• Scribd

Scribd

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Overview

Scribd has a rating of 1.4 stars from 877 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. Reviewers complaining about Scribd most frequently mention credit card, free trial, and customer service problems. Scribd ranks 197th among Ebook sites.

  • Service
    145
  • Value
    137
  • Shipping
    82
  • Returns
    109
  • Quality
    128
Positive reviews (last 12 months): 0%
Positive
0
Neutral
0
Negative
5
130
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How would you rate Scribd?
Top Positive Review

“Surprisingly good”

Dominik K.
7/10/23

Been a user for about 3 years now and I'm continually surprised by what I can find here, from mags, through books to audiobooks. All at a bargain price, half of ehat audible charges for 1 book a month.

Top Critical Review

“Not even worthy of one star!”

J. R.
3/18/24

Joined Scribd/Everand a month ago. Their "free trial" is not free. They charged my account twice within that 30-day free trial period...once after two weeks of the trial and then at the end of it. I canceled my subscription and notified my bank of the fraud. Not only am I disputing the charges but a Have had the bank remove the card from my account so they can't continue to steal from me. I had hoped this subscription would be good...it seemed so at first. Then, I found out that not only are they fraudulent in their charges but there's a limit on how many books you can read in a billing cycle. Initially, when you search online for a good ebook subscription, Everand seems like a good choice until you actually have to deal with them. The complaints about them outweigh the good reviews and all seem to have a common thread - deceptive business practices.

Reviews (877)

Rating

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Other

Reviews that mention popular keywords

credit card (172) customer service (117) trial period (29) bank account (28)
Thumbnail of user jrose991101
New York
1 review
0 helpful votes
  • Send Message
March 18th, 2024

Joined Scribd/Everand a month ago. Their "free trial" is not free. They charged my account twice within that 30-day free trial period...once after two weeks of the trial and then at the end of it. I canceled my subscription and notified my bank of the fraud. Not only am I disputing the charges but a
Have had the bank remove the card from my account so they can't continue to steal from me.
I had hoped this subscription would be good...it seemed so at first. Then, I found out that not only are they fraudulent in their charges but there's a limit on how many books you can read in a billing cycle.
Initially, when you search online for a good ebook subscription, Everand seems like a good choice until you actually have to deal with them. The complaints about them outweigh the good reviews and all seem to have a common thread - deceptive business practices.

Thumbnail of user jerryg31
Scribd S. – Scribd Rep

Hello there, thank you for bringing this to our attention! We are sorry for any inconvenience this has caused you, and our support team would be happy to look into not only those duplicate charges, but also address any questions you may have about book availability. If you currently have a ticket open with us, please update your review and provide your 7-digit ticket number so that we can locate your case right away. Otherwise, if you could submit a new ticket using this link then we'll follow up with you as soon as possible: http://bit.ly/social-support-help. Thanks again, and we hope you enjoy the rest of your day!

Thumbnail of user jenniferd1495
Texas
1 review
7 helpful votes
  • Send Message
March 9th, 2021

Imagine how much money this company makes from continuing to charge people who have cancelled their service and go about their life, assuming that they are not being charged. Nice business model! They do not bother to respond to requests for cancellation. My account shows "no active membership" when I log in - but they just keep charging away! Had to report the issue through PayPal to block their continued charges.

Tip for consumers:
Just don't use it. If they keep charging you - cancel your card or go through your bank or PayPal to block their charges.

Service
Value
Quality
Thumbnail of user jerryg31
Scribd S. – Scribd Rep

Hi Jennifer, thanks for reaching out. We sincerely apologize for any confusion with your Scribd membership and the cancellation process. To clarify, it is absolutely impossible for us to bill a canceled account as it is no longer rendering services with us. This means that any charges you're seeing are associated with either a duplicate account or unsuccessful cancellation. We actually have a detailed, step-by-step guide on how to cancel your subscription in our Help Center here: https://bit.ly/2UpEyYF

If you still need assistance, we're more than happy to help with a cancellation and refund for you, so please use this link to connect with our support team directly and a specialist will follow up ASAP: https://scr.bi/assist
Feel free to update your review with your ticket number as well so we can escalate this and get it resolved for you. Thanks! -VG

Thumbnail of user hernandezi
Texas
1 review
13 helpful votes
  • Send Message
June 12th, 2020

Signed up for trial. Deleted my account, but was still charged the monthly fee. I emailed customer service several times with NO response! Support ticket #******* Reading through the reviews, It seems that Scribd is a scam service. Stay way! If scribd is reading fix this issue ASAP!

Tip for consumers:
Stay away from scribd!!!!

Thumbnail of user jerryg31
Scribd S. – Scribd Rep

Hi Ismael, we're sorry for any confusion here. Upon review, we were able to locate a duplicate account of yours that is associated with the subscription charge you're seeing. We've gone ahead and canceled that subscription for you and issued a refund for the recent charge. You will not be billed further by us as it is impossible for us to bill a canceled account. Please refer to your support ticket under the ticket number #2745157 for confirmation of all of this. Let us know if you have any other questions and we're happy to help - thanks!

Thumbnail of user monicas181
Brazil
2 reviews
7 helpful votes
  • Send Message
August 31st, 2018

Scribd is all about trying to get credit cards for the free trial
I tried several times but some how none of my credit cards seems to work there
I received this message:
"Oops! There was an error processing your payment. Please use a different credit card, or try again later"
I tried to contact customer support, but it also didn't help
I simple gave it up hoping they wont still or use wrongly my personal information
I don't recommend!

Thumbnail of user jerryg31
Scribd S. – Scribd Rep

Hi Monica - I'm sorry to hear about your experience! Please send us an email to help@scribd.com and we can absolutely resolve this with you!

Thumbnail of user zoeyd11
Canada
1 review
1 helpful vote
  • Send Message
April 11th, 2021

I have had an account for almost a year. My daughters signed up last week. Now my account and both my daughters accounts have been deleted with no reason why. When we try to log in it says no account found with that email or username. It's bad enough that their definition of "unlimited" doesn't match the dictionary definition but I became used to that. This is frustrating especially since the last time I reached out to customer support, it took them 3 weeks to respond and I had to reach out multiple times before they did.

Tip for consumers:
That unlimited is actually 3-4 books.

Products used:
audiobooks

Service
Value
Quality
Thumbnail of user jerryg31
Scribd S. – Scribd Rep

We're so sorry for any frustration, but we want to help! If you've submitted a ticket already, can we have the ticket number please? If not, please submit one here: https://scr.bi/assist, reply with your ticket number, and we'll investigate this issue for you. Thanks- LH

Thumbnail of user perlac34
Michigan
1 review
1 helpful vote
  • Send Message
February 23rd, 2022

Scribd claims they will remind you when your trial is over, which I only used because I needed a piece of sheet music, and then they don't send any more emails so you end up forgetting about it and then you end up paying for months of service you didn't use. Paypal doesn't help you get your money back because of the terms and conditions. Very unhappy with their services, which you cannot get a hold of them by phone and do not respond to emails.
However, I could see how the site would be useful for an avid reader, which I am not.

Service
Returns
Thumbnail of user jerryg31
Scribd S. – Scribd Rep

Hi Perla,
We apologize for the difficulty you have experienced with your subscription. We can assure you that reminder emails are sent out although most of the time they end up in users' junk mail or spam. That said, we are always happy to help with the cancellation of your account and refund inquiries as long as it is within the refund policy. If you are still needing assistance, please submit. A ticket to our support team here: https://scr.bi/assist. Thanks! - Mr

Thumbnail of user hopeh111
Idaho
1 review
6 helpful votes
  • Send Message
August 25th, 2021

After forgetting about the 30 day trial I ended up paying for a month which was my fault. But now after trying to cancel for 2 months in a row, NO success. I've tried to email them and they don't even monitor emails by a human. Trying to cancel through their website just doesn't work. Complete scam and waste of time. Especially if you don't have the money to pay. I'll have to figure out something to get the $30 back that they took. I don't want to hear any excuses from them. Just want my money back :/

Tip for consumers:
Just buy the book you’re looking for. Don’t waste your time looking for it on subscription websites. It’ll cost more than the original book actually was

Service
Value
Quality
Thumbnail of user jerryg31
Scribd S. – Scribd Rep

Thank you for informing us. We apologize for the problem with your account and with getting in touch with support! To confirm, our agents are available via email and we can help ensure your case is escalated. First, please be sure to review our support guide on how to cancel here: https://bit.ly/3gxxTVT and if you need more help, please let us know your ticket number and we'll escalate your case. Thanks! -EC

Thumbnail of user garyc2047
Oregon
1 review
1 helpful vote
  • Send Message
June 15th, 2023
Verified purchase

They will tell you that they send an email out before the trial ends, but they don't. I have never used Scribd after I signed up with a trial to see how it is, and with full-time college, the sub slipped through the cracks. They are like all others, just raking in subscription money for a crappy product.

Products used:
None

Service
Value
Returns
Thumbnail of user jerryg31
Scribd S. – Scribd Rep

Hi Gary, while can confirm that we do send out reminder emails before a free trial renews, we're truly sorry if it wasn't received! We’d be happy to investigate this and stop any further charges, so can you please reach out to us using this link: http://bit.ly/social-support-help? Thanks! -MW

Thumbnail of user tinae63
Australia
2 reviews
5 helpful votes
  • Send Message
January 5th, 2019

No stars - BEWARE! Especially if Scribd has taken money from your account continually. A policy of no refunds after 30 days. Scribd returned one payment and when I emailed asking about the second payment, and also got upset, Jerry refunded it only as a courtesy. I am just waiting for it to appear in my account and then I will be scrapping my card.

Tip for consumers:
Maybe choose another free trial book site thats actually free they have taken 2 payments from my account now

Products used:
I was unable to use their free trial as site said I had entered no card details. I did download to pdfs about sw but I would have liked more

Thumbnail of user jerryg31
Scribd S. – Scribd Rep

Hi Tina - I'm sorry to hear about your unexpected charges! Please send us an email to help@scribd.com and we'll be happy to locate your account and issue a refund. Thank you!

Thumbnail of user caseyp11
North Carolina
2 reviews
4 helpful votes
  • Send Message
March 19th, 2021
Verified purchase

Absolutely terrible customer service. They renewed my subscription and I immediately contacted them to address this issue (within minutes of the email confirming my renewal), as I did not intend to renew. They were slow to answer and in a couple of instances, their customer service representatives refused to even answer but instead just marked the ticket as "completed" without any response. I've subscribed numerous times in the past but I will never consider doing any business with this company ever again. I would not trust them with my money and they have some of the worst customer service I've ever experienced.

Thumbnail of user jerryg31
Scribd S. – Scribd Rep

Hi Casey, thanks for reaching out. Just to clarify, Scribd does not "sign up" or "start subscriptions" for our users without their consent. In order for someone to have an active subscription with us, the only way to do so would be for them to sign up when creating an account or restart/renew their membership from their Account Settings page.

Additionally, when you originally purchased the trial, you agreed to the terms and conditions under the Subscriber Agreement (https://support.scribd.com/hc/articles/210129486) that stated this was not a one-time purchase, but instead a recurring month to month subscription. Scribd does not offer a standalone free trial. We apologize for any confusion here.

With all of that being said, it looks like you're already working with one of our specialists in your recent support ticket, under ticket number #3172071. Since you issued a dispute through Paypal on your account any refunds due will be handled through the dispute resolution system at Paypal. You will need to refer to Paypal for additional information on this dispute; Paypal will also notify you of any resolution in this regard. The specialist you're working with has already informed you of this and confirmed that your subscription is canceled and you will not be billed again. Please continue to correspond with them via email if you have any other questions or concerns. Thanks! -VG

Thumbnail of user matthewe175
California
2 reviews
3 helpful votes
  • Send Message
December 30th, 2020
Verified purchase

I have been a member for 1 day and already disappointed. I downloaded an audio novel and the chapters were out of order making me wonder if this was a legal copy.

I looked for Ready Player 2, a best seller, no copies at all.

At this point I am finding more available audio books at the library than Scribd. You also make sending an email difficult.

Thumbnail of user jerryg31
Scribd S. – Scribd Rep

Hi Matthew, we're so sorry for the frustrating experience. While our library does rotate as you continue to read with us, we'd be happy to taker a closer look at your account so we can provide the most accurate information on your experience. Please use this link to connect directly with our support team and you'll receive a response from a specialist shortly: https://scr.bi/assist

Thumbnail of user francom24
Franco M.
Singapore
1 review
0 helpful votes
  • Send Message
April 10th, 2019

Just today, I noticed a two consecutive months of unauthorized charges of 8.99 USD on credit card by scribd, I have no subscription and also not a member. This is so frustrating, I have contacted them thru email for about 3 days now and no response at all.

Thumbnail of user jerryg31
Scribd S. – Scribd Rep

Hi Franco - It looks like your subscription was successfully canceled on April 11th, after your last charge. We'd be happy to issue you a refund, per our policy, though I was unable to locate your support request. Please email us at help@scribd.com, then update your review with your ticket number and a member of our team will reach out to you shortly. Thanks!

Thumbnail of user thomas.kirtley
Belgium
1 review
1 helpful vote
  • Send Message
December 11th, 2023

Eleven months after my "free trial" subscription, which this scammers hit my card. They don't have phone support, so you must go through their email to inform them of erroneous charges. They wrote back and requested a ridiculous amount of info in ordder for you to get a refund. Each subsequent email I received from them was from a different person, yet the reply address was always the same - "*******@scribd.com". I contacted my bank with the proof of cancellation and filed a dispute with VISA, who found in my favor and refunded me. However be advised that if you file a dispute like this, VISA must issue you a new card. I did one better on this and I filed a complaint with the FTC, as I think that not only are they low-life scammers for this practice - which apparently is a common occurence, but they are also guilty of copyright infringment for selling access to copyrighted material.

Tip for consumers:
Please report these fraudsters to the FTC at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/#/?orgcode=TFMICF

Products used:
Scribd free trial (what a joke)

Service
Value
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user jerryg31
Scribd S. – Scribd Rep

Hello Dennie, we appreciate your feedback! Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We apologize for the inconvenience and for any frustration this may have caused. Our support team has responded to your ticket #5172534. In short, we believe we locate the account. Please continue to respond via the ticket going forward. Thanks again and have a great rest of your day!

Thumbnail of user chadw171
Pennsylvania
1 review
6 helpful votes
  • Send Message
June 10th, 2019

Out of curiosity I signed up with this site. They grab your payment information and agree to let you cancel. A practice I despise. Before the end of the trial period I logged in, and clicked the "cancel subscription" button. Thinking I was done, I logged out. Then my account was charged. I logged back in and lo and behold, my subscription was still active. As it turns out, they drag you through page after page of "cancel subscription buttons". I think I had to click "cancel" on three different pages today. Sure their FAQ says you have to tell them over and over you want to quit, but the way they have things set up is predatory. If their service was that good, they would not be so slimy about cancellations. Internet pirates. Do not sign up.

Thumbnail of user jerryg31
Scribd S. – Scribd Rep

Hi there! We are more than happy to help you with this and refund your recent charge. Please email us at help@scribd.com, then update your review with your ticket number and a member of our team will reach out to you shortly. Thanks!

Thumbnail of user mels161
Massachusetts
1 review
4 helpful votes
  • Send Message
January 26th, 2019

I never signed up for a continuing service - I never do.

They deny that I have an account - and yet, they keep on billing my card.

I have contacted them via email. They just keep hoping you will go away. Their phone number they give to the credit card companies won't provide support. They just send you into an endless loop.

Report them to your state attorney general for wire fraud. Let's get them shut down.

Thumbnail of user jerryg31
Scribd S. – Scribd Rep

Hi Mel - I'm sorry to hear about your frustration with this. Since you're being charged, you definitely have an account with us but it may just be under an email you've forgotten about. Could you please update your review with your ticket number so I can look into this for you and resolve it? Thank you!

Thumbnail of user edelm5
GB
1 review
1 helpful vote
  • Send Message
May 18th, 2022
Verified purchase

Cancelled free subscription offer after one day and received a cancellation email. I have now just been charged. I have deleted the account after being charged but cannot now contact Customer Service without logging in to request a refund. There is an option to contact without logging in but it takes you in circles. Emailed customer service but they sent an automated response to go to the Help Centre. I want a refund and to have confirmed that no more money will be requested. Cancelled the card so the money cannot be taken but I do not want a refused direct debit on my credit rating. This is a very serious issue.

Extremely frustrated and angry that a service like this can become a scam for taking small amounts of money from millions of customers who want to leave.

Service
Value
Quality
Thumbnail of user jerryg31
Scribd S. – Scribd Rep

Hi Edel, it sounds like you have an active subscription with us as we're unable to bill otherwise. To clarify, we cannot charge a canceled account as it's no longer rendering services with us. We're happy to help with a cancellation and refund, so please use this link to connect with our support team directly for further assistance: https://scr.bi/assist
Thanks! -VG

Thumbnail of user dom.kacperski
Turkey
1 review
0 helpful votes
  • Send Message
July 10th, 2023

Been a user for about 3 years now and I'm continually surprised by what I can find here, from mags, through books to audiobooks. All at a bargain price, half of ehat audible charges for 1 book a month.

Service
Value
Quality
Thumbnail of user helenb66
GB
1 review
6 helpful votes
  • Send Message
March 30th, 2016

Poor service when attempting cancel. Ongoing for over a month now. Payments leaving my account yet my request and correspondence with 'customer services' is apparently 'on hold'. No idea why! Annoyed is an understatement. Joke of a company. This needs sorting!

Thumbnail of user jerryg31
Scribd S. – Scribd Rep

Hi Helen, I'm so glad to see that our Support Manager was able to resolve this issue for you. Please let us know if you have any other questions via help@scribd.com. Thanks! - Zoë, Scribd Customer Support

Thumbnail of user yuxiz
California
1 review
0 helpful votes
  • Send Message
April 4th, 2019

I remembered sending an email asking to cancel my subscription. Didn't hear a word from them.
8 months later, I found they charged me in July and November 2018, Jan, Feb March 2019.
It clearly says that Scribd just secretly put charges on my card -- if this is a monthly subscription, why I didn't get charged for August, September, October or December?
At the end, I only got one month of money back from my credit card company.
It is a shame! Soon people will realize their real color.

Thumbnail of user jerryg31
Scribd S. – Scribd Rep

Hi there Yuxi - I was able to locate your cancellation request, where we replied asking for information in order to locate your subscription and did not receive a response.
Please email us at help@scribd.com, then update your review with your ticket number and a member of our team will reach out to you shortly. Thanks!

Thumbnail of user johnd943
District of Columbia
1 review
3 helpful votes
  • Send Message
January 23rd, 2018

Like many others I was charged by Scribd after cancelling my free trial. I've raised this with them and will see if they do the right thing and refund all monthly charges. Support ticket #*******. Hopefully they'll make it right.

Thumbnail of user jerryg31
Scribd S. – Scribd Rep

Hi John - I'm sorry to hear this! However, the agent assigned to your ticket has canceled your subscription for you and issued a refund! If you have any further questions, please reply back to the agent's email. Thank you!

Thumbnail of user chrisj356
Texas
1 review
7 helpful votes
  • Send Message
June 17th, 2019

Very underhanded cancellation process. If you think you've cancelled, look again. You probably have 2-3 more screens to get through clicking "cancel". I regret ever looking them up. I've tried cancelling 3 times and just now realized their trick.

Thumbnail of user jerryg31
Scribd S. – Scribd Rep

Hi Chris! We are more than happy to help you with this. Please email us at help@scribd.com, then update your review with your ticket number and a member of our team will reach out to you shortly. Thanks!

Thumbnail of user haim7
GB
1 review
5 helpful votes
  • Send Message
July 18th, 2018

I cancelled my membership well in advance of the next bill date, but they billed me anyway. Felt insidious as I could have easily forgotten or not noticed this charge.

When raising a support ticket, they took over 2 days to respond and when coming back, the status has been changed to "Waiting for [customer's] reply" without any actual instructions on what was wanted from me. It's this kind of dodgy behaviour that makes me not want to trust this service.

Thumbnail of user jerryg31
Scribd S. – Scribd Rep

Hi Hai - I'm so sorry to hear about your unexpected charge and the confusion surrounding your email to us. Could you please reply to this with your ticket number so I can resolve this for you? Thank you!

Thumbnail of user wyc3
New York
1 review
4 helpful votes
  • Send Message
April 28th, 2019

Very misleading. Too many titles become unavailable once you start listening or reading them. You can only access them the day after your subscription renews. Awful. Why am I even paying for a subscription if it doesn't grant me access to anything?

Thumbnail of user jerryg31
Scribd S. – Scribd Rep

We apologize for any confusion with your Scribd membership. You'll notice the catalog rotate as you read. While some titles may not be immediately available, you will never be limited on the number of books you can read! Please feel free to email us at help@scribd.com with any questions or concerns, our support team is more than happy to assist you. Thanks!

Thumbnail of user amyc2021
Australia
1 review
0 helpful votes
  • Send Message
June 20th, 2022

I did give a bad rating initially for scribd. It looks like they have a lot of fraud accounts somehow. But after putting a review on here they got back to me promptly and have refunded the charges. Would be good if they were more responsive through their customer service on their site!

Service
Value
Shipping
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Quality
Thumbnail of user jerryg31
Scribd S. – Scribd Rep

We apologize for the unknown charge and the delay from support. Scribd is a digital reading subscription that brings you monthly access to the best books, audiobooks, news, and magazines. The charge you are seeing is likely for our monthly subscription fee. We would be happy to assist you with locating the source of your charges, cancelations, and refunds, however, we'll need to locate your account first. As you mentioned you emailed us, please provide your ticket number. If you're not able to locate your ticket number, you can also use this link to email our escalated queue directly: https://scr.bi/assist and one of our agents will help you within 24 hours. Thanks! -EC

Thumbnail of user kaustubhn
New York
1 review
1 helpful vote
  • Send Message
May 29th, 2022
Verified purchase

There is no way to contact their support team, I meant to ask for a refund for a service I didn't use. I'm 3 emails and 15 days in and I still haven't heard back from them. Please think twice before using there are better alternatives out there and I'd suggest the company( if they aren't fraudulent and care even a little about their customer) please get a phone helpline or messaging helpline because emailing your support team is helpless and useless.

EDIT: I did finally get a refund. Thank you for support but I'd still recommend improving your support staff

Service
Value
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user jerryg31
Scribd S. – Scribd Rep

We apologize for any trouble with canceling your subscription and for any trouble with getting in touch with our support team. We recommend you review our guide on how to cancel: https://bit.ly/3gxxTVT and, if you emailed us, please let us know your ticket number. If not, please use this link to email us: https://scr.bi/assist and one of our agents will assist you within 24 hours -EC

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Our monthly subscription starts at just $11.99 USD and automatically renews unless the subscription is canceled at least 24 hours prior to the next billing date.
A Scribd monthly subscription also includes access to Everand (ebooks, audiobooks, and more) and SlideShare (presentations and professional content).

Please visit our Help Center for answers to frequently asked questions and the option to connect with our support team for further assistance: https://support.scribd.com/hc/categories/360005188511

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