Check out our latest communities fighting
AI scams on Reddit and Facebook

business logo of NewspaperArchive

NewspaperArchive

1.2

On SmartCustomer, businesses may not offer incentives or pay to remove reviews. Learn more about our Review Guidelines.

How would you rate NewspaperArchive?
grey stargrey stargrey stargrey stargrey star

NewspaperArchive Reviews Summary

NewspaperArchive has a rating of 1.2 stars from 61 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. Reviewers dissatisfied with NewspaperArchive most frequently mention customer service, credit card and search engine. NewspaperArchive ranks 1030th among News sites.

service
16
value
17
shipping
1
returns
3
quality
14

We monitor reviews for authenticity

New York
1 review
0 helpful votes
Follow Josephine W.
Unfollow Josephine W.
Share Review
Report Review

Today, 23 November 2024, marks the second time since April '24 that I have been blocked from NewspaperArchives by their new app CloudFare, which apparently has mistaken me again for a robot, even though I have been a subscriber since 2016. Since this is the weekend, I'll have to wait until Monday to resolve the issue.

Date of experience: November 23, 2024
California
1 review
0 helpful votes
Follow Emily N.
Unfollow Emily N.
Share Review
Report Review

I was charged without even asking to try the service. A charge of $103 suddenly appeared on my bank account. It is listed as pendin but woukd have hone through if I hadn't spotted it. I have never had any business with newspaperarchive.com and never will.

Date of experience: May 27, 2024
California
1 review
1 helpful vote
Follow Bruce M.
Unfollow Bruce M.
Share Review
Report Review

I was locked out of my account. I went to customer service but could not get anything other than a robot who could do nothing. I created a help ticket and ONE WEEK LATER I got an email from someone or thing posing as a human offering to help. He told me to clear my cookies and cache but that did no good. When I tried to respond to him, I just got sent to another robot. This is probably the worst experience I have ever had with a genealogy site. It's unbelievable! Ancestry has a newspaper site that works fine.

Date of experience: August 21, 2023
Brad C. — NewspaperArchive Rep
over a year old

Hello Bruce, we apologize for the delay in our response! We experienced a technical issue and were working to have a solution put in place, with our response intending to provide further assistance. We do not provide live support at this time, with email support being our primary source of assistance. Our automated support online is more so intended to get you in contact with our customer support and to provide assistance with a variety of basic queries and issues. We sincerely apologize for any frustration we caused for you and we're happy to continue assisting you via email if you're interested.

Georgia
1 review
0 helpful votes
Follow Cheryl C.
Unfollow Cheryl C.
Share Review
Report Review

This sucks
August 5, 2023

Have an account, search find what I am looking for but won't let me load it telling me I have to sign up for an account. Tried to cancel and then up but won't let me. I like this site and this is my first issue but there is no where to call only send email. Poor customer service

Date of experience: August 4, 2023
Brad C. — NewspaperArchive Rep
over a year old

Hello Cheryl, we're sorry to hear you're experiencing a technical issue! We've implemented some new upgrades to our login process, however a small portion of our users have experienced the issue you're experiencing now. We're expecting to have the issue resolved by tomorrow, and we sincerely appreciate your patience as we work to resolve the issue.

If you continue to experience the issue, please email us at [email protected] and we'll do our best to assist you.

Ohio
1 review
0 helpful votes
Follow Clela N.
Unfollow Clela N.
Share Review
Report Review

No stars!
July 28, 2023

Thus is a complete rip off!
I mistakenly clicked on something that said free trial what I was looking for an Obit
The next thing I know there is a $166 charge on Mastercard
I don't even remember giving my CC number out.
I have this in dispute with my bank.
I want a refund!

Date of experience: July 28, 2023
Brad C. — NewspaperArchive Rep
over a year old

Hello Clela, we're sorry to hear you've had a poor experience with our services! Providing billing information and agreeing to our Terms and Conditions when subscribing for a free trial is a multi-page process, so I'm unsure of how you would have instantaneously been subscribed without providing your billing information. Additionally, I'm afraid you haven't included any account information with your review, so we cannot locate your account to review your issue and provide assistance. If you would please reach out to us at [email protected] we'll do our best to assist you.

Missouri
2 reviews
1 helpful vote
Follow Kevin C.
Unfollow Kevin C.
Share Review
Report Review

INTERNET THIEVES DONT SUBSCRIBE TO ANY OFFER FOR ANY ACCESS
YOU WILL BE RIPPED OFF! NO REFUNDS!
Clicked on a "Free Trial" Offer but was never prompted for a "Free Trail" I continued to fill out my credit card information and most sites typically require. Free Trial Option Was Never Offered Charged my card $23 for a full month THERE ARE NO REFUNDS FOR A MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTION! Also I Ran My Search (since I was charged) NO RESULTS! Out Of A 140 Year Old Newspaper That is Currently Still Published today 2023 - THEY ONL HAD ARCHIVES FROM 1940 to 1947! What a RIP OFF! Basically INTERNET THEIVES!
COMPANY INFO: World Archives 5314 N River Run Dr #110, Provo, Utah, *******, US

Date of experience: May 11, 2023
Brad C. — NewspaperArchive Rep
over a year old

Hello Kevin,

We're sorry to hear you've had a poor experience with our services! I've reviewed your feedback and I'll be trying my best to assist you and provide some clarification.

Unfortunately we only offer a 7 Day Free Trial on our 6 Month and 1 Year subscription plans at this time, which is why you received an immediate charge when purchasing a Monthly plan. We provide clarification about this distinction on the subscription landing page as well as in the following billing pages (what charge you're going to receive, when, what your renewal will be, etc.). Account information was not provided, so I'm unable to pull up your account for reference, but Monthly subscriptions are normally ineligible for refunds.

In regards to your issues with the publication in question, I would mention that we provide a full index of all of our publications within our archives without requiring a subscription. Therefore, anyone is more than welcome to review the current holdings we have to ensure we have the newspapers you're looking for. Both our Publications tool and Browse tools would be helpful in that regard.

If we can provide any additional clarification or assistance, please reach out to us at [email protected] and we'll do our best to assist you.

North Carolina
1 review
3 helpful votes
Follow Peggy M.
Unfollow Peggy M.
Share Review
Report Review

Run run
April 28, 2023

If only i had read reviews first! Tried to renew my script for a specific purpose. They have my card information. No way to speak with anyone. Chat doesnt work. Membership has not started. Will have to report fraud. Wasted whole day.

Date of experience: April 27, 2023
Brad C. — NewspaperArchive Rep
over a year old

Hello Peggy,

We're sorry to hear you've had a poor experience with us! I've reviewed your message and the chat history and would be happy to provide some clarification and assistance.

First, I would sincerely apologize for the issue you experienced when attempting to chat with one our agents. I reviewed the history and there was a short time during the period you contacted us in which agent availability was not accurately shown. The issue should not happen again and we're following up on your email to get in touch with you.

Otherwise the purchase you attempted to make did not go through under your email address you provided. You have no active subscription and no charge in relation to it. If you have received any charge, please us know at [email protected] and we'd be happy to assist you further.

Maryland
1 review
3 helpful votes
Follow Peter K.
Unfollow Peter K.
Share Review
Report Review

What a wretched, unprofessional company this is.

I had a one-year subscription and it was, without notice or receipt, renewed on my credit card on 28 November 2022.

Worse, the vendor name on my credit card bill is nothing like "Newspaperachive.com" and my bank tells me it's listed under "appraisals". So... we think it's a fraudulent charge, they cancel my credit card and start an investigation.

Then on 5 December 2022 I get an e-mail from Newspaperarchive.com telling me my subscription has been cancelled. I finally am able to deduce what the original charge was for which the bank refunded. So now, I have a new credit card, have to update all my accounts, the bank had to start an investigation... all because these people cannot advise their own customer of when their subscriptions are up for renewal or indeed provide a receipt at time of billing.

This is unacceptable business practice.

AVOID DOING BUSINESS WITH NEWSPAPER.COM

The headline for this newsaper should read: "DISHONEST SCAM WEBSITE"

UPDATE:

Sorry, Brad... but no e-mails were sent to me either advising of the subcription being due for renewal OR that the charge had been put through. None. They did not go to "Spam", they were never sent.

If you read the other reviews here you will appreciate this is standard practice by NewspaperArchive once they have your credit card details. Given the 1.6 rating here, I think I will let others judge for themselves.

Thank you for your reply.

Date of experience: December 8, 2022
Brad C. — NewspaperArchive Rep
over a year old

Hello Peter, we're sorry to hear you had an unhappy experience with us! We try our best to ensure you're informed about when your subscription will renew, which will include automatic renewal notices provided via email one week before renewal as well as receipts that are also automatically provided after your subscription renews. Sometimes those emails can end up in your spam folder, or aren't received if your email address denies them (we wouldn't be able to say without an email address for reference). Your membership confirmation email you should have received when initially subscribed would have also provided an additional reference for the plan you purchased and when you could expect a renewal. We do sympathize with your frustration however and your feedback has been duly noted.

If you ever have any issues, or would like to follow up with us please email us at [email protected] and we'll do our best to assist you.

Pennsylvania
1 review
0 helpful votes
Follow John J O.
Unfollow John J O.
Share Review
Report Review

Pleased
September 4, 2022

Extensive access to the kinds of historical material my research requires.

Date of experience: September 4, 2022
Brad C. — NewspaperArchive Rep
over a year old

Hello John,

We're happy to hear you've had a positive experience with NewspaperArchive! Additionally, we also appreciate you reaching out to leave a review!

If you ever have any issues, or would like to follow up with us please email us at [email protected] and we'll do our best to assist you.

Michigan
1 review
4 helpful votes
Follow James C.
Unfollow James C.
Share Review
Report Review

I signed up for the 1 mo., billed for 5 recurring months, e-mailed customer service and ignored. Awful.

Date of experience: September 1, 2022
Brad C. — NewspaperArchive Rep
over a year old

Hello James,

Thank you for reaching out! We're sorry to hear you're not satisfied with our services, and we'd love to get in touch with you via email! You mentioned not having received service, though it's possible that we had simply not received your request, as we regularly address all requests sent to our customer service email address. Additionally, it's possible there was a misunderstanding regarding how our subscription plans work, as it would appear the unauthorized charges you mentioned were the result of your subscription's renewal being active. Would you please reach out to the email address below? We'll do our best to keep an eye out for your request.

[email protected]

Georgia
1 review
0 helpful votes
Follow Donald N.
Unfollow Donald N.
Share Review
Report Review

The Best
September 1, 2022

Very good, works very well, has the most newspapers

Date of experience: September 1, 2022
Brad C. — NewspaperArchive Rep
over a year old

Hello Donald,

We're happy to hear you've had a positive experience with NewspaperArchive! Additionally, we also appreciate you reaching out to leave a review!

If you ever have any issues, or would like to follow up with us please email us at [email protected] and we'll do our best to assist you.

Illinois
1 review
2 helpful votes
Follow Dana D.
Unfollow Dana D.
Share Review
Report Review

Too much $$$$$$
July 19, 2022

Too costly, can't print articles for free anymore, give too many close to spelling on searches (I know how to spell the names I'm looking for)

Date of experience: July 18, 2022
Brad C. — NewspaperArchive Rep
over a year old

Hello Dana,

Thank you for reaching out! We're sorry to hear you're not satisfied with our services, and we've reached out via email to try and solve some of those issues you mentioned.

If you ever have any further issues, or would like to follow up with us, please email us at [email protected] and we'll do our best to assist you.

Pennsylvania
2 reviews
0 helpful votes
Follow Cathy W.
Unfollow Cathy W.
Share Review
Report Review

Great information
July 16, 2022

Found a lot of marriages, obits that were needed. Found out cousins marriages, divorces, births of children with DOB

Date of experience: July 16, 2022
Brad C. — NewspaperArchive Rep
over a year old

Hello Cathy,

We're happy to hear you've had a positive experience with NewspaperArchive! Additionally, we also appreciate you reaching out to leave a review!

If you ever have any issues, or would like to follow up with us please email us at [email protected] and we'll do our best to assist you.

Alabama
9 reviews
27 helpful votes
Follow Marshall J.
Unfollow Marshall J.
Share Review
Report Review

HORRIBLE
February 25, 2022

Trusted them with sensitive credit card information. They failed to activate my account. Customer service hours are a joke. Far below acceptable standards of internet business. Never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never pay for this "service."

Date of experience: February 24, 2022
Brad C. — NewspaperArchive Rep
over a year old

Hello Marshall,

We're sorry to hear you had a negative experience with our services! To address your points however, I am happy to clarify that any billing information provided in regards to an account or subscription is handled in a secure, and protective manner. However, I'm afraid your issue with failing to activate your account does not sound familiar as all subscriptions are activated immediately after purchase, and would not require our assistance in doing so. Otherwise while we are not providing live support (at the moment), though we do provide email support 9 AM to 5 PM CST Monday through Friday, and we would be happy to assist you.

If you have any active issues, or would like to follow up with us, please email us at [email protected] and we'll do our best to assist you.

Washington
3 reviews
10 helpful votes
Follow Sue M.
Unfollow Sue M.
Share Review
Report Review

I will always let people know how horrible these scammers are. Signed up for a month, could not find anything I was looking for so they say widen the search WIDEN it so anything with the persons first name came up which is ridiculous. I cancelled and they kept my money for the month but deactivated my acct 2 weeks early. They say if you cancel they cancel acct for "safety" but still keep your money. COMPLETE SCAM! Useless information. NEVER USE THIS SITE!

Date of experience: August 31, 2021
Brad C. — NewspaperArchive Rep
over a year old

Hello Sue,

We're sorry to hear you had a negative experience with our services! To address your grievances, it's likely we simply didn't have the newspaper content you were looking for concerning the location and dates of your query. Please use our Publications tool to review our current holdings for the most accurate estimate of newspaper content concerning your specific query for the most accurate results. Additionally, I would clarify that we do not explicitly provide assistance with specific searches in the majority of cases, and instead provide general instructions on finding the newspaper content you're interested in, though it will depend on the complexity of your request. Lastly, while you have not provided specific account information for us to refer to, it's likely that a request of refund was denied due to newspaper images viewed and/or images downloaded under your account. While we try our best to be flexible and sympathetic, I'm afraid we do have to adhere to limits within our Terms and Conditions.

If you have any active issues, or would like to follow up with us, please email us at [email protected] and we'll do our best to assist you.

Florida
1 review
1 helpful vote
Follow Mike M.
Unfollow Mike M.
Share Review
Report Review

Company operates on a bait and switch process. The main page offered "free for 7days" but when you get into subscription plans they hide that only two of the three plans are free for 7 days. When you select the cheapest plan, they charge you 24 hours later. Emeline in customer service made it clear they stand behind the scam and refused to refund.

Date of experience: August 25, 2021
Brad C. — NewspaperArchive Rep
over a year old

Hello Mike,

We're sorry to hear you had a negative experience with our services! To address your grievances, I would mention that we try be as straightforward as possible with how we advertise our subscription plans, especially in regards to our 7 Day Free Trial offers. We specifically clarify that we do not offer a 7 Day Free Trial on our Monthly subscription plan, and we also clarify throughout the billing process and on the confirmation page that you will be immediately charged for your chosen subscription. While we do sympathize with that misunderstanding, it's likely that your account use after purchase made it ineligible for a full refund, either due to a certain number of images viewed, or images downloaded in the following days.

If you have any active issues, or would like to follow up with us, please email us at [email protected] and we'll do our best to assist you.

Pennsylvania
1 review
0 helpful votes
Follow JOHN K.
Unfollow JOHN K.
Share Review
Report Review

I'm in a trial phase for Newspaper Archive. It's slow, laggy, and it times out constantly with "error 522" which tells me it's their problem - not mine. I was checking it out because I've used Newspapers.com for awhile now and like it but I was looking for newspapers it didn't doesn't provide. I've not seen any I can use in Archive and combined with the terrible website speed and overall performance I'm not going to waste any more time with it. I hope they let me cancel without charging but reading other reviews here that doesn't always happen evidently. I already regret trying it so I hope that regret doesn't get even worse.

Date of experience: April 17, 2021
Brad C. — NewspaperArchive Rep
over a year old

Hello John,

We're sorry to hear you had a negative experience with our services! It's possible that issue stemmed from a bandwidth issue we were experiencing around that time, though it has since been rectified. Additionally, I would be happy to clarify that any 7 Day Free Trial subscription can be cancelled at anytime, and at no cost to you. While we provide instructions online for doing so, you can also reach out to our customer service team for assistance.

If you have any active issues, or would like to follow up with us, please email us at [email protected] and we'll do our best to assist you.

Texas
1 review
10 helpful votes
Follow Adelita M.
Unfollow Adelita M.
Share Review
Report Review

Worst company
March 26, 2021

I signed up for Trial Subscription and was charged $19.99. I contacted them, said they don't offer trial on monthly. If I could afford to pay the other subscription I would of done it. One thing I needed, just one thing. Looking for plane crash my uncle died in. I'm a senior on SS. I can't afford those expensive subscription. This company treats senior unfairly. They refused to refund. You can't even read the newspapers they are so blurry.
Very unfair, inconsiderate company. Do not trust them. Do not buy their subscriptions.

Date of experience: March 26, 2021
Brad C. — NewspaperArchive Rep
over a year old

Hello Adelita,

We're sorry to hear you had a negative experience with our services! To address your grievances, I would mention that we try be as straightforward as possible with how we advertise our subscription plans, especially in regards to our 7 Day Free Trial offers. We specifically clarify that we do not offer a 7 Day Free Trial on our Monthly subscription plan, and we also clarify throughout the billing process and on the confirmation page that you will be immediately charged for your chosen subscription. While we do sympathize with that misunderstanding, it's likely that your account use after purchase made it ineligible for a full refund, either due to a certain number of images viewed, or images downloaded in the following days.

If you have any active issues, or would like to follow up with us, please email us at [email protected] and we'll do our best to assist you.

Texas
1 review
5 helpful votes
Follow john g.
Unfollow john g.
Share Review
Report Review

I could not cancel the subscription during the 7 day free trial with Newspaperarchive. Com. They would not answer the listed phone or email address. Without my permission my credit card was charged $74.95 for their 6 mo. Subscription posted on 3/2/2021.

Date of experience: March 21, 2021
Brad C. — NewspaperArchive Rep
over a year old

Hello John,

We're sorry to hear you had a negative experience with our services! We offer email support 9 AM to 5 PM CST Monday through Friday, and we are happy to assist with cancellation requests, however if you did not receive a response it's possible the address was entered incorrectly, or we did not receive a response to your email at the time. We also offer you the option of cancelling through your account, and have instructions available online for doing so. We do sympathize with your frustrations however and would be happy to assist you with any outstanding requests.

If you have any active issues, or would like to follow up with us, please email us at [email protected] and we'll do our best to assist you.

Wisconsin
1 review
4 helpful votes
Follow D H.
Unfollow D H.
Share Review
Report Review

Sometimes the site works and sometimes not. The only way to contact the company for help is sending an email which takes them 24 hours to respond. So if their solution to your problem doesn't work you wait another 24 hours for solution #2. Waste of time and money.

Date of experience: February 26, 2021
Brad C. — NewspaperArchive Rep
over a year old

Hello,

We're sorry to hear you had a negative experience with our services! We were re-structuring our customer support at that time which affected availability of agents. Additionally, we had a stability issue around that time that likely contributed to your issues, however it has since been rectified. If you have any outstanding issues, please let me know.

If you have any active issues, or would like to follow up with us, please email us at [email protected] and we'll do our best to assist you.

From the business

Search 5.6 billion genealogy records including newspaper articles, obituaries, marriages, births, passenger lists, arrests, divorces, war casualties and more.


newspaperarchive.com
Founded in 1999
Provo, CA, United States