Description

Nature of Complaint: Deceptive billing practices, unauthorized renewal charge, refusal to issue refund for unused service. Summary of Events: I was misled into signing up for ChatbotApp.ai, a service I did not intentionally subscribe to. The site appeared via a deceptive sponsored Google advertisement that mimicked legitimate AI services. Upon discovering the charge for an annual subscription renewal, I immediately took steps to cancel and request a refund. The following facts are relevant: No advance renewal notice was provided. My first and only notification of the renewal arrived at the same time the charge was already being processed, giving me no reasonable opportunity to cancel beforehand. I cancelled within hours of notification. Despite acting immediately upon learning of the charge, my refund request was denied on the basis of a 3-day refund window — a policy that was impossible to meet given the circumstances. No service was rendered. The subscription period had not yet begun at the time of cancellation. A full refund was denied for a service that was never used. Refund denial appears to be a pattern. Other consumers have reported the same experience — including receiving what appeared to be a refund confirmation from Paddle, only to receive the same denial letter days later. This suggests a systematic practice of misleading customers. Deceptive advertising. The company runs sponsored Google ads designed to appear as legitimate AI services such as ChatGPT and Claude, trapping unsuspecting users into subscriptions they did not intend to purchase. Steps Already Taken: Cancelled subscription immediately upon notification Formally requested refund — denied Opened dispute with PayPal Complaint filed with the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov Desired Resolution: Full refund of annual subscription charge in the amount of [AMOUNT], for a service that was never used and obtained through deceptive means. Supporting Evidence Available: Renewal notice email with timestamp Charge confirmation email with timestamp Cancellation confirmation Refund denial correspondence