Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Scribd's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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• 

  Scribd

  460 Bryant Street, #100 San Francisco, CA 94107

• 

  Scribd

  539 Bryant St Ste 200 San Francisco, CA 94107-1269

• 

  Scribd

  333 Bush St Ste 2400 San Francisco, CA 94104-2806

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:03/10/2024

  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.

  Since at least November 6, 2023 I have been charged for a subscription after I canceled my subscription. I also cannot access my account to download any documents. They claim to not be able to find my account.... my bank statement says differently.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/11/2024

  Hello ***,

  We apologize for the inconvenience! Our support team has responded to your ticket #*******. To summarize, we have canceled the subscription and refunded 3 of the most recent charges. If you need further assistance, please reply to ticket #*******, and we will be happy to assist in any way we can. Thanks and have a great rest of your day! -FC

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/04/2024

  Type:Billing 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.

  Scribd debited my bank account without my permission for 13 payments of $11.99 from 2022 to September of 2023. They have only refunded four payments that total $47.96. They owe me a total of 9 additional payments of $107.91. Scribd has been doing this to many consumers and have multiple complaints of this same occurrence. I am seeking a refund to my bank account of the $107.91 of unauthorized deductions..

  Business Response

  Date: 03/05/2024

  Hello *********,

  We appreciate your message! Our support team has responded to your ticket #*******. To summarize, our records do not show that a cancellation was completed for this subscription, so we've canceled your subscription and refunded 4 monthly charges. The refunds issued were from June 2023 through September 2023. We are not able to provide any further refunds, because transactions made prior to a certain date are inaccessible for reimbursements, as they are finalized. We do hope this provides some clarity as to why we are not able to provide additional refunds. Thanks again and have a great rest of your day! -FC

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/05/2024

   
  Complaint: 21384546
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I did not subscribe to this service. I requested Scribd to submit documents of such request and notifications that my bank account was to be debited. Scribd produced nothing. Yes, Scribd refunded some payments (4 in total) leaving a balance of 9 payments that have not yet been credited to my bank account. Also, when **********'s representatives reached out to Scribd to resolve the matter, Scribd representatives would now communicate with them. Scribd's CEO ****************** was contacted and ignored the matter. You have fraudulently taken funds from my bank account and I want the funds paid. Scribd has too many complaints about the same matter. So, you know what you are doing is wrong. The solution is to reverse the charges or send me a check.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************************

  Business Response

  Date: 03/19/2024

  Hello, we are truly sorry for any inconvenience this situation might have caused *********! It appears that we did respond to *********'s ticket #******* on March 7, 2024, with clarification on why the subscription was activated, and we received no additional follow-up from ********* at that time. 

  We apologize if the response to ticket  #******* was not received but, to clarify, we not only send a reminder email before the free trial ends and the subscription automatically renews, but we send a "welcome" email notification when you start your subscription with us as well.
  
  It's important to note that this email notification would have been sent to ********* on July 7, 2022, so if the email notification was sent to spam/junk then certain email providers clean those folders out automatically after a certain amount of time - this may have prevented ********* from being aware of that notification.
  

  We also clarified not only that we have provided as many refunds as possible, but that our system confirms that *********'s free trial subscription was activated on July 07, 2022, at 13:35 UTC under the email address ******************* in order to read and download a PDF document titled "Response in Opposition to Motion to Dismiss Complaint" on July 07, 2022.

  We hope this information is helpful in clearing up any confusion or concerns about the subscription. Thank you!

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/24/2024

   
  Complaint: 21384546
  
  I am rejecting this response because: The business (Scribd) said they sent a welcome email on July 7, 2022, at ***** UTC as FREE TRIAL activated under my email address. However, I have asked for Scribd representatives as well as CEO (******************) to produce the copy of the welcome email so that we can see the terms and conditions. Scribd has not sent this to me or Angel ** the Disputes Resolution Specialist to date. I am requesting that Scribd submit this email to assist in processing and coming to a resolution with this complaint.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/03/2024

   
  Complaint: 21384546
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

   

  Good afternoon   Please see attachment. As you can see the document statesno chargeand message that a notification will be sent before a debit is made. The scam is that no notification is sent and there is no way to cancel for something that a consumer never subscribe too. Also, I will be sending links to consumers with the same complaints. I can also submit the correspondences from my banking institution as well. I have also requested that they send out any emails that have been submitted to this email address. They have not submitted anything documents. Not even inovices of the unauthorized credit card debits.

  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************************

  Business Response

  Date: 04/03/2024

  As we stated in the ticket that this user filed for this issue, ticket #*******, we are not able to provide any additional refunds other than the 4 that we have already provided them. This is due to limitations by our payment processors, and we are not able to go outside of them.
  
  We also confirmed that the customer activated this trial on July 07, 2022 for the account under the email address that they provided. We provided more specific information about the creation of this account and subscription in their ticket.
  
  Finally, we did want to clarify that a subscription with Scribd is billed on a recurring basis as stated in our subscriber agreement. It will also automatically renew if it is not canceled. This is further outlined in the Subscriber Agreement that is agreed to when a subscription is created. While we did provide them with this information in their ticket, we just wanted to reiterate that they can view this agreement here if they wish: ***********************************
  
  
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/04/2024

  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 been subscribing to scribd for over 3 years. Scribd recently changed their app to ********, and everything had been terrible since then. App closes out when your on it 24/7, pages wont load, the last straw was kicking me out of my account and logging me out of an account Ive been logged into for 3 years! I have contacted scribd numerous times to get this resolved. Ive tried the only two emails I have, *** sent them my receipt with the order number on it, but they said thats apples order number so they cant look me up. How does scribd not have access to those? Apparently with my name and my receipt they cant help me log into my account because they claim they dont have access to this. I paid for a yearly subscription because Im a teacher and use this weekly, I havent been able to use my account or membership for over two weeks now, and because of this I havent had the materials needed to teach my online students and have lost income because of this. Scribd keeps telling me to try logging in with ********* to check my emails etc.. *** told them multiple times my emails arent working and I never had ******** set up on these devices. They again keep sending me the same thing and apparently are not reading what Im writing to them. Ive soak asked twice with no response back to receive a partial refund for my membership time left since o can get into my account, or Ive asked if I can transfer my membership to a new account. *****, no response to my questions but instead have been giving me the run around. This is ridiculous, and at this point they are stealing money from people and not helping to resolve the issue.,

  Business Response

  Date: 03/04/2024

  Hello *****,

  Thank you for bringing this to our attention! We have escalated and responded to your ticket #*******. To summarize, your subscription was created via Apple, and Apple does not provide us with much account details or access, which is why we are having a hard time locating the account. It is possible you are using Apple's "Hide My Email" feature, which means Apple generates a temporary email address for you. Please check your email for our message, and respond with the information requested. Thanks again and have a great rest of your day! -FC

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/13/2024

  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.

  I signed up for a free trial and decided to cancel it. Cancelation is not an option.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/13/2024

  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.

  everand.com and scribd.com (the same subscription under the 2 names) have changed their login authentication practices to a new system that is not user friendly: Their websites cannot be used on iphones. The company cannot be reached for help, they force customers to pay for services that they no longer provide. The automated helpline informs the subscribers that there is no other way to log in than the new and "improved" authentication system. I have no problem with scribs and everand company changing their authentication processes but the company should be ready to reimburse subscribers that are no longer able to use their website because of the new authentication processes

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/09/2024

  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 went on Scribd website. The company requested I filled in my bank information in order to see the subscription. They didn't have what I needed. So I canceled and **** of America confirmed my cancellation on April 5, 2023. Some how they where able to manipulate the banking system and debited my account for 12 times. I need this company to stop and honor my cancellation.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/09/2024

  Hello Juma, 

  Thank you for your message. 

  We weren't able to locate the account charging you with this email so we will need more information to locate the account and fix this situation. 

  Please submit a direct ticket to our advanced payments team with the link ********************************* and we will take care of this with maximum priority. Thanks!

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/07/2024

  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 started noticing charges of $11.99 a month from a company called scribd early 2023. After checking all of my accounts and subscriptions, I concluded this was a fraudulent charge and reached out to the company to stop the charges and for a refund. The company asked for additional information for which I provided and their response was that they were still unable to locate the account associated with the charges and asked for more information. They asked for almost the entire number of my bank card that was being charged and were still "unable to find the account" and asked for screenshots my bank statement. This took months to resolve because I was hesitant to offer as much personal banking information as they were requesting. By the time it was resolved and they could locate the account and determine it was fraud, they stated they could only issue a refund for a couple of months and all the other months would not be refunded because "transactions made prior to a certain date are inaccessible for refund, as they are finalized. This means we cannot refund any of the older charges as the option to refund those transactions is simply not available." Which is just insane because obviously they can refund those charges, they are just choosing not to.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/07/2024

  We can confirm that the user initially reached out to us on March 15, 2023 through Ticket #*******. We then followed up with them and requested more information on March 16, 2023. We did not hear back from them until July 18, 2023 through a new ticket, Ticket #*******. We then re-requested the necessary information as it was not included in this ticket. After we requested a screenshot, we then did not hear from them again until January 14, 2024.
  
  Once we had the necessary information, we were able to get this issue taken care of for them. We issued the maximum amount of refunds. As stated in our email to the customer, we are not able to issue any further refunds, as transactions that are made prior to a certain date are not eligible for a refund. This is a limit set by our payment processors, and we are not able to go outside of these limits. However, we did offer them some free subscription time as a courtesy. 
  
  We never heard back from them if they were interested in this time, but if they would like this time added to their account, they will just need to reach back out to us to let us know. However, no further refunds can be issued as mentioned previously. We hope this helps provide some clarity.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/08/2024

   
  Complaint: 21261066
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  They continued to ask for a lot of personal information for which I was uncomfortable giving them. I do not accept that they cant issue a refund. I do not want a free subscription to something I never signed up for, wanted, or have a use for. A refund for allowing fraudulent charges and being unable to locate them despite having the information initially requested, is the best approach and the most ethical response. 
  ***********************************************************

  Business Response

  Date: 02/09/2024

  As we stated in our previous response to this customer, we are not able to offer any refunds due to limitations set by our payment processors. As these limitations are not set by us, we are not able to make any exceptions to them.
  
  With regards to the information we requested, we need information about the payment information that was used for a charge in order to locate it in our system in the event that a customer does not know the information for the account connected to it. However, we only request information that is absolutely necessary, such as a screenshot of a recent charge, the date and amount of a charge, and the final 4 digits of the card number that was charged. 
  
  It's important to note that there is no way for us to assist customers with subscription cancellations or refund requests without first locating the account that the subscription in question is connected to. Because of this and the fact that they could not provide us with any information about the account responsible for these charges, we had to request this information from the customer.
  
  With regards to the delay in locating the account, this because the customer did not follow up with us when we requested additional information. While we understand it can be frustrating having to provide additional information to locate this charge, when we requested the screenshot to help us locate this charge in their ticket #******* on July 26, 2023, the customer did not follow up with us until January 24, 2024. 
  
  While we understand that life can get busy, this delay caused multiple charges to fall outside of the limitations set by our processors, and is a big part of why we were only able to offer them refunds for their 3 recent charges. 
  
  While we wish there was a better solution for this issue, we are not able to issue any further refunds, and our only alternative course of action is the offer of free subscription time, which they have already refused. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/12/2024

   
  Complaint: 21261066
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  Unfortunately, that is not all of the information that was requested. I made sure to submit all the requested information in a timely manner, but it seems that more information was still needed. I have attached a screenshot containing all the requested details, but I must express my alarm at the amount of personal banking information that was required. Additionally, I have included a screenshot showing that they were able to confirm that the account in question "exhibits behavior consistent with fraud," which further raises concerns about the way your business operates. Blaming the inability to provide a full refund on a process limitation is not acceptable, and I find it troubling that a company would not fully rectify a situation gone wrong.

  
  ***********************************************************

  Business Response

  Date: 02/12/2024

  As a final reminder, we have offered all the refunds that we can for this issue. We are not able to issue any further refunds, regardless of the nature of the charges in question. The offer for free subscription time is still open, but we are not able to offer any further refunds.
  
  As mentioned in our previous response, we only request information that is absolutely necessary, such as a screenshot of a recent charge, the date and amount of a charge, and the final 4 digits of the card number that was charged. As a reminder, there is no way for us to process any subscription cancellation or refund requests without first locating the account that the charges in questions are connected to.
  
  However, in the event that we encounter difficulty with locating a charge, we may also request additional information such as the first 6 digits of the card that was charged. However, your informations security is Scribd, Inc.s top priority, and the specific details we request will always be the minimum amount necessary. We will never request highly sensitive information such as your current account password, full bank account number, complete credit card number, etc.
  
  We hope this helps provide some clarification, and we hope you have a wonderful rest of your day.
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/20/2024

   
  Complaint: 21261066
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I will continue to reject these responses as I do not accept "system limitations" as a reason to not process a refund for fraudulent charges. It is 2024 and I have worked in many professional settings, including finance, accounts and billing, and I know what what system limitations exist. Not being able to process a refund past a certain time frame is not one of them, that is a choice, an unethical one. Your responses continue to detail a small portion of what actually happened without the full context until I call it out and provide proof. 
  
  ***********************************************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/03/2024

  Type:Billing 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 made an account for ********************** using the Apple "hide my email" function. I then attempted to login using the login and password I created. An error populated that the password or email was incorrect. I used the 'forgot my password feature' multiple times. However, Scribd does not send you the resent password email. I assumed this was an anomaly associated with the hide my email. I reached out to customer service to resolve the issue and delete my account prior to the free trial expiration. I created a new account with my actual email *********************** The same issue happened. I attempted the same corrections and used the forgot my password function. This should not be happening because my password is stored in my MacBook and is available for each login attempt. I tried to manually input the password as well. I believe this is intentional, or at a minimum, gross negligence. Here is both of my orders. I want to access my account, and the original account cancelled. I'm still within the window of free trial, but the will soon expire which will charge me. I've contact the company many times through their customer service and ********* Their system is automated and does not actually work to connect users to customer service to resolve the issue. They have not responded to any of my outreach. Order #********* Email address:*********************************************** Payment method:Credit card Subscription plan:Recurring Monthly Membership for $11.99/month Amount charged:$0.00 Update payment information ************************ Order #********* Email address:********************** Payment method:Credit card Subscription plan:Recurring Monthly Membership for $11.99/month Amount charged:$0.00 Update payment information

  Business Response

  Date: 02/04/2024

  Hello *****,
   
  Happy to help answer any questions. I am sorry for the experience you have had. I can assure you the the sign in issue you are experiencing is a known issue that is happening to other users who have registered their account with their Apple relay address. We are diligently working on a fix to restore access for these readers. 
  I reviewed both accounts and can confirm that both have been deleted and you will not be charged. If you have any charges from us please reply to this message and we will be happy to look into them for you.

  
  Ive merged these accounts into a single account under the email address ************************************ We merge accounts so that each reader is only associated with one account. The account will remain deleted. It's also easy for us to reactivate your account if you wish to return with the same profile.

  
  Thank you for spending some time reading with us. Please let me know if there's anything else I can assist you with or if you have any questions! Have a wonderful day!
  
  
  
   

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/29/2024

  Type:Billing 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 paid for one month subscription via Paypal and then stopped further recurring payments.Immediately, Scribd cancelled by one month access

  Business Response

  Date: 01/30/2024

  Hello *******,

  Thank you for bringing this to our attention! If you are being charged by **, this means that there is an account with an active subscription that is causing these charges. The account linked to your email address has not had an active subscription since 2019, We will need to locate this account before we can assist you further with this request.
  
  To this end, please reach out to us by creating a ticket through this link: bit.ly/social-support-help One of our support agents will then reach back out to you and assist you further with this issue. Thank you!

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/28/2024

  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.

  My subscription with the merchant was cancelled in February of 2023. I received an email from the merchant confirming the cancellation of my subscription which stated that my credit card would not be charged after 03/06/2023. The merchant has been charging my credit card since June of 2023 and I just discovered this today (01/28/2024). I tried contacting the merchant via email and the email was undeliverable because the email address was no longer valid. I also tried contacting them via phone using a phone number provided to me by my credit card company and the phone number was invalid. I am unhappy about being charged for a service after it was cancelled and my inability to reach the merchant via email and phone to discuss the matter. I also noticed today the merchant has sent several emails asking me to rejoin the subscription. The emails date back to 03/2023 (the month and year the subscription should have ended and charges to my credit card should have terminated).

  Business Response

  Date: 01/29/2024

  Hello ******, 
  
  Thank you for bringing this to our attention. I was able to locate your support ticket #******* with your email address and have sent you a reply. We look forward to working with you via email. Thanks again!