Complain About People Magazine - learn how to file a complaint

Trying to get a straight answer from People Magazine can feel like a full-time job. They don't make it easy, but here are the most direct ways to lodge your complaint.

Honestly, getting a quick answer feels like winning the lottery. It's a waiting game.

• Call right when they open, around 8 AM ET on a Tuesday or Wednesday, to avoid the longest queues.
• Have your account number ready. It's on the mailing label of your magazine.
• Be direct. Start the call with, "I need to cancel my subscription and stop all future payments." Don't let them redirect you to other offers.

If customer service is giving you the runaround, it's time to escalate. Don't give up.

Better Business Bureau (BBB)

Filing a complaint at BBB.org is surprisingly effective. Dotdash Meredith (the parent company) is accredited and tends to respond to complaints filed there to protect their rating. It works, but prepare to wait. They usually respond after a formal complaint is logged and sent to them, which can take a week or two.

Credit Card Chargeback

If you were charged without authorization, call your credit card company and request a chargeback. Explain that you tried to resolve it with the merchant first. This is a powerful move that almost always gets your money back for that specific transaction, but it won't cancel your underlying subscription.

State Attorney General

For more serious issues like deceptive billing practices, you can file a consumer complaint with your state's Attorney General. This is a formal step and should be used when the company is unresponsive to all other methods.

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

To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing again to resolve an issue with my People Magazine subscription, account #[Your Account Number].

On [Date], my account was charged [$Amount] for a renewal I did not authorize and have been trying to cancel. Frankly, having to spend my time tracking this down and dealing with a process that feels intentionally difficult has been incredibly frustrating.

To resolve this, I need you to cancel my subscription effective immediately and issue a full refund for the unauthorized charge of [$Amount].

Please be aware that if I do not receive a confirmation of both the cancellation and the refund within three business days, my next step will be to file a formal complaint with the Better Business Bureau and initiate a chargeback with my credit card provider.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

[Your Name]

Here are a few extra tips that people have sworn by online.

• When you call, use the words "cancel auto-renewal" and "remove my payment information." Being specific prevents them from just pausing your subscription instead of closing it.
• Always, always ask for a cancellation confirmation number and the name of the agent you spoke with. Don't hang up the phone until you have both.
• A user on a BBB complaint thread said they only got a full refund after mentioning they would be reporting the company for violating their state's automatic renewal laws. Sometimes, you have to show you know your rights.
• Take a screenshot. If you cancel online, screenshot the final confirmation page. I had to do this once because the confirmation email mysteriously never arrived.

Tired of navigating those confusing 'My Account' pages just to cancel a magazine? Or being on hold forever listening to terrible music only to be told you can't get a refund? Sound familiar? Pine AI handles the entire frustrating process for you. We deal with the endless forms, the long wait times, and the pushy retention agents so you don't have to waste your afternoon trying to get a straight answer. It's a huge time-saver. No joke. Let us handle the headache of complaining and canceling for you.