• Classmates

Classmates

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Overview

Classmates has a rating of 1.4 stars from 165 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. Reviewers complaining about Classmates most frequently mention credit card, customer service, and automatic renewal problems. Classmates ranks 613th among Social Network sites.

  • Service
    61
  • Value
    59

This company responds to reviews on average within 5 days

Positive reviews (last 12 months): 0%
Positive
0
Neutral
0
Negative
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How would you rate Classmates?
Top Positive Review

“Ripoff, abusing people wanting to connect, they are a disease”

Mike P.
8/20/23

Oh friendly until they get your CC info then it's over. Obscure directions to cancel which leads you to a screen that they ask you to select auto renewal to cancel which you just selected auto renewal. These people are the low of the low. I have dealt with blatant thieves before, the only thing they are missing is a gun in your face. Please people avoid at all costs or join the herd trying to stop them from robbing you blind. As several others have stated in reviews now I go to bank and either stop payments at $35.00 per month or change account numbers to stop this nest of rodents Mike P Texas

Top Critical Review

“Blowing Smoke Up My...”

Jim M.
11/10/24

I was OK with the site and have been a member for a few years, but things have changed. Why they have to continually change the format and add/remove features is beyond me - but maybe it simply justifies their overpriced fee. They changed things and I cannot post as I had in the past. Under "NOTES", it shows I have 5,000 characters available to post what's on my mind - typically life's update. The change only lets me type 200 characters and it stops. I have contacted the help people 4 times about this and I simply get a follow-up email each time from a different person stating they are working on it. I think it has been near 3 months and no resolve - just a generic response just like the ones I see here from Classmates. Sorry to disconnect from some class mates, but the subscription is too much for what I use it for and the IT department hasn't a clue on how to fix a program issue - one they surely made when "upgrading" the site to provide me with a better experience. Does anyone know what "less is more" or "keep it simple" means anymore?

Reviews (165)

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Reviews that mention popular keywords

credit card (21) customer service (21)
Thumbnail of user davidm7372
Arizona
1 review
0 helpful votes
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May 3rd, 2022

Classmates.com recently increased their membership fee from $36.00 to $96.00 for a 2-year membership. This is a 167% increase.
When I saw this appear on my credit card 3 days after they automatically charged me, I called classmastes.com to cancel the service and request a refund.
I was told they do not give refunds.
This is TERRIBLE customer service.
I don't recommend doing business with this company.

Tip for consumers:
Do NOT sign-up for AUTOMATIC RENEWAL!
Unlike legitimate businesses that care about customer service, these folks will NOT give you a refund.
They increased their fee 167% and are laughing to the bank.

Products used:
This is an online service for contacting former classmates.

Service
Value
Thumbnail of user sharonm3132
Minnesota
1 review
4 helpful votes
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May 15th, 2023

Classmates is not like they advertise, really no information about your classmates, site hard to navigate.
If you do subscribe they automatically renew your subscription without your consent withb no refunds. Extremely rude staff. They really border on being a scam outfit. From their response to customers you are valued. Its pay for nothing. My advice do not bother with them.

Service
Value
Thumbnail of user waynew43
Georgia
1 review
6 helpful votes
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December 14th, 2016

I payed classmates to try it. It is very very slow. I did not like it at all crappy. Thin they swiped my credit card with out my permission. Could not get an answer why and they doubled the amount. I advise people to stay away they are low class these.

Thumbnail of user wh80
Texas
1 review
1 helpful vote
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October 4th, 2022

After receiving offers from this website, I took an introductory offer for $3.50 but the website didn't mention anything about recurring charges. Now they've charged me $7.58 for another month. I called and they wouldn't remove the charge. It's barely worth that introductory offer.

Service
Value
Thumbnail of user rickv152
GB
1 review
11 helpful votes
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August 20th, 2021

I initially signed up because I wanted to replace my high school yearbook. Filled in my profile and even uploaded pictures. Received numerous emails where the site indicated that I had former classmates visit my profile. When I viewed it they said that Ellen R…… had reviewed my profile I knew that she died 37 years ago in an auto accident. When they said my brother (who passed away 3 years ago) visited, I was finished. Attempted to call them to cancel. Sat on hold on the phone for an hour. No one ever picked up. Why do they feel that they have to lie to create activity.

Thumbnail of user anthonyp143
New York
2 reviews
13 helpful votes
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July 23rd, 2019

They show the same pictures over & over again! Then say click to see who checked on u. Then only names are blanked out only way to see is to pay more money! Then looking fkr someone in another school, I'm in that school section but then wants me to enter the school, location info all over again! Can never find a fellow student just seems to come up randomly! Search is a vicious circle!

Thumbnail of user mountains1
West Virginia
114 reviews
243 helpful votes
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October 16th, 2019

... and here is why:

Back in the nineties the concept of social media and group online hangouts were new. At its inception classmates.com was great... and I did use it to catch up with old friends and foes from back in the day. Five stars at that time.

Fast forward... Facebook and other online gathering places eclipsed Classmates -- leaving it in the dust. All the while Classmates started asking for more and more money while growing too gimmicky. Now one star.

I rarely if ever use it at this time.

However I will average the two ratings of five stars plus one star for a rating of three stars for old time's sake.

Classmates, you were a trailblazer... good luck in the future.

Thumbnail of user benr60
Colorado
2 reviews
18 helpful votes
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October 18th, 2016

I joined years ago to try to link up with some old friends. I made contact with 3 over the years. There is never anything new there. If you want to look at a yearbook, they may provide you a link (at a fee).
It was a good concept but failed miserably in actual practice. There is also so much SPAM and malware connected to the site. When you click something, pop-ups appear, generally a scam that something is wrong with your computer, and for $$$$ they will fix it.
I think everyone has caught on to this scam and that's why there is nobody there anymore, and nothing new.
There are also a ton of other sites out there with different names, that once you click, thinking it may be a decent site, it sends you to classmates.com.
Huge scam and rip off.

Thumbnail of user eileenf4
Pennsylvania
1 review
5 helpful votes
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June 18th, 2015

This site gives you very little useful information and is difficult to navigate - cluttered and disorganized. You can stop automatic renewal by clicking the gear in the upper right hand corner. Go to accounts and undo auto renewal.

Thumbnail of user sethdove21
California
1 review
1 helpful vote
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November 2nd, 2023

This website is so bad, I want a refund even though I never bought anything. Everything is locked behind a paywall, plus this website is extremely useless, there's Instagram, Twitter, and other social media. I don't understand why people still use this. I hope you guys get sued

Thumbnail of user lynneg99
Lynne G. – Classmates Rep

Thank you for taking the time to leave us with your feedback. While we wish we could provide all of the information to our customers for free, we do pay to access our data sources and it costs money to maintain our website. Thank you for understanding, and we look forward to continuing to assist you in the future!

Thumbnail of user robertp3740
California
1 review
2 helpful votes
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July 1st, 2022

Membership was deducted from my checking account without my consent or to inform me Do not do business with this sham. Appealed directly to them for refund, but they did not care and have now jeopardized my health because I can't buy my heart meds for a month. Evil evil organization. Do not do business with them

Tip for consumers:
Stick with Facebook or some other social media site

Products used:
Classmate contacts

Service
Value
Thumbnail of user tims1317
Colorado
1 review
2 helpful votes
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February 2nd, 2022

Total waste of money! I signed up out of curiosity about some former classmates. Couldn't access any of them, visitors to me were blurred out (unless I paid more), difficult if not impossible to add material. Save your money and time…

Thumbnail of user sandrap1695
Texas
1 review
1 helpful vote
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July 6th, 2022

Terrible customer service, website very unsophicated, automatic renewal for a year which classmates refuses to refund, claims they gave notice of renewal amounts via email a month before renewal charges which l never could find, they email constant messages unrelated to my class several times a day, not worth the money, very sneaky the way they charge us for another year, very unethical company!

Service
Thumbnail of user ruthannes
Arizona
2 reviews
7 helpful votes
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July 12th, 2022

Just got charged $96 on my charge for a site I haven't used in a year. When I contacted them to cancel, they charged anyway. Then when I called I was put on hold for 43 minutes and told sorry, not sorry, we have a no refund policy.

Tip for consumers:
don't

Products used:
not applicable

Service
Value
Thumbnail of user edc683
Missouri
1 review
2 helpful votes
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September 25th, 2023

I was charged for renewal fee that I did not authorize. I have not run my reunions now for over a year when I contacted the company all they did was read from a script and recite they have a no refund policy even though my subscription renewed today they will not refund the $60. This is a scam company.

Thumbnail of user lynneg99
Lynne G. – Classmates Rep

Thank you for taking the time to provide this review. Please visit https://help.classmates.com/hc/en-us/articles/15833429432461-What-is-the-Classmates-com-Refund-Policy- to review information regarding automatic renewal. If you believe you have been charged in error please reach out to our support team so we can look into this further for you: https://help.classmates.com/hc/en-us/requests/new

Thumbnail of user josephm3621
New Jersey
1 review
1 helpful vote
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December 30th, 2022

Kept in touch with multiple high school associates from class of 1975. Also contacted others from graduating classes near 1975. Attended a December 2022 reunion, in Chicago Ridge area, with ROTC graduates and families. With pandemic and decrease in social gatherings in 2021 was glad to maintain friendships over the years. Looking forward to another larger high school reunion in 2023.

Thumbnail of user k.bb
Texas
1 review
1 helpful vote
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July 20th, 2022

I agee with poor customer service, they lure you with an initial trial subscription price then automatically assume your satisfied and bill you after the trial period at substantially higher fee. Foget about speaking to a supervisor. PayPal will not come to your aid either if you chose them as your payment method. Stay away from this company.

Thumbnail of user glenne141
South Carolina
1 review
2 helpful votes
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March 20th, 2022

I ordered a year book reprint for one that I had not originally purchased. Then I read all these bad reviews and felt I had just been taken for a bad ride. To my surprise within a few days i received a shipping notification and the book showed up at my northern home. I flew up there and inspected same and found that it was what I expected with quality commensurate with a reprint. Possibly they are trying to rebuild their reputation but I must be honest and call a spade a spade! Eveland from Cleveland.

Tip for consumers:
They did what they said.

Products used:
Yearbook reprint

Service
Value
Thumbnail of user vickib575
California
1 review
1 helpful vote
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July 29th, 2022

The money was taken out of my account to renew and when I requested a refund they said they don't give refunds. I did change the auto pay to not happen again. Just beware- no refunds. Not worth the $60 a year.

Thumbnail of user j.c.palmer
Ohio
1 review
4 helpful votes
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September 13th, 2023

When my account automatically renewed in 2021, I called to cancel it. Much to my surprise, they auto renewed it again, today, in 2023. The renewal notice went to an email address that I no longer use, so I didn't find out about the renewal until it showed up in my PayPal account. I called Classmates today, the same day that the renewal went through, but they are refusing to refund my money and claim that they have no record of a prior cancellation. I have not used Classmates since I cancelled my membership in 2021.

Service
Value
Thumbnail of user lynneg99
Lynne G. – Classmates Rep

Thank you for taking the time to provide this review. Please visit https://help.classmates.com/hc/en-us/articles/15833429432461-What-is-the-Classmates-com-Refund-Policy- to review information regarding automatic renewal. If you believe you have been charged in error please reach out to our support team so we can look into this further for you: https://help.classmates.com/hc/en-us/requests/new

Thumbnail of user milomn
Missouri
1 review
5 helpful votes
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August 24th, 2022

Was charged a $60 renewal fee for a service I ended almost year ago. Tried to resolve on their site but kept telling me they had no info on me at all. PayPal would not refund because I have no cancelation info. Called classmates & waited over an hour on hold to be told there is nothing they can do for me. Stay away from this site. Total waste of time & money! I suggest reporting them to BBB. Not that it will do me any good but enough people report them, maybe they will be shut down!

Thumbnail of user ana33
California
1 review
3 helpful votes
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July 16th, 2023

AVOID
this sham company! Classmates is the most unethical website out there. They renewed my subscription after I canceled it a month earlier on the phone. The credit card company sided with the company because I had no documentation of the call. Check it out on the web...very poor scores. Let's initiate a class action lawsuit! BUYERS BE AWARE!

Tip for consumers:
If you check out the history of classmates.com on the internet, you will find that many others have had very negative experiences. Various rating services have given Classmates a score of below !.5 out of 5.

Service
Value
Thumbnail of user lynneg99
Lynne G. – Classmates Rep

We are sorry to hear you did not enjoy your experience with Classmates. Please reach out to our Member Care Team for further assistance with your concerns: https://help.classmates.com/hc/en-us/requests/new

Thumbnail of user kayb596
Missouri
1 review
3 helpful votes
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November 14th, 2023

I got on Classmates years ago but always just used the free version. It wasn't very useful. They were always sending me emails about people who were not in my class and most I had never heard of. I never signed up for any payment option. Then one day I got a notice from PayPal that they had paid $96 to Classmates! I contacted PayPal and they said it was a recurring charge that I had signed up for. I had not! PayPal was not very helpful. They said there was nothing they could do until they contacted Classmates. I called my credit card company and they credited my account immediately and sent me a new card with different numbers. I have cancelled my Classmates account. I would like to cancel my PayPal account but they won't let me because they consider this an "open claim". This all happened six months ago. They said they can't close it until they hear back from Classmates!

Service
Value
Thumbnail of user lynneg99
Lynne G. – Classmates Rep

Thank you for taking the time to provide this review. Please visit https://help.classmates.com/hc/en-us/articles/15833429432461-What-is-the-Classmates-com-Refund-Policy- to review information regarding automatic renewal. If you believe you have been charged in error please reach out to our support team so we can look into this further for you: https://help.classmates.com/hc/en-us/requests/new

Thumbnail of user averyk55
Washington
2 reviews
7 helpful votes
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April 24th, 2022

Make sure you cancel with your payment source. I canceled with them right after I signed up and they billed me again. When I tried to reverse the charges through PayPal I lost because I didn't have a confirmation from the cancellation. Even after canceling it the second time there was still no confirmation so I removed permission for them to seek payment through PayPal. Their customer service kept saying the same things over and over instead of reading what I had previously written.

Tip for consumers:
Their very poor reputation.

Products used:
None.

Service
Value
Thumbnail of user jamesl4057
Minnesota
1 review
2 helpful votes
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March 30th, 2023

I am 87 years old and all of my classmates are deceased and they charged me 21.60 in march of 2023 saying I had enrolled in December and it was up to me to tell them I no longer wanted to be a member. They refused to refund my money. They are not to be trusted at all!

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Join Classmates.com for Free! Reconnect with high school friends, browse the biggest database of online yearbooks and/or plan high school reunions.

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Thumbnail of user lynneg99
Lynne G.
Typically responds within 5 days

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