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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 199th among Ebook sites.
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.
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.
Rip Off!
My wife signed up for Scribd trial a few years ago. I do the accounting in the house and after a year, I took note of the monthly charges and asked her if she was still using the service. No, she said she had just signed up to try it out. I told her she should cancel because they were still charging her. She went to the website and did. Months later I noticed the charges were still coming, and told her she had to find out what happened. She called and was told that they had no record of her cancellation and could not refund her money. She cancelled again. A year later we noticed the charges had continued. When she tried to address it again she found that there is no longer a phone number to call and the online cancellation only allows for refund of your most recent charge, not previous unapproved charges. So she wrote them a letter and sent it by regular mail detailing our troubles with them, providing bank statements and demanding a refund. They made no response, except two days ago another Scribd charge showed up on our account. We estimate about $200 in unauthorized charges. Any talk about the service provided by Scribd misses the more important point that this is a company dedicated to ripping off its customers.
Tip for consumers:
DON'T!
I signed up for a free trial then deleted my account as the book I wanted was not on there. I have been getting charged for the last 6 months, I have had to go to the bank and cancel my debit card. After getting a new card and new details they some how keep charging me! On top of that they won't let me cancel my subscription! I have done it 10 times and every time they just start the account back up!
STAY AWAY FROM SCRIBD THEY ARE SCAMMERS!
Hi Luca, we're sorry to hear about the difficulties you've encountered with your subscription. If you're still being charged, this could mean either an unsuccessful cancellation or a duplicate account. We would be happy to locate this transaction in our database and provide a refund in line with our Refund Policy (https://bit.ly/2Zs4bLh).
So we can best assist you, please submit a ticket through this link https://scr.bi/assist so your request is escalated. Thanks!
I WAS SHOCKED TO SEE WHAT I HAD BEEN AFRAID OF HAPPEN.
Scribd deducted my account for a subscription and membership i have ended long ago just this morning.
I visited their website to see if i had not done cancellation effectively then, but there was no way to verify that as a had no active subscription fro all indications. I have sent a message as required to them for a refund otherwise this would be a fraudulent organisation. I had not even visited their site for three months or more until today
Hi there Olaolu, we're sorry for this unwanted charge you've encountered. We'd like to get to the bottom of this and provide more clarification. Feel free to update this review to include your support ticket number so we can escalate the message you sent to our support center. Thanks!
I will only warn you never to attempt giving your Debit/Credit card details during TRIAL Period. You will only wake up and see double charges, which you will never get refunded. And the case will be closed on the basis that 'BENEFICIARY GOT VALUE FOR PAYMENT'. Scribd is full of crooks. BEWARE!
Hi Ydiz,
Thank you for commenting here and on Twitter - I am truly so sorry for the trouble with your charge! Though we are a monthly subscription service, the first 30 days are always free! Additionally, we are always more than willing to help with refunds and cancelations. That said, I can confirm one of our agents is currently working with you on ticket number 2757765. Please respond to them there with further questions and they will be there to help you. Thanks for your time!
Hi Ydiz,
Thank you for commenting here and on Twitter - I am truly so sorry for the trouble with your charge! Though we are a monthly subscription service, the first 30 days are always free! Additionally, we are always more than willing to help with refunds and cancelations. That said, I can confirm one of our agents is currently working with you on ticket number 2757765. Please respond to them there with further questions and they will be there to help you. Thanks for your time!
I had taken a free membership last month i. E. on August'2018 and for that purpose already a sum of USD 8.99 was deducted in the month of August.
However when i tried to cancel the membership it shows that i do not have any member ship plans. WHAT MORE SURPRISING IS THAT AGAIN A SUM OF $8.99 WAS DEDUCTED FROM MY CREDIT CARD THIS MONTH I. E. SEPTEMBER'18.
Please find attached the screen shots which clearly says i do not have a membership plan.
PLEASE TAKE ACTION AND REFUND THE MONEY THAT WAS DEDUCTED FOR THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER.
I will have to approach the Indian Consumer forum if proper and immediate action is not taken.
Thanks,
DISSATISFIED CUSTOMER
Hi Abhisek - I'm very sorry to hear about your unexpected charges; most likely you have a second account with us that is connected to a different email address. Please send us an email to help@scribd.com and we'll be happy to locate your second account and issue a refund!
I signed up for a 30 day trial. I was supposed to start paying on the 13th of the next month. I noticed as I went through the books online the majority of the good ones said "this book/audiobook available on the 14th". There were very few to choose from. My friend has a scribd account and I asked her to look up certain books that were not arriving til the 14th in my account and SHE had access to all of them in her account already. I cancelled immediately. What a scam. They waive the good books under your nose during the trial, but don't give you access to them until the end of your trial so you'll pay for a membership. That's not a trial that's a scam. Made me not trust the company so I cancelled.
Hi Jenny - I'm so sorry to hear about your disappointment with our unlimited service. We'll be happy to explain in further detail about what is offered in a trial period and our unlimited subscription. Please send us an email to help@scribd.com as we'd love to have you back!
I used the free trial and this platform is just not user-friendly at all. I decided to cancel it after two weeks of the free trial. I am 100% sure I "end the membership" and I even got an email from them telling me not want me to leave. However, they still charged my credit card! I went back to my account and found out they will bill me again at the next cycle! I am like... ok, maybe I made a mistake. So I "end the membership" AGAIN. After I finished the whole process, I went back to my account and EVERYTHING IS UNCHANGED! WHAT THE ACTUAL F*CK! You will have to cancel your credit card if you do not want their service!
Thanks for informing us and we're so sorry for any trouble you've had canceling your subscription! This article on how to cancel may be of assistance: https://bit.ly/3gxxTVT. Please check that out, and if you need more help, contact our support ream via this link: https://scr.bi/assist and one of our agents will get back to you within 24 hours -EC
Have twice now found that my account had been reactivated and charged without my knowledge/consent... no customer service to take up complaints with. Stay away!
Thanks for reaching out here - I am so sorry for the trouble with your account and that you've had trouble reaching us! We can absolutely help you out with this. To get in touch, please submit a ticket via this link https://scr.bi/assist and we'll ensure you're forwarded to an expert who can help you.
How much this company stole money from innocent people who never signed up on their website? Every account they charged $8.99 every month! Nasty thieves.
Hi Grace - If you've received unexpected charges from us, please email us at help@scribd.com and we'll be happy to locate your subscription and issue a refund. Thank you!
There are no books on line. I signed up yearly thinking this service would be good and trying to get a batter rate. It is just awful and they won't refund you. Do not waste your money
Thank you for your feedback, we're sorry to hear Scribd was not the best fit for you! We're constantly growing and improving, and hope you'll check us out again in the future! If you'd like to email us at help@scribd.com, our team is happy to assist you with anything else. Thanks!
Same as everybody else here - I've been continuously charged even after cancelling my account. Doing my best to get it sorted but not hopeful based on everyone else's experiences
Hi Josh - We can definitely look into these charges and make sure to get this resolved for you. Please send us an email at help@scribd.com and update your review with your ticket number. We'll make sure to get you connected to an account specialist ASAP. Thanks!
Really doesn't work at all. Not worth it, small selection, and I continue to hear people complain that they cannot cancel their subscription. I don't have the kind of money for this
Tip for consumers:
don't waste your time or money
Products used:
the books
Hi Sean, we're happy to help with any issues you're experiencing. Please visit our Help Center for answers to frequently asked questions and relevant support articles: https://support.scribd.com/hc/
If you still require assistance, please use this link to connect with our support team directly: http://bit.ly/social-support-help
Thanks! -VG
Impossible to reach them - this is just about the only company of its type that has no phone support at all. Everand should rename itself Ever-eady as they just keep charging!
Hi Gordon, we apologize for any inconvenience this may cause as we do not offer phone support at this time. However, we are more than happy to help you via email if you need assistance - just create a support ticket using this link, http://bit.ly/social-support-help, and update your review here with the ticket # that you receive. Once we receive that information, we can have someone get back to you right away. Thanks!
UPDATE REVIEW: Customer service is very polite and they will refund you (only for 3 months though, so make sure you cancel/unsubscribe as you don't want to use the service anymore). I still think they should notify customers via an email or e-receipt that they withdraw money from your account.
Hey Kelsey. I emailed you last week for further information to locate an account. Please make sure to reply to our email with requested information. Thank you. -Donni, Scribd Customer Support
Scribd made an account using the information I provided to sirusXM, on March 21,2023. They do this in hopes the can keep charging a little bit over a long period of time.
Products used:
NONE! I didn’t even make a scribd account
Hi there, we apologize for any confusion. To confirm, Scribd does not "sign up" or "start subscriptions" for our users without their consent. We also do not have access to your personal or payment information and are not in any way associated with the company SiriusXM. 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.
With that being said, we can confirm that the subscription you started on your Scribd account has been canceled successfully and you've been issued a refund for the recent charge. Please allow 3-5 business days for the funds to be credited back to you. Your account and payment information have also been completely deleted from our system. Additionally, all of this information has been confirmed with you in your recent support ticket. If you need additional assistance, please continue to correspond with the agent you're working with via email. Thanks! -VG
I had seller account with 100s of documents for Sale, but suddenly they set all my documents for FREE, without my permission and any notice. I sent number of emails but they never responded. Its real SCAM.
Tip for consumers:
Please don't upload your documents on Scribd, they will steal your documents, restrict your accounts and will enjoy the gai alone out of your uploaded works.
In around June, I signed up for what Scribd clearly advertised as a "free 30-day trial". I downloaded only one file, a math answer key, and paused my account, an option Scribd provides to (according to them) allow you to keep your account without having to remove the subscription while not getting charged. They state that while in this mode, you cannot download files until you resume your regular account, but you will also not be charged. I don't understand all of Scribd's scam-like false advertisement as I am still currently being charged 8.99 per month even though I HAVE DELETED MY ACCOUNT OVER A MONTH AGO. All I can advice you is to NOT SUBSCRIBE FOR SCRIBD IN THE FIRST PLACE.
I got Scribd to read something for a test I did a few days later. I thought it was okay for a free trial, but I really no longer need it. Please CANCEL MY ACCOUNT: Chisom Anyanwu. It says that "Your membership was cancelled on 4/12/17 and will end on 5/1/17." I really hope that doesn't mean i will be charged until next month. I also hope that the website will delete my credit card information from its system. I really have no time, energy or money for this to become a problem. Please contact me to ensure the account is cancelled: *******@ymail.com
Hi Chisom. I've just sent you an email to request further information regarding your account. Please make sure to check your inbox for the email you have provided. Thanks! -Donni, Scribd Customer Support
Something just doesn't feel trustworthy about this company. The new audio book policy is a broken promise and it was very arrogantly implemented. And the app still has bugs.
Was promised to have my money for the last month back. I hope that will actually happen. Also, a tip for everyone, ask them to delete your banking details
Even though I unsubscribed from free trial, still got charged for 2 months of subscription. Funny thing is, I didn't even know that it is happening, because you do not send any receipts. Support doesn't answer, obviously. Now, after I read all of reviews, I'm scared that I'll have to change my card. Support ticket #*******
Tip for consumers:
Just do not subscribe to them, they are fraudsters
I never signed up for a paid subscription and they continue to pull money out of my account. I have been emailing with their "Customer Specialist" for over a month now and haven't received a response in over three weeks. THIS COMPANY IS A SCAM! DO NOT GET A "FREE" MEMBERSHIP! You'll be paying for it a year down the road when their system "accidentally" starts pulling funds from your account.
Hey Buddy - Apologies for support delay. Our team was able to locate your secondary account with an active subscription and have replied to your support email. Please feel free to reply for further assistance, we're happy to help. Thanks!
Some people say that the website is awesome with lots of good books. But they intentionally made it very difficult to cancel membership and made it impossible to get a refund past 30 days, even if they knew that we had not used the service.
I'll never support your business model, and will choose to directly purchase any books I want even if that means I'll pay more.
Subscribed to the free trial a year ago and was sure that I "canceled" the subscription right away since I didn't find what I needed.
Well I probably didn't click the hard-to-see button on the last page so I didn't really cancelled it. Had just found out that I've been billed for 12 full months.
Finally made sure that I cancelled it, and hopefully will be refunded for the last bill & not be billed again. However "It's extremely important to note: You must contact us within 30 days of a charge for a refund. We cannot grant you a refund for any charges that are more than 30 days old."
Well if it's extremely important how about making it a bit easier to read or cancel? Count me in for the class action lawsuit!
Tip for consumers:
Don't. Just don't use it at all.
Hi Keren, we're sorry for the frustrating experience. 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. We actually have a detailed, step-by-step guide on how to cancel your subscription successfully in our Help Center here: https://bit.ly/2UpEyYF
Additionally, the reason why we are unable to process refunds outside of our 30-day Refund Policy guidelines (https://support.scribd.com/hc/articles/210133986) is due to limits that are set entirely by our payment processor's parameters. To put it simply, we are physically unable to access or edit transactions that are older than 30 days. We apologize for any inconvenience that this causes. However, we can confirm that your subscription has been canceled successfully and you will not be charged again as we cannot bill an account that's no longer rendering services with us.
You can find more information, and a confirmation of this in your recent support ticket, under ticket number #3219969. Thanks for your understanding here, and have a wonderful day! -VG
For such a well known company it is quite unfortunate that this occurs. Like several others I did not expect to be billed once I cancelled my trial period. This is false advertising and unacceptable.
Hi Emma! I'm so sorry for any confusion here. It looks like what you received was a pending verification charge. It's not an actual charge; the system does a transaction to verify that the card used is valid but it's automatically voided when it occurs so the money will never process out of your account. It should be listed on your account a few days as "pending" and then disappear as if it never happened; the exact timeframe on when it disappears will depend on your bank however. It is just a method used to verify that the card provided at sign up is valid so the service can be successfully added to your account. I apologize for any trouble it's caused for you! I can also see that you have reached out to, and are in contact with my colleague Gary - please feel free to let him know if you have any further questions about this issue. Thanks! - Zoë, Scribd Customer Service
I don't know what that services I never use it at all I saw suddenness 3 charges on my Paypal Account without any know what it is, they charge me without any approval and without use that services at all.
Hey Almog - Thanks for bringing this to our attention! We want to confirm that your subscription is canceled and you aren’t billed further. If you could please email us at help@scribd.com and provide your support ticket #, we can get you connected with someone who can help with this right away! Thanks!
I have been charged AU $13.99 every month since July when I cancelled my free trial and membership. I even deleted the account and another account with these scammers just in case I was using both my emails, and STILL get charged for something I didn't intend to use beyond the trial. I tried contacting them about cancelling and why I keep getting charged and NO RESPONSE. DO NOT TRUST THIS COMPANY. This review better get me my money back or at the very least, which is what I expect from such scammers, cancel my accounts so I never get charged again. Waste of my money.
Products used:
Nothing
Hi Christoffer, we apologize for any inconvenience you have experienced. If you are still being billed, that means there is still an active account that is linked to your card. We would love the opportunity to look into this for you and get this all resolved. As you mentioned you have already reached out to our support team, please update your review to include the ticket number. We will be sure to get it assigned to a specialist ASAP.
Thank you, we look forward to getting this resolved for you. Have a great day! - MR
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Explore over 170 million documents and counting from a global community of users. Find and upload text on every topic and niche, including research papers, official government documents, user manuals, and more!
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
Hi Dan! We are truly sorry for any difficulty you have experienced. Once a subscription is canceled, we can no longer bill the account. It sounds like there may have been a missed step in the cancelation process as it is a multiple-step process on our site. Unfortunately, we do not assist over the phone or through mail however, we would be happy to look into this for you and see what exactly happened here. To better assist you, we ask that you submit a ticket directly to our team via this link: https://scr.bi/assist. Once the ticket is provided, your request will be escalated to a specialist. Thank you, we look forward to getting this resolved. - MR