I too was approached by a school kid selling subscriptions door to door. My offer was for 3 months for the Sunday edition only. I decided to try it and I'm very glad I did. I've never had a subscription to a local paper before and it's really great. I find that I ended up reading articles I normally wouldn't read online. Maybe because I'm drawn in by more than just the headline when reading the hard copy. And, to boot, Pasadena Star News is an excellent local paper. There's quite a lot of local coverage which I find valuable as a newcomer to the area. And there's nice in depth coverage of the biggest news stories of the week. And, I guess it's sort of old school but I really enjoy lingering over a newspaper at breakfast on the weekends. I feel like I'm living in a 70s movie :). After 3 months the novelty hasn't worn off and I'm keeping the subscription. read more

Content is recycled AP slop...but I was expecting that. What I really hate is when you cancel, they call you day after day with a new "deal". Its relentless - worse than any scammy call center you've ever dealt with. DO NOT START A SUBSCRIPTION EVER! read more

if I could rate a -0 I would. I am trying to straighten out an error by the billing department for my 88 year old neighbor, who has subscribed to the Star News for over 50 years. The subscription department phone is in The PhiliPhones. Of the 8 people I have spoken with, I could not understand 3, 2 kept me waiting for over 45 minutes..each...1 hung up on me and one connected me to a Supervisor who promised someone would call me within 48 hours to update me on what had been done with my account. No one called. My neighbor is still being charged $856.59 for his Star News for a year, without his consent. read more

The Star News does a hilariously bad job recycling stories from its sister papers given that it's supposed to be local. Oh, surely if we tell you about local Montebello news that's close enough, right? Also, very rude because I've unsubscribed and they called me asking me how they can win me back and I said, "Sorry no, I'm not interested". Their reply? Hanged up on me... read more

It's a scam, plain and simple. Sign up fir a service, never received. Cancel, and a year later received a past due notice. Called customer service and was told that the account was closed, after 45 minute hold. Had to demand removal from the contact lists read more

Wow. In reading the other posts I see I'm not alone with my complaints about the Pasadena Star News. Luckily I mail them a check. I don't have automatic deduction. I was told by an agent over 6 months ago that I could have a "senior" rate of $80 for 13 weeks. I've been mailing a check every 13 weeks since then. Yesterday I mailed my check for the next 13 weeks which takes effect on next Monday. Today I didn't receive a paper. When I called I was told my account is closed because I owe them $158. I explained what plan I have been under and was told there is no record of that and that I owe them money. Unfortunately my check is in the mail or I wouldn't have sent them any money. What horrible customer service and underhanded practices. Sorry to everyone who is getting this same terrible treatment. Maybe Better Business Bureau could help? That's my next step. read more

I moved out of the area in March and contacted Pasadena Star News to stop my subscription. I am DEAF and cannot use the phone, so I emailed. I didn't get a response, so I emailed again and was told via email response that my subscription would end the middle of April. Since that time I have been inundated with phone calls. I got one day at 10:44 am from 626-412-4194 and yesterday from 626-412-4171. I have tried answering several times if it's an actual person I say that "I am deaf, I can't hear you, please don't call" and that "I've moved out of the area". They won't stop calling me. I feel I'm being harassed and it's so stressful I don't know what to do. Why won't they stop calling me? read more

I have been asking them to place my paper next to my front door for about three months, because I had knee replacement surgery in both knees, about 2 months apart. They say they will help me but nothing.my neighbor brings it to me that evening or the next day. read more

The Pasadena Star News, of the San Gabriel Valley Newspaper group use to have a decent publication. Now, like many in the industry, they've turned into nothing more than a biased Left-Wing echo chamber, with zero objectivity. No wonder they offered a 1 year subscription for $5, likely because it's not valued at anymore than that. Oh how I miss the days of real journalism in Los Angeles. What ever happened to the Walter Cronkites and Stu Nahan's of this world, the ones that actually reported the news, the ones with journalistic integrity? read more

Our annual rate for 7-day delivery is now $711, equal to $500 MORE than the rate offer for new subscribers. We decided to cancel the subscription as ongoing customers in light of such a substantial rate difference. To our surprise we've been told no refunds are given for canceling paper delivery, a policy we were told "has always been in place". We object and recommend that others ABSOLUTELY NOT, under any circumstances make a one year commitment without being able to cancel for refund!!! We were advised a card was sent to notify a price increase but we received none. At that time we would have cancelled if we'd known about no refunds. Be careful dealing with the Star News!! read more

As others, I signed up for a promotion at a Kiosk at Grocery outlet back in September '19 all about coupons. I turns out it was the newspaper. Not a big deal - always nice to read and have until the delivery stops suddenly. I assumed the promotion was over. Well, checking my credit card statements, I've been charged since then but no paper! I called today and if I had contacted them earlier we could have resolved this sooner. I was able to get one month credited but what happened to the papers for the last 3 months? Subscription canceled. Note to others - If you want a subscription to a paper go directly to them - don't use a kiosk (promotion). The sellers are deceiving - only trying to get their coin at the expense of a consumer. read more

Horrible ! No one answer's the phone ? And no one ? Return's calls ? Not even the reporters ? No Answer or return call ? Tom Bay was the only person to actually answer his phone ? Thank you for that ! Still no help ??? read more

I was just telling someone how frustrating the PSN is and, curious, decided to check Yelp. It looks like I am not alone. I would really like to subscribe and support a local newspaper -- the newspaper itself seems good -- but after 2 previous bad experiences I have zero confidence that I would actually get the newspaper and be billed correctly and be able to cancel if I wanted to. read more

I thought I was buying coupons in a paper or something, which I never received and I was over charged. Then in the process of trying to cancel and refund my money it has taken a week and I still haven't received a refund. I would like to receive what I paid for or a refund please. read more

I also got scammed by this piece of shit company, I have been getting charged for a while and everytime I call them to cancel they say they will and they never do. The next time one of those high school kids give me a sob story so I can sign up I will tell them to eat a dick and get the fuck out read more

They had the nerve to send me to collections after I sent them back numerous "renewal" notices of theirs with "CANCEL" written prominently on them. And I kept getting newspapers, so I kept sending them back their "renewal" notices. It's not that I'm concerned about the collections letter.... for the amount it would never make it to a credit report... but it's the principle of the thing. They're closed today, but I'll update once I get a hold of somebody there. ** UPDATE 10/02/12: I was busy yesterday so today I attempted to call them at several different times. Each time when I would enter the prompt for subscriber service it would kick me back to the main menu. Finally, it redirected to me to a message that confirmed I had been connect to subscriber services where the call was promptly terminated. This afternoon at 5:30PM I attempted to call every few minutes with the same results, until finally around 6 PM when I was directed to a message that said the department is closed! Is this the game they're playing? ** RESOLUTION: Got a hold of somebody over there and pretty much got told to F off. After arguing with the woman on the phone for 15 minutes about what their "renewal" notices are and the nature of their service, I gave up and paid them. Never again, jerks . I'll never buy your freakin rag of a newspaper. read more

Two teenagers came to my door in the evening a few months ago. They claimed they were "neighbors" and went to Franklin High. They said the were raising money for "programs for students". They wanted me to sign up for donations on a form they were carrying. I felt like something was wrong because the form said nothing about Franklin High. I was also suspicious because they were aggressive and seemed to be reciting a script. There was no way I would give these kids my credit card or checking account number. The next day I called Franklin High administration. They told me the teens had nothing to do with Franklin. I was told they do not send teens door to door soliciting like this. Especially not at 8pm! They also said they had received many complaints. They advised me to tell the solicitors to leave my property and call the police if they didn't. After this incident I found out the teens are from the Pasadena Star News. They misrepresent themselves saying they are from your neighborhood and whatever your local high school is. The kids get a few bucks per subscription. I found out through a man that had done this himself when he was young. Apparently the Pasadena Star News has been using this sleazy tactic for years. It just happened again tonight and I immediately turned them away. Please make sure you know exactly who you are talking to, and be careful about giving out personal information. If anyone comes to your door, beware! In my experience door-to-door solicitors are almost always questionable. If you want to help your local school contact them directly. read more

I don't read newspapers and definitely not a small local circular such as the Pasadena Star News. I had agreed to receive the paper only because I wanted to support the Arcadia HS student's fund raising event (I would give $14 to the Pasadena Star News for one month of service and in return they would donate that sum to the student). I was not obligated to continue the service - I was even told money back guarantee if I'm not satisfied. I figure what's the harm, I help out our future generation (someone needs to fund my SSI) and I get one month of the paper. The initial month had passed but the newspapers still keeps coming. Puzzled, I just ignored it since I only agreed to pay for one month's worth. Another month passed and I get a call from the paper saying I'm past due on my bill. I'm was completely shocked. I vented and explain how can you bill me for something I never agreed to receive? The representative made a note that I'm disputing the charges and no further action is needed. Well, that was a lie. In today's mail, I get a collection notice from a mickey mouse agency threatening me to pay the bill or else (they dont even have my SSN number). Seriously, what the heck is going on here? read more

Looks like this Pasadena Star News Franklin High School scam other Yelpers have mentioned is for real. I should've read Yelp first, I guess. I have got to admit, the two kids who came to my door last month completely duped me. I've been trying to cancel ever since. There's literally no way to do it online. Whenever I've called the office to try to reach a human, it's closed, even during the business hours stated on the recording. How can this be legal? They misrepresented themselves and said my subscription would benefit their high school class. Now I've read others contacted Franklin, and there's no such affiliation. Also, how am I supposed to cancel? Change checking accounts at my own expense? I hope the Better Business Bureau or some other entity can help. I only imagine how easily they probably rip off the elderly. read more

Wanted to try reading the paper so i got talked into signing up for this service but after a few times I decided to cancel since I was never using it like I was hoping too. I called once and the guy questioned me multiple times and then told me it was all canceled. Next bill period comes and I get changed again. I called and then they said they would cancel it then. Three periods later and I'm still paying for it even tho I canceled it and stopped receiving the paper. It's final canceled but they won't leave me alone trying to call me to get the service back read more

I like many others here purchased the paper from a high-school student and was made to believe that the subscription would not continue after the trial period unless I elected to continue it. I received no notice at the end of the trial period and attempted to call their subscription department multiple times but only received an answer once, they told me my subscription would be cancelled - it has not. I have since continued calling but have not been able to speak with an actual human again, I have also emailed and received no response. I filed a complaint with the better business bureau hopefully this resolves the issue. The paper is also quite sub-par to other area papers, it is half the size of the LA times and has identical stories, not worth the subscription. read more

Irrelevant news, small circulation, I don't know how they are still in business. Most recently, they sent me to a collections agency for a subscription that I didn't bother to renew. No one in my family nor my friends will ever read this rag again, and I highly recommend that you stay away. read more

They continued to bill me, after I had cancelled my subscription. Stay away from this awful business.

It took me three attempts to cancel my subscription. When I finally chatted with an agent who provided clear information, I was told that there are no partial refunds, even with an entire month left. I will NEVER encourage anyone to subscribe to any company that steals money from a retired teacher like this. read more

Received an offer for Sunday delivery only. All was well until 12/29, no paper. Called the office and was told a paper would be sent out over the next few hours, NEVER HAPPENED. January 5th rolls around, no paper, called the office and was advised AGAIN a paper would be sent out. A nice young man named Shelby also advised he would be extending my subscription for 4 weeks. Great! Well, the paper promised to be "sent out" on 1/5 NEVER HAPPENED. I called the office Monday 1/6 to advise no paper was not received on Sunday as promised. A nice man named Nathan advised he would leave a message for my carrier so it will be the first thing he sees. Well here we are 1/12 and no paper. I started calling early hoping to catch the carrier still on his route. Although the recording says hours are 7am-11am on Sunday no one picked up til well after 8am. Per usual the representative proceeds to tell me a paper would be "sent out", I replied, "We both know that will not happen." She also said she would leave the carrier a message. I told her to cancel my subscription and leave a message for the carrier that he owes me 3 weeks. Pretty confident the carrier won't receive any message. Alas, my experiment with paper delivery is over, never again. read more

was approached by a youngster to and bought it. never got the right paper always got a different suburb. it was frustrating and it was hard to cancel. read more

We cancelled our Los Angeles Times subscription and changed to Star News in June. For one whole month, we have never received Star News delivery but we got LA times, instead. We called Star News and they blamed the deliver guy and apologized but nothing changed. We emailed and we never got a reply. After one month, we called Star News to cancel our subscription. The representative asked the reason. I told her we have never received their paper and told her the whole process. She said your subscription is cancelled. So, end of story. Our LA times finally stopped. read more

They have a new scam...The same two teenagers say they are collecting money for Franklin High, but this time they are selling gift cards, starbucks, target, what have you. They take $20 ($10 for the card and $10 for the school) Then they will mail you the gift card, they don't even have them. But guess what, they don't mail it to you. What goes around comes around. Who are these kids? read more

Same issue as everyone else. Subscribed to help someone out. Got billed for an extended delivery I never signed up for. Got a call telling me they would cut it in half to $7 (which I agreed to) except they DIDN'T and instead resubscribed me. What a bunch of CROOKS. I've never dealt with a business that lies and bullies you as much as these guys do. I think writing to the BBB is a good idea. I'm not paying the $13 collection agency out of principle. I'm not going to feed these guys any money to help them continue to coerce other people and make the world a miserable place. read more

Scum. The same scam was used on my minor daughter. Fraud!! What pigs!! They scammed my daughter too! It has been over two years since a high school kid showed up at my daughter's apartment and told her he was doing a school project. He said he needed a void check to get her a free trial of the paper. Being naive and kind she did so and blacked out her last name. These scum fraudulently used her bank account number to withdraw 216 dollars. They persist in this scam and have not refunded her money two years later. read more

Okay, this review is for customer service only. In order to get accurate information on the content of the paper itself, you'll have to consult with someone who was successful in actually getting the paper delivered to their home. So, I received the Star News for a short period of time, then just let it go. I get most of my news online, so didn't see the need. Fast forward a few months. I get a call with a fantastic offer for weekend plus service. I agree. After receiving the bill, I'll admit, I didn't send in payment that day, or even the next. I did pay, check cleared. I waited. No paper. Still, no paper. School's starting up, I'm super busy. Make the time to call in, and the girl who answers is super snotty. I'm not even asking for my money back at this point, just for them to START delivering the paper. She chastises me for not calling earlier, but says the paper will be there. Needless to say, no paper. I call again. This guy tells me that it's "totally understandable" that I want to cancel my service (duh). Me: Can I get my money back since the paper never was delivered to my house? Him: Oh, yes. You will be refunded. Me: I will be refunded? Him: Yes, you will. Me: Can I have your name? Him: Ummm... Me: Since you said I'd be refunded... Him: Maybe you'll be refunded. There'll be an investigation. You need to call back in a week. Me: So, you guys made a mistake, but it's my responsibility to call back? Him: You should've called everyday you didn't receive the paper. Whatever, Pasadena Star News. PS: Got a letter today, asking me to reconsider and resubscribe. And, to pay them $4.00, preferably promptly. Yeah, I'll get right on that. Pfft. read more

I got a collection letter today.This april a parent of kid came to my door ask me to support his kid's job, so I paid $20 for short term subscription to support his kid. Actually we never read this newspaper. We did receive their phone call couple of times for extension, but we all refused. Today's letter just show us how they leverage our generous for their sales trick. It's really a small amount, but seem we are not alone for their sales trick. So I post my experience to share with the community and I will tell all my neighbors and people I know never deal with them. read more

On December 28th, 2015, I mailed a letter to the Circulation Department of the Pasadena Star News to cancel my subscription. On April 13th the Star News renewed its subscription on my credit card. I called and was told by Star News staff they "The Star News does not honor subscription cancellation letters. You have to call." Nowhere is this supposed policy posted on the website or in the newspaper. Beware! Do not rely on the Star News to read your cancellation letters! read more

I wanted to let everyone know if you call the Pasadena Star directly, 626-544-0999, and tell them that you were not informed about a 6-month subscription and were lied to they will wave your fee. Glad to see them doing the right thing on this so I am going to give them an extra two stars. read more

Went on vacation for 3 weeks and stopped the paper. Called paper when I got the bill to apply the 19 day credit...they don't do that...even though you don't get the paper you still have to pay for it. Rate also went up $7. When I asked why, I was told that the price of ink went up and it costs more to deliver.....well based upon the reduction in the size of the paper don't think the volume of ink has gone up- but down, and the Star News is delivered with the LA Times so where does the cost of gas go up...paying for gas on the delivery of 2 papers? Will cancel this paper as the LA Times worked with me. Told the Sales Rep that I was cancelling and she told me I had to call back closer to the expiration date to cancel. Their customer service stinks and I'm waiting to call back to cancel since they don't seem to want my business. read more

I wanted to cancel my subscription. Too expensive anymore. I was talked out of it by offering me a $20 dollar discount and a $10 dollar Target gift card, which I have haven't received. That was 4 months ago. I've been calling and calling, no one can get this taken care of. This is not right! This is not fair! I trusted Julie who can't seem to do her job. Canceling. read more

OMG, wish I had read these reviews before saying yes to the poor student that came to my door selling the paper! Had exactly the same experience - could not cancel the paper by writing "CANCEL" on the bill and returning it. Eventually got a collection notice for $15 and called Customer Service, only to be told that correspondence on bills is not read. And moreover, the website won't accept cancellations either - it has to be over the phone. The Customer Service rep cut my amount in half - refused to zero it out - so I will just pay it and be done with them. Started to write a BBB complaint, but I figure Yelp will have more of an effect anyway. Stay away from this business. The paper might not be bad, but their business sense and customer service are horrendous. read more

through my Delta miles I got an 8 weeks subscription to Pasadena Star News. Today I received a mail from "Coast to Coast Financial Solutions", stating that their client "Pasadena Star News" has asked them to collect 15.75$ from me due for the subscription. Asked Pasadena Star News to take care of this. If I don't hear back from them shortly, I am going to write to BBB and to all other newspapers to let them know about this. Reading all the other reviews and the lack of responses (I suppose the editors know Yelp) I wouldn't advice this newspaper to anyone. Very disappointing, Pasadena is such a beautiful city, surely deserves a much better newspaper. read more

Make sure that you do not sign up for any donation with Pasadena Star News. A few months ago, a student came up to me at my door asking for help with her scholarship by signing up to purchase 6 issue of Pasadena Star News. So I did. And since then they continue to deliver the paper to my home and bill me for it. I call to complaint that I never agree to continue my paper and the customer services said they will take me out of their services. Few months later, I received a bill from the debt collector. I call Pasadena Star News again to complaint and all they said was when I sign up for the donation I have agree to continue their service regardless. Again always read what you sign, I sure learn my lesson. I also learn that never to donate to business that would send children out to get your sympathy and scam you into signing up for their services. read more

Like many other reviewers, targeted by scammers. Had zero interest, but was bullied and signed up for 10 dollars for 3 months. I figured it is ten dollars, they're kids, etc. Now collections has sent me a letter despite me never renewing this subscription. I used the paper for paper mâché, since I never wanted it in the first place. Attempted to read it a few times, found the writing and reporting biased. Don't subscribe no matter what the sob story is. I suspect the kids pocketed my $$. Apparently the paper will keep sending papers even on delinquent accounts, but not let the subscriber know the account was not paid. And then they send it to a collection agency. read more