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:05/16/2024

  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 signed up a one week with this company. I understand the importance canceling trials with the time frame, but anybody I have ever done a trial gives you some type of warning of trial coming to an end. Brainly did not. My biggest problem though is the money came from a different payment method than what I put. The greed from this company clearly shows as I read all other complaints as well. As a teacher and a mother I would NOT suggest this company. I get if you canceled a week or month after your trial started but I canceled the day of. Won't issue a refund despite not using the service. In times where money is tight, I needed that refund. The company refuses despite no warning, incorrect payment method, and canceling day of.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/17/2024

  Hello ******,
   
  Thank you for your reply.
   
  Unfortunately, we wont be able to process a refund, as according to our policy, refunds are not available. You can learn more about it in our email communications and in our Help Center.
   
  Our system indicates that the subscription on account ******** was canceled after the free trial turned into a paid subscription. It will remain active until the end of the plan, but it will not auto-renew.
   
  Note that to activate the 7-day free trial, a user must confirm they want to start it, understand it will turn into a recurring paid plan if not canceled, and be aware that we do not provide refunds. This information was included in the emails sent to ****************** (attached to this message). 
   
  If you have any questions, please always feel free to get in touch.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/09/2024

  Type:Sales and Advertising 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 entered a trial version of the Brainly app for my child. The trial version ended on October 12th, 2023. I cancelled on this day before 4 PM central time. Despite this, my card was charged $96. I reached out to the support team to fix this. I read through the trail agreements and did submit a cancellation before midnight on the day of the trail ending. They refused to help and said THEY DO NOT OFFER REFUNDS. I should not have needed a refund as I did cancel on time. I want my money back as this is 100% bad business and fraudulent. It seems many others have had the same experience. We needed the service for assistance with one assignment. It has not been used since. Even your website shows the cancelation was on October 12th. I also have apple receipts showing the trial would end on the 12th.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/10/2024

  Hello,

  Thank you for contacting Brainly.

  We offer a 7-day free trial for our first-time users so they can try out our product and choose the option that best suits their needs, going with a paid subscription package or reverting to a free Brainly Basic plan. If a user does not wish to continue with a paid plan, to avoid the charge, the trial must be canceled on time. 

  So such an important matter as the date of the first charge is not subject to interpretation, the user received an email that clearly stated the following:

  After a 7-day free trial, your annual subscription will begin automatically, and you will be charged $96 annually, starting on 12 Oct.

  To avoid the charge, the free trial should have been canceled before 12 Oct. 

  If there is anything else we can assit with, please always feel free to get in touch! 

  Best,

  Brainly Team

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/08/2024

  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.

  Somehow I was charged $39 for something that I didnt authorize. They claim I have no account but yet my bank account is being debited $39. I would like a refund

  Business Response

  Date: 05/10/2024

  Hello ****,
   
  Thank you for your message.
   
  With the information from you, we were able to locate your subscription on account ************** under the email address ********************************************.
   
  Unfortunately, we wont be able to process a refund, as according to our policy, refunds are not available. You can learn more about it in our email communications and in our Help Center.
   
  The subscription on account ************** has now been canceled. It will remain active until the end of your plan, but it will not auto-renew.
   
  Note that to activate the 7-day free trial, a user must confirm they want to start it, understand it will turn into a recurring paid plan if not canceled, and be aware that we do not provide refunds. This information was included in the emails sent to ********************************************. 
   
  If you have any questions, please always feel free to get in touch.
   
   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/10/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

  [Your Answer Here]

  This is from an invalid email. The wind stream email is not mine.  

   

   

   

  In order for the BBB to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

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

  Business Response

  Date: 06/12/2024

  Hello ****,
   
  Thank you for your message.
   
  With the information from you, we were able to locate your subscription on account ************** under the email address ********************************************, which matches your first and last name.
   
  Unfortunately, we wont be able to process a refund, as according to our policy, refunds are not available. You can learn more about it in our email communications and in our Help Center.
   
  The subscription on account ************** has now been canceled. It will remain active until the end of your plan, but it will not auto-renew.
   
  Note that to activate the 7-day free trial, a user must confirm they want to start it, understand it will turn into a recurring paid plan if not canceled, and be aware that we do not provide refunds. This information was included in the emails sent to ********************************************. 
   
  If you have any questions, please always feel free to get in touch.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/14/2024

  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.

  Hello,I have been continuously charged by brainly despite not having an active plan. I was charged again today, March 13th, 2024 despite currently having a lifetime free plan. I was charged today for a total of $24. These are reoccurring yearly charges. I have billed for a total of 5 times over what I am assuming is a few years, $24 each payment, totaling in $120 worth of charges.I have filed a dispute with PayPal over the charge, as well as emailed the company for more information about these reoccurring charges. To my knowledge, there are no other accounts these charges could be coming from. I also have not been sent emails from the company with a receipt for these charges, PayPal is the only record.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/15/2024

  Hello,

  Thank you for contacting Brainly.

  We informed the user that they had two ********************** accounts.

  The subscription on one account ended last year and currently, this is a free account. The subscription on the other account was still active and we canceled it for the user so it does not renew in the future. 

  Brainly subscriptions are recurring, which means they renew periodically until canceled. When the subscription is about to renew, we send expiration reminders, and we inform the users that we do not provide refunds if the subscription is not canceled on time. This information was included in the emails sent to the email address linked to the user's account with still active subscription.

  Best regards,

  Brainly Team

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/01/2024

  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.

  Total scam! I received a charge for $39.00 from this website. I contacted them and disputed the charge, requested a refund and cancellation of any future charges. This was immediately after being charged. They replied and told me they would cancel future charges but they wont refund me for the year they charged me! I relied and told them I did not sign up for a subscription and never agreed to charges. Once again they replied and said I was responsible for a year charge. How can I be charged a year for something I IMMEDIATELY notified them about and requested a refund one? I contacted PayPal and changed all my passwords. I am only left with contacting my banking institution to file fraud. Its a shame that companies like this run SCAMS !! You can see on my screenshot that I IMMEDIATELY notified them after they charged me! IMMEDIATELY

  Business Response

  Date: 03/04/2024

  Hello ******,
   
  Thank you for contacting Brainly.
   
  If you think your card has been used fraudulently, we advise contacting your bank. They will help you get your funds back and will secure your card to avoid any future unauthorized charges.
   
  However, unfortunately, we wont be able to process a refund, as according to our policy, refunds are not available. You can learn more about it in our email communications and in our Help Center --> ***************************************************
   
  The subscription on account sharonbtfr has now been canceled. It will remain active until the end of your plan, but it will not auto-renew.
   
  Note that to activate the 7-day free trial, a user must confirm they want to start it, understand it will turn into a recurring paid plan if not canceled, and be aware that we do not provide refunds. This information was included in the emails sent to *********************. 
   
  If you have any questions, please always feel free to get in touch.
   
  
  Best,
  
  Brainly Team

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/28/2024

  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.

  On 2/4/2024, I registered for a free 7-day trial with Brainly. At the end of the free trial, Brainly was charging me $39 subscription if I would not cancel by the and of the free trial which was 2/11/2024. I canceled the free trial on 2/9 and they still charged me on 2/11/2024/ They didn't send any confirmation email on 2/9 which I think it was intentionally set up like that by Brainly so to say later that I have no proof that I canceled. However, they charged me on 2/11 @ 3:01 pm and I canceled immediately @ 3:28 when I got a notification from my PayPal account. I tried to solve the issue with Brainly but they are very adamant about their service although it is very clear that they are lying and stealing people's money. I have seen numerous complaints about this exact issue over the Internet. It is outrageous that there are companies taking advantage of other people in such way, by stealing people's money. Thanks,

  Business Response

  Date: 02/28/2024

  Hello ******,

  Thank you for your message.

  You started a free trial on 4 Feb. Since it was not canceled before the 7-day period, it converted into a subscription.

  As you can see in the images below, we keep our users informed about every stage of their trial or subscription. You received an email on 4 Feb informing you the trial had started and another one on 10 Feb informing you your subscription was about to start.

  Unfortunately, we wont be able to process a refund, as according to our policy, refunds are not available. You can learn more about it in our email communications and in our Help Center -> ***************************************************************************************************************

  Our system indicates that the subscription on account philiparsintescu was canceled 18 minutes after the free trial turned into a paid subscription. It will remain active until the end of the plan, but it will not auto-renew.

   No previous cancelation attempts have been recorded on our end. You would have received an email confirming if your subscription had been canceled.

  Note that to activate the 7-day free trial, a user must confirm they want to start it, understand it will turn into a recurring paid plan if not canceled, and be aware that we do not provide refunds. This information was included in the emails sent to **************************.

  Please let us know if we can help you with anything else. 
  
  Best,
  
  Brainly Team

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/20/2024

  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.

  Signed up for a free trial. Received a charge at 11 pm 2/18 for $10. Went to my Brainly profile- free use until the 23. Weird right? So I cancel my subscription, and am glad the charge was declined. Thinking they charged me early (because they did) I went to check my email to make sure I got a confirmation. Lo and behold- TWO emails confirming a cancellation, BUT each email stating a different date through which I could continue using the subscription. One stating 2/18 (today) and one stating the 23rd. Wtf?? I have literal screenshots and can prove all of this. Glad my bank declined the charge automatically. Dont trust them.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/21/2024

  Hello ******,
  
  Thank you for your message. 
   
  We apologize for this confusing emails, it looks like there was an issue on our side and we are investigating it.  Note that you started this trial on 12 Feb, and unless you canceled it, it would convert into a paid subscription on 19 Feb, as explained when you started the trial (screenshot attached).
   
  The details you provided allowed us to locate your Brainly account **********, which had a trial subscription and is linked to the email address ***********************************************.
   
  You registered your Brainly account using Apple and opted to hide your login. As a result, Apple assigned an automatically generated email address ending in ************.appleid.com to your Brainly account.
  
  We can see that your free trial subscription on account ********** has already been canceled, so there won't be any new charges to your credit card. 
  
  Please remember that Brainly trials are only offered to first-time users. If you try to reaccess the trial in the future, you will be denied and automatically billed for the subscription you select at checkout.
  
  Let us know if you have any questions!
  
  Best,
  
  Brainly Team

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/02/2024

  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 signed up for a 7 day free trial. The system was wrought with ads and half the time just kept asking me to sign up again! I attempted to cancel but was unable to locate the subscriptions link. They put a hold on my card a day early and despite canceling before the money had left my account they're still trying to take $40 dollars from me. I requested a refund and received no response.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/03/2024

  Hello ********,
  
  Thank you for contacting us.
  
  There is no Brainly account linked to the email address **************************** However, if you were charged, then the Brainly account with an active subscription must be associated with another email address. We also never got an email from **************************************************, and we must remind you that this is our only communication channel. All emails must be sent to ****************************************.
  
  Depending on the way you were charged, please provide the following information that should allow us to locate it:
  
  Credit/debit card
  First and last name of the cardholder
  Last 4 digits of the credit card that was charged
  Date of the latest charge
  Exact amount charged
  
  PayPal
  PayPal Invoice ID - a long sequence of letters, numbers, and dashes. You can find it by logging into your PayPal account, navigating to PayPal Activity, and selecting the payment from Brainly.
  
  App Store/Google Play
  Purchase receipt
  
  Please note that once we locate your subscription, well be able to cancel it for you, but we wont be able to process a refund as we do not offer refunds for already-started subscriptions. Click here to learn more --> ********************************************************************************************************************
  
  Looking forward to hearing from you!

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/12/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

  Company is refusing to refund my money. 

   

   

   

  In order for the BBB to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

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

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/12/2024

  I already sent them the information and have the subsequent emails to prove it. It still does not change the fact the the business refuses to refund the money taken.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/17/2024

  Hello,

  Thank you for contacting Brainly.

  We received the required information, and we were able to locate the user's Brainly account with an active subscription. We confirmed that the subscription had been canceled after the free trial turned into a paid subscription and informed the user that we would not be able to process a refund, as according to our policy, refunds are not available. The user will have full access to the subscription benefits until the end of the plan. 

  Regarding the early charge, the free trial on the account in question was activated on 22 Dec 2023, and since it was not canceled on time, it turned into a paid subscription on 29 Dec 2023, precisely 7 days after the free trial activation. If the user received an email confirming she would be charged after 29 Dec, we request it to be forwarded to us so we can look into this further. 

  If you have any more questions, please always feel free to get in touch.

  Best,

  Brainly Team

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/28/2023

  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.

  A transaction in the amount of $24 was deducted from my checking account on December 18, 2023 by Brainly.com. I contacted Brainly and asked multiple times for a refund, I provided the documentation they requested showing the transaction and the last 4 digits of the debit card (****) used for the purchase! The representative said he cannot find the transaction with the information (****) provided and he needs the user name on the account in order to refund my money! *** explained to him multiple times, I did not order Brainly and therefore would not know the user name associated with the account. Im 62 years old and have no use for Brainly.com.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/28/2023

  Hello,

  Thank you for contacting Brainly.

  As explained in the emails sent to the user, we acknowledge the subscription charge was processed by Brainly, but unfortunately, we could not locate any transaction that would match the payment details provided by the user. 
  
  We believe the last 4 digits of the card might be different, and the cardholder's name could have been misspelled or not provided while making the purchase. Hence, we cannot find the charge on our end. 
  
  We're truly sorry we were not able to help the user in locating the transaction. We advised them contacting their bank, so they can assit further.
  
  In case of any more questions, please always feel free to get in touch.

  Best,
  Brainly Team

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/29/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

  Hi, this has been ongoing issue with Brainly! I have to call every year to try and get a refund and the following year, it repeats! The card number **** is correct which corresponds with the withdrawal transaction reflecting on the bank statement I have previously provided.  My banking account has not been compromised as this has been an ongoing issue with Brainly the past 2-3 years! Im not understanding how Im supposed to cancel a subscription when it cant be found yet my debit card information is on file and Brainly continues to withdrawal money from my banking account every year?! Help me to help this make sense please!!!!
  
  
  Thank You
  ******** 
  

   

   

   

   

  In order for the BBB to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

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

  Business Response

  Date: 01/08/2024

  Hello,

  Thank you for contacting us.

  Brainly subscriptions are recurring, which means they renew periodically until canceled. Unfortunately, did not contact us before 20 Dec 2023, which is the date of the latest renewal. 

  We informed the user we investigated further and were finally able to locate the Brainly account associated with the subscription charges. We also confirmed the subscription on this account had been canceled. 

  Since the user stated she did not recognize the email address linked to the Brainly account in question, we advised contacting the users bank, so they could help you get the funds back and secure the card to avoid any future unauthorized charges.

  If you have any more questions, please always feel free to get in touch.
  

  Best,

  Brainly Team

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/19/2023

  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.

  Amount of money taken from my bank account when on the company's website they have 2 different subscriptions plan semi-annual for $18.00 billed every 6 months and annually $24.00 billed once annually ($2.00 per month) 2023. They took $39.00 from my account. This is why I want my money. I feel this is misrepresentation from what they took from me and what is stated on their website. And they did not cancel the subscription as requested. They cancel after they took money out of my account. So I want it back.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/21/2023

  Hello,

  Thank you for contacting Brainly.

  As explained in the emails sent to the user, our system clearly indicates that the subscription on the users Brainly account was canceled after the free trial turned into a paid subscription. No previous cancelation attempts have been recorded on our end. If the free trial had been canceled, the user would have received an email cancellation confirmation. And if there were any cancellation attempts that didnt go through, our system would indicate it. 

  Regarding the pricing, the plans that the user mentioned at $18 and $24 are no longer available, and they are not advertised anywhere on our website or in the app.

  In case of any more questions, please always feel free to get in touch.

  Best,
  Brainly Team

  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/28/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

  [Your Answer Here]

   The company is not being honest about everything and especially about their plans prices not being on their website. Where did they think I got it from. I don't know anything about their company so I would not make up a lie. Companies are to be honest in order to servicing customers but this company is so dishonest in order to keeping my $39.00. What a shame 

   

   

   

  In order for the BBB to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

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

  Business Response

  Date: 01/18/2024

  Hello *****, 
   
  Thank you for your message. 
   
  As previously explained, our current subscription prices are the ones that you can see on our website, and we do not have any subscriptions for $24.
   
  Regarding your specific case, your son started a free trial on the account linked to the email ************** on 8 November 2023. This free trial on account ****** was not canceled and it turned into a subscription on 15 November 2023. The subscription on that account has since then been canceled and it won't renew.
   
  We inform in our email communications, our Help Center, and in our Terms of Use that refunds are not available. 
   
  To activate the 7-day free trial, a user must confirm they want to start it, understand it will turn into a recurring paid plan if not canceled, and be aware that we do not provide refunds. This information was included in the emails sent to **************. 
   
  We do our best to communicate clearly and transparently. Therefore, we cannot take responsibility for not following the procedure on the users end.
   
  If you have any other doubts, we will be more than happy to help.
   
   
  
  Best,
  
  Brainly Team