cannot cancel via email; if you try, they tell you to call "customer service." I have threads upon threads of these emails. And to say that department is unhelpful would be an understatement. Once you wade past the tide of automatic dial functions, the automated system tells you to "press 5" for cancellation but, once you do, you are immediately rerouted to the main menu. You simply cannot cancel. I even went to the Statesman building to request a cancellation. I spoke with a person who was familiar with the problem. He gave me another number to call. Nothing came of this. Another anecdote (and recent): I received a "spam risk" call last night, declined, and they immediately called back--guess who it was? The Austin-American Statesman, asking if I wanted to renew my service. It was a human (rare, I know), so I entertained the call and explained the plight of being a subscriber. The representative was extremely understanding and offered to have his supervisor call me (You know, because I'm paying $27/month for a paper of mediocre quality that I haven't received). I emphasized that I had no faith his supervisor would call me. Guess what happened? Yes, that's right--no call. I awoke this morning to another $27 charge. I understand that newspaper is a dying industry grasping at straws to maintain its customer base. I get it. But it seems the Statesman died long ago. read more

Physical papers are NOT delivered. It has been over 3 1/2 months with zero papers delivered here in Cedar Park. Some humans need visual objects in our hand to stay organized with reading the information. The online version is not manageable and difficult to read without a large screen. Statesman needs to stop selling delivery fantasy plan to deliver papers. All phone, email and chat responses have one truthful thing they repeat "no worries, we have placed a credit into your account." That is not a solution. Since nothing has changed in over 3 months, perhaps it is time for Stateman to make a public announcement that papers will no longer be delivered to addresses. For over 3 years, this Cedar Park address has bad problems with missing paper deliveries, but never this long. We have been extra patient. The request for solution is not being "escalated". The next customer service representatives I contact has be calling the entire problems, because they do not see notes showing all the previous calls/emails of problems. customercare@statesman.com Email responses are signed with: Customer Care Member Specialist, Austin American Statesman, 1-800-445-9898, https://help.statesman.com/ read more

I started a subscription for my 88 year old mother two weeks ago and the paper has never been delivered. I have called several times and have been promised the issue will be escalated and the paper will be delivered "tomorrow"; I finally cancelled. They tried to push me towards the digital subscription but that would not work for my mom. . . Unfortunate. I'll continue to stop by HEB to pick up the paper. . . mom likes her morning paper. :) read more

I love the Statesman. I've subscribed for many many years. I like the feel of reading the printed paper in the morning, and I've always found them reasonably professional in their coverage. Over time, they stopped being able to deliver the paper timely. It would arrive as I left for work and I'd just end up throwing it away. I'd place vacation holds and the paper would still be delivered; sometimes, for just that little something extra, they'd not deliver the day before or the day after the hold period. I wrote to their customer service about the problems, asking that they respond and let me know how to make vacation hold work correctly, and no response, to repeated requests, nothing, from the address they say to contact customer service. Then the news they're moving printing to San Antonio. Awesome, the paper will be even later with older news. So I surrender, no more paper delivery. I'm thinking finally I've found their sweet spot - I bet they can flawlessly not deliver the paper every single day. I look out my window this morning, and, yup, they delivered the paper. All I asked is that they do nothing, and they still can't get it right. I'm sad for the Statesman; I'm sad for the death of newspapers in general. But guys, you didn't have to help shovel the grave yourselves. I'll continue to be an online customer, at least for now. Y'all make me sad. It didn't have to be this way. read more

I've called Customer Service four (4) times to change the subscription from "delivery" to "email" and they continue to deliver a newspaper; plus charging the incorrect monthly rate. At this point, I plan to cancel the subscription, in hopes that they will stop delivering the paper; which is always in the street; or soaking wet when it rains. read more

3 stars for news coverage, as of early 2021. They've had to shrink the paper and reduce staff in recent years as it's become more and more challenging to maintain a daily paper in a mid-size market. But they do the best they can on the newsgathering front. Subtract 2 stars for subscription business practices, which were always questionable but plummeted to scam territory after the Gannett takeover. Traditionally the paper has refused to tell you the true price of a subscription, providing only teaser rates which they then jack up after your initial subscription period. And they've long refused to let you stop your subscription online or by email--you have to wait on hold, reach a phone rep, and withstand the hard sell, so they can make it as difficult as possible to quit. But the latest scam takes it to a new level: they apply "premium issue" or "magazine" charges periodically at any frequency they choose. As it turns out, they choose to charge these fees (currently $8.99/week) quite often, effectively **doubling** or more the price you signed up for. Adding insult to injury, the "premium issues" that these charges nominally pay for may consist of no more than a few random pages of puzzles or something in your Sunday paper. If you choose to sign up for a subscription despite the risk, be sure to (a) avoid giving them a credit card if at all possible (I hope you can still get a sub without one?), and (b) call in to opt out of the "magazines," although I suppose they'll move on to some other scam if enough people opt out of this one. Like most people, I suspect, I would prefer a good digital edition if they offered one. But their digital products are poorly handled compared to the major papers like the New York Times or Washington Post. Last I looked (it's been a year or more), they actually had several offerings. One was a full photographic reproduction of the daily paper. How is that useful to anyone trying to read news on a phone or tablet? The least-bad digital option seemed to be simply their web site, but the site mixes click-bait ads in thickly with the news stories with minimal differentiation. This makes their web site a profoundly unsatisfying experience. read more

We have ongoing issues with our home delivery of the Statesman. Numerous live chats emails phone calls get no resolution. E.G no paper delivery this week since Monday. Very frustrating situation that this can't be resolved. This is not "rocket science " simply dropping of paper early morning. Very unacceptable for a large media news paper network. read more

Horrendous customer service. Because I do want a decent source for local news (and I like to read about UT sports), I have a monthly digital subscription and was invited to upgrade to a yearly subscription for significantly less money. After checking my account online, I found I was being charged for both subscriptions. I've emailed twice with no response. When I called yesterday, I was placed on hold then disconnected. When I called the first time today, I was told I was speaking to the wrong department and was transferred, then promptly disconnected. When I called back to a different department, I was told the digital system was down and they couldn't help me. I'll just dispute both charges with my credit card company. If you wonder why local newspapers are failing, you can start by looking at the customer service. And I won't even get into their priorities for reporting and opinion... read more

The imaginary paper I NEVER received! This is the most useless newspaper service in the world. I signed up.. have not received a single paper in over a month... it is my job to go and log EVERY DAY that I did not receive. I went thru the complaint email process.. USELESS.. it was a gee we are sorry we are working to fix and NO FOLLOWUP for two weeks... still have not received my paper.. You are stealing my money and giving me NOTHING!! you should be prosecuted for your lies and double dealing... 0 stars if I could and thanks for nothing Austin American Statesman! Thanks and I will absolutely be canceling my subscription to the paper I NEVER received... read more

I've never been more disappointed in a local newspaper than I am with the Austin American-Statesman. Paid for a printed home delivery subscription for Sunday thru Friday with only a single paper being delivered. I've reported this issue daily, submitted claims both online and via phone and attempted their website chat support - all to no avail. Bottom line is the newspaper's Customer support sucks. They've clearly outsourced to a group of robots with fake names and who read from a script - absolutely zero action taken. The canned response is always "you can access the online version anytime." But that's not the point - there are customers paying for home delivery and not being serviced - a product advertised at a price and there is absolutely no follow thru or support. Don't waste your money or time on a subscription with the Austin American-Statesman. This is how they treat new customers. read more

Tip for those trying to cancel: call the advertising line - they always pick up and can help. I now pay less than a dollar per month for digital. Called to cancel the delivery for paper as it never came, as well as the others they are supposed to distribute, and the advertising/customer service person kept dropping their price when I simply said no I want to cancel. Dude talked himself down to like three quarters a month for digital (I'm a local and went to UT so kind of need it) - I took the deal and hope that I get charged correctly. My Sunday paper went from like twenty something bucks a month to over forty without notice. Never does the statesman return an email or call. They never once acknowledge choosing clickbait over facts when covering the school shooting as the main reason for my first complaint. Elon/Bezos/Dell, buy the paper immediately!!! read more

Ever since they sold, the price has gone up, the paper is smaller and the service is terrible. Sadly, we're done

If I were the Austin American Statesman I would get out of the Home Delivery business or fire the person over this division or better yet, Both. I have a PAID up subscription (credit card) and still they can not seem to deliver me a paper on Sunday! BAD customer service! And I threw a newspaper ALL throughout my years in college to pay for my college, so I know all about delivery service! read more