Immediate Media Reviews 

Edit:
On December 15th I got an answer (email) from Costumer service. They told me that due to their recent system migration, they are unable to process my refund automatically. So they told me that to complete my refund manually, they wanted me to provide them via email with my full name, bank sort code and bank account number. This is crazy. I expressed my concerns regarding sharing sensitive information and that such sensitive information should never be transmitted via email for security reasons. I told them to close this case. Once again, stay away from this company.

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I cancelled my subscription for over a month ago and I reached out to customer service for a refund and I still haven't seen anything credited back to my bank card. So stay away from this company.

Another week has passed, now a month since I set my subscription up, 2 weeks since payment was taken, 2 weeks passed since first weekly magazine was promised and still nothing or reply.

I have subscribed to Radio Times since 2021. The usual offer of very cheap first 12 weeks, then "£49.40 every 6 months".

Except that they wrote to everyone in November 2023 that they were having to increase the cost because the price I had been paying "is no longer sustainable". But at £117 every six months I would still make a saving. Yes, the annual price was then £238 (which they quoted only at the foot of the email) and I would be paying £234 -- just £4 of saving, then. How generous.

I stuck with it, but the two main changes this autumn make it intolerable:
1. Their new website means I no longer have access to any subscription information, such as when they propose to take my money by DD, or when the issue delivery period ends. (They take the money about 7 weeks early, by the way.)
2. They changed their payment processor to Stripe. Stripe themselves sing on their website for business how the DD Guarantee means businesses must inform customers 10 working days before taking any DD payment and must quote the amount. But what do Stripe now do according to notification in September? From 17 October they will give you just 2 days --TWO DAYS-- notice, so that you don't have time to cancel the DD if you disagree with them.

THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS BEHAVIOUR BY IMMEDIATE MEDIA.
No wonder the German owner is a multi-millionaire!

Oh, and as for the "no longer sustainable" prices: they offer new subscribers at present the same old deal of 10 weeks at £1 a week, except they then get to pay just £55 every 6 months, not the £117 I am fleeced for.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED: GIVE THIS COMPANY AND THEIR SERVICES THE WIDEST BERTH YOU CAN.

Immediate media are awful. I wrote a negative review a few years ago and they haven't improved since then. Malfunctioning website still dreadful. Thankfully they no longer have a strangle hold on the Gardeners' World subscriptions (which I renew for my Mum every year) - can now get through magazine.co.uk which is a much more pleasant and glitch free experience.

Three subscriptions, two gifts.
Tried to renew the two gifts. It’s changed. Created account with the magazines. Unable to link gift subscriptions. Emailed, no reply. Called not helpful at all. I wanted to know the last dispatch to then add the new gift subscription so as not to overlap or miss. ‘Likely date’ was the response.
Clicked link from reminder email. Renewed. EMail received to me addressing me as the gifted recipient and noted ‘my’ changed address. I contacted the giftee who then said they have received an email with my name in it. What a complete mess! Called and emailed but a complete renew shambles. I have no idea who or when the magazine comes as unable to link. No response on eMail. And I’m meant to renew the other subscription for Christmas time. Nightmare.
I suggest customer service line that actually know what they are talking about.

Please stay away from these platforms. They are all a scam. They conned my sister out of £500. Please look at reviews before you invest in any company. This is sound advice

I subscribed to this by accident I thought I was getting a manual for something and they took £18 from my account and now want £10 to unsubscribe, what a joke!

As a subscriber to one of their titles I entered the Prize Crossword in May edition of BBC History. When the July edition arrived, I was delighted to discover I was one of the prize winners. Sadly I am still waiting for the prize. Despite many phonecalls I am no further forward. If you enter the Prize Crossword do not expect a prize to be delivered to you when you win! Very disappointing.

Had renewal letter for Gardeners World magazine subscription. £47.99. Tried to use Tesco vouchers to value £48. Price to renew using vouchers£59.50so got extra vouchers to cover the cost. Told by ImmediateMedia that 2 vouchers not acceptable. Umpteen emails +one phone call all with conflicting advice.Has any one else had same problem and if so how was it resolved? Help!

I been a subscriber to bbc history magazine and history extra for over two months and gardeners world and signed up to all newsletters and not had one so far.
Keep getting different excuses off them as they don’t seem to care all they worried is getting money for subscription but one said they having technical difficulties in sending newsletters out so I sent a letter to editor so hopefully they get back but customer service is really bad.

Total scammers. No subscription and they take money from me every year, only stopped now by reporting them to my bank. Customer service does not exist. Do not respond to messages or written letters. Totally disgusting company. Steer clear!

In the Lego Minecraft Magazine (which Immediate publish), there was an enclosed packet lego toy (Ghast) to build out of lots of lego pieces. When my child went to build this two pieces were missing from the kit. I sent an email to Immediate media and they immediately sent a new enclosure packet of the Ghast. I'm very impressed.

Immediate Media are deceptive and `scammers`. Out of the blue I was asked for £256 for a years Radio Times subscription and after a really unpleasant call to their complete waste of time South African call centre I had no hesitation in cancellation because it was completely out of order as i was paying £98 for that annual subscription at the time. One month later from cancellation I received an offer of £104 via e-mail for re-instatement of the same service they wanted £256 for. It appears they need my custom more than I need theirs. It is clear to me that this company has no idea what they are doing or how to conduct themselves. Radio Times i like but Immediate Media are one of the worst companies I have ever had to deal with and their South African customer service is pointless.

After 4 months of chasing my subscription gift they are still claiming it has been sent even though I received a letter from the Customer Service Manager confirming they had run out of stock ! I'm afraid their policy seems to rely on customers getting so frustrated that they just give up.

Keep asking for more money without allowing me to keep what I make.
I am grateful that M A D A C O V I made sure I received everything back.

Be mindful and cautious. They do not deal in security; they are robbers.They issued me a settlement to restore only $2,000 of the $155,000 I sent, taking into consideration that I have all the evidence proving they are a fraudster. I sent them proof that they owned their platform and altered the statistics on it. M A D A C O V I was sent by God to complete everything.

On 3rd December 2024 I telephoned the helpline because I had not received my copy of the Radio Times covering the period 7 – 13 December although I had received an e-mail telling me that it would be despatched earlier than normal; the intended early despatch was confirmed by the helpline’s recorded announcement when I telephoned.

The helpline operator told me that he was unable to issue a replacement copy and that I should call again if it had not been received by Friday 6th December. When I protested that the Friday was too late for the magazine to be despatched in time to be received by Saturday 7th December, its starting date, I was told that, on 6th December a replacement would be sent using a priority service so that it would be received the following day.

Accordingly, when the magazine had not been received by 6th December I again called the helpline which was answered by Thomas. Initially, Thomas said that he was not allowed to use a priority service but when pressed agreed to do so. However, it is now 10th December and I have still not received the magazin.

Both incompetent and dishonest!

I have never before come across such an incompetent group of people. I have received so many conflicting stories about a refund owing to me that I simply don't believe any one of them. If there was an option to award zero stars then this would reflect my true experience.

Two direct debit payments when I subscribed to Simply Crochet. Been trying for 3 months to get a refund with no success. Staff do not know what they are doing when you ring up.
You cannot email them either as Simply Crochet is not included in the options.

I subscribe to Radio Times. This week I did not receive a copy. On Saturday 16th of November I tried to contact them by telephone and email. Not possible by either method. Very poor service.