Today's layout was the worst.... I suggest having 3 separate sections, Intl. News, Local News with puzzles, comics/ than Sports. I never liked having any sports events headed on the top of the front page, not everyone is a fan of sports...keep it in the Sports section. And rates keep going up & up, not worth it, next time it raises I'll cancel out. Hope someone at the paper is reading this. read more

Well, well Yelpers. Guess what Honolulu Advertiser Dining Out insert editors did. Nope they didn't give a fair and versatile change to their restaurant recommendations instead the editor response was "We will notify our staff" and in doing so I'm sure they knew who the complainer was from a previous contact I made a few months ago so what did they do? I'll tell you they doubled down and made their insert more Asian than ever. Now I've said it before I have nothing against Asian food. I love Asian food. It's probably the most healthiest for you except the salt. The problem is the other cultural and ethnic foods are being pushed aside constantly and consistently without a chance to get discovered and known for their delicious foods. Hello Dining Out stop with the vengeful attitude and go explore the other restaurants. Give them some recognition. They deserve it. Do you not like Haleiwa Joe's, or Dixie Grill? Because they have exceptional food ( sorry non-Asian) but very very good give them a try. How about some soul food too or Puerto Rican food "What Get?" Is very good and the Pastele Shop to mention a few throughout the island. Let's not be prejudice and only support Asian communities and businesses. Maybe I need to reach out to these restaurants and have them take a look at what you're doing and call you up for a critique interview. Times like these employees would appreciate the extra cash tips to help them along the way. Don't worry it won't take away from the Asian cuisine. Dare to try something new. I've faired my share of restaurants and like giving those who deserve it a raving review yes even Asian. Gyotaku, Yanagi's, Maile's, Nagoya, Seafood City's Da Grill, Max's of Manila, Elena's, Thelma's, Bautista's, BaLe, Mama Pho, Thai Village, Mililani's Korean BBQ with their huge plate lunches (sorry cash only) and so on. Time for me to give a leg up to you Non-Asian eats now! read more

The StarAdvertiser is really going down hill! Since moving back after 43 yrs on the mainland & having delivered the Star Bulletin as a teenager,the paper has to much wasted paper & space with big advertising & pictures ! I get the advertising Space for dollars! The cost is crazy for a yearly subscription! My 98 yr. old mom loves the paper & we'll continue to make her happy! As a newspaper, we know you are trying your best to continue on and in today's world it is not easy! read more

They cannot deliver a newspaper. I live in Ewa Beach. They offered $2 a week if I paid for a full year. They took my $104 +tax immediately. After not receiving one delivery in a week+ despite many calls to get a delivery, I canceled my subscription. They said it would take 5-10 business days for me to be refunded my money. Now I have to monitor my financial institution to make sure they do refund my money. This is the second time this has happened to me. I gave them a second chance, but they won't get another. read more

Delivery location continues to be an issue. It should be delivered to an ADDRESS, not SIDEWALK or STREET! Each time I find it further away from my property. Why? Is it worth PAYING for a subscription? read more

9:36am and still NO Paper! Every week I have to call to report no delivery. I get the same lame excuse that they are having delivery problems in my neighborhood dt no carriers. Shouldnt the manager be next up to deliver papers? They raise their rates without notice and provide the worst service. And yet, we suffer and have to deal with incompetency. read more

Cannot get a paper delivered. They missed the first 7 days of delivery. When I cancelled, they asked for another chance. Finally received a paper the next day. That was the last paper I got. Three emails promising a successful delivery "within the hour" were empty. Incompetence at a level unseen before. read more

I have been attempting to contact Honolulu Star Advertiser (HSC) at the listed phone number at (808) 538-6397. HSC hung up/disconnected my call twice after holding for 20 minutes on each occasion! Crazy. On another call, I was later transferred to an agent only to be disconnected! After more attempts, I finally spoke to an agent named "Sunny" who was aggressively interrupting me when I questioned the subscription price. She kept repeating it's a discounted price my Dad was receiving. Finally after I informed her that I will get back to her, she told me to ask for her later. Lol. No. When I returned the call to change the subscription, I went through the same ordeal. Call, wait, disconnect and repeat. While waiting, you are forced to listen to their advertising messages non-stop. Ugh. The subscription price appears very expensive at $171.60 for an annual subscription. Trying to contact HSA regarding subscription prices. Impossible to reach them. I'm still on hold (over 10 min) as I write this review. I hope I don't get hung up again at the 20 minute mark! I have a bad feeling about this. Maybe a cancellation of subscription is the preferred route? Clearly HSA does not want or need our local support. Update: I was hung up on / disconnected after another 20 min wait. I left a voicemail message to Linda Woo (808) 529-4355. We will see if there is any follow up by HSA. Linda Woo is listed in the HSA contact information as the National/Key Accounts Director and Group Publisher for HSA. read more

THINK TWICE ABOUT SUBSCRIBING! Huge disappointment with this newspaper. The monthly subscription fee has increased significantly from 2022. The first increase was 26% in November 2022 when the subscription was $18.93 per month, and the fee has been increasing every several months since. The last increase was over 60% from May 2025 to June 2025! In the span of just 2.5 years, the subscription went from $18.93 per month to $75.66 per month! I can no longer support this media industry. The Star Advertiser has lost sight of who their loyal customers are. read more

Better check your bill - this is their new rate "$99.92 per month." I finally canceled after several times of them pulling price hikes. The Honolulu Star's digital search is a joke and their delivery is also awful, I have a blue delivery bin and it's throw in the drainage daily. Their news is minimal at best. I want to support reporters - but this is beyond. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser is owned by Carpenter Media Group (CMG). CMG acquired the Star-Advertiser's previous owner, Black Press Media, in a deal that included Canadian financial partners Canso Investment Counsel Ltd. and Deans Knight Capital Management Ltd.. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser is managed by Oahu Publications Inc., a subsidiary of CMG. CMG also has a strong partnership with News Media Corporation. News Media Corporation is primarily owned by the Murdoch family. This isn't local - this is just a bad newspaper trying to charge way too much for their awful service. read more

just received the renewal notice and they jack up the price. Called customer service for 3 days to cancel. Unable to reach anyone. Each time put on hold only to get cut after waiting for more that 40 mins. Even tried choosing the different selections it gets to the same hold and cut off. read more

Worst customer service ever! I call to report non delivery and get put on hold for 40 minutes and then they disconnect me. My paper gets delivered under my truck sometimes, and I have a big driveway, Once, they told me that I would have to pay for my wife's obituary by Friday to get printed on Sunday. After numerous attempts to call in my payment I drive down there to pay in person. The person receiving payment told me that I could have called it in. I told her that she obviously never had to call the Star Advertiser as a customer before. The obituary section is manned by one lady who is so busy that she almost never returns your call. No matter how may times I complain nothing changes. Years ago after numerous complaints that the deliverer purposely throws the paper under my truck, the route manager gives me a free newspaper tube. The tube has never seen a newspaper in it. Yesterday I complained that I didn't receive two days of delivery. I got no feedback, no return email, no apology and no notice that I would be credited. It is so frustrating that this is what we deal with daily from many businesses that don't care about inconveniencing customers. read more

Service sucks!! I was promised by Joe the business owner that my delivery problems would be resolved!! Has not changed since!! I don't get my paper delivered and or not delivered on time! I was told that I would be receiving my paper by 5:30 am and no later than 6:00 am !! No they are delivering my paper to my neighbor who doesn't even order newspaper or let alone pay for it!!! What a joke this company is!!! read more

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My elderly parents still subscribe to the newspaper. As a result, they have been having issues with delivery for years. And as another reviewer here has reported, they've had to deal with two very rude female customer service representatives, been put on hold for 20 minutes at a time, only to be abruptly disconnected. This happens like clockwork every time they call as if this is the newspaper's actual customer service protocol. The kinds of incidences they are trying to report are non-delivery of newspapers, finding their newspapers on the roof of the house or wedged in the bushes, or wet after being found in a puddle. One of these occurences happen every day of the week. I was leaving their home early one morning and saw with my own eyes why this happens. The delivery person, a grown-a$$ man, driving up the wrong side of the road, *whipped* the newspaper into the garden narrowly missing my car. The newspaper glanced the garden wall, flew over it, and ended up in a puddle between my parent's garbage bins. He sped off down the wrong side of the road to the next house, whipped their newspaper in that neighbor's driveway, and whacked one of their cars. Disgusting. If the Star Advertiser collects a subscription fee, they are obligated to deliver a paper. If they can't find decent people to deliver (which is what sounds like is happening across the island), then they need to change up their delivery model. The old newspaper boy method obviously doesn't work anymore. Oh, and consider giving some sensitivity training to the rude women in CS. Given that most of the people still paying these subscriptions and getting stiffed on delivery are kupuna, this elder abuse has got to stop. read more

Terrible customer service. Been on hold for 30 minutes just hung up. All this just to get a paper delivered. Already used the automated system an hour before. To much effort for the substandard paper it has become. But what you going to do when they now have a monopoly and there is no other choice. read more

ZERO STARS OVER THE PAST 5 YEARS! Same issues continue, I forgot about my previous review 5 years ago. Each time there is a new manager or delivery carrier this has continued. It is obvious there is a major communication breakdown or the carriers continue to disregard the customer request that pays them. I should have canceled this subscription but after each complaint the issue was resolved. I don't know how many more incidents I can tolerate. read more

Honolulu Star Advertiser - How does a retiree with a back disability retrieve their paper without a broom or other instrument? - Advertising Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I love that you can deal with their newspaper subscriptions in their website or directly on the phone. I also have a sweet lady assisting me with questions and my delivery person for the Kaimuki area is so meticulous wrapping a rubber band around the plastic protecting my daily paper home delivery. One can read their paper on the web, but I just so enjoy holding, smelling and visually seeing "paper"! If requested, they will also hold the newspaper when you are away from home. They will deliver the missed days when you return. read more

Honolulu Star Advertiser - My neat pile of newspapers delivered after return from my vacation! - Advertising Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Finally cancelled our daily delivery. Much like a home phone, a daily paper is a thing of the past. The fool of a delivery person used to toss it in a hedge we had. Recently replaced the hedge with a row of $20 plants to fill in the area. In the last 2 weeks, they've taken out 2 of them. Had to cancel before they were all gone. Obviously done on purpose since next to the plants is a 30ft wide driveway. Too bad for the paper but the time has come for it's demise. Obviously the people working for them don't have any sort of pride in the product. I advise you all to cut the cord on this one. read more

Wrote 2 emails this week regarding my account and access to my online subscription! It took my payment , says I'm logged on , but can't read anything !!! Zero replies at the time of this review! Currently as I'm writing this review I've been on hold for 22 minutes. Let's just see how long I'll be on hold for !!! read more

Honolulu Star Advertiser - I gave up ! 45 minutes later - Advertising Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Everything about home delivery is terrible It's now my 5 th day of no paper and when they say they'll get one.... they do not deliver on that promise.... and when you call about delivery problems it sounds like someone's home and they're doing the dishes, etc Unfortunately, what you see is what you get-? Nothing read more

PREQUEL I am born and raised on the outer island in the city of Hilo. The reason I bring this up is because as a child, youngster, teen and young adult, I remember my parents waiting for then Aloha Airlines to drop off the paper written and printed in Honolulu. As soon we hear the sound of the jet coming in to land, my dad would jump in the car to head to the local mom and pop store to grab the paper. This went on for EVER. Why not wait for delivery? My father used to joke by the time he get's the paper with delivery, we will be ready and waiting for the next day's news.... My father's intent on getting the paper in hand taught ME to love print and to learn from it. PRESENT DAY Prior to the day of the internet, that great information highway in the sky, we and the rest of the intellectual world would rely on hard copy paper to learn what goes on in the world. You just got to love the feel of paper as you flip page by page; going from the headlines to editorials to advertisements and want ads. Fast forward! Paper has become almost obsolete. Be that as it may, I can't help but crave for the feeling of paper as I turn the pages. Subscription demand deteriorated and continues a downhill slide. What used to be two paper houses, the Honolulu Advertiser (morning edition) and the Star Bulletin (evening edition) is now only one daily edition known as the Honolulu Star Advertiser. The delivery system remains the same and my home delivery service has been sketchy at best. The cost has increased and now in this modern internet day and age, you can purchase the readable electronic edition on your laptop, desktop of phone. LOL, the electronic version has you turning your pages on your screen as if you wood the hard copy newspaper. SEQUEL I continue to support the Honolulu Star Advertiser even if I have to call and complain about missed deliveries, late deliveries and who knows what else? For every complaint and threat to cancel my my subscription, I'm given a gift card for places and merchants I would enjoy. Go figure! The gift card comes with an explanation that delivery workers are hard to come by...so sorry... but have faith in the CSR's who will get the paper to you.... eventually. Fun Fact" Honolulu Star Advertiser (aka Hawaii Newspaper Agency) ranks 5th in the nation for subscriptions... read more

Yearly subscription is over $500!Service has really gone downhill. We find terrible inaccuracy in written stories, especially regarding the judicial process and many important information omissions that an astute reporter would ask. The vacation holds are hardly honored correctly. We're trying to support an old standby in The Star Advertiser and we like to have a physical paper to read. And now I'm on hold waiting for a human for over 11 minutes to report my Sunday paper did not get delivered... read more

Extremely left wing newspaper. Because of their strong bias I have difficulty trusting their content. Also, they are slow to get the news compared to the news stations. They have a lot of spelling errors and are unable to get the basic who, what when where why and how information. Star Advertiser is my very last resource. They are also the most expensive. Luckily I get a free subscription but I would never pay outright for it read more

Got my renewal notice. $886.14, 1yr. Called to ask if this was a mistake. Foreign sounding guy said it's a fair price. I told him I can go the gas station every day (6 days) and buy paper for $546. No reply. Told him we have paper for over 60 years. No reply. Asked for Sunday only, he offered $416.04. Told him Sunday paper cost $3 or $156/yr. He said we deliver. Told him thank you & aloha. See ya. Over 60 years....SAD!!! read more

THE WORST!! OVERPRICED for the lousy unreliable delivery of the paper! Missing week days.. Sundays.. ON HOLD ( for over 30 min) this morning for over ONE HOUR... 10 am Sunday .. STILL NO PAPER.. still no human has called back!! Inconvenient having to stick to my phone all morning to talk to someone!!! Bring in another company! This is a regular thing over last 7 months with this ridiculous paper!!! My husband is FURIOUS!!! We have been patient enough ! THEY NEED TO GET THEIR ACT TOGETHER!! $48 a month!!! Ridiculous!!! We need another paper to give them some COMPETITION!!!! BRING IN ANOTHER COMPANY ! Give this failure some COMPETITION!!! Bring in a COMPETITOR! read more

I just cancelled this newspaper after so many years. There customer service line takes forever. But the way they run their subscription is almost criminal. Senior pay so much and don't know they are getting overcharged . Each year you need to complain to get a better price is this how a business should be run no. Ran a thread and the comments prove me right the renewal can run as low as 119/ yr to over 500/yr why such a difference. Even the product is so bad very bias news reporting and stories never corrected headlines no written well. So very sad. I'm happy leaving this business. read more

They have an on-line ad placing system, and Stacee Randall worked with me to get in a rush ad. I was going through a difficult time emotionally, and Stacee Randall emailed me the sweetest heartfelt words, I'll always remember. Stacee re-did my ad to keep the cost lower. She was great at responding promptly to make this rush ad possible. read more

Daily delivery very inconsistent. It's a joke trying to get through to customer service. Waited 20 minutes and hung up. Good luck trying to get through and having your questions answered. read more

So frustrated and disappointed with StarAdvertiser's delivery and customer service. When traveling off-island, we put newspaper delivery on vacation hold, via online account. Very annoyed and mad to return home to see pile of newspapers in our driveway. Why even offer vacation holds on delivery service, if you're not going to honor the customer's request? The intent was to stop newspaper deliveries, but also to not advertise that someone is not home or house is vacant. If distributor sees uncollected newspapers accumulating, why not check customer database to see if a vacation hold is in place, and not just blindly keep adding to the pile up? Common sense did not prevail here. Might as well post a sign stating, We're not home, help yourselves. I sent email to all email addresses listed in their online edition: What is being done to prevent reoccurrence? What policy or correction is being implemented, if any? Will my account reflect a requested credit for deliveries in error? Will I receive a personal reply or as a single customer, be ignored and forgotten about? If fault lies with distributor/agent, then a different distributor/agent would be warranted. Did not receive a single reply or response. re-sent email several times, and still no response. StarAdvertiser sucks, big-time. read more

Positives: crossword puzzles, ken ken, and sudoku Negatives: No Saturday paper for the crosswords Grammatical errors found in the stories almost daily I scan the front page where the breaking news usually is, but rarely read any of the articles. Reason being, I get so irritated when I find grammatical errors, especially spelling. No spellcheck? No checks and balances?? No pride? Very one sided opinions and not facts are found many times! I just want to read facts and great journalism. No opinions or one sided reporting. No half stories and half truths. The paper is getting smaller and smaller, so I can foresee what's next. read more

The newspaper has gotten thinner and the Saturday edition is no longer in print form. The starAdvertiser app is a good way to keep up to date and informed on late breaking news. Since the subscription price keeps increasing, I was thinking of cancelling my mother-in-law's subscription but... Shout out to Denise at customer service! Talked to her about my mother-in-law's account and she helped us get a better subscription rate! Thank your for helping a loyal subscriber and customer! Aloha! read more

I tried to call customer service no answer left message to get a call back 2 days later no call. Call back today put on hold for 2 hours no response. How can you do business like this. Airport music is irritating. Call their switchboard they took my info apologize but it not his fault I suggested he was nice to look for another job. This once a good company is doomed. When one of your 4 options are cancellations that is stupid. But when you don't return calls what do you expect. I'll just not call to cancel because they won't take calls. He said they are getting a new customer service vendor but why not answer calls. The paper is so small and they want 30 percent more. Who runs a business like this? They should do everyone a favor and just go read more

I agree with worst customer service!! Missing paper hit and miss during the week and Sunday also! Tried calling, wait forever for a call back, asked if you want missing paper next day. Never came! Called today, missing Sunday paper! Keep getting recording, "having a technical problem". Can't get through started calling from 8:28 am to 12:58 pm. No paper at all! So frustrating, will be cancelling my subscription! read more

Didn't RECIEVE paper on the 13 16 and 17 of sept.called customer service and nothing's being done,not only me there are other people in this elderly village,hope mr.francis is reading this read more

I would rate Star Advertiser a - if there was such a thing. I called everyday for 2 weeks, except Sat, and asked if the carrier could throw our paper on our porch and not by my neighbor's rubbish can. Every agent tells me it will be reported to the supervisor. Either the supervisor doesn't care or she tells the carrier and he/she doesn't care. The answer I receive is, it's so hard to get good help. Well, my answer is, stop raising your rates when your service is below par and you refuse to do something as simple as throwing the paper on our porch or at least nearby. OUR PORCH IS NOT NEXT TO OUR NEIGHBOR'S TRASH CAN. I don't know about getting good help, I guess it's difficult to get a good newspaper co. who cares! We will cancel our subscription! read more

Spent 2 days trying to get to a "real person" on their customer service line. Put on endless "hold" with ridiculous recording about "we value you as our customer, we'll be with you shortly...." Never got to a person after 30+ minutes of holding. read more

It is ridiculous that they raise the price over and over. Over the past three years, they triple the price. When I call to cancel, the wait time is ridiculously long and never got a chance to speak to somebody. Looks like I get through, then it is the beep sound so I had to hang up. Just wondering if there is human being there. read more

It has been hard after 2021 for newspaper delivery. I recently requested a vacation hold on newspaper delivery. The newspaper were delivered and not on hold. My newspaper is not left in a plastic bag on rainy days, because newspaper Is Wet! On sunny days the newspaper was in a plastic bag. Good delivery! Not sure what is happening on the delivery portion with the delivery individual!!! This type of delivery has to be stopped on wet newspapers since I am a subscriber making payment on a high price. read more

These folks will keep you on hold forever when you try to cancel your subscription.

Unfortunately i am saddened but frustrated to see we couldn't receive services in Wahiawā. I signed my mother up to receive the newspaper for an annual services. Two weeks later, services have yet to commence. I called multiple times, and no response from the driver. Pi'ilani, the rep. who helped me was helpful and sincere and tried. Truly the one star review is about the bad services from the driver. Hoping the resolves this issue for the Wahiawā area. read more