RADIO TIMES Arvostelua 194

News coverage is a million times better than the BBC.

Long-term reader giving up in disgust. It is now a promotion magazine for subscriber services. Most article, that I used read and rely on, are now just subscription puffs. They have just changed the layout and colouring, squeezing more scheduled services on to the same programme pages. I now have to hunt to see what has caught my eye is a scheduled programme and therefore something I might like to watch by finding the small print station information tucked away somewhere.
All in all a fast downhill slope.

I have a sub 4050703232 which ends 2nd wk June 2026. I cancelled my renewal due to costs & since haven't received any delivery since last wk & this wk. Delivery line keeps telling me I can't receive a credit as sub cancelled but can send out out of date mag. Subs line cant help saying they only take on ir cancel subs. No manager phones despite promise. Im furious that a company radio times can take my money and not give what I've paid for and are not prepared to sort it for me. The call centre is abysmal and only care about taking money. Anyone know an email of a CEO who I can contact

Why the change ? Harder to read . BBC relegated to next page -why ?

Shockingly poor customer service, forced to go through the portal and three times absolutely no response at all. Called once and they just sounded frustrated and no help. It does not match the brand image. Magazine good, though increasingly focussed on streaming so not much use to man nor beast for many that don’t have access to it all. I imagine they promote streaming only programmes as they get paid to do so.

I found out my elderly Mum was paying £128 every 6 months, despite the web site offering the same at £65 (auto-renew) or £55 (one-off). On cancelling I was offered a renewal deal of £27.50 every 6 months on auto-renew and decided to accept. However, they registered this as £55 and when queried said that the offer was not available to existing subscribers and I'd be charged the full £128 at renewal and would have to scrap it out with the Retention Team.
I cancelled properly at that point.

Further to my post of 21st April 2026. I have FINALLY RECEIVED MY REFUND!!
However this does not change my opinion of the 'service' currently being offered by Radio Times/Immediate Media.

I have subscribed to Radio Times - Print + Digital for several years. In the past, where print issues have failed to arrive on time, I have used the "Radio Times Magazine" app on Android obtained from the Google PlayStore. Inputting my subscription number gave me access to a digital facsimile of the pages of the print edition. Several issues have been very late recently but, on this occasion, entering my subscription number did not give me access.
I contacted Support, and began an email exchange with Angel Mortarino. Angel took 17 days to reply to my last email, and insisted that:
"While your confirmation states “Radio Times – Print + Digital”, the digital access included refers specifically to the What to Watch app only, and not to the digital edition of the magazine."
I replied:
"Angel
I understood that "Digital Edition" meant the app that presented the same pages as the print edition, and I believe that is what any reasonable person would take it to mean. I have seen nothing in any terms and conditions to say that it means another app that bears very little resemblance to the print edition of Radio Times. If that is the case I would contend that the "digital" element of my subscription was sold under false pretences.
I have cancelled my subscription."
The "Radio Times Magazine" app is a digital copy of the print edition, and I understood that this is what I was paying for. According to the response from support, it only covers the separate "Radio Times - What to Watch" app, which is no use to me. This is very sharp practice, and I consider it to be selling under false pretences.

On Saturday I emailed Radio Times to complain that I had received an envelope containing advertising material but no Radio Times. On Sunday morning I received a personalised reply, apologising, offering to send a copy and with a link to the online version. My replacement copy duly arrived with the following week’s copy on Tuesday. This was clearly a fault with an automated system, yet the response was immediate, polite and kind. Well done Radio Times!

Subscriptions.
RT now have changed rules on suspending your subscriptions due to being away from home, now you can only suspend your deliveries 4 weeks every 6 months.They feel that have the right to dictate when you can be absent from your home for whatever reason I for one have now cancelled my subscription

Missing delivery yet again. It's Tuesday, a pointless email about the next issue instead of a link for pdf to download.
NEW POLICY ON REFUNDS; no refunds after 14 days from start of new Subscription.
Can't even login to my subscription account.
When my sub runs out (which has been extended more times than I can remember since royal mail changed their letters policy) I'll use my local newsagent for delivery; it works out cheaper!

Same as many other users – totally rubbish service. Three weeks missing deliveries, with broken promises of replacement copies (by courier – which never happened).
Either a total shambles of an organisation, or just totally dishonest. Or both. AVOID.

The subscription and delivery service is unreliable. Radio Times does not arrive regularly on Tuesdays now, in addition, I can't access the digital version. It suddenly stopped allowing access and is showing a charge! I have written to BBC Radio Times and I'm waiting for a response, but I'm not hopeful, and my thoughts now are that I will cancel my subscription when it becomes due in July. Sad about this because I've recieved it for many years. On top of this, there is now no price discount advantage because it's the same price at newsagents and elsewhere now. Overall, I'm very disappointed and very angry at this increasingly poor service from the BBC and Radio Times.

It doesn't even deserve one star.
I can cancelled in Feb and gave my bank details on 3rd for a manual refund to be done.
Now 10th April and despite being told on 13 March it had been processed and would take 14 working days to reach my bank account, nothing has been received!!!
I have been promised callbacks and emails to no avail.
I have had to give my bank details again today and have been promised a refund today or Monday.
The callcentre is based in South Africa along with the finance department....
Why such a huge delay??? Disgusting customer service.... I wouldn't even buy one if it wasn't for my 93 year old disabled mum using it as can't manage the digital copy that I got directed to when I contacted them regarding non deliveries.
I will ring every day until I get my refund!!!
Update 13th April - called again to be told another 5 to 10 working days!!

Don't sign up to a subscription, customer service is appalling

The worst support I have ever had to the point of cancelling the subscrption of 20 + years and writing this review (which I rarely do). Paused the subs to go on holiday in Oct 2025 and still haven't managed to get owed issues restarted or a refund. It's now April 10th 2026...
Update on phone call just ended with them. After 5 months of no action I'm told they changed their system. I had previously been told I would get a refund for issues owed. I was then offered issues to cover the number owed. That didn't happen either. Today I have been told I can't have a refund and I would only get credit for issues if I renewed my subscription. Otherwise I don't get anything despite being in credit when we went on holiday. Wouldn't let me speak to a manager either...

28th April and no update or contact.

17th April sent the subscription number to you. I hope you can do rhe right thing here for an 86 year old customer and provide a refund.
Been chasing Immediate Media for a Radio Times refund since December 25. Spoke to about 8 different people all who tell me will be done and to wait 10 to 14 days and it never arrives. Rang today and definitely been promised another as they have a new system and will work this time. My elderly mother who has had to move into a care home, hasn't had copies of the radio times since early December and had paid a full subscription which we cancelled mid December. This company lies and holds onto funds and is terrible to deal with do not sign up for anything with them.

Not received RT this week. And have regular missed deliveries. Phoned them. Their customer service assistant, Gugu, refused to send a replacement or give me a refund. Asked me to ring again on Friday. By that time it will be too late! Asked for the company address to make an online money claim and she didn’t know. Asked her to put me through to someone who knew the address of their company. She said no one knows! How do they get away with it??

Who writes the film reviews?
I know we all have opinions but whoever is responsible for the reviews in the RT need to get out more.

Having been born in the early 60s I think I’ve watched a lot of films & enjoyed most.
The star ratings on some reviews are so off, I’ve come to think the author is a stuffed up person who’s nearly or already pensionable & brought up on old starchy b&w British films.
I refer to the RT for scheduling only, no longer do I take any notice of the rating given.

Since the start of this year, 5 issues of my Radio Times magazine have disappeared. Response from customer service (we will reply within 72 WORKING hours - open from 9am to 5pm so this equates to 9 days not including Saturday and SUnday which is not much good when you want to know what is on telly tomorrow night!) has been "I’m genuinely sorry for how upsetting and frustrating this situation has been for you." but no offer of additional copies of the magazine or compensation. Before the new customer services started up this year, if an issue was missing it was an easy matter to contact Radio Times who immediately sent a PDF of the magazine to your email address. Not great but I was happy with this. New customer services - offer meaningless platitudes and apologies but don't offer anything to compensate.

Another edition not arrived until 3 days into the week it is for. When I reported on the Friday that it had not appeared I did get through to someone quite quickly. Yet AGAIN I was told to download it from the app. Yet AGAIN I said the app does not work - I enter my subscriber number to "Restore Purchase" and nothing happens. So the agent sent me a link to the missing edition. Oh that is just wonderful - but have you tried to read a magazine like this on a 5" mobile screen? That is not why I took out a print subscription! Especially with eyes in their 8th decade! What a load of rubbish this whole thing is. I will 100% never renew this subscription.

I did suggest instead of posting copies they should issue some sort of ID card when we pay a subscription that allowed us instead to collect a copy from a newsagent. The shop could receive the saved postage/distribution cost as a commisssion.

UPDATE 17 April 2026 as a response to the response below from RT asking me to email them at Feedback. You have had plenty of feedback & I have already wasted enough of my time on this. After making contact with several different people via phone or email they have all given me different information, contradicting each other and the information on the RT website regarding accessing a digital issue. If I wanted a digital issue I can actually access it for free on my library app, as I have done on and off for several years. I took the decision to pay for a print edition thinking it would be a much better product for me. Waste of money, waste of time.

My latest edition did arrive on time, followed next day by the out of date previous week's edition. For which I was offered a credit against my next renewal. There will be ZILCH chance of my ever renewing.