MIT Technology Review Reviews 7

I've been trying to cancel my subscription to MIT Technology Review for TWO YEARS. My saved emails and screenshots are evidence of multiple attempts to get MIT to stop charging me for a sub I don't want. Using their awful, convoluted website's instructions to cancel your subscription results in a message that says, "Your cancellation request has been submitted. Our customer service team will get back to you shortly with a confirmation." I took a screenshot of this message when I tried to cancel LAST YEAR. A few days ago I took another screenshot of the same message when I tried to cancel yet again. Is it not insane that a cancellation is considered a "request" in the first place? It's almost 2024. The MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY'S bimonthly magazine subscription system should be automated to cancel subscription renewals! Is this not rudimentary technology? My husband, who tried to assist me with this, is a software architect. His theory is that MIT has simply neglected their website's basic functionality AND their help desk email account, and they probably aren't even aware of this problem. Okay, but for YEARS? So I'm left to wonder if this is outright fraud or good old-fashioned incompetence and indifference. I've tried to email and call their offices so that I can ask that question: "Is it your goal to steal money from people, or do you just not care?" Of course, nobody ever answers the phone. I've emailed them multiple times and I never get a response. I thought I could at least go into my account and change my credit card information, but apparently not. Last year I tried to dispute the charge but my bank said it wasn't possible after the fact. Now I'm going to tell my bank ahead of time that their charge, which should come soon, is fraudulent. If that doesn't work, I guess I have to pay my lawyer to stop this. That would be expensive but I'd rather pay an attorney than be ripped off every year.

I subscribe to the online version paying ~$90. However, even after that, the browser experience is riddled with Ads. Just completely ruins the reading experience, whilst reading about a technology story to be shown ads related to shoes and jackets.

Please sort this out or I won't be renewing my membership.

As others state, they make it impossible to cancel your subscription. I have cancelled mine several times and they keep charging us. It's fraud pure and simple. In the end, I had to dispute ("chargeback") the charges with the bank.

They also make it impossible to even get a hold of someone or send them an email: By phone, you stay on hold indefinitely and the 'Contact Us' prompt crashes every time you try to send. Notably, it crashes after you have typed out your concern, which functions to dissuade you from pursuing it, because everything you just typed out has been deleted.

It's clearly their business model and it's completely illegal. Not to mention sullying the name of a once-great institution. It's just a matter of time until these practices catch up with them.

If you've had a similar experience, please join me in reporting them for fraud with the FTC (it only takes a few minutes). Trustpilot doesn't allow links so just do a search for "FTC fraud" and it should be the first result.

Beyond their illegal and unethical business practices, I'll just state that their actual journalism is disappointing. They just sort of announce what new tech is out with no real critical analyses to speak of. Even if this publication was above board, their coverage simply isn't heterodox enough for my tastes, which is why I wanted to cancel in the first place.

Beware, it is a fraud! I subscribed once, they set the auto renewal automatically and took the money from my card without any prior reminder or communication. I tried cancelling my subscription, I tried mailing the customer service to cancel and ask the refound, after days still no one answered. I had to block my credit card and file a complaint for the unauthorized transaction.

First, it's a horrible app to read the content of the magazine. Difficult to nagivate and read.
Secondly, the subscription don't gain access to the web materiale and you will have to double subscribe to get that. The customer service is like an stupid bot, not offering any help. Best advice is to stay away.

Paid 50 $ for a one-year digital subscription. After only four months I can log in but I'm not able to read full articles. The page tells me that I do not have a subscription.

I subscribed to MIT Technology Review 3 months ago (both digital+paper). After multiple emails to their customer service, I still did not receive a single issue to my address, I still show as "not subscribed" on the website, I still can't access the pdfs or the app, I can't manage my subscription. The only solution provided is to clean my cookies to reach articles. They keep apologising but that's all you get, apologies and a terrible member experience. After trying to get things in order multiple times in the last 3 months, today I requested them to cancel my subscription and pay my money back. Such a shame!