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:09/13/2024

  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.

  On sept 4 Malwarebytes withdrew ***** from my checking account without my permission. I do not have their product. I don't know how they got my account number. I have tried and tried to talk to someone for help but the company has no customer service at all. When you go to their website they want you to make an account with them and talk to an AI. THAT IS NOT CUSTOMER SERVICE! I want my money returned to me. That is all i want. Thank you for helping

  Business Response

  Date: 09/17/2024

  Hello, 

  I'm sorry to hear you had trouble reaching us beyond our virtual assistant. Malwarebytes takes this very seriously as we want to be able to address all of our customers' needs. A support ticket has been created on your behalf. An agent will be reaching out to you shorty to follow up on your request. 

  Regards, 

  Malwarebytes Support

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/12/2024

  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 never signed up for a subscription with Malwarebytes, yet they charged my credit card through ****** without my consent. When I tried to dispute it, they claimed my email was linked to a subscription, likely from a free trial I had with them 7 to 8 years ago. I contacted their customer service several times, but they refused to issue a refund, insisting that I had signed up for a subscription. This is false they simply came pre-installed on my new laptop, trying to get me to sign up. I never signed up because we have a different firewall software.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/30/2024

  Hello Rowena, 

  I see you were able to speak with one of our support agents earlier in the month. Unfortunately, a resolution could not be met due to the chargeback status of the charge you are seeking a refund for. I encourage you to follow up with your bank and our billing partner as we are unable to issue a refund for a charge that has an open dispute. 

  Regards, 

  Malwarebytes Support 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/30/2024

   
  
  Complaint: 22278813
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  Marie Weese

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/01/2024

  I am rejecting the response from Malwarebytes As they need to refund me with the charge.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/17/2024

  Dear Marie,

  Thank you for reaching out and sharing your concerns regarding the recent charge to your PayPal account. I understand how frustrating this situation must be, and I’d like to provide clarification on the matter.

  According to our records, you initially signed up for a Malwarebytes subscription on July 27, 2018, using the email address associated with your tampabay.rr.com account. This was a 2-device/2-year subscription. During the sign-up process, the billing and card information, including the address referenced in your BBB complaint (12285 92nd St, Largo, FL 33773), was provided. At no time did anyone sign you up for this service without your authorization.

  Since that time, your subscription has been automatically renewed every two years. Reminder emails were sent to your email address on the following dates:
  - June 26, 2020
  - June 26, 2022
  - June 26, 2024

  These emails informed you of the upcoming renewal and provided an option to opt-out of automatic payment if you no longer wished to continue with the subscription. Since no action was taken, the renewal orders were processed as scheduled. Each time an order was placed, a confirmation email with the order number and purchase details was also sent to you.

  We have received a dispute from your bank or PayPal for the latest renewal (order 238287494). Once a dispute is initiated, your payment provider opens an investigation, and the transaction amount is temporarily deducted from us while the claim is reviewed. If the dispute is resolved in your favor, the amount will be refunded through your bank or PayPal. To avoid double refunds (one from Malwarebytes and one from your payment provider), we are unable to process a refund directly while this dispute is ongoing. You can either let your bank or PayPal complete the dispute process, or, if you wish to close the dispute, you may send proof of closure to [email protected] (2Checkout is the company that handles our payments and disputes), and they will process the refund directly.
  

  Please also note that the auto-renewal for your subscription was disabled on August 19, 2024, so no further charges will be made in the future.
  

  If you have any further questions or need additional assistance, feel free to reply to this email or reach out to our support team.

  Best regards,

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/17/2024

   
  
  Complaint: 22278813
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  Marie Weese

  This company are Fraud I do not have subscriptions and this is a lie. After 8 years you found a way to charge my credit card through paypal without my Permitions. 

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/07/2024

  Type:Order 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.

  Paid this amount for 5 services paid on 01-30-2024. It is still keep asking for subscription renewal and I dont know how to contact and clear this problem

  Business Response

  Date: 09/22/2024

  Hello, 

  We have attempted to contact you several times through the email address you provided. Please check your inbox, spam and junk folders for our correspondence and reply at your earliest convenience. We are committed to assisting you. 

  Regards, 

  Malwarebytes Support

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/28/2024

  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.

  Malwarebytes will not assist me solve a problem with their free software version without having a paid subscription to their service. The *** is useless and 2 trouble tickets resulted in the response: "Thank you for contacting Malwarebytes support, we're unable to locate a subscription with the email provided. If another email address was used to purchase your subscription, please submit a new ticket with that email address.If you are using our free trial product and:Are interested in becoming a Malwarebytes customer, check out our available plans here (link).Need additional help, visit our Forums.Please do not reply to this ticket as the ticket has been closed.Regards,Malwarebytes Support This is what I submitted via trouble tickets: I received an error that Malwarebytes conflicted with ******. I deleted Malwarebytes but the desktop icon (**************************) will not delete. I receive "The operation cant be completed because ************************** needs to be downloaded." I've downloaded the current version, then uninstalled the current version but the icon on my desktop will not delete. Is it possible to download the older version (5.4.1)? and then try to uninstall again hoping the icon will delete as well?The Malwarebytes Forum doesn't address this issue and to add a topic requires that I create an account, which after all this trouble, I won't do.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/17/2024

  Hello *******, 

  I'm sorry to hear you've had trouble navigating our support site to reach an agent. A support ticket has been created on your behalf. You will receive an email from one of our support agents momentarily. 

  Regards, 

  Malwarebytes Support

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/28/2024

  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 received an email stating they are charging my account with ****** I did subscribe to or for any service, when I called they wanted to git into my computer to cancel the subscription, here is a copy of the invoice ************************* Priority:Normal Attachments Print

  Business Response

  Date: 08/30/2024

  Hello *****, 

  We have created a support ticket on your behalf. You should receive an email from us shortly. It appears the party you spoke with over the phone was not Malwarebytes but rather someone impersonating our company. Further details and instructions can be found in the email you received from us. Please note, Malwarebytes will never request to access your device to process a cancellation or refund nor do we have an inbound phone line. All customer calls are prescheduled. Should you require further assistance from us, please reply to the email you receive from our support team. 

  Regards, 

  Malwarebytes Support

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/23/2024

  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 was notified by a third party that my Malwarebytes subscription was expired, So I renewed. Then I checked the website and found that I had 2 active subscriptions which I don't need and never asked for. When I contacted customer service they told me that I could only receive a partial refund. Since the subscription that I paid for was not connected to any device, the service was not being used and I think I deserve a full refund.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/28/2024

  Hi ****,

  I'm sorry for experience, and the confusion that you faced.

  I see that you have a Support Ticket already open with our team (ticket *******). In reviewing the case I see that a full refund was issued on your duplicate subscription on August 24, 2024. Also, in reviewing the copies of the emails that you provided these emails were the renewal reminders that we send to alert customers of their upcoming subscription expirations. In your case you had a subscription that was scheduled to expire on August 11, 2024 so the emails were sent leading up to that date so that you could make the necessary arrangements for a renewal if desired.

  We also offer our online account portal at my.malwarebytes.com for you to see your subscriptions and manage the renewals at any time.

  If you have any additional questions, or needs please reply to your Support Ticket and the manager assigned to your case will be happy to assist.

  Thank you,

  Malwarebytes Support

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/28/2024

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/20/2024

  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've tried to cancel my auto renewal subscription. Malwarebytes is making it impossible to do so.. When i try to access my account i continue to get messages like "something went wrong with our session" or "You've been blocked by network security".I've called a representitive from my credit card company he gave me the phone number you have listed for Malwarebytes corporate office but there isnt any option to speak to someone.I'm told to go to their website which doesnt allow me access. The chatbot says they are having technical difficulties. I'm blocked in any attempt. I noticed other similar complaints with online forums about their company. I have not used their software for a couple of years and they are aware of it. The computer it was on is no longer in use and has been recycled.please help me get this company from from taking my money.Thank you

  Business Response

  Date: 08/28/2024

  Hello *****, 

  We are sorry to hear that a series of errors prevented you from deactivating the automatic renewal feature of your subscription. A support ticket has been created on your behalf and an email sent to you detailing the refund we issued. Thank you for being a loyal customer.

  Regards,

  ********************** Support

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/09/2024

  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.

  Malewarebytes is using deceptive sales practices. They send false emails indicating the antivirus protection has expired when it has not. They continue to send these messages even after one has renewed the program. One is led to believe they have no computer protection. I ended up over paying them, and they refuse to respond to all the factual documents. One can only contact them in a bot chat box that is clearly geared to advocating for Malewarbytes and not complying to any ethical business practices.I made a 3 payments on July 1, & 2, 2024. I have demanded to hear from a supervisor, and they refuse. They now have locked me out of 2 current subscriptions. No one should pay $171.89for a 2 year subscription! They do not correct their billing errors, I found the overcharging on my **** statement. I had to repeatedly decline to extending more years of service, and demand a refund. Finally they indicated they would refund $69.98, and its not correct. I believe they have been overbilling me on more then this situation. This unethical practice of overbilling and ignoring the customer is a business strategy. I requested a complete audit of my payment history which is in there records. The response is always, they are closing my complaint ticket. One of the charges for an upgrade to Maleware plus was never activated because I already had paid for a Plus package!No one should be forced to deal with bots when they have programed them with a limited ability to comprehend and understand the facts that validate the customer concerns. Running a business where people cannot elevate a situation to another level is outrageous!They have failed to respond to my questions and facts repeatedly sent to them via email!This type of unregulated practices of major online companies is ridiculous! The customer is stuck with their non-compliant practices for a business that refuses to respond to customer complaints in a fair and consistent manner.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/19/2024

  Hello *******, 

  We apologize for any trouble you had reaching us directly. I see that you were able to speak with a support agent over the phone last week and your requested refunds have been issued. Should you need any further assistance, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. 

  Regards, 

  Malwarebytes Support

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/19/2024

   
  Complaint: 22121110
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  After arguing for week with ***** my final refund was provided on 8/15/24. I went without any internet protection from Malewarebytes which was fine! However, after I received my final refund they illegally downloaded another one of their programs on my computer. It cannot be removed without the tamper protection code of which they refuse to provide. Their traditional way of removing this program by the customer does not work.

  This is so wrong! I guess I will elevate this situation to a FTC -et al that will be able to investigate the illegal practices of this company!
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

  Business Response

  Date: 11/27/2024

  Hello.

  Thank you for your feedback. We take all concerns seriously and would like to address the situation youve described.

  
  First, we want to clarify that Malwarebytes does not and cannot install any of our products remotely on devices without the user's explicit action. This is technically impossible and not something Malwarebytes engages in. All installations of our software must be initiated by the user or someone with access to the device.

  
  If the program in question is Malwarebytes Standard (formerly known as Premium), you can follow our step-by-**** ***** to uninstall the program. Please refer to this support article for detailed instructions: Uninstall Desktop Security on Windows and macOS devices.

  We appreciate your understanding and hope this resolves your concern.

  Sincerely,

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/02/2024

  Type:Customer Service 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 no longer use MB's product.I have no devices connected with my account.I have turned OFF auto-renew.All I want to do is to be able to permanently and completely DELETE my account, yet the method for account DELETION provided by MB in the settings of my website account DOES NOT WORK.I have tried this Malwarebytes-provided "DELETE ACCOUNT" method on FOUR different browsers, TWO different PCs, ONE mobile phone......Combined attempts are well over 12--15 times, different days, different weeks.....ALL UNSUCCESSFUL.I have multiple open tickets through support to address this single issue, the first ticket being OVER THREE WEEKS OLD...the latest of which is over 48 hours ols.I have been told via chat conversations multiple times that the ticket(s) is/are being "elevated" to a higher support level, yet there has never been a response explaining why I cannot delete my account, nor any reason why it cannot be DELETED (not "deactivated") via tech support.I have chat transcripts. I have screenshots. I am growing weary and impatient with this do-nothing support for a SIMPLE request to DELETE my entire account.I even asked for a physical-mailing address to their legal department because I am going to turn this over to my own attorney because this substandard support is UNACCEPTABLE, yet I could not get such an address from the support rep during our latest chat.I do not want ANYTHING other than the entire DELETION of my Malwarebytes account including all of my personal information, billing, addresses, phone, etc. DELETED from their database.I have been a Malwarebytes paid customer off and on for years, leaving the service in the past for difficulties with consistent updates on the application, or just trying out different products within the same market as Malwarebytes.I am prepared to take legal action which is why I am filling this BBB complaint, just as another proof that I have covered all the bases before taking legal action.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/06/2024

  Hello ****, 

  Firstly, I would like to apologize for the experience you had while attempting to delete your account with us. I am happy to inform you that we have removed your MyAccount from our system and are in the process of working to remove your IDTP account. Once this is completed, you will also receive a notification from our identity experts confirming the process.
  
  Please note that while other vendors use similar identity theft protection, our current understanding is that you should have no issues signing up for another vendor.
  
  You were not able to use the self-service option to delete your account because you have an identity theft protection subscription. Unfortunately, we missed adding an appropriate message to guide you through the next steps. We have already raised this internally to be addressed as quickly as possible and to make this experience more seamless in the future.
  
  I hope we have addressed all of your concerns, but if, for any reason, we have missed anything, do not hesitate to let us know. We would be happy to clarify further.

   

  Regards, 

  Malwarebytes Support

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/06/2024

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/30/2024

  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 received an email from malwarebytes in **************** on July 30, with no real email address. It looked like the email came from me.It said I had ordered malware protection, that my credit card have been charged, and I had paid over $400 for their service..When I try to copy and paste a portion of their text, it appears as garbled. It gave contact information as ************ and support.malwarebytes.com Listed as a reseller of their products is Avantate BV dab 2Checkout I will not call or click on links as it is a scam

  Business Response

  Date: 08/09/2024

  Dear ******,

  Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. We take all customer concerns seriously and appreciate the opportunity to address this issue.Based on the information you've provided, it appears you may have been targeted by a tech support scammer impersonating Malwarebytes. This is unfortunately a common tactic used by scammers, who often impersonate legitimate companies like ours and others such as Microsoft.

  We can confirm that:
  - The phone number ************ is not associated with Malwarebytes.
  - We did not send an email charging you over $400 for our services.
  - Legitimate emails from Malwarebytes would not appear to come from your own email address.
  
  For your safety, we recommend the following steps:
  - Do not click on any links or call any phone numbers provided in the suspicious email.
  - **** the email as spam in your email client.
  - Run a scan of your device using an antivirus program of your choice as a precautionary measure.
  

  We have published an article on our blog about these types of scams, which you may find helpful: *********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************.

  Malwarebytes is committed to protecting our customers and the public from cyber threats, including impersonation scams. We appreciate your vigilance in reporting this incident. If you have any further questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact our official support team through our website at support.malwarebytes.com.

  Sincerely,

  Malwarebytes Customer Support

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/09/2024

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