Complain About LA Times - learn how to file a complaint

Best ways to complain to LA Times

Getting a response can feel like waiting for the Sunday paper to arrive on a Tuesday.

🔍 Tips to Get a Quicker Response from a Complaint

• Call Off-Peak: Try calling mid-morning on a weekday to avoid the longest wait times.
• Have Info Ready: Keep your account number, recent bills, and any relevant dates handy before you contact them.
• Be Direct: Clearly state your problem and what you want as a resolution (e.g., a refund, a cancellation confirmation) in your first few sentences.

How to Escalate Your Complaint

If the LA Times customer service team isn't resolving your issue, your best next step is to file a formal complaint with an external body. For a newspaper subscription, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) is the most effective option.

How the BBB Works:

1. You file a complaint on the BBB website (bbb.org).
2. The BBB forwards your complaint to a corporate contact at the LA Times.
3. The company is asked to respond to you through the BBB platform, and their response (or lack thereof) is logged on their public profile.

The BBB process works, but prepare to wait. The LA Times generally responds to BBB complaints, but it can take a couple of weeks to get a final resolution. It's a formal process, so you must have already tried to resolve the issue directly with the company first.

Email Template to Complain to LA Times

Subject: Urgent: Unresolved Subscription Issue - Account [[Account #]]

To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing again to resolve an issue with my subscription that remains unfixed despite my previous contact on [[Date]].

On [[Date of Charge]], I was incorrectly billed [[$Amount]] for a service I had already attempted to cancel. Frankly, it's incredibly frustrating to have to spend my time chasing down this refund when the error is not on my end. This process has been far more difficult than it should be.

To resolve this, I need you to process a full refund of [[$Amount]] to my original payment method immediately and provide written confirmation that my subscription has been successfully terminated.

If I do not receive confirmation of this refund and cancellation within 48 hours, my next step will be to file a formal complaint with the Better Business Bureau and dispute the charge with my bank.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

[[Your Name]]

Pro Tips for Making Your Complaint Heard

• Ask for a Reference Number: The moment you get an agent on the phone or in a chat, politely ask for a ticket or reference number. It makes it much harder for your complaint to get 'lost'.
• Go Straight to the Top: If the first agent can't help, don't be afraid to ask to speak with a supervisor or someone in the 'retention' department. They usually have more authority to fix things.
• Document Everything: Take screenshots. One user on a consumer forum mentioned their online cancellation 'glitched' and didn't go through. Having proof was the only thing that got them their money back.
• Use Twitter (X) Wisely: A public, polite tweet to @latimes detailing your issue (without sharing personal info) can sometimes get a faster response from their social media team, who are often focused on public relations.

Tired of navigating the LA Times's phone menu only to be put on hold? Or sending emails into a black hole, wondering if anyone is even reading them? Sound familiar?

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