National Geographic
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National Geographic

How would you rate National Geographic?
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New Zealand
1 review
0 helpful votes
Follow Malcolm R.
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Love the magazine but since the move to Disney trying to create and manage subscription online has become the single most frustrating and often futile endeavor across all of my many digital accounts. The easiest thing to do, responded to and actioned in less than 24 hours? The request to cancel my account once I realized my library gives me free access. Go figure.

Date of experience: April 23, 2025
Pennsylvania
1 review
2 helpful votes
Follow Olha D.
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Trying to make annual subscription I was rejected 2 times with my credit card but at the end was charged 2 times without any confirmation letter, nothing, and with amount which is not right in all ways. Web application full of bugs, such a big shame for such kind of division of Disney. And customer service works weirdly, they cannot take and process information correctly, hanging phone calls.

Date of experience: April 17, 2023
Canada
1 review
2 helpful votes
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Stupid americans
January 3, 2024

There is nobody in canada to speak to to voice concerns. Service people have all the personal information necessary to help me renew a subscription but refuse. They make it sound like i am requesting nuclear launch codes. I can see why so many people hate americans. People like me pay your wages by buying your products. Lost sale forever

Date of experience: January 3, 2024
Jordan
1 review
1 helpful vote
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National Geographic violates the UN Charter in its maps. It produces false content that appears to be an attempt to normalize illegal occupation and annexation. In this day and age, it is utterly unacceptable to abuse the influence of a once reputable establishment for spreading false maps. International borders cannot be changed by force, and humanity has proven this in the second world war at an astronomical cost of life loss. Yet, here we are again!

Date of experience: March 14, 2024
Illinois
1 review
5 helpful votes
Follow jane d.
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The content of the NatGeo digital is wonderful, but once they (i. E. Disney) get your email, you'll never get rid of them. I've opted out multiple times. Most times I get the message below and have to contact Guest Services. So I email and also communicated via online chat. Had to screenshot the chat because the request to email was never processed. The chat rep confirmed it was done, and yet the very next day more marketing emails. Even after cancelling the subscription, I still can't get them off my back.

Date of experience: June 10, 2022
Arizona
1 review
2 helpful votes
Follow Omaki R.
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All they want is for you to give them your email to look at literally ANYTHING on the stupid site. Pretty pathetic, considering there's a lot more ways to make money than just begging for everyone's email to see any shred of content; when I can see the exact same one somewhere else most likely. (If not then I still don't care, good luck changing my mind).

Date of experience: July 20, 2023
Massachusetts
1 review
4 helpful votes
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Magazine sucks
May 12, 2022

So to start with I ordered this for my daughter, she never even got half the magazines. So they extended it. Still didn't get them! So I get the email for the renewal, I cancel it right away. Well some not so smart people reactivated it and took the $29.99 out of my account. Leaving it negative. Got hit with$35 over draft charge thank you I have so much money I can afford that jerks. So I call they *re cancel * it and say they'll refund the $29.99... im like well ok not that, that will bring my account current. Got a f*cking refund of $4, not the full amount so will have to call them yet again. Worst ever magazine to cancel. Will never subscribe to them again

Date of experience: May 12, 2022
Connecticut
1 review
3 helpful votes
Follow kate g.
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I love NatGeo but digital access to subscription is impossible I finally had to cancel today. After 2 years and multiple phone calls to customer service, I could never access my account. I tried to open a subscription on line for my grandson and had no success.

Date of experience: May 22, 2023
California
1 review
1 helpful vote
Follow Devin H.
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Worlds deadliest
October 7, 2022

I dislike watching the shows on ur ngwhd because all u guys do is have zoo shows and Dr. Pole shows all day long.

U guys stopped showing worlds deadliest and Australia's deadliest so on so forth... it's always always the same thing Dr. Pole

Date of experience: October 7, 2022
Australia
1 review
4 helpful votes
Follow J N.
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Very bad consumer services. It doesn't arrive for three months now. They renew the subscription automatically you cannot reach them or access the account.

Date of experience: May 26, 2022
Canada
1 review
4 helpful votes
Follow Allan M.
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I got into a discussion with a friend and we were uncertain if Mantis Shrimp had compound eyes or not. I typed a simple query into my preferred search engine and was referred to National Geographic's web page which would not let me read the article until I provided an email address and signed-up for... whatever.
Now, I get it. They are providing a service and providing an email address is hardly a burden. I'm just sick of feeling that I can't sneeze, at a time where internet security experts are reminding us to be more discriminate while online, with having to provide anybody and everybody that asks with all the details.

Incidentally, Mantis Shrimp have compound eyes.

Date of experience: November 25, 2021
Canada
3 reviews
15 helpful votes
Follow Cin G.
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Be careful about getting a NG membership and magazine. They will harass you forever. I tried to cancel my father's membership when his Alzheimers progressed to a point where he could no longer read. Every other subscription promptly cancelled and refunded. Not NG, I had to let the whole subscription run out. And meanwhile they sent demand after demand for renewal. I politely asked at least a dozen times over 4 years for them to leave us alone. Now my Dad is DEAD and they are still sending renewal notices. They are heartless monsters.

Date of experience: January 13, 2022
New Zealand
16 reviews
122 helpful votes
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I love NatGeo
June 24, 2018

National Geographic has always been a part of my life and will continue to be one. If you're looking for stunning photos or information about the world that is relatively unbiased, this is the site that will not disappoint. National Geographic's magazines are also a must-read. They're very informative and interesting. Every photo of theirs will make you feel awed.

Date of experience: June 24, 2018
Texas
1 review
8 helpful votes
Follow Laura G.
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The National Geographic of old is gone for good. I recently signed up for a $12 digital subscription and they charged me 3 times. $36 gone from my bank account. Multiple calls and emails to their foreign Customer Service department (not based in America, shame on you) have not resulted in a refund. I found multiple complaints and reviews across the internet from people who had similar experiences. This same thing happened to me a few years ago from National Geographic. All I can do is warn other people. It pains me to say, National Geographic is now a scam. Save your money and your bank account information.

Date of experience: June 1, 2020
California
3 reviews
13 helpful votes
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Unresponsive
October 23, 2020

I have been a NG subscriber for ever. My favorite magazine by far. Recently I wanted to gift a NG Kids subscription to my grand kid, so had a question about payment method. I sent several emails regarding that. All you get is an email back saying that your email has been received and customer service will respond to it soon. That doesn't happen ever. Another comment I have is the NG subscription rate has gone up tremendously. I am not sure if I will renew my subscription anymore.
H. G

Date of experience: October 22, 2020
Minnesota
1 review
6 helpful votes
Follow L B.
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I used to really enjoy National Geographic and gave my daughter a subscription in 2018. Unknown to me they automatically enrolled me for renewal and I didn't find out until 2020 that I already paid for a subscription for 2019. She had moved half way through 2018 so I've paid for for an extra year. Called customer service and they did nothing for me. I feel like it is very underhanded to automatically renew with a gift subscription. Very disappointed in this company!

Date of experience: December 14, 2020
Canada
1 review
6 helpful votes
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National Politographic
October 22, 2021

I have never before been a subscriber, but has always been interested in traveling, nature, animal kingdom and cultured, so I finally decided to subscribe thinking I will be getting a magazine about all those. Boy, was I wrong. The first issue I received in the mail had absolutely nothing in it that interested me. It was mostly political nonsense that we've been bombarded by on social media and news. I was so disappointed, but thought it might get better in the next issue. The second issue I got was a bit better. Or at least I thought so looking at the cover. When I opened it, I had to turn many pages dedicated to political propaganda to get to the good stuff. And while there was some good stuff, there wasn't enough good stuff. In two issues, there was 90% political propaganda and 10% good stuff. I will absolutely not be renewing the subscription. This magazine is complete garbage. If I wanted to waste my time with politics, I'd be watching the news.

Date of experience: October 22, 2021
Australia
13 reviews
27 helpful votes
Follow Ming C.
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I have been receiving spam emails from National Geographic for years.

National Geographic does not verify email addresses. Anyone can sign up with email addresses that do not belong to them.

Once they have your email, they send you 3 emails a day.

Their unsubscribe function does not work, the spam simply continues.

You can contact NG to have your email removed manually but as soon as someone else plugs in your email the flood of spam resumes.

Date of experience: October 2, 2021
New Hampshire
1 review
4 helpful votes
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Junior medal detective
January 1, 2022

I am very upset about the two National Geographic junior metal detector I purchased for my grandsons! They did not work at all and my grandsons were very upset and frustrated. I assumed by purchasing a toy by National Geographic that it would of been higher quality! I JoEllen Kelly *******@hotmail.com

Date of experience: January 1, 2022
Indiana
4 reviews
19 helpful votes
Follow Patrick J.
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Been a NatGeo subscriber for many years. However since Covid epidemic and George Floyd incident NatGeo and many other iconic, non-socio biased US publications have focused almost exclusively on social and political events. I fear the editorial management staff have gone off reservation. Its a shame but I'm not renewing my subscription

Date of experience: March 29, 2021

Overview

National Geographic has a rating of 1.9 stars from 52 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. Reviewers dissatisfied with National Geographic most frequently mention and customer service. National Geographic ranks 145th among Magazines sites.

service
12
value
13
shipping
6
returns
7
quality
10