Dear New York Times, Your Online System Does Not Work
March 3, 2025
The work of a real, live dinobaby. Sorry, no smart software involved. Whuff, whuff. That’s the sound of my swishing dino tail. Whuff.
I gave up on the print edition to the New York Times because the delivery was terrible. I did not buy the online version because I could get individual articles via the local library. I received a somewhat desperate email last week. The message was, “Subscribe for $4 per month for two years.” I thought, “Yeah, okay. How bad could it be?”
Let me tell you it was bad, very bad.
I signed up, spit out my credit card and received this in my email:
The subscription was confirmed on February 26, 2025. I tried to log in on the 27th. The system said, “Click here to receive an access code.” I did. In fact I did the click for the code three times. No code on the 27th.
Today is the 28th. I tried again. I entered my email and saw the click here for the access code. No code. I clicked four times. No code sent.
Dispirited, I called the customer service number. I spoke to two people. Both professionals told me they were sending the codes to my email. No codes arrived.
Guess what? I gave up and cancelled my subscription. I learned that I had to pay $4 for the privilege of being told my email was not working.
That was baloney. How do I know? Look at this screenshot:
The estimable newspaper was able to send me a notice that I cancelled.
How screwed up is the New York Times’ customer service? Answer: A lot. Two different support professionals told me I was not logged into my email. Therefore, I was not receiving the codes.
How screwed up are the computer systems at the New York Times? Answer: A lot, no, a whole lot.
I don’t think anyone at the New York Times knows about this issue. I don’t think anyone cares. I wonder how many people like me tried to buy a subscription and found that cancellation was the only viable option to escape automated billing for a service the buyer could not access.
Is this intentional cyber fraud? Probably not. I think it is indicative of poor management, cost cutting, and information technology that is just good enough. By the way, how can you send to my email a confirmation and a cancellation and NOT send me the access code? Answer: Ineptitude in action.
Well, hasta la vista.
Stephen E Arnold, March 3, 2025
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