The Hindu — Annual subscription plan scam

Address:

Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 560076

The Hindu, which one usually thinks is a respectable newspaper appears to be running a scam with regards to its annual subscription plans for both its main newspapers "The Hindu" and "The Business Line".

I took an annual subscription plan for both these papers in the first week of May 2016. For The Hindu, the subscription account number is [protected] for which I paid Rs 499/- as per the plan details they shared with me. For The Business Line, I issued a cheque of 1150/- for the annual subscription. The cheque has been cleared, but I haven't even received an acknowledgement for that, never mind a subscription Id.

Needless to say, neither newspaper is being delivered to my residence though both were supposed to commence on 16th May. Despite multiple complaints and repeated follow-up with both their customer service desk and their sales executive, there has been no action whatsoever. I have asked that my subscription amount be refunded for which there has been no acknowledgement either despite the customer care associate saying she will do so over the phone. I hope the Press Council and the Consumer Courts take cognizance of such devious practices and heavily penalize the company for taking customers for a ride.