trustedmediabrands.com Reviews 5

In December of 2025 I renewed Reader’s Digest for $10.00 one year subscription. I paid them they say it’s paid , few weeks later portal says payment due .They’re paid again , say paid , a few weeks later again portal says not paid payment due. I get emails saying paid , then they say problem with credit card pay by check. Three times Reader’s Digest been paid with credit card . Say it’s paid , then say payment due . Think they want people to pay $17.47 or $19.95 a year instead of honoring the $10.00 a year rate . Just got the 4th payment due . It expires in April/May 2026 . Subscribed in 2021 . No problem until 2024 . Same credit card excepted by other companies with no problem.Only Reader’s Digest .They send the magazine on time . They just keep saying paid , not paid , paid , not paid on the portal . I’m not even sure those emails they send are real , vague no customer name on them , all same wording.

Doing a bait and switch give a cheap rate keep finding an excuse not to take payment so people get frustrated and pay the higher rates $17.47 or $19.95 a year . And they keep cutting down on number in a year 9 than 8 ,and 6 issues a year .Suppose a year from now its quarterly .

paid for subscription and they never sent a magazine after nearly 3 months, now i get a letter that I should renew my subscription- WTF. Also, they convieniently make it difficult to contact them, since there is no phone number or email address. Family Handyman is the business-

TRUST BETRAYED: Unauthorized $39.95 Charge, 300% Price Hike & 4 Failed Refund Promises by Family Handyman
Publisher: Trusted Media Brands, Inc. Product: Family Handyman Magazine Disputed Amount: $39.95 USD (PayPal) Date of Complaint: 11/21/2025

I. Deceptive Financial Practices
Trusted Media Brands committed a severe failure of trust and transparency:

Surprise, Inflated Withdrawal: A renewal fee of $39.95 was unexpectedly deducted via PayPal one month early, with zero notification. This charge is a staggering 300% increase over the previous year's subscription rate.

Targeting Loyal Customers: This practice—an early, inflated withdrawal—appears designed to exploit previously loyal subscribers. In this specific case, the unauthorized transaction impacted a disabled American Veteran residing at my address.

II. Breach of Editorial Mission
The magazine's content no longer supports the company's mission to provide "trusted, empowering, and uplifting content."

The print product has been stripped of its essential value: tool reviews, build projects with plans, and critical tool safety guidelines are all gone.

The publication no longer aligns with the value proposition used to attract and retain subscribers, constituting a clear misrepresentation of the product being sold for $39.95.

III. Egregious Customer Service Failure
Despite my consistent and clear efforts to resolve the issue, Customer Service has been dismissive and non-responsive.

Zero Accountability: I called Customer Service twice and was never connected to a representative, nor were my calls returned.

Four False Refund Promises: Since 10/27/2025, I have received the identical generic email four separate times (via "Hailey") stating the refund would be processed in "1-3 weeks." As of 11/21/2025, the full refund has not been issued.

Insulting Offer: Upon cancellation, the company offered an unacceptable and arbitrary $8 refund against the $39.95 charge.

DEMAND: I demand an immediate and complete refund of $39.95 credited back to my PayPal account. The failure to honor refund commitments and the predatory billing practices demonstrate why consumer trust in Trusted Media Brands is dissolving.

I had a charge on my credit card this morning from their Birds and Blooms magazine for $46. I've never subscribed to this or any other magazine from this company. I have no account with this company. I've gotten nowhere with customer service so far although they did verify I had no account with them. Since then I've received no more response.

Sadly, Family Handyman still hasn't addressed my request for a full refund as of today, 11/3/2025. Instead, I keep receiving the same generic response: "Thank you for contacting Family Handyman. We are more than happy to help! Your payment will be refunded to your original form of payment within the next 1-3 weeks." (I paid via PayPal). I've now received this message four times, but there's still no refund.

I canceled my Family Handyman subscription and noticed that I will only receive an $8.00 refund, despite being charged a renewal fee of $39.95 one month earlier than expected. This is a 300% increase from what I paid last year, and I believe it would have been courteous and aligned with your commitment to excellent customer service to notify me before the $39.95 was deducted. Please address this $8.00 refund discrepancy promptly and rebuild my trust in your magazine and customer service by crediting my account the full $39.95.