Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  01/05/2025

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I was charged January 5th for $55.15 for an all-access membership after the free trial. I made the free trial to use recipes for the busy holiday season and didn't realize it would auto renew without some sort of reminder email. I find it very predatory when companies don't send an email to remind customers that their trial will turn into a membership soon, since companies are hoping we forget. This is especially the case during the holiday season. I did not expect this sort of behavior from America's Test Kitchen and I am very disappointed. I would like to ****** my subscription and get a full refund.

  

  Business response

  01/06/2025

  I have cancelled your digital subscription and issued a refund. You should see that credited back to you within the next 3-5 business days. You will not be billed again unless you sign up for another term.

   

  Customer response

  01/06/2025

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does satisfy my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint #********. I understand that by choosing to accept the business response that my complaint will be closed as resolved. 
  
  Regards,
  
  **** ********

• Initial Complaint

  01/01/2025

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On January 1st 2025 Americas Test Kitchen charged my debit card TWICE for an unauthorized *****. This double charge ruined our ability to enjoy the holiday. I expect an IMMEDIATE REFUND and an apology!!!

  

  Business response

  01/02/2025

  We apologize for the frustration. The charge was for the renewal of your digital membership. The account is listed under an ********** email address which is why you may not have received notice of the renewal. I have issued a full refund which should post to your account in 3-5 business days. 

  We only see one charge for $74.95 in our system - can you confirm that there were 2 charges on your card? If so, can you please provide a screenshot of the second charge? 

  Customer response

  01/02/2025

  Better Business Bureau:I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ********. Please add your rejection comments below; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered. 

  Ive attached a photo of two identical charges.  Please refund me, and cancel my membership permanently.
  
  Businesses and Customers should be civil, courteous and polite in their responses to complaints. It is important to remain professional and productive when participating in the BBB complaint process.
  
  FAQ
  
  Regards,

  *****

   

   

  

  Business response

  01/09/2025

  Thank you for sending that image -  we are only seeing one settled transaction in out system. We believe the second one you show is an authorization that should drop off and not settle. Can you please let me know if you're still seeing the second charge pending on your account? 

• Initial Complaint

  10/12/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On September 24, 2024 I received a bill for $59.95 for my membership renewal. I notified them that my membership was for $49.95 in perpetuity. They asked to see the email confirming this. After they read it they said ****** wasn't authorized to do this. In 2015 ******* gave me a renewal amount of $49.95 in perpetuity due to problems I experienced on their site. In 2023 I was charged $59.95 but when I called them and told them my rate was $49.95 in perpetuity they lowered the rate and left it at that. This year they said they would give me the rate of $49.95 for this year only. Am I in my rights that the renewal of $49.95 should remain? I've attached the correspondence detailing this. Thank you!

  

  Business response

  10/14/2024

  The customer support representative was not authorized to offer a perpetual membership. We apologize for any frustration this has caused. 

  As stated in your recent correspondence with our customer support team, we are happy to offer one additional year at your current price. 

  Per section 8 of the terms and conditions of your digital membership, we retain the right to modify the price of memberships at any time. 

• Initial Complaint

  08/18/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Ive been paying for my magazine subscription through ******* and all of a sudden Im now getting a paper invoice that states that its the second attempt to collect fees. Ive been getting this magazine for years. Theres no way to phone ATK and I have not gotten an email back. The link to pay is very basic and seems like a scam.

  

  Business response

  08/19/2024

  Hi ****,

  We apologize for the confusion. We had a problem debiting your ****** account, so we've sent you the notice to inform you that we'll need you to either login to the site listed on the invoice (which does have the look of an older site but is legitimate) or please call us @ ************ M-F 9AM to 6PM CST and one of our phone representatives can assist you. 

  Please let us know if you have any questions

• Initial Complaint

  06/07/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I cancelled my membership on 04/28/2024, and even received a confirmation email that my subscription has been cancelled. But I kept getting charged for the subscription for *** and June. I feel scammed. I reached out to support, who are not responding to me

  

  Business response

  06/10/2024

  We apologize for the confusion - We see you emailed us on Friday at 8:13 AM - we apologize for the delayed reply. We typically respond in 24 business hours.

  I see you were signed up for both the all-access membership as well as the online cooking school. On May 7th, I see that the all access membership was cancelled but the cooking school membership remained open. I'm sorry for the error. I've cancelled the cooing school membership and issued a refund which should post within 3-5 business days 

  Customer response

  06/11/2024

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does satisfy my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint #********. I understand that by choosing to accept the business response that my complaint will be closed as resolved. 
  
  Regards,
  
  ***************

• Initial Complaint

  04/20/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I bought cookware from Better taste kitchen #********** on March 4th 2024 with card # ending in 9065. It was a promotional sale. I never received my purchase.

  

  Business response

  04/22/2024

  I apologize for the confusion but you have submitted this complaint to the wrong company. We are America's Test Kitchen - it looks like you placed an order with Better Taste Kitchen, which is a different company. We have no affiliation with Better Taste Kitchen. 

• Initial Complaint

  02/20/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have attempted to unsubscribe from America's Test Kitchen emails in every way possible. I unsubscribe on their website. I use the Gmail feature to unsubscribe from their emails. None of it works. I continue to receive unwanted promotional and marketing emails from America's Test Kitchen. I unsubscribe from promotional emails all the time. I'm very familiar with the process. It is not a user error. I believe they are violating FTC guidelines and the Telephone Consumer Protection Act by continuing to send me emails when I have tried to opt out multiple times!

  

  Business response

  02/21/2024

  I apologize for the frustration. I have unsubscribed your email address from all communications. 

  Our unsubscribe link can be found in our newsletter preference center - you can get there via the footer of every page on our website. The *** for this page is ***************************************************************************************

  At the bottom of the newsletter page is a button marked "Unsubscribe from all email communication from America's Test Kitchen."

• Initial Complaint

  02/18/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Recently received an email from americas test kitchen about an upcoming reoccurring payment. I didnt even realize I had a subscription from 2022 after a free trial. I have tried for days to cancel on the website and every single time, the perfectly working website, stops working the moment you click cancel my membership. Ive tried to cancel on different computers on several different days, every time it doesnt work. Its obvious that americas test kitchen offers an option to cancel your membership, but doesnt actually allow you to. It seems it should be illegal. If nothing else its a really dirty business practice. If you call customer service they just leave you on hold until you cant take it anymore. They dont even let you remove your credit card information from payments, another thing I cant believe is legal. Its all a trap. Would love to have subscription canceled before Im billed again, wish they couldnt get away with this. Thanks

  

  Business response

  02/20/2024

  We apologize for the error. Our web team is working to ensure that every customer who attempts to cancel online can do so. I do see that you spoke to our customer support team via email on 2/19/24 and your account was successfully cancelled. You will not be billed again unless you sign up for another term. We apologize for any frustration this experience has caused. 

• Initial Complaint

  01/28/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  On 11/27/22, I ordered 2 copies of a book called "Best of America's Test Kitchen 2023" for a holiday gift. Apparently, when I ordered those two book, I enrolled in "club" where I would receive a copy of Best of America's Test Kitchen every year, indefinitely. This is a very unethical, deceptive practice that I've NEVER come across on the internet. When I received the **** copy on 9/28/23, I thought it was by mistake and I contacted them at the email address listed on the invoice so that I could promptly return it and resolve it. I never received a reply. I then followed up on 11/24/23, with a call to their customer service representative who insisted that they were in the right because I, by purchasing the book, had enrolled in their "club." The representative however agreed to send me a return label so that I could return the book and have my balance cleared on their accounts. I promptly put the label on and put it in the mail to be returned that same day. Ever since then, I have received numerous past due invoices to which I have responded to with an explanation of when the book was returned. I think I've even sent a copy of the return label as proof. At this point, I believe that the customer service representative I first spoke to had no intention of clearing my balance. The company's sales model depends on deceptively enrolling unsuspecting customers into a subscription that is nearly impossible to cancel. The company should be investigated for their unethical and deceptive practices. My account number with the company is ********. The amount I'm being charged is $36.44. Attached are: 1) return label issued by ATK; 2) tracking information from **** showing that the package was returned to the address.

  

  Business response

  01/29/2024

  I'm so sorry for the frustration. I do see that a customer support representative did discontinue the annual series on 11/14/2023 but the balance was not cleared at that time. I have cleared the balance from the account and confirm that no future orders are pending. *********** some invoices in advance, so if you receive another please disregard it. 

  Customer response

  01/29/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does satisfy my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint #********. I understand that by choosing to accept the business response that my complaint will be closed as resolved. If I receive another past due invoice, I will submit another complaint at that time. Thank you for mediating this dispute. 
  
  Regards,
  
  ***********************

• Initial Complaint

  11/28/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Over many years while a subscriber to Cooks Illustrated, one of their websites, I saved out many recipes for future reference. When they changed their policy requiring subscription to all of their websites at a significant increase in price, I chose to not subscribe. Now when I attempt to access the saved recipes that I paid for by means of a previous subscription I am denied access with a webpage indicating I must resubscribe to access them. At the time I saved the recipes there was never an indication that I would have to maintain a subscription to continue to access them. From my perspective I am now denied access to material I previously paid for and it has never been indicated that I would not have access to them unless I maintained a subscription to all of their websites, not just the one I originally subscribed to of which they deny me a subscription to unless I subscribe to all of their websites.

  

  Business response

  11/28/2023

  I'm sorry for the frustration. Your digital membership is a subscription to the website and any content hosted there is a paid service. If you do not have an active membership you cannot access the content of the website. We do allow you to print and download recipes while your membership is active, but any content on the website is only assessable while you are a member. 

  Section 2 of our Terms of Use which you agree to at the time of your membership purchase is below for your convenience
  

  Only limited Services are available free of charge. To use some of the Services available through ATKs portal (the Portal), you must have a valid email address and register with ATK. To use the majority of the Services, you must enroll by becoming a subscriber for ATKs paid services.  Only valid subscribers will be granted access to the paid Services.  In the future, ATK may offer new services, products and/or features. Such new products, materials, features and/or services, including any custom work, shall be subject to the terms and conditions of the Terms of Use, as amended.
  
  Additional terms and conditions may apply to specific portions of the Site, and such terms and conditions are made a part of the Terms of Use by reference.  You agree to abide by such other terms and conditions.  If there is a conflict between the Terms of Use and the terms posted for or applicable to a specific portion of the Site, the latter terms shall control with respect to your use of that portion of the Site.
  

  Customer response

  11/28/2023

  Better Business Bureau:I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ********. Please add your rejection comments below; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered. 

  At the initial time I switched from paper to digital Cooks Illustrated was the primary website and to the best of my knowledge I was never informed that saved recipe access was dependent on a continuous subscription. If I had been informed, I would have downloaded all the recipes I desired to be saved, rather than saving them on their website. In the succeeding years Americas Test Kitchen has become the primary website with Cooks Illustrated a subcatagory. To the best of my knowledge I was never informed or agreed to have my saved recipies dependant on a subscription to their 3 websites. If they have proof that I agreed to such conditions, I invite them to prove it by providing evidence that I agreed to the  policy that saved recipes were dependent on a subscription to all 3 of their websites. 
  Businesses and Customers should be civil, courteous and polite in their responses to complaints. It is important to remain professional and productive when participating in the BBB complaint process.
  
  FAQ
  
  Regards,

  *****

   

   

  

  Business response

  11/29/2023

  I'm sorry for the confusion. Your digital membership is a subscription service - it does not give you unlimited access to our content for all time. While you are a paying member, you have full access to all content on the site and the ability to download and print recipes. Once you terminate your membership with us, you no longer have access to our content. Please review the terms of use you agreed to at the time of purchase. ****************************************************************************************************

  Section 2 of our terms of states:

  2. GENERAL
  

  Only limited Services are available free of charge. To use some of the Services available through ATKs portal (the Portal), you must have a valid email address and register with ATK. To use the majority of the Services, you must enroll by becoming a subscriber for ATKs paid services.  Only valid subscribers will be granted access to the paid Services.  In the future, ATK may offer new services, products and/or features. Such new products, materials, features and/or services, including any custom work, shall be subject to the terms and conditions of the Terms of Use, as amended.

  
  Additional terms and conditions may apply to specific portions of the Site, and such terms and conditions are made a part of the Terms of Use by reference.  You agree to abide by such other terms and conditions.  If there is a conflict between the Terms of Use and the terms posted for or applicable to a specific portion of the Site, the latter terms shall control with respect to your use of that portion of the Site.

  
  You covenant and agree to cooperate promptly, openly and fully with ATK and its agents, attorneys and designees in connection with any investigation regarding any registration or the use of the Site, the Services and any information provided by ATK in connection therewith.

  Customer response

  11/29/2023

  Better Business Bureau:I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ********. Please add your rejection comments below; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered. 

  [You must provide details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution.  If you do not enter a reason for your rejection, your complaint will be closed as Answered.]
  
  Businesses and Customers should be civil, courteous and polite in their responses to complaints. It is important to remain professional and productive when participating in the BBB complaint process.
  

  At the time I subscribed the 3 sites were treated as separate websites. I only subscribed to Cooks Illustrated, not Americas Test Kitchen (ATC). Most of the saved recipes were saved under Cooks Illustrated and I was never exposed to such an agreement or I would have downloaded them instead of saved them. From my perspective ATC changed the the terms of use after I had originally saved the recipes which most of them were saved before 2019 and many in 2017. I regard this behavior as 'bait and switch' tactics. Additionally they no longer allow subscriptions to a single website but customers are forced to subscribe to all 3 at an additional cost. There are financial reasons for them to do this as the majority of recipes are created under the banner of Cooks Illustrated and then duplicated on the other 2 websites. So in essence customers are paying for 3 websites but 2 of the are mostly duplicates. This amounts to a marketing trick to charge more for access to 3 sites of which 2 of them are mostly duplicates of one of the sites. I find this behavior to be preditory and deceitful which I why I choose to no longer subscribe or purchase their products. Additionally their *** cooking shows have been essentially transfomed into infomercials to promote their websites as one has to go to their website to obtain the details of a recipe and the marketed free access is short lived as many of their shows are repeats that show recipes that are no longer accessable for free. 
  
  Regards,

  *****

   

   

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩