• 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 199th 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)

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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 nannettec8
New Jersey
1 review
4 helpful votes
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January 29th, 2019

I joined Scribd to have unlimited access to Audiobooks. It seemed great so many choices. I went to get a new Audiobook and was shocked to find I had very little options. I though there was an issue with the website until I tried the next day and got the same. I tried to search for Janet Evanovich No Results when I was logged in so I logged out and searched and there are 77 choices. See my attached picture. I did send 2 messages to them and have not heard back

Thumbnail of user jerryg31
Scribd S. – Scribd Rep

Hi Nannette - I'm really sorry for the inconvenience with temporarily unavailable titles not coming up in your search results! Our search system does "hide" titles that are not immediately available, however it's designed to show "top results" so if you're searching for the exact book title it should appear in the top results row. If you have further questions or need help with anything, please send us an email to help@scribd.com. Thank you!

Thumbnail of user rickya17
Colorado
1 review
3 helpful votes
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July 9th, 2016

Horrible customer service. Book credits were lost because I had a family emergency and did not use them and customer service would not restore them. They take weeks even months to respond to you and the library does not specifically label what books you own and which you do not.

Thumbnail of user jerryg31
Scribd S. – Scribd Rep

Hi Ricky! I'm so glad that our support manager Allison was able to assist you with this and resolve the issues you were experiencing with your credits. Please let us know if you have any other questions or concerns. Thanks again! - Zoë, Scribd Customer Support

Thumbnail of user annat280
Spain
1 review
1 helpful vote
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June 19th, 2020

Very bad, I could not contact with due to my payment problem, really really bad.

I did a wrong payment, but when I realized this I contact them immediately, try to solve it as well as cancel my full membership, but instead of answering me, they ignore me, I did not receive any reply from them, I tried to contact with them many times. As I read the policy, I can take a refund within 30 days since they day that is charged
So frustrating!
Maybe I lost my money from them.
I just want to receive email from them to explain about it, and get my refund

Thumbnail of user jerryg31
Scribd S. – Scribd Rep

Hi Anna, we're so sorry for the cancellation troubles and delay in responding. We've recently received a higher than normal amount of ticket requests and are working through them as fast as possible. With that being said, please update your review with your ticket number and we'll be able to locate it and get this taken care of for you right away. Thanks!

Thumbnail of user pelf
Turkey
1 review
3 helpful votes
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January 31st, 2018

I had to close my US bank account, and all of a sudden they charged me and the bank charged me with an overdraft fee. When i looked closer to my transaction i have noticed that they have been charging me for 14 months! I contacted them, so far they only refunded one months subscription. I contacted them again, no answer yet. They literally stole my money, i even didnt use their service. I want my money back, they should have been restricted doing this to people, earning money is not easy! Ticket # *******

They refunded 4 month out of 14 months fee, all of which is taken from my account without a notification. I ask for a full refund, i still ask for 80 dollars more, this is really unbelievably annoying. Please refund me fully. I never used your service.

Thumbnail of user jerryg31
Scribd S. – Scribd Rep

Hi Pel - I'm very sorry to hear this. It looks as though the agent has responded and provided you with an additional 90 days' refund. If you have any further questions, please reply to the agent's email.

Thumbnail of user ianm11
Australia
140 reviews
751 helpful votes
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July 2nd, 2011

Enter at own risk. According to Norton Safe-web, McAfee SiteAdvisor & WOT the site is unsafe. The site has many ethical issues (illegal copyright content), malware and it does spam. I have also had my own problems with this site, thus I don't recommend it.

Thumbnail of user mindys142
Nebraska
1 review
0 helpful votes
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March 28th, 2022

I, too, signed up for a free trial month. I canceled my account BEFORE the 30 days was up. Then I got charged anyway. I tried to email them but I can't contact them without signing into my account, which I canceled. I am lucky in that I signed up with my Paypal and could go in and cancel the recurring payment. I'm still out the $10 bucks they already charged me, though. Such a pain.

I see the responses that Scribd has made to similar complaints. Your response is worthless, you can't do anything without signing in and we can't sign in if we've canceled the account.

Thumbnail of user jerryg31
Scribd S. – Scribd Rep

We apologize for any confusion. You can absolutely contact us without an active subscription. If you need to email us, please do so via this link: https://scr.bi/assist otherwise, thanks for your time and have a good day -EC

Thumbnail of user cheyennes4
New Jersey
1 review
7 helpful votes
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May 11th, 2016

I have sent two emails to them in regards to getting a refund for a charge on a monthly subscription that I for sure thought I had cancelled. I still haven't gotten a response and I am getting very frustrated. I simply cannot get a response and if we MUST contact them within 30 days, my time is thinning and so is my refund. I understand they get swamped with emails, but this is not okay and my patience is drawing a line.

Thumbnail of user jerryg31
Scribd S. – Scribd Rep

Hi Cheyenne, I'm happy to see that your refund was issued on Thursday May 12th, 2016. Please let us know if you have any other questions or concerns. Thanks again! - Zoë, Scribd Customer Support

Thumbnail of user josephe27
Maryland
1 review
12 helpful votes
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June 9th, 2016

I really hate how confusing it is to cancel their membership. You think you've cancelled but it takes two more steps after choosing cancel membership to make it work. Really feel cheated by this company.

Thumbnail of user mercyz2
Missouri
1 review
1 helpful vote
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September 18th, 2020

I haven't used scribd in a long time since 2019. I cancelled my subscription in 2019 and this month September 2020 l realized l have been getting charged for services l no longer use. Since May 2020 till this month Seotember they have been charging me. I have asked for my refund they said they can't find my info. They asked for more info abd l sent them screen shots and all they asked for, then after that they went silent. I have realized l am not the only one who has gone through this and I want you guys who have once used their services and cancelled to check your bank statements you might be shocked that they are taking money out of your bank account too. I need my refund and l will keep complaining because this is not right you can't take advantage of people like that.

Thumbnail of user jerryg31
Scribd S. – Scribd Rep

Thank you for letting us know and I apologize for any delay from support! We are currently experiencing an extensive backlog of tickets, which is delaying our response time from support. However, we can absolutely escalate your ticket forward to get you a faster reply. Please update here with your ticket number and we'll help you find your account ASAP

Thumbnail of user johns1378
Canada
1 review
4 helpful votes
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July 13th, 2016

Was enticed to join after reading a couple of chapters of a book on their site for free and wishing to continue. Turns out the rest of the book isn't on their site. What a con.
Now I'm going to go to Paypal and make sure no payments come out as it was allegedly a free trial. And as to your answer to my complaint I just don't buy it. It appears your server locked on to my search for this book then lured me in with a couple of chapters. I mean who would go to the bother of sticking two chapters of a book online and nothing else?

Thumbnail of user jerryg31
Scribd S. – Scribd Rep

Hi John! I'm sorry for the trouble here, it sounds like you accessed one of our documents uploaded and maintained by a member rather than one of our books from a publisher. We're more than happy to ensure that your free trial is canceled! Please email us at help@scribd.com and we can assist. Thanks! - Zoë, Scribd Customer Support

Thumbnail of user brianw206
Pennsylvania
1 review
6 helpful votes
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March 27th, 2018

I can't believe Scribd wanted me to pay for a manual for my gas stove. I downloaded it for free from another site. It's like this site steals content then wants you to pay for it. I will write as many negative reviews as possible.

Tip for consumers:
Avoid this site.

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

Hi Brian - I'm very sorry to hear about this and I would like to get it resolved for you ASAP. Please send us an email to help@scribd.com with the subject line ATTENTION: JAMES and I will personally resolve this. Thank you!

Thumbnail of user nidhia2
India
1 review
1 helpful vote
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April 25th, 2017

I want my account cancelled. User name is *******@rediffmail.com. Scribd has been charging me without my consent. I have cancelled my account twice in past four months, but still got shocked to see myself being charged yet again! Why do you guys have like 6 step process for cancellation and only 1 button to resume cancellation? This sounds like an elaborate scam process to me.

Thumbnail of user jerryg31
Scribd S. – Scribd Rep

Hi Nidhi. I'm sorry to hear about this. I've located your ticket and have responded with more information regarding your account and refunds. Thanks! Donni, Scribd Customer Support

Thumbnail of user kevinm833
India
1 review
0 helpful votes
  • Send Message
May 31st, 2019

I can't understand the negativity here - Scribd is absolutely amazing and I have referred 4 people who have purchased the subscription. The price is extremely fair for value, unlimited ebooks and unlimited books, high-quality newspapers and magazines, and it's an invaluable research source. I cancelled once and it was easy. I wasn't charged for cancelling or after it. I couldn't stay away and re-subscribed only two months later. Thank you Scribd for helping book lovers like me access thousands of books at a very fair price.

Thumbnail of user jerryg31
Scribd S. – Scribd Rep

Thank you for the kind words, Kevin! We're so glad you're enjoying your time on Scribd. Happy reading & listening!

Thumbnail of user anneb197
Myanmar
1 review
3 helpful votes
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June 22nd, 2018

I did the 30 days trial and canceled within 30 days. Now I even can't log in at all on the website but i'm still charged! So my account been deleted but they still suck money from me! Absolutely unacceptable.

Thumbnail of user jerryg31
Scribd S. – Scribd Rep

Hi Anne - I'm so sorry to hear about this unexpected charge; most likely you created two accounts unknowingly or did not fully cancel your subscription. Not to worry, please send us an email to help@scribd.com and we can absolutely locate the charge and issue a refund. Thank you!

Thumbnail of user meghanm102
Illinois
1 review
0 helpful votes
  • Send Message
June 26th, 2020

I have been getting charge monthly for the several months after canceling my service. With no option of customer service contact. They refuse to acknowledge that they are still charging me no response to the emails I e sent. Now I have to go get a new card AGAIN

Thumbnail of user jerryg31
Scribd S. – Scribd Rep

Thank you for contacting us, and we are so sorry for the delayed response! While we’re excited that the Scribd community is growing as rapidly as it is, we’ve admittedly not been able to reply as quickly as we’d like to. We're working to improve this moving forward and, in the meantime, we are more than happy to help in any way we can.

That said, you should have received a ticket number email when you contacted us. Please update this comment with that number and someone from our support channel will get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks for your time!

Thumbnail of user kerric5
Maryland
1 review
3 helpful votes
  • Send Message
June 10th, 2015

The book I was in the middle of reading was removed from my library and marked "for purchase only". After almost a week of emails, they refused to refund me or allow me to finish the book! I wouldn't risk joining Scribd as there's nothing worse than having the book pulled out of your hand when you're in the middle of reading it! No fun to pay to read the first half of a book. I'm canceling my membership since I gave them a chance to make it right and all they offered was "apologies for the inconvenience."

Thumbnail of user jerryg31
Scribd S. – Scribd Rep

Hi Kerri! I'm so glad we were able to resolve this issue through further email conversation. Please do not hesitate to reach out in the future should you have any other questions or concerns. Thanks again! - Zoë, Scribd Customer Service

Thumbnail of user davidc633
Kenya
1 review
4 helpful votes
  • Send Message
November 17th, 2017

I had previously given them a one star but their Customer suppport proved me wrong. They actually refunded the money they had charged me for a free trial. Finally, to scribd, you should have asked whether we wanted to fully subscribe after the free trial. I also don't understand why you asked for our bank card numbers if the trial was free. For now, I give you a benefit of doubt.

Thumbnail of user jerryg31
Scribd S. – Scribd Rep

Hi David, I'm so sorry to hear this. Can you please respond to this with your ticket number and I'll make sure we issue your refund? Thank you! -JF

Thumbnail of user bellas45
California
1 review
1 helpful vote
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January 12th, 2019

I did a free trial for scribd and forgot about it it has been over a year now and it continued to charge my account. I agree that this is my fault for forgetting but they did not even send me email regarding this subscription after the free trial. If I am paying for this stupid subscriptions the least they can do is send me emails regarding it if not give me my money back! This isn't right!

Thumbnail of user jerryg31
Scribd S. – Scribd Rep

Hi Bella - I'm very sorry to hear about your unexpected charges. Please email us at help@scribd.com and we will absolutely locate your account and issue a refund. Thank you!

Thumbnail of user keithb65
Washington
1 review
1 helpful vote
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August 24th, 2015

I signed up for a 14 day trial and canceled on that day. I was charged 89 dollars a few days later. There isn't a number for customer service. We will see how honest they are and if I get my money back.
They emailed me back and gave me a full refund. I was pleased with the way they handled their error.

Thumbnail of user chasb22
Wisconsin
1 review
6 helpful votes
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May 24th, 2019

A family member signed up for free trial, didn't read fine print. 2 and 1/2 years later, 8.99/month, not ONE use of the service. They were willing to refund 1 month of charges.
WHAT A JOKE, STAY AWAY.

Thumbnail of user jerryg31
Scribd S. – Scribd Rep

Apologies for the troubles, a member of our support team can definitely 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 davidh1171
North Carolina
1 review
2 helpful votes
  • Send Message
July 14th, 2018

After signing up for the free membership, I canceled within weeks of signing up. A month or so later, I checked my account in account settings and it said that I had active membership plan. After seeing a recent charge on my credit card statement and looking back over the past several months, I noticed they charged my card every month since. I made the company aware of this and they indicated they were only authorized a refund of the most recent month and then they canceled my membership. Do not sign up for this service. With so many people with similar complaints, how can they get away with this.

Thumbnail of user jerryg31
Scribd S. – Scribd Rep

Hi David - I'm so sorry to hear about these unexpected charges. Most likely, your subscription was not actually canceled, which is why you received these charges. Could you please reply to this with your ticket number? We would like to make it right with you.

Thumbnail of user grunaw
Germany
1 review
2 helpful votes
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May 15th, 2019

Not a minute on their site and they already privatize content and want me to pay to see it... knowledge should be free. They are $#*! and i honestly need help with my essay that they couldn´t provide. $#*! them. $#*!ing $#*! them.

Thumbnail of user jerryg31
Scribd S. – Scribd Rep

Apologies for the troubles, a member of our support team can definitely 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 nicolep1574
Canada
1 review
0 helpful votes
  • Send Message
July 17th, 2023

I was charged before my free trial ended and I have been unable to get a refund. They claim that someone linked my info to their account and even though I have told them several times that isn't my email address, they have yet to refund me (this happened early May). I have been trying to resolve this ever since. They also take up to a week to even respond to emails. Awful experience.

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

Hello Nicole, Sorry to hear about the trouble you are having. I am happy to help get this resolved for you but I haven't been able to locate your support ticket. Please let me know your ticket number so I can look over the account we located. If you do not know your ticket number you can submit a new ticket through this link and your request will be escalated straight to my inbox: bit.ly/social-support-help
Thanks! -LC

Thumbnail of user abaddonb
India
1 review
2 helpful votes
  • Send Message
June 5th, 2018

I downloaded Bridge-Design-N krishna raju. Pdf turns out 70% page isn't uploaded with a dialog box " you either reached the page that is unavailable or reached viewing limit for this book" i have my exam and this site almost ruined my life. Somebody needs to sue this site.

Thumbnail of user jerryg31
Scribd S. – Scribd Rep

Hi Abaddon - I'm sorry to hear about your frustration with this book. This PDF document isn't a book that was uploaded by our publishing partners, but was actually uploaded by a fellow Scribd user. All documents on Scribd are uploaded by our users without approval or editorial intervention from Scribd staff. Scribd has no additional information about the content of specific documents and we are unable to answer questions you may have about the content of specific documents, nor can Scribd directly provide a copy of this document for you in full.

Some uploaders choose to include information in their public Scribd profiles or their uploads that you can use to contact them, however, we're unable to provide contact information beyond what is listed there.

If you wish to read full books with us, I suggest taking a look through our proper ebooks selections: https://www.scribd.com/books, or, filter any search term by "Books". All of our ebooks, audiobooks, and magazines are uploaded in full directly from our publishing partners; that content is regularly monitored and maintained by both Scribd staff and our partners directly - as such, we can fully guarantee the quality and completeness of content uploaded this way.

I hope this helps to clear things up a bit, though you have my sincere apologies for any inconvenience this causes you. Please let me know if you have any further questions!

Thumbnail of user jamesd109
Texas
3 reviews
22 helpful votes
  • Send Message
October 10th, 2014

Stay Away! They make this difficult to quit. They do not respond to support inquiries. This is not remotely worth $8.99/mo. My personal experience with them is poor. Was difficult to get them to acknowledge I quit. From the research I did while trying to quit - looks like many others had the same experience. BAD!

Thumbnail of user jerryg31
Scribd S. – Scribd Rep

Hi James. I'm really sorry you had such a hard time canceling. I tried to reach out to you here 1 week ago but I haven't heard back so I'm trying once more. It looks like we responded to your support ticket #619825 within 8 hours of it being submitted (on Oct 10), canceled your subscription, and refunded your recent charges. If you tried to reach us before that and were unsuccessful, I sincerely apologize and welcome any information you have about how and when you tried to contact us. Also, I included an additional offer in the private message I sent you here last week; please check it out. --Jerry, Customer Service Manager, Scribd.com

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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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Scribd S.

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