Internet Services
ScribdThis business is NOT BBB Accredited.
Find BBB Accredited Businesses in Internet Services.
Important information
- Customer Complaint:
Scribd came to BBB’s attention in March 2010. A review of complaints was completed in July 2024.
Consumers are urged to review the following link regarding accounts and cancellation information.https://support.scribd.com/hc/en-us/articles/210134046-How-to-cancel-your-subscription
Complaints
This profile includes complaints for Scribd's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see
Customer Complaints Summary
- 265 total complaints in the last 3 years.
- 59 complaints closed in the last 12 months.
If you've experienced an issue
Submit a ComplaintThe 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:12/26/2022
Type:Product IssuesStatus: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.
Ive been charged by scribd for a monthly subscription for over a year. I unfortunately never realized I had this monthly charge. I never used their services in my life. Nor have I heard of them. I want a refund for every month ive been charged.Business Response
Date: 12/28/2022
Thank you for bringing this to our attention.
After further review, we were able to locate the subscription with the information provided. The account was registered under the email address **************************** in order to obtain a free trial on May 23, 2022. Please advise ************** that we are an audiobook and e-book subscription company and the charges she is seeing is for our monthly subscription fee.
That said, we went ahead and canceled the service to ensure she is no longer billed going forward. We also went ahead and refunded the last 6 invoices. If the charge is still pending, you will see the debit disappear from your bank statement. Otherwise, please allow 2-5 business days for the refund to process. No further refund can be provided as our billing system does not allow us to refund past 6 months.
If ***** has any further questions, she can submit a ticket directly to our team here: https://scr.bi/assist. Thank you again, have a great day. - MR
Customer Answer
Date: 12/29/2022
Better Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference tocomplaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
*********************************************Initial Complaint
Date:12/22/2022
Type:Service or Repair IssuesStatus: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 recently went through bank statements and saw I was being charged $11.99 for Scribd.com. I looked it up and have never signed up for this service. I have gone back as far as OCT 2022 and saw a fee come out monthly, so far Scribd.com charged me three times, total fee charged on my account is $35.97. I tried to cancel a membership or speak to someone but can not talk to anyone.Business Response
Date: 12/23/2022
We apologize to the user for any confusion. ********************** is a digital reading subscription that brings subscribers monthly access to the best books, audiobooks, news, and magazines. The charge they are seeing is likely for our monthly subscription fee.
We reviewed our system, located an account with their email, canceled and refunded it, and sent them an email with more information. Please advise them to check their inbox (and spam) for our reply and to email us back if they need any additional assistance. Thanks! -EC
Initial Complaint
Date:12/21/2022
Type:Billing IssuesStatus: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 has been charging my debit card without permission. When I became aware of this on my rarely used account, I contacted them and they are very slow to respond via email and refuse phone communication. I believe this is a fraudulent account, yet they refuse to handle this in a timely manner. I cant resolve by canceling an account that I never made. Shut this company down already- how many people must be taken advantage of before their actions are considered predatory and criminal?Business Response
Date: 12/22/2022
We apologize to the user for any delay in support. We do not offer phone support, however, we can confirm that one of our agents is already assisting them via email. The agent has been diligently assisting them daily since they first contacted us, so please inform them to continue to work with our payment specialist via email as their ticket is already in good hands. Thanks for your time and have a good day -ECInitial Complaint
Date:12/20/2022
Type:Billing IssuesStatus: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.
Unauthorized charges for monthly membership that I don't have. Never created an account with scribd. All emails I have were not recognized for login to attempt to remove my debit card from the site. My ****** and ******** denied login attempts as well. (Debit card not associated with ****** or ********) No customer service number or way to contact a representative. Had to lock my debit card and request a replacement due to being unable to stop any further charges.Business Response
Date: 12/20/2022
Thank you for bringing this to our attention.
As we are unable to bill without prior authorization we will want to look into this further. We were also unable to locate a subscription with that email address which means it is registered under a different email. That said, we will need more information to locate the charges and ask that ****** submit a ticket to our support team directly via this link: https://scr.bi/assist. Once the ticket is submitted through that link, the request will be escalated and a specialist who will follow up with her within 24 - 48 hours. Thank you! - MRInitial Complaint
Date:12/14/2022
Type:Service or Repair IssuesStatus: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 recently went through bank statements and saw I was being charged $11.99 for Scribd.com. I looked it up and have never signed up for this service. I have gone back as far as July 2022 and saw a fee come out monthly. I tried to cancel a membership or speak to someone but can not talk to anyone.Business Response
Date: 12/15/2022
Thanks for informing us. One of our agents already located, canceled, and refunded the subscription associated with the users email. We also emailed them back, so if they need any additional help from support, please inform them to email us back so we can help them out. Thanks! -ECCustomer Answer
Date: 12/15/2022
Better Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference tocomplaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Sincerely,
***********************************Initial Complaint
Date:12/08/2022
Type:Product IssuesStatus: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 recently canceled my monthly subscription (11.99/month) and was charged for a yearly subscription ($119). *** recently contacted support asking for a refund and the automatic bot said I was ineligible. The phone number was just a recorded message asking me to email them and theres been no response to my email.Business Response
Date: 12/09/2022
Hello,
Thank you for bringing this to our attention. After further review, we have located the subscription and can verify that the subscription was actually converted on 12/5/2022 to an annual subscription. Not to worry, we are always happy to make things right for our customers. We went ahead and canceled the subscription as well as provided a full refund for the annual invoice. Please let ****** know that if the charge is still pending, she will see the debit disappear from her bank statement. Otherwise, please allow 2-5 business days for the refund to process.
If ****** has any further questions, please have her reach out to directly to our support team here: https://scr.bi/assist. We are happy to further assist.
Thank you again, have a wonderful day! - MR
Customer Answer
Date: 12/12/2022
Better Business Bureau:
Im glad I got refunded, however this business should not be supported. I am absolutely 100% sure that I did not upgrade my account (I didnt even log in that day). With nearly 300 complaints in the past 3 years it is clear this incident was not an accident and Scribd regularly scans people by charging them for things they didnt sign up for. Dont use Scribd.
Sincerely,
*****************************Initial Complaint
Date:12/06/2022
Type:Product IssuesStatus: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.
This company is a scam. I used it for a time and then cancelled. This company charged me 19 times since 2021. Then are going to tell me that they take up to 2 weeks to resolve issues. I want all my money back. How come someone cancels their subscription and they still take money out. Then they delete all the account information. Also, the fact that this happens to multiple people shows you that it is a scam!Business Response
Date: 12/07/2022
Thank you for informing us. We apologize to the user for the delay from support and any ongoing charges. We are working to improve our response times and, for now, we can help escalate their case per their request here.
That said, I located an account via the email they provided here, however, I can confirm it is not subscribed to our monthly subscription service. This means they likely have a duplicate account under a different email address resulting in their payments.
We replied to the email they sent us requesting the information we need to find the subscribed account, so please inform them to check their inbox (and spam) for our reply and we'll wait on their response. Thanks! -ECCustomer Answer
Date: 12/07/2022
Complaint: 18534116
I am rejecting this response because:I have not received a response from them and it was not sent to spam either. Can they check if my other email: ************************* as used?
Sincerely,
***************************Business Response
Date: 12/08/2022
Please let ******* know that the specialist responded through her inquiry which came through from her email ************************** We have a attached a screenshot for reference.
The specialist is still waiting on a response from *******. Please have her follow up with ***** directly through her ticket at her earliest convenience. Thank you! - mr
Initial Complaint
Date:12/03/2022
Type:Product IssuesStatus: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 took a subscription to Scribd.com to assist me in research for a writing project. After I had gathered all the relevant information I wanted to cancel my subscription. I went into my account and followed the instructions to cancel an account. I received error message. I repeated the process but continued to receive various messages that blocked my efforts. I cleaned my cache, defraged, and restarted my computer - more of the same. I tried a few days later, but the same go-round occurred. I accessed the FAQ's/Help page. It was useless. If your issue does not fit their 'canned' Q&A's, you are out of luck. There is no provision for any other form of contact (like a chat function that many online companies have; e.g., Amazon. I finally selected the 'pause your account option.' It allowed me to do this for a 3 month period (which ends 21 December). I am still unable to cancel my subscription, or to find any real help anywhere on the Scribd website. I need BBB to intercede for me before I incur an unjust charge to my card.Business Response
Date: 12/03/2022
Hello, Thank you for bringing this to our attention.
We are sorry for the difficulty **** has experienced! We would happy to help him with the cancelation of his subscription. Unfortunately, we are unable to locate the account with the information provided. As we will require additional information, please have **** reach out to our team directly via this link: https://scr.bi/assist. Once the ticket is submitted, a specialist will follow up with him within 24 - 48 hours.
Thank you again, have a great day. - mr
Initial Complaint
Date:11/30/2022
Type:Product IssuesStatus: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.
$11.99 was taken from my PayPal account for monthly subscription fee on Nov 18. I did not authorize this subscription. I emailed ScribD 3 times requesting refund but received no response. This company has no phone support.I checked BBB complaint database and this Company has an egregious history of unauthorized ******** and not responding to customers requests for cancellations and refunds.Please help me resolve this by contacting this Company and explain they need to refund my $11.99 and cancel any existing subscription and recurring payments to them.Thank you very much *****************************Business Response
Date: 12/03/2022
Thank you for bringing this to our attention.
We are sorry to hear for the difficulty ********* has experienced. We would be happy to look into this for him as we can not bill an account without authorization upon signing up. That said, we were unable to locate an account or any open tickets with the information provided thus far. As we will require more information, we ask that ********* submit a ticket directly to our team here: https://scr.bi/assist. Once the ticket is submitted, it will be escalated to a specialist who will be following up within 24 - 48 hours. P
Thank you again, have a great day. - MR
Customer Answer
Date: 12/04/2022
Complaint: 18487077
I am rejecting this response because:
Sincerely,
******************************Customer Answer
Date: 12/07/2022
I submitted a request for refund in the format Scribd suggested in their initial response to you. They did respond in a timely manner and issued me a credit of $11.99 as I had originally requested in my prior 3 emails to them. They gave me no explanation why they did not respond to my original emails.
Thank you for your help in resolving this problem for me. I believe it was your intervention which moved them to action. Thanks again and please close this complaint and **** it as satisfactorily resolved.
*****************************
Business Response
Date: 12/08/2022
We are happy to hear that the inquiry has been resolved. If the they have any further questions, please have them follow up through their ticket.
Thanks again, for helping with this matter. Have a great day! - MR
Initial Complaint
Date:11/30/2022
Type:Billing IssuesStatus: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.
Hello, I can't remember subscribing to Scribd and my Debit Card has been getting billed for a couple months now. I may have subscribed to your services in the past, but I honestly cannot remember. I tried to cancel my subscription because I don't use the platform, but I could not figure out my email and password that I used, so I was unable to cancel my subscription. I was billed on 11/27/2022 for ***** and would just like to cancel before the next bill if possible. Thanks again!Business Response
Date: 11/30/2022
Thank you for bringing this to our attention.
After further review, we were unable to locate any subscriptions with the information provided this far. We are happy to look into this further however, we will require additional information. That said, please have ****** submit a ticket directly to our team here: https://scr.bi/assist. Once the ticket is submitted, it will be escalated and a specialist will follow up with them within 24 - 48 hours.
Thank you again, have a wonderful day! - MR
Scribd is NOT a BBB Accredited Business.
To become accredited, a business must agree to BBB Standards for Trust and pass BBB's vetting process.
Why choose a BBB Accredited Business?BBB Business Profiles may not be reproduced for sales or promotional purposes.
BBB Business Profiles are provided solely to assist you in exercising your own best judgment. BBB asks third parties who publish complaints, reviews and/or responses on this website to affirm that the information provided is accurate. However, BBB does not verify the accuracy of information provided by third parties, and does not guarantee the accuracy of any information in Business Profiles.
When considering complaint information, please take into account the company's size and volume of transactions, and understand that the nature of complaints and a firm's responses to them are often more important than the number of complaints.
BBB Business Profiles generally cover a three-year reporting period. BBB Business Profiles are subject to change at any time. If you choose to do business with this business, please let the business know that you contacted BBB for a BBB Business Profile.
As a matter of policy, BBB does not endorse any product, service or business. Businesses are under no obligation to seek BBB accreditation, and some businesses are not accredited because they have not sought BBB accreditation. BBB charges a fee for BBB Accreditation. This fee supports BBB's efforts to fulfill its mission of advancing marketplace trust.