Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/27/2026

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I filed a BBB complaint last month for this company because I purchased an upgrade from Final Draft 11 to Final Draft 13, and then I discovered that Final Draft 13 had serious bugs in it that made it unusable. I requested a refund from the company.The company gave me a refund, but in the process of giving me the refund, they decided to completely delete my Final Draft customer account which has been associated with Final Draft 11 for REMOVEDsome point in the future after Final Draft 13 gets all of its bugs fixed I am planning on upgrading from Final Draft 11 to Final Draft 13.However, since this company deleted my Final Draft customer account, I am unable to upgrade to Final Draft 13 in the future using the discounted upgrade price.I am still a customer of REMOVED, and in the future, I would like to get my discounted upgrade pricing when I upgrade from Final Draft 11 to Final Draft 13.However, since they deleted my Final Draft customer account, I will be forced to pay the FULL PRICE for Final Draft 13 instead of the UPGRADE PRICING for Final Draft 13.Without my customer account being restored, I will be forced to pay almost 3 times the price for Final Draft 13.I would like my customer account restored, so that I may upgrade to Final Draft 13 in the future at the discounted upgrade pricing.Thank you!REMOVED

  Business Response

  Date: 02/27/2026

  Hello, 

  Final Draft did not have Customer Accounts until January 2024, with the creation of Final Draft 13. Mr. REMOVEDwould have needed to create an account to make the upgrade to Final Draft 13, as Final Draft 11 did not require or in fact offer them. 

  We have deleted the license for REMOVEDfrom Mr. REMOVEDaccount, however, his account still exists under his email address. He can sign in on our website.

  The reason he is unable to upgrade again is because we only allow one upgrade per Customer Number. This is to avoid people sharing Customer Numbers just to get a discounted rate. Effectively, Mr. REMOVEDalready upgraded his Final Draft 11 to FD13, which is why his Customer Number would not allow him to do so again. 

  If and when Mr. REMOVEDwould like to upgrade again, he can reach out to our sales team directly with his Customer Number so we can manually override the issue described above. 

  Best,

  REMOVED

  Customer Success Lead

  REMOVED

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/28/2026

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID REMOVED, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  REMOVED

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/24/2026

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I submitted multiple times to get my email address updated and when I get replies from customer support its just saying they are closing the support ticket with no effect and just a brush off. I keep emailing them and trying to get updates but nothing keeps getting done. I can show the email chains where they keep saying the support ticket has been updated without giving me information and telling me they are closing it. even when I message them trying to get updates they just brush me off.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/24/2026

  Hello, 

  My name is REMOVEDand I am the Customer Success Lead here at REMOVED. I have attached Mr. REMOVEDmost recent correspondence with our tech REMOVED. This email thread was started on a Saturday, when our offices are closed for the weekend. Mr. REMOVEDdid send multiple responses between Saturday and Sunday, but they were not seen until our offices opened again on Monday morning. At that point, the email was responded to, and the account was updated. 

  We apologize for the frustration, but hope that the recent response from REMOVEDhas resolved the issue. 

  If there is anything else we can do to provide further assistance, please let us know. 

  Thank you,

  REMOVED

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/27/2026

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID REMOVED, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  REMOVED

   

  I was not aware of the weekend issue as I'd spent several days dealing with the issue. I'm thankful they were able to fix the issue.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/08/2026

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I purchased Final Draft 13, but there are MULTIPLE CRITICAL BUGS that make it impossible to use. For example, THE CURSOR KEEPS DISAPPEARING! It's pretty impossible to type a script if you can't see where your cursor is located!I discovered about 5 other critical bugs besides that one as REMOVED, as a fantastic customer, I spent time creating 2 different Loom videos to show the Final Draft support team all of these critical bugs in action, so they can fix the bugs on their end.Guess what?! The customer support team never even watched the second video at all, and they only watched the first few seconds of the first video.Customer support NEVER got back to me, NEVER resolved these bugs, and NEVER responded to any of my follow-up emails.I even tried opening new support tickets with them, and absolutely no responses.Then I tried to request a refund through their refund form, and nobody ever responded to me.This is truly a horrible company run by horrible human beings. I mean, what sort of a business would treat their customers like this, completely ignore their customers, not fix their bugs, and not respond to a request for a refund and my request for a refund was made within 30 days of purchasing the REMOVEDsummary, these guys have sold me a defective product, they refuse to fix their product, and they refuse to refund me for their defective product.I want my money back.If these people actually were decent human beings, what they SHOULD HAVE DONE is watch the bug report videos that I sent them, communicate with me about the bugs (or at least apologize about the bugs), fix the bugs, and possibly offer me a discount or a refund to continue using their product until they fix the bugs.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/09/2026

  While we did not receive a specific refund request for Mr REMOVEDhe is within his 30 day refund window, and we will process that refund ASAP. We also did escalate what bugs are able to be reproduced and informed him of same, and his other issues are either not reproducible bugs or edge case uses of the software that are not able to be resolved in a timely manner due to our engineering team's current workload. Mr REMOVEDshould see the refund hit his card within 5 business days. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/18/2026

   
  Complaint: 24372060
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  

  It is not an "edge use case" if the cursor completely disappears while you are typing in Final Draft.

  The software is COMPLETELY UNUSABLE if the cursor completely disappears.

  I created 2 different Loom videos to show off these mission critical bugs, but nobody at Final Draft has even viewed the 2nd video.

  Below are the links to the 2 different Loom videos that demonstrate the bugs, and the 2nd video even goes into great detail about how to reproduce the bug.

  None of these bugs would be considered "edge use cases", and I clearly outline how to reproduce all of these bugs:

  REMOVED

  REMOVED

  Nobody at Final Draft has even taken the time to view the 2nd video, and the bugs in the 1st video still remain in the product.

  Sincerely,
  
  REMOVED

  Business Response

  Date: 01/23/2026

  We have processed Mr REMOVEDrefund and his complaints have been escalated. His money has been returned and we have no further action we can perform at this time.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/08/2025

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have spent several about 24 hours trying to contact this business for technical support, for a paid project I'm working on. There's ZERO phone support. There's a page that says you can submit an email for support. But EVERY TIME I hit submit, an error message pops up. I tried signing into my account. A message says it will send a key code to my email. It doesn't! I checked the spam folder too. Still NO. The Bot is useless!!! From the previous complaints I have read here, they only respond when there's a BBB complaint. HECK OF A WAY TO RUN A BUSINESS. Final Draft support used to be decent, but now it's a vacant building. No one's home.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/08/2025

  Weve received your complaint and Ill be glad to help. The reason for your issue is that you dont actually have an account with us. FD only introduced passwords on January 9th, 2024. Even if you're an existing FD user you'd still need to make a new account and set a password. You can do so here by clicking "Create An Account"
  
  REMOVED
  
  On that note, if you just wish to use FD12, the latest version you own, you don't need a password, they're only required to purchase and use FD13. You can download and install FD12 from here:
  
   REMOVED
  
  And activate it with your Customer Number when asked, which is:
  
  KFDU-WZZG-DTDJ-9TJD-7EAA 
  
  If you'd like to upgrade to FD13, you can do so here after making an account:
  
  REMOVED
  
  Let me know if you have any further questions.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/23/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I attempted to purchase the $69 Final Draft 13 upgrade 8/9. The sale was due to end on 8/12. My computer guy was having issues trying to reinstall my earlier version to my computer after he upgraded it. I reached out to Final Draft via phone only to be met w/ a recording which directs you to contact them via their site. On 8/9, I utilized their support email site messaging tech support to no avail. Over the weekend, my computer guy successfully reinstalled Final Draft. On 8/12, I made several attempts to purchase the REMOVED13 upgrade, but was met w/ error messages (ie, Unable to place order). NOTE: I used my credit card; my sister's credit card; and my mom's credit card. Frustrated, I called both Final Draft numbers only to get a recording. I utilized their WORTHLESS bot which did not resolve the issue. No matter how many ways I posed the questions, the WORTHLESS bot did not understand my plight. I sent several support requests to both the sales and tech teams to no avail. I even reached out to an employee via email whom I was in contact w/ in 2020. Either it's an old email address or he no longer works there because he never replied back. I continued to send support requests to no avail. Eventually, I received a general email extending the sale to 8/19 because the REMOVED13 was in my cart, waiting for my transaction to be completed. On 8/18, I attempted to complete my purchase only to receive the same error messages. I called the Final Draft number 8/19 to see if I could complete my purchase via the phone. I got the same recording. I sent several support requests to the sales and tech teams which included my phone number. I requested for them to call me because I wanted to speak w/ a HUMAN and complete my purchase. Out of every support request I made since 8/9, I've never heard from anyone even though their recording states someone will contact you the next day. FYI, the last time a human answered the REMOVEDphone was in May. Now, it's a recording that automatically hangs up.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/27/2024

  Thank you for providing your contact information. I will reach out directly immediately. Unfortunately, our teams did not receive any emails from the email address you provided. We apologize for any delay, confusion and inconvenience.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/30/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  Re: complaint ID REMOVED. REMOVEDinitially reached out to me via email. Then she followed up with a call. We spoke at length; and REMOVEDresolved my issue.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  Dr REMOVED

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/22/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I purchased Final Draft 9 when it officially came out and had used the program since, until I tried to re-install it on my computer and contacted Final Draft who told me they stopped supporting this version of the program and that if I wanted to use final draft I would have to pay and upgrade to another copy.I said this was unacceptable and that I wanted a working copy of the program I purchased. I was dragged along by someone in sales for months, and have told them that this has the markings of a "bait and switch" since I bought a program to use, cannot use it anymore unless I pay more money. I want a working copy of the program I purchased without cost. Every day I am not able to use this program is costing me money and this is unacceptable!

  Business Response

  Date: 03/25/2024

  The product in question was originally released January 2014. The customer did not register the product with us when he purchased it. Therefore he did receive news on the product, which was also on our website. The customer contacted us in REMOVED2021. Apple was no longer supporting 32-bit software such as this product. We registered the product, offered free trials and extremely discounted upgrades from 2022 - 2024. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/25/2024

   
  Complaint: 21472111
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I did register it when I got it. I paid for a program that I can no longer use. I want  to be able to use the product I bought. Free trials and discounts are not the same as having the product I paid for. This is classic bait and switch, and I do not have a working product. I want a working copy of the program, or you make the program I have accessible. I don't need to purchase something else to make it work, you need to make it work. This must be resolved immediately as my files are being held hostage at this moment unless I pay more money and will not accept this. I will not let this go.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  REMOVED

  Business Response

  Date: 03/25/2024

  There is not and has not been a way for anyone at this company to assist with that discontinued product whatsoever. There is not a way to install or activate that discontinued product on any computer. Each time you have contacted us over the past few years you have been told this along with options to upgrade at a discounted rate and/or free trials. The free trial of the modern version enables one to access previously saved scripts so that they may edit or resave as a PDF. The company does not have access to anyone's script files. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/25/2024

   
  Complaint: 21472111
  
  I am rejecting this response because: REGARDLESS, you have sold a product that is not able to be used, and you are holding my files hostage. Since by your admission there is nothing that can be done about the product you have ceased to allow me to use, you must provide me with a working copy.  I shouldn't have to pay anything, and as stated, this is bait and switch. I don't think you want this to be a big deal, especially since there is all kinds of places on the internet that are bad mouthing this company for doing this. Give me a working copy that will not expire, and this matter is closed, and remains my own business.. I don't need updates, the basic program was all I used.so if you give me a working copy, whether that be FD10 or newer that will not cease to work.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  REMOVED

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/25/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  UnresolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  In 2009, I purchased a copy of a screenwriting software called Final Draft. I paid $229.00 for the copy. Recently, I tried to open my copy on my computer, but found it demanded I enter a new user number for an upgraded version I have to pay for. They have literally switched off my copy, the one I own and paid for in full, and are trying to bully me into upgrading and pay $$ to do so. This is outrageous. How dare they switch off my own property and prevent me from using it and attempt to force me to purchase upgraded software I don't want or need? I wrote them an email requesting they turn my software on again, but they never responded. Instead they sent me advertisements trying to coax me into paying for an upgrade, which I won't do. My user number REMOVED. My request is that they turn my copy of Final Draft back on, or refund my $229.00.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/08/2024

  Our legal section includes our END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT:
  REMOVED
  

  This legal document clearly states: "Updates, upgrades, patches and modifications may be necessary in order to be able to continue to use the Software on certain hardware. THE SOFTWARE IS LICENSED TO YOU, NOT SOLD."
  

  In this case, the buyer would need to purchase a discounted upgrade to our newest Final Draft 13 from their 15 year old Final Draft 7. This has already been offered to him We have unfortunately sunset the Final Draft 7 and the relevant  Final Draft 7 activation server, a common practice with older versions of software in our industry.

  We will not be able to offer him a free copy if Final Draft 13 or activate his old license.

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/09/2024

   
  Complaint: 21197886
  
  I am rejecting this response because on the site it says when you purchase the software, you buy it outright. Additionally, noting others that have complained here about the same problem, in other cases you have restored activation of their software to them. I paid $229.00 for this. You can reactivate it, or send me a new access number for the version 8 that is now showing on my computer. It is a crime to take someone's money, then terminate use to bully them into purchasing an upgrade. Apple did this and got sued and lost. 

  Either reactivate my software, or send me an access key that will work.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  REMOVED

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/21/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Back in 2015 I used their software extensively, but after finding not a lot of interest in the product, I stopped using it.My complaint is, that back in 2015 the Company states that you own the software and you can download that particular Model (in this case Final Draft 9) to your computer anytime on any computer you want, as long as it is not more than one download, as I remember.Now in 2023 I want to re-download my software (the one they say I OWN, and they will ALWAYS SUPPORT, etc., they are NOW saying WE WILL NOT SUPPORT THESE VERSIONS, and 9 happens to be one of those versions.The FACT IS, THEY WANT YOU TO BUY MORE SOFTWARE, EVEN THOUGH THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE VERSION YOU BOUGHT EARLIER.THEY WANT TO FORCE THIS ON THE PUBLIC, AND THEREBY FORCE ME TO BUY THE LATEST VERSION.THIS IS CRIMINAL AND FRAUD AS FAR AS i AM CONCERNED.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/28/2023

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Final Draft is misrepresenting services provided by the company. Charging for them then never following through with advertised services.