New Scientist Reviews 

This is a lovely magazine where various scientific knowledge is shared. I'm a student who is quite inquisitive and interested in science. For me, it helps me to know about what's going on in our world and what positive and negative news we have.
It's worth its cost. It's worth reading. By reading it I can realize how much I have more to discover. Especially, I enjoy reading it on the train. I'm going to collect as many as I can!

Recently had new promotional ads sent to me. I did contemplate signing back up again— maybe their awful editorial team had moved on and been replaced? Well looking on Trust pilot and the steady flow of awful reviews I take that as a no. Looks like this platform has saved my bacon. No thanks you New Scientist.

Subscription scam making me hate a great magazine. They auto-renew your subscription without any warning and the customer relations over the phone just keep on repeating the same lie following a frustrating script. Promised to call me to investigate my case and never did... just winning time so my payment can be taken from me. Very sad that this is the customer experience from a magazine I really liked. Have no intention of subscribing to it again, nor buying a single issue. Very sad. Taking A LOT of money from me without my consent.

They are charging me, without my consent, for almost double the amount I've subscribed to them in the past. Shame on you... very sad this great magazine need to rely on this trick to keep customers. You are actually destroying the feeling of a good experience. Very sad.

Great publication ruined by shady business practices. Auto-renews without notification, customer support only available during work hours if you can even get through - I kept being disconnected before even getting through to a human. E-mails are simply ignored. Despite having a shelf's worth of books by New Scientist, I won't be buying from them again.

It’s a good magazine but the subscription cancellation and billing process is abysmal. I was charged more than the stated period before the end of the subscription at a rate more than twice the yearly period before without any warning or choice. You can only cancel by calling the help line (online message was not responded to). The refund was supposedly processed yesterday (more than 2 weeks since the cancellation and 4 weeks after the payment) and now told it will take another week for it to appear in my statement.

This is not service at the level people expect (and receive) from other similar services. Avoid.

I'm a subscriber but to date I've never received a single edition on time. I've constantly had to be after them to chase up the whereabouts of my issues. I've never had problems with other magazine subscriptions. This company must be deliberately withholding issues or some serious fundamental administration problems at play. Either way you never get what you pay for as a subscriber so certainly one to avoid!

Took out time limited offer and cancelled in good time. They ignored cancellation and took further £65 from card. They reluctantly agreed to refund within ten working days. At end of period said problem with card so must give my bank details. Now saying will be another 10-14 working days before refund. They are just using this to get interest free loans.

(update below)
I discovered that the company kept my credit card on file, so I wrote as asked them to delete it. The response I get did not address my question; it only told me how to cancel a future renewal. Avoid this company unless you want to lose control of your cards.

(update, in reply to the company's response to the above)
Thank you for your prompt reply. I subsequently received email indicating that you retain my card on file -- but it's encrypted, so you can't use it to charge me for renewal. This is nonsense. My yearly subscription was paid, so you have no reason to keep my card on file, encrypted or not. I ask you again to delete all record of my credit card.

FYI, here is my original email:

"You have my credit card number on file. Please delete this immediately, as I do NOT EVER leave my credit details after I've paid. Thank you!"

Here is your response:

"Please be advised that this subscription to New Scientist is paid by continuous credit card authority. The subscription will renew automatically unless we receive a cancellation request and then no further payments will be taken."

You have yet to address my security issue, so still not acceptable.

I've subscribed for 3 months and my plan inclyued printed magazine on 26th of December. I havent gotten an issue by 6 of Februray and when I contacted they told me they have sent but it is probably lost in the mail. It's 20th of February and still no issues. But I get deliveries from China on time. And again from Britain. So it is not that difficult, is it?

Count the titles containing a question mark, the words "may/might", "can/could/should/would" or anything else defining the article as guesswork, add Netflix and book reviews and you'll realize New Scientist has hardly anything scientific to publish anymore. Historical scientific data is forever hidden behind a subscription fee, where NS declares itself owner instead of the scientists who did the research. This revenue model is sick and needs to be replaced urgently.

Having subscribed for a trial period of NS, I can certainly relate to the reviews here. What bothers me big time is the plethora of animated pop up ads. Very hard to read an article while being distracted by ads jiggling around on the page. Having paid good money to read the magazine on line, I don't see why I should have to put up with this unwanted rubbish. After much thought, I have decided cancel and just by the mag from my local newsagent.

These people just don`t let go, they keep spamming after sub finished. Beware, they will inundate you with e mails and even phone calls. There is no-where on e mails that has an unsubscribe link. They are pests and I didn`t like their very expensive magazine at all. Waste of money. I would not recommend a sub to anyone

After the prices were raised I can get 71 percent cheaper - ...what a laugh!
I really don't care how much the print and the post may cost you. If you have something to share you can make a subscription just for the web at a reasonable price. In order to get information is no really need for print anymore.
Running for easy money to satisfy the urgent pleasures. You are just another bad example of covetousness.

New Scientist renewed my subscription, without my permission, after sending me a letter that stated I would have to contact them to renew. I was told that I would not be refunded, but the new subscription would terminate with the issue dated 1st January 2022. The last issue I was able to download was 4th December! This company is dispicable, I believe that is twice that they have stolen from me. Avoid.

Update:
Clearly customer services are not reading these reviews, just picking out keywords!

Update 06/01/2022:
After getting in touch with New Scientist through Facebook on 18/12/2021, I have still not had the issue resolved. I received a Facebook message yesterday and was told that they had not received an email from me. Sent them a screenshot of the email and also their email confirming when my subscription ran out. I found the thread in my deleted emails and restored it. If you are foolish enough to subscribe, keep ALL your correspondence. They seem to be working off the premise that you will not! Awaiting their response...

No information about the increase of subscription - my charges almost doubled without them even trying to send me a message. Of course, I cancelled it immediately - after years and years of being a loyal customer. You could at least respect your subscribers enough to let them know about the changes. I could have considered it, but now, of course, i will never even think about it. A disgrace.

I am absolutely shocked and disappointed that New Scientist has attempted to justify increasing the subscription to the tune of 33% on previous year's price!
And a whopping 43% increase on what was charged just 2 years ago!

I could perhaps understand a 5% or even 10% increase, but a staggering 33% more - from £55/qtr to £70/qtr.
No other annual fee of any sort, whether it be for energy, broadband, or food, has increased to such an extent.
Unless there is some huge demand for, or severe global shortage of magazine paper or printing ink, I cannot fathom how NS can justify the hefty hike.

The decision to cancel my loyal subscription comes with much disappointment - as colossal as the increase itself.
Doubtless there are many other loyal subscribers who share my sentiment.

I might reconsider subscribing again in a few years' time, when and if your quarterly fee is a little more palatable. I won't hold my breath though.

For now, I am so utterly gutted that I have to give up what has been enjoyable reading for so many years.

I paid for a years subscription last year (around £160) and I emailed them to cancel it from Nov 2021, since a lot of the items were extra.
They acknowledged, but when I looked at my N.S. account, the cancellation was from Nov 2022. i.e. They were hoping to debit me for another year.
The subscription was very expensive and in spite of the advertising on their website-
'Sign up now to get every issue direct to your inbox each month' - you cannot actually download the magazine on a desktop PC to read off-line unless you have the smartphone reader app, which, I am told by their helpline, expires with your subscription.
Whether you can access downloaded issues after expiry, remains to be seen. This used to be an up market magazine. BEWARE!

STAY AWAY THIS IS A CON!!!!

THEY GIVE YOU 6 MAGAZINES FOR £1 BUT IN THE SMALL PRINT THAT I NEVER ONCE SEEN THEY AUTO RENEW A SUBSCRIPTION I NEVER SIGNED UP TO. I HAVE NOW BEEN CHARGED £65 OUT OF NO WHERE WITH NO INFORMATION BEFORE OR AFTER FROM NEW SCIENTIST.

ANOTHER COMPANY JUST WANTING TO CON PEOPLE.

YOU THEN NEED TO JUMP THROUGH RINGS TO MAYBE GET A REFUND.

HAVE REPORTED TO OTHER AUTHORITIES

I have the app on my phone with no problems. But if I try to access it on the laptop - forget it. It's always wrong password. When I reset the password and resubmit, it says too many wrong password attempts, try later. So I try later and the same thing happens. I would've thought the Scientist bit in the magazine title might have have implied a bit of technical proficiency, but hey what do I know?

I subscribed for 1 year, using a student offer. I did not know that the subscription would auto-renew. At no point did new scientist communicate this information to me. I didn't read the magazine at all (still have most issues wrapped in the cellophane they were sent in, as my circumstances changed and I'm not at home most of the year). I definitely would not have spent £150 on a further year's subscription. I had no notification of the renewal, that they took more money out of my account, or anything. I found out only when I checked my bank account. I emailed them immediately to ask them to refund the money. I was told that they would refund £90, as this was the pro-rata refund. Not great, but better than nothing. I assumed that this would be done, as they promised. I checked my bank account several months later - no refund. I emailed them again to ask where it was. Now I've been told that there will be no refund!

I am in absolute disbelief that this magazine would treat it's customers so badly. I will never read another copy, and have shared this story with social media, so that other people won't fall into this scam. I'm now seeking legal action, as I'm sure that these scam rolling subscriptions must be illegal - not to mention the broken promises from customer service. I just never expected this from (what I thought was) such a well-regarded publication. However, reading these reviews, it seems that their good image is just a facade and they are nothing but scammers. I look forward to doing my part to exposing their shoddy treatment of subscribers!

Edit: I posted what happened to their facebook page and was promptly contacted and given a refund. So if you have trouble with these people, expose them in public to force them to act decently.