Highlights for Children publishes age-appropriate magazines and digital content for children, along with related merchandise and subscriptions. This page aggregates customer ratings and reviews to help potential subscribers understand the actual experience of ordering from highlights.com, beyond the magazine content itself.
Highlights for Children Reviews
What Shoppers Say About Highlights for Children
Highlights for Children receives sharply divided feedback, with shoppers expressing significant frustration about order fulfillment and customer service. The most common complaint centers on delayed magazine subscriptions and merchandise orders, with multiple customers reporting that items ordered in November failed to arrive by Christmas as expected. Subscribers describe long wait times (far exceeding the advertised four to six week delivery window), inconsistent communication from customer service representatives, difficulty obtaining refunds, and instances where the company allegedly denied responsibility for confirmed orders. Several shoppers mention filing complaints with the Better Business Bureau and credit card disputes.
On the positive side, a smaller group of reviewers praise the actual content and quality of Highlights magazines themselves, with some noting the publication has maintained its educational and entertainment value despite recent service problems. A few customers report that after persistent complaint efforts, the company eventually honored refunds or made orders right, though this required significant follow-up. The stark division in ratings suggests that while the magazine content resonates with families who receive their subscriptions, operational and customer service failures have created a deeply negative experience for a substantial portion of recent customers.
Customer Reviews (19)
Sorted by: Most recentBeen waiting months for a response about a refund for a Montessori play toolset that never arrived. Three months have passed since I placed my order and this company just won't get back to me. Super disappointed with how they're handling this.
Bought this magazine subscription for a friend's five year old. First magazine took four months to arrive after payment. It came with fun extras, but the next three months had nothing exciting for a kindergartener. Why let you pick an age group if the content isn't actually right for that age? Most pages need an adult and are full of stories instead of activities a young kid would enjoy. If they wanted stories, they'd buy Disney books. Highlights was so different twenty five years ago when my kids were that age. Everything changed. Called them about canceling and they only refunded part of it, despite guaranteeing satisfaction. Don't recommend this platform if you want to actually engage your child.
Bought a full year subscription to Highlights Magazine for my little one back in early 2024, but we've gotten just 2 issues so far. The real problem is their customer service only works weekday business hours, which makes it impossible for working parents like me to reach someone. Really frustrated with this whole situation and would like my money back.
The main issue I'm having is the crazy long wait for that first magazine. Right now they're telling me it'll take six weeks or more after I paid. That's way too long. I subscribed to National Geographic and got my first one in just two weeks. Highlights doesn't seem to realize that kids get frustrated waiting forever for a gift. On top of that, promotional emails started showing up in my inbox immediately.
Purchased a subscription last fall and the magazine never showed up. Tried reaching out through chat, text, email, and phone but couldn't connect with anyone no matter what I attempted. I'm really regretting this purchase. The nostalgia of Highlights from decades ago drew me in, but they clearly don't have the infrastructure they used to. Save yourself the frustration and cash and look elsewhere. This feels like a total ripoff.
I've always had good experiences with Highlights. My sister and I got subscriptions as kids, and now I buy magazines for my own daughters. They definitely have way more products and offers than back in the day, but if you're clear about what you want and ask the right questions, their customer service team is actually pretty helpful.
Never had a bad experience with Highlights. Growing up, my family got subscriptions for me and my sister, and now I order a few different magazines for my own girls. Sure, they send a ton of promotional stuff and the product lineup is way bigger than it used to be, but their customer service team is solid if you know what you want and ask smart questions.
The actual products are fine, but the customer service is really bad. They trick you into thinking you're getting something free and really emphasize the word free, then you get billed later in the mail. Don't fall for it. They're dishonest and manipulative about how they do business.
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