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Business Profile

Financial Services

The Motley Fool Inc.

This business is NOT BBB Accredited.

Find BBB Accredited Businesses in Financial Services.

Complaints

This profile includes complaints for The Motley Fool Inc.'s headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see

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    Customer Complaints Summary

    • 58 total complaints in the last 3 years.
    • 15 complaints closed in the last 12 months.

    If you've experienced an issue

    Submit a Complaint

    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.

    Sort by

    Complaint status

    Complaint type

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:01/20/2024

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      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 1/20/22, I purchased a $79 stock advisor subscription from the Motley Fool. It was to last until 1/20/2024.On 1/20/2024, without warning, the business deducted 216.67 from my account for a subscription renewal. They gave no notice of the change in price. This is unethical as the price nearly tripled. I want my money back and an end to my subscription. Order number: ********

      Business Response

      Date: 01/23/2024

      Your renewal was cancelled and fully refunded on Jan. 22, 2024, per your request. 

       Upon purchase of any one subscription, the automatic renewal feature is turned on. Your subscription will automatically renew at the then-current rate until you notify us of your decision to terminate your membership. For subscription terms greater than three months, we will email you about the length and price of your renewal before we charge you. The terms and conditions set the boundaries and nature of our relationship; these were agreed to at the time of purchase.

       You received renewal notices on the following dates: 

       Mon Jan 1, 2024 Subject line: Action Required! A quick reminder about your early renewal offer*

       Wed Dec 6, 2023 Subject line: [Renewal Notice] Claim your early renewal rate today!

       Once your subscription renewed, you received a copy of your receipt via email: Sat Jan 20, 2024  Subject line: Your receipt from The Motley Fool

      When you first purchased Stock Advisor, it was under a promotional rate. The list price of the service is higher and the renewal emails explained what the price would be for renewal if you didn't take advantage of the early renewal discount. 

      The Motley Fool 

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:01/14/2024

      Type:Billing Issues
      Status:
      Resolved
      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 charged $215.61 on my credit card for a premium membership which I did not sign up for or authorize.

      Customer Answer

      Date: 01/15/2024

      Hello BBB complaint team.

      The Motley Fool Company emailed me today to say they are issuing a refund in the full amount back to my credit card.  Therefore the complaint issue has been settled and no further action on your part is needed.  Thank you for your service and assistance in resolving my complaint.

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

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:01/03/2024

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      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.
      Last transaction was 5/3/23 I have tried to cancel this several times and they won't.

      Business Response

      Date: 01/16/2024

      Looking over your account, you purchased a one-year subscription on May 2, 2021. It automatically renewed for one year on May 2, 2022 and May 2, 2023.

      Upon purchase of any one subscription, the automatic renewal feature is turned on. Your subscription will automatically renew at the then-current rate until you notify us of your decision to terminate your membership. For subscription terms greater than three months, we will email you about the length and price of your renewal before we charge you. The terms and conditions set the boundaries and nature of our relationship; these were agreed to at the time of purchase.

      We did not receive a cancellation request from you until January 3, 2024. As you are far outside of the 30-day, money-back guarantee that your renewal offered, we are unable to issue a refund. The automatic renewal has been disabled and your subscription will expire on May 2, 2024. 

      The Motley Fool 

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:12/31/2023

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Resolved
      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.
      Motley fool charged me $216 for a yearly subscription which I didnt authorize. I canceled my subscription 2 years ago. I wrote then and told them to cancel this and they credited me the $216 and then one day later they recharged me $216. I want nothing to do with them they are a scam and do not respond to emails and are stealing money. They owe me $216.

      Business Response

      Date: 01/03/2024

      Looking over your account, on Dec. 28, 2021 you purchased a two-year subscription to Stock Advisor. 

      Upon purchase of any one subscription, the automatic renewal feature is turned on. Your subscription will automatically renew at the then-current rate until you notify us of your decision to terminate your membership. For subscription terms greater than three months, we will email you about the length and price of your renewal before we charge you. The terms and conditions set the boundaries and nature of our relationship; these were agreed to at the time of purchase.

      On Dec. 28, 2023, your subscription automatically renewed for one year. Prior to this renewal, you were sent renewal notices via email. Both of these emails explained that your Stock Advisor subscription would automatically renew on Dec. 28th unless you took action. 

      The dates and subject lines are as follows:
      Mon Nov 13, 2023 - Subject line: [Renewal Notice] A courtesy notice about your Stock Advisor membership | Sat Dec 9, 2023 - Subject line: Action Required! A quick reminder about your early renewal offer*

      Once your subscription renewed for one year on Dec. 28, 2023, you were sent a receipt. The subject line was "Your receipt from The Motley Fool." Per your request, your subscription renewal was cancelled and fully refunded on Dec. 28, 2023. There was no second charge.

      The Motley Fool 

      Customer Answer

      Date: 01/04/2024

      [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

      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. 

      Regards,

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

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:12/23/2023

      Type:Billing Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      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.
      The Motley Fool have charged my debit card multiple years running despite my multiple attempts at cancelling the policy online. I have changed my bank card in the past year and they have somehow obtained my new card details without my permission/consent, and charged me subsequently.They have now told me they will pay me back this years subscription however take a bank fee. Considering there is no correspondence to say they are going to charge my card, I believe this is a scam and they need to be held accountable.I will be pursuing reparations for the renewals over the past 2 years, as I have made adequate attempts to stop my subscription to no avail, and had no clue that they had charged me in January 2023 until an hour ago when I looked through my statements. They need to delete my card details completely from their system, and pay me back for the entirety of the passed 2 charges.I signed up for a single year and then cancelled/stopped auto renewal, so I obviously am happy to have paid for the 1st year only. But everything since has been charged illegally and I am taking this incredibly seriously.

      Business Response

      Date: 12/29/2023

      Your renewal from December 22, 2023 has been cancelled and fully refunded. We are unable to issue refunds for previous renewals. Your credit card has been removed from our system. 

      Upon purchase of any one subscription, the automatic renewal feature is turned on. Your subscription will automatically renew at the then-current rate until you notify us of your decision to terminate your membership. For subscription terms greater than three months, we will email you about the length and price of your renewal before we charge you. The terms and conditions set the boundaries and nature of our relationship; these were agreed to at the time of purchase. 

      We did not receive any cancellation requests from you until December 22, 2023. We understand your frustrations if you have not been actively using the service, but we still delivered it to you. We have consistently sent you content emails since you signed up and you have had access to the premium part of our Fool.com website. When you sign-up for a subscription we cannot cancel it without your direct consent or order, it is your responsibility to manage the subscription.

      The Motley Fool 

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:11/19/2023

      Type:Customer Service Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      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 cancelled my subscription with Motley fool years ago and they still bill me every year and I have to keep cancelling my subscription every year. Lots of complaints about this and they should be fined.

      Business Response

      Date: 11/20/2023

      Your renewal was cancelled and refunded on Nov. 19, 2023, per your request. Prior to Nov. 19, 2023, we did not receive any communication from you via email nor phone requesting cancellation.

      Upon purchase of any one subscription, the automatic renewal feature is turned on. Your subscription will automatically renew at the then-current rate until you notify us of your decision to terminate your membership. For subscription terms greater than three months, we will email you about the length and price of your renewal before we charge you. The terms and conditions set the boundaries and nature of our relationship; these were agreed to at the time of purchase.

      The Motley Fool 

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:10/04/2023

      Type:Billing Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      In the late winter of 2023, I set my Motley Fool Stock Advisor annual subscription to non-renew ($199/yr). On April 23, 2023 I received a notice from my credit card company of a possible fraudulent charge that was declined from 'TMF*Motley Fool' for $199. Despite me setting the account to non-renew, Motley Fool had attempted to charge me. Since the charge was declined, I assumed the matter was closed. However, Motley Fool continued to attempt to charge my credit card for $199 and on May 2, 2023 they successfully charged me $199. In September 2023 I went thru my junk email folder and noted I was continuing to receive emails from Motley Fool. I also found out they had successfully charged my card on May 2. When I found this out it was September 2023 and upon contacting Motley Fool they told me they could not cancel my subscription or provide any refund because more than 30 days had passed from the original charge. The receipt I received states, "*Your subscription will automatically renew on April 23, 2024 for 1 year at the then current price. You can make changes to your subscription, such as canceling your subscription, by visiting your account settings page any time." However, no ability to cancel the subscription is available from the account page. Note there is NO WAY to remove credit card information from a Motley Fool account and the disabling of the non-renew does not apparently work. I contacted Motely Fool support and they disabled the auto renew, but would not refund the charge. I am requesting that Motley Fool refund me $199 for the renewal I did not authorize.

      Business Response

      Date: 10/04/2023

      Looking over your account, on April 23, 2020 you purchased a one-year subscription to Stock Advisor. This renewed automatically on May 2, 2021, April 23, 2022, and May 2, 2023. We did not receive a cancellation request from you via email or phone until Sept 27, 2023. Our system does not show any attempts to disable the automatic renewal prior to Sept 27, 2023.

      Upon purchase of any one subscription, the automatic renewal feature is turned on. Your subscription will automatically renew at the then-current rate until you notify us of your decision to terminate your membership. For subscription terms greater than three months, we will email you about the length and price of your renewal before we charge you. The terms and conditions set the boundaries and nature of our relationship; these were agreed to at the time of purchase.

      We sent you notices via email alerting you to the upcoming renewal on the following dates: Thu Mar 09, 2023 and Apr 23, 2023.

      When your subscription renewed on Tue May 2, 2023, we sent a copy of your receipt to the email address on file. We are unable to issue a refund, as your service renewed more than 5 months ago and there is site usage since the renewal.

      The Motley Fool 

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:09/21/2023

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      In their web page the Motley Fool talks about great recommendations for $19 a month but when you go but the membership they want you to dish more money for their other "advice". Their recommendations are BS because that's what you can see on ***** Finance for free, but they make it sound like something amazing. Pure deceivers and scammers who use words carefully to avoid repercussions. Scammers at best. I saw how people complain about them INSIDE their website and they reply with "Look, we recommend. Check the page" but what people are looking for are affordable stocks and they keep them hidden unless you pay more money. Pure definition of a SCAM. If I recommend them to stop advertise like that they'll say nothing wrong (obviously scammers never stop unless the *** break into their offices)

      Business Response

      Date: 09/26/2023

      One of our representatives has contacted you via email to assist with your subscription. We do not have any calls or emails from you since joining our service 5 days ago. Your subscription will renew monthly, and our representative has provided information for how to cancel you subscription if you're unhappy with the service. 

      Were sorry that your experience with our marketing has been frustrating. There is no singular investing strategy which fits the needs,preferences, and a reasonable fee ratio of all investors. Our many services simply follow different strategies and have different resulting risk profiles.

      Since publishers like The Motley Fool are prohibited from personalized recommendations, we offer all of our services to members who have subscribed to receive promotions in the hope of finding a better fit for some.The fact that we offer other strategies to allow for different interests and investment styles does not diminish the quality of your service and its affiliated information. 

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:09/15/2023

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      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 found a subscription renewal in my bank account dated 11/07/2022 for $210.94 I did not authorize this renewal. I did try to dispute the 2022 charge and also cancel the subscription today so I do not get charged again 11/07/2023 but I have found it impossible to reach the company or cancel the subscription.

      Business Response

      Date: 09/25/2023

      On Nov. 7, 2021, you purchased a one-year subscription to one of our services. It renewed for one year in November 2022. 

      Upon purchase of any one subscription, the automatic renewal feature is turned on. Your subscription will automatically renew at the then-current rate until you notify us of your decision to terminate your membership. For subscription terms greater than three months, we will email you about the length and price of your renewal before we charge you. The terms and conditions set the boundaries and nature of our relationship; these were agreed to at the time of purchase.

      We sent an email to you on September 23, 2022 alerting you to the upcoming renewal. 

      We have no emails from the email address associated with your account requesting cancellation, nor can we find record of any calls. You're able to reach our representatives via the Help tab on Fool.com, as well as via email and phone during our hours of operation. Per your request in this complaint, your automatic renewal has been disabled. Your subscription will expire on Nov. 7, 2023. 

      The Motley Fool 

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:07/27/2023

      Type:Billing Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      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 spent 2+ hours last night trying to cancel a fraudulent attempt at automatically renewing a past membership. Despite clicking on all the "supposedly correct links" Motley Fool denied me access to even be able to view the auto-renew or cancel part of the website. Also, the Motley Fool 'Customer Service' link is invalid and non-functional. (attachment) I HAVE INDEED already cancelled it previous to this, but they fraudulently auto-renewed me anyway and charged $199.00 to my credit card. I have since reported the fraudulent transaction to my credit card company and having a new card issued. This fraud by Motley Fool is currently being investigated. In addition, I am filing BBB report and a complaint with the Attorney General in their state. I have a PhD in nuclear physics and a professor teach at a local university. If the government allows me to work on nuclear weapons research, I certainly should be able to find a cancel membership and stop auto-renew on a stupid website. The fact is, these items are very likely purposely being hidden from the user to boost their profits. Even finding a phone number for Motley Fool customer service is difficult. Please contact me via my email (so that I have this in writing) that you have cancel your attempt at fraudulently renewing a previous membership, and you are refunding the fraudulent charge of 199.00 Thank you.

      Business Response

      Date: 08/11/2023

      Your renewal was cancelled and fully refunded on July 28, 2023. We have no cancellation requests from the email associated with your account prior to your message on July 27, 2023. 

      Upon purchase of any one subscription, the automatic renewal feature is turned on. Your subscription will automatically renew at the then-current rate until you notify us of your decision to terminate your membership. For subscription terms greater than three months, we will email you about the length and price of your renewal before we charge you. The terms and conditions set the boundaries and nature of our relationship; these were agreed to at the time of purchase.

      On Apr 22, 2023 and May 18, 2023, we sent renewal notices about your Stock Advisor subscription. On Jun 6, 2023, when your subscription automatically renewed, we sent a copy of your renewal receipt to the email address on file.

      The Motley Fool 

    The Motley Fool Inc. is NOT a BBB Accredited Business.

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