Be very careful with Adobe free trials

[BryanL]

September last year I set up a free trial of Adobe Lightroom.

I didn't want it and remember discontinuing the free trial.

I have only just realised they have been charging me the monthly subscription ever since.

At NO point did I receive any emails from Adobe welcoming me to my subscription plan. No other communications, NADA.

After I jumped through the hoops to find the right place to cancel the plan they told me I will be charged an early cancellation fee!!! After some heated words from me I think he said he would cancel the subscription without the cancellation fee.

Not that it is much money, just the principle...

Be careful.

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

Yeah, only Adobe gives you just 7 days for your "free trial," AND they collect your payment information before you can even start the "free" trial. It tells you right away to watch out. Competitors give you 30 days, and all they ask for up front is an email account. I've also heard it's rather difficult to cancel with Adobe, even the free trial. It's really quite absurd, as you get a longer grace period buying pretty much any other goods. Most retailers have a hassle-free return policy of at least 14 days, for example, AND many even cover return shipping. It's one reason I've never even tried Adobe since LR 6.14, their last perpetual license.

 

[arkitect]

Yeah, only Adobe gives you just 7 days for your "free trial," AND they collect your payment information before you can even start the "free" trial. It tells you right away to watch out. Competitors give you 30 days, and all they ask for up front is an email account. I've also heard it's rather difficult to cancel with Adobe, even the free trial. It's really quite absurd, as you get a longer grace period buying pretty much any other goods. Most retailers have a hassle-free return policy of at least 14 days, for example, AND many even cover return shipping. It's one reason I've never even tried Adobe since LR 6.14, their last perpetual license.

Seems it is 14 days… but I bet you'd spend most of the 14 days trying to get it cancelled! 🤣

I am always a tad sad about Adobe. My design and art work on Macs grew up along with them… and then sometime around 2014 our ways grew further apart until I finally found I am on a path completely free of their products.

I never tend to think of corporations as woolly cuddly things that care, but when the subscription model came out it also seemed to change my image of the company. Naive, I guess.

Still, I hear the amount of cash they make and market value are staggering… so there is that. /s

 

[RichardC]

Dead easy to change an Adobe subscription. Either log in to creative cloud and do it there or just phone them. I've changed subscription on multiple occasions to take advantage of lower priced trials etc, if you tell their people what you want they'll work out the most cost effective way for you.

 

[BryanL]

Yeah, only Adobe gives you just 7 days for your "free trial," AND they collect your payment information before you can even start the "free" trial. It tells you right away to watch out. Competitors give you 30 days, and all they ask for up front is an email account. I've also heard it's rather difficult to cancel with Adobe, even the free trial. It's really quite absurd, as you get a longer grace period buying pretty much any other goods. Most retailers have a hassle-free return policy of at least 14 days, for example, AND many even cover return shipping. It's one reason I've never even tried Adobe since LR 6.14, their last perpetual license.

I also took a DXO free trial. No problems there but they are not subscription.

I managed to get my subscription cancelled but tomorrow I am going to demand I get a full refund. As I said, there was no email saying your subscription has started and I never used it - I am sure they will know that because I never even logged on, and uninstalled it all as well.

It is a really weird policy because it is not going to win them any friends - And I am going to be as vocal as possible about it.

I am not sure where I stand with my bank, but I will let them know Adobe don't play nice. We also have a banking Ombudsman so I will lodge a case with them. Weird thing is I normally keep an eye on my acct but this one slipped under the radar for 6 months!

 

[Toddster]

Trial length varies by location, 7 days in the US. As do consumer rights concerning cancellations and refunds.

Anytime a trial of any kind takes your payment information up front you had better be dead sure you understand the terms and get it canceled accordingly and save screenshots to prove it. Not limited to Adobe or even software. Some may be shady business practices (a few companies notoriously difficult), some just incompetence. Doesn’t matter, you need to be aware and protect yourself.

It's really quite absurd, as you get a longer grace period buying pretty much any other goods. Most retailers have a hassle-free return policy of at least 14 days, for example, AND many even cover return shipping.

I think that this is one reason people often don’t pay attention to the details and assume that cancellation will be easy and straightforward, or even automatic. It often isn’t. If you are giving them (not just Adobe but anyone) your payment information you really need to read and understand the terms. Most people are so accustomed to clicking checkboxes and answering yes that they forget that when money is involved they are entering into a contract that they didn’t read. Understand that I am in no way defending the bad unfriendly actions of these companies. Just hoping to raise awareness a bit to help others.

 

[agentlossing]

Adobe's subscription practices are garbage, so anti-consumer it's not even funny. They offer a 14-day trial, but if you don't cancel within a certain amount of time after that trial ends, you're locked into a year with an early cancellation fee should you try to exit. They won't allow you to pay for less than a year until you've completed that first year, paying every month for it. Also, I paid for a year subscription a few years ago to use the software for a photography class, but now I still only have the option to subscribe for another year, with an early cancellation fee. So, they don't even honor the policy that they say they do.

 

[MountainMan79]

The FTC is forcing companies to be “better” around “negative options” and subscription services/memberships, taking effect May of this year. Essentially anytime a consumer is faced with a “me not taking an action means I’m consenting to something” is going to be crystal clear for folks, and any subscriptions/memberships you have must be able to be cancelled both as easy or easier than it was to sign up, as well as you must be able to cancel in the same medium that you signed up. So if you signed up online, you’ll need to be able to cancel online, ie not be forced to call someone. Think satellite radio or internet service providers and gym memberships that routinely pull this crap. In fact, SiriusXM has already gotten ahead of this and you can now cancel online. Either way, a win for consumers, but too late for you Bryan. I only know this due to my work and some things that we’re being mindful of as we offer memberships, etc.

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

As I'm starting to see here in the thread, Adobe appears to offer 14-day trials in some other countries. However, in the US, it's only 7 days. I'm guessing there are consumer protection laws in some countries that won't allow Adobe to do the 7-day option.

 

[John King]

Heather bought some crappy, cheap item from an online seller. < AUD$ 20.

They silently signed her up for a AUD$67 p.m. membership fee!

Our bank picked it up some AUD$ 800 later, and the simplest cancellation method was to cancel her debit card and reissue it with a new number.

This amount is not quite irrelevant to us, but could be economic disaster for some folks.

Heather has learned that she must check her debit card statements, the same way she has always checked her credit card statements.

Neither of us ever has a balance worth stealing on our debit cards, but some thieves are quite happy to steal a small amount from a lot of people.

BTW, she came across this "business" on Instagram.
Their name is GAMEVALOUR.COM.
Be warned.

BE CAREFUL OUT THERE FOLKS.
There are some real scumbags in the world.

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

Heather bought some crappy, cheap item from an online seller. < AUD$ 20.

They silently signed her up for a AUD$67 p.m. membership fee!

Our bank picked it up some AUD$ 800 later, and the simplest cancellation method was to cancel her debit card and reissue it with a new number.

This amount is not quite irrelevant to us, but could be economic disaster for some folks.

Heather has learned that she must check her debit card statements, the same way she has always checked her credit card statements.

Neither of us ever has a balance worth stealing on our debit cards, but some thieves are quite happy to steal a small amount from a lot of people.

BTW, she came across this "business" on Instagram.
Their name is GAMEVALOUR.COM.
Be warned.

BE CAREFUL OUT THERE FOLKS.
There are some real scumbags in the world.

Well, there is a method to their madness on the small purchases. If they steal your card and buy goods and services at low dollar amounts per shot, many of the security checks aren’t required. Also, they might be able to go for months before the individual figures it out. Things like a trip through a drive thru, a handful of groceries, or even a tank of gas can all go under the radar where a pin isn’t required, and there’s not much chance of getting pinched. I had my cc number stolen, and the thief tried to wager at a casino 5 states away at $200/pop. The bank shut it down instantly.

 

[John King]

Heather bought some crappy, cheap item from an online seller. < AUD$ 20.

They silently signed her up for a AUD$67 p.m. membership fee!

Our bank picked it up some AUD$ 800 later, and the simplest cancellation method was to cancel her debit card and reissue it with a new number.

This amount is not quite irrelevant to us, but could be economic disaster for some folks.

Heather has learned that she must check her debit card statements, the same way she has always checked her credit card statements.

Neither of us ever has a balance worth stealing on our debit cards, but some thieves are quite happy to steal a small amount from a lot of people.

BTW, she came across this "business" on Instagram.
Their name is GAMEVALOUR.COM.
Be warned.

BE CAREFUL OUT THERE FOLKS.
There are some real scumbags in the world.

To add to this, I have raised this as a formal complaint with Instagram today.

Mind you, actually finding out where to do that is problematic in itself.
What does one expect from a member of the "billionaire class" in the USA?

 

[John King]

To add to this, I have raised this as a formal complaint with Instagram today.

Mind you, actually finding out where to do that is problematic in itself.
What does one expect from a member of the "billionaire class" in the USA?

Chris, the "online seller" was using Instagram as a scamming platform.

 

[CatsAreGods]

The FTC is forcing companies to be “better” around “negative options” and subscription services/memberships, taking effect May of this year. Essentially anytime a consumer is faced with a “me not taking an action means I’m consenting to something” is going to be crystal clear for folks, and any subscriptions/memberships you have must be able to be cancelled both as easy or easier than it was to sign up, as well as you must be able to cancel in the same medium that you signed up. So if you signed up online, you’ll need to be able to cancel online, ie not be forced to call someone. Think satellite radio or internet service providers and gym memberships that routinely pull this crap. In fact, SiriusXM has already gotten ahead of this and you can now cancel online. Either way, a win for consumers, but too late for you Bryan. I only know this due to my work and some things that we’re being mindful of as we offer memberships, etc.

The FTC is likely to have its teeth pulled by the poobahs that be (in power at the moment).