Highlights for Children Reviews 

My experience is the long wait for the first subscription. At the moment, they claim my first magazine should arrive a month and a half after paying. Not a short wait as advertised. National Geographic took only about 2 weeks. Clearly Highlights does not understand children and making them wait an 'eternity' for their present. Their daily advertising via my email started immediately.

I ordered a magazine for my child in October. It never arrived. I tried to chat, text, email, call... I used every feature they had available online to reach a representative but I could not get through to anyone. I feel so much regret in having made this purchase. It was nostalgia that guided my decision, but whatever resources they had 40 years ago, no longer exists. Do not waste your time, money, and effort with this product. It's a scam.

Not a good experience with Highlights.

I placed a subscription with Highlights to get ALL of the county issues titled Top Secret Adventures.
When i started this subscription, there was no option to buy the complete set outright.
I would have preferred that - to buy the whole set and be done with it.
But no, Highlights forced me into a month by month waiting period to slowly get all the issues for my home school curriculum.
So I had to plan ahead and start the subscription in enough time before I wanted to use them so I could get them all in time then rearrange their order to align with the continent units.
We receive like 18 of the issues no issue except getting the first one on time.
Then they suddenly my subscription was canceled in October saying we got everything and the series had ended (and was never going to be in print again).
HOWEVER, we were missing 8 issues including important countries like China and Brazil.
Highlights refused to provide for me the remaining issues.
That was not fair to me and the reasonable expectation I had when I signed up for this subscription - to receive ALL of the countries offered in the series.

Further, Highlights never sent a single email notifying me that the Top Adventure Series would be canceled NOR was I given any opportunity to buy overstock or missing issues to complete my set before they were out of stock.
This series has been around for decades and they suddenly canceled it on me without even a single option to make it right to me.
Not even the courtesy of an email.
That shows you how Highlights did not even consider that home school families might want a complete set of all the countries.... nor do they care about how they treat customers.

When I contacted them regarding this issue, they did not seem to care about my having an incomplete set.
They had no issues that I needed on hand to complete my set.
They were not going to print a couple copies for me.
They would not provide a digital file for missing issues either which would have been my expense to print!
All they said was sorry.

This forced me to run around on the internet hoping to find the issues and key chains for 8 different counties with unused workbooks.
I was able to find the South Africa, China, and Mexico new but without key chains - those i now have to buy separate.
I found someone willing to break up a lot to let me buy only South Korea, but again no key chain.
But we still need FOUR to complete our set: Spain, Thailand, Brazil, and Peru.
I found a seller on vacation that should have Spain for me to buy, but I have to wait til they get back.

At the end of this, I really wish we did NOT get a subscription with Highlights.
They don't care about getting you a complete set.
They have poor customer service.
They force you into monthly subscriptions instead of letting you just buy it all at once (which makes sense for geographical material useful for schooling).
The material in the Top Secret Adventures was a bit dated and it cost a lot for what you get.
Highlights clearly does not care about customer service or retention.

I see they put out a USA states subscription and I wanted to do that next, but I am VERY worried they will not get me all the issues, will cost a lot of money, you have to wait like how many months to get all the issues, and what is the point of not having ALL the states in the USA if they cancel it on you and don't care about you completing your set?

I don't recommend the Highlights company to anyone.
I really wonder who is running it now.
I miss what this company was in the 1990s.

On the morning of September 2, 2022, I went online to order the magazine subscription at Highlights.com, but I was unable to log into the account due to Highlights.com requiring an account number to find the account. No you cannot log in using your email and pass only. I did not get an account number, therefore, I had no way to verify my order, nor did I get an email for the order. Therefore, I called the customer number and did a text message, but neither one was available. So I sent an email via the Highlights.com website, to which they sent generic message with a email identifier number, still no account number. On the morning of September 7, 2022 around 9 am est, I called back into the customer number, sadly they asked me my account number and I told them that was the reason I called, and the guy was trying to sale me a Highlights book. I log in the account as I was on the phone with him and tried canceling my order, but it would not cancel, therefore, the customer service representative was supposed to cancel the order. I finally received a response to my missing account number question on the same day at around 3 pm est, which I responded that they account is suppose to be closed. I got another email on September 9, 2022 at 6:18 am est, giving me instructions on how to log into the Highlights.com, which I already knew how to do, but I didn't have the account number the system was asking for. Highlights was once a good company, but I now see that they are part of long list of companies that are incompetent, has extremely poor customer service, and refuse to provide the consumer a level of service that they are paying for. I should not had to wait almost a week for my account number, that should have been provided when I setup the online account or when I placed an order. I should not have to call my credit card company to be a refund because they refuse to cancel the order and issue a refund. NO I DON'T RECOMMEND HIGHLIGHTS.COM they are not worth the $39 for a yearly subscription. I decided to create a magazine for my little one myself, since I've done it before for a few organization, but it time consuming to do. I was just trying to give my little one something that I had when I was a child. I wanted to give her that good feeling of receiving something in the mail with our name on it.

Bought a year subscription. Received the first issue only. It’s now 6 months later. I emailed customer service regarding my subscription and was sent 1 newsletter (in a Manila envelope which was weird). I have not received any since even after email customer service with no response. They took my money without giving me a product.

All of the five star reviews are on the quality of the magazine. Look closer and see the MANY upset customers that were wrongfully charged for things they never asked for. So sure, you’ll get your child great reading materials, but you’re also going to receive random charges and bills. The company thrives on baiting children and scamming adults out of their money.

I have only ever had a good experience with Highlights. My family subscribed for my sister and me when we were kids and now I have a subscription to a couple of different mags for my own daughters. Yes, they have a lot of offers and incentives--not to mention a staggering array a products compared to what there used to be--but if you are clear about what you want and ask the right questions, customer service is really great.

Ok now the products they offer are good however the customer service is awful!!! They scam you into thinking you are getting something for “free”, emphasize that it is “free” then hit you will a bill in the mail later on. Do not fall into their trap, they are misleading & manipulative.

I usually do not leave reviews, but I am so bothered by Highlights business practices. I ordered 2 Highlights subscriptions for my granddaughter and was offered $5 off coupon and free Hidden Pictures Animal Puzzles. I paid through PayPal (so I wouldn't have to have automatic renewal to deal with next year) and was charged almost $4 more than original invoice and then got a bill for shipping/handling and tax on free puzzle book. Customer Service "forgave" this new charge, but wouldn't do anything about the extra charges on my PayPal account. It is so sad, because my granddaughter loves the magazine. I guess I will have to find something else next year.

I been getting so many bill's from them. Its ridiculous! I pay them and they say I owe more money. I canceled this about 2 months ago. They said i havent payed. I have invoices to prove it.

I received an unsolicited package for my son called "Top Secret Adventures". They offer a free trial but then sent me a bill for $24.81. I did not sign up for a subscription or club. Customer service says the only way to resolve it is to pay my invoice. This company says they educate kids. They rip off parents in the process. So sad, as I thought they had a good reputation. Advertising and billing practices are unfair and there are hundreds of reviews out there that agree with me.

The magazine is interesting to read, but the business practice is awful. We sent in a post card for a free tote and a free magazine (as advertised), and received a bill with a due date that was before the shipment arrival date. We paid for the shipment, and followed instructions to create an account in order to cancel the magazine subscription. Of course we got another bill that was much higher with another set of magazines sent out, even after we canceled the subscription. I had to call to cancel the subscription. The whole experience had no transparency with questionable business practice. I would not recommend them.

Love the fun educational opportunities offered