Billing Issues, Poor Customer Service

I've been in contact a couple of times with Adobe Customer Service regarding billing issue and each time have been cut off in the middle of trying to resolve the issue:  "so and so (Adobe rep) has left the chat"  

The inflexibility of the account billing management is my problem:  I want to process my billing through PayPal to be able to quickly switch credit card payment sources - a centralized interstitial system for me  for all my accounts, instead of going to every single retail/etc. site and modifying payment sources.  Using "Wallet" in Paypal is easier (I'm sure there are other digital processes that work that way as well). 

Adobe, however FIXES the credit card regardless of if you specify Paypal, inserting the card onto their invoice/payment request TO Paypal.  Paypal then is forced to circumvent your preferred method of payment in lieu of the card specified and wham!  No control over where the payment lands.  )Yes, I spoke with Paypal and they told me the invoice/payment request was why the wrong card was sued.)  I can't get the Adobe rep to stay with me on the phone or chat long enough to drill down and confirm these details, however.  And I cannot determine if there's a way to handle this so that Adobe will NOT specify the card.  It would be helpful if they allowed for the Paypal system of using preferred cards, but I have no idea if this is possible.

As to my issue with bad customer service via their Help contacts of their website:  my guess is they have a limit on time they can spend with a customer and several "buttons" that shoot off a link or phone number instead of remaining on line with customer to bring the problem to its final resolution.  And so, I'm making many assumptions here because I can't get anyone at Adobe to spend the time to really come to a resolution.  The point is, Adobe Customer Service needs to find a way to really work with the customer to resolve problems, not rush to get them "off the line."  And secondly, it would be helpful if they were to make their payment source selections a more flexible process.

Note:  I was even going to cancel before they MISAPPROPRIATED a payment (I had found out at last minute they would be billing wrong card) and the site issued a warning I would be billed a penalty for cancelling.  Wow!  Way to endear your customers to your services, Adobe.

I'll be looking for a serviceable substitute, but Adobe has the monopoly with most companies, governement agencies, etc. so it can become interesting trying to sort through everything.

Meanwhile, problem still exists and could be resolved if Adobe would "flex" their billing management a bit.  Won't hold my breath.

My billing issues will Adobe Cloud has lasted half a year as of today. And still unresolved.

It went like this:

- In July 2018, I read an Adobe advertisement and foolishly logged in to change my payment plan from monthly to yearly.

- In August 2018, I discovered Adobe billed and deducted the yearly sum, but continued to bill me monthly. I.E. double billing.

- Logged in to the online chat, went through all the frustration of talking to someone who barely understood the issue.

- Agent eventually muttered something about a double subscription. Without my explicit approval, agent cancelled all my subscriptions and told me to re-subscribe.

- No choice but to do as told while I waited for the refund of the annual amount. In essence, again, I still double-paid Adobe for a few days till the refund came.

- Between Aug to Nov, various issues. One month, there would be no issue. Next month, there would be an issue with the same card. I have no explanation. When I called in, all I was told was it's an approval issue. Involving a card Adobe has billed and taken money from before.

- Jump to Jan 2019, a warning suddenly popped up each time I launch an app stating my subscription is ending. Resubscribe!!! This is despite Adobe having already collected the monthly  amount on Jan 8.

- Logged in to the online chat on Jan 18 . Agent assured nothing is wrong with my plan and told me to ignore the warnings.

- Warnings continued to appear.

- Logged in again to the online chat on Jan 21. Agent this time changes a position with every line

     - It's a payment issue.

     -It's not a payment issue. See that we have successfully billed.

     - Only choice is to cancel your subscription. Refund you. And you resubscribe

- I refused to go through the whole refunding process again, and so I called the Singapore Adobe helpline. Agent assured she will look into the case and call me in 48 hours.

- No call. Called in again on Jan 23. Agent first insisted nothing is wrong, there are still 15 days on my plan. But the system prompt states I have hours left.

- After half an hour on the phone, some surly senior guy stated the issue can be resolved but will take 48 hours as it involves the backend team.

- Today. Jan 24, like clockwork, my access is cut off.

- Called in. First agent tried to dismiss me with standard statement that they are working on it. When I managed to get someone supposedly with more authority to speak, same answer.

- Demanded to know how they are going to compensate me for all the loss of usage. Flat out answer. No.

ALL these because I chose to pay Adobe a year in advance. I have wasted hours in the online chat and on the phone since August. No explanation too why a plan in effect for four months would suddenly terminate, after payment is collected.

As so many have mentioned, help staff barely understand English too, outside of PR statements like "I understand your frustration ..." (No, they obviously don't.) Staff who do not even take the effort to properly examine case facts before throwing a statement.

It's tragic what Adobe has regressed to. Appalling how Adobe handles money and customers too. Bigger tragedy is that I'm stuck with Adobe file formats because of clients. Perhaps that's why Adobe enjoys bullying me.

It is weird and upsetting that I have just experienced an almost similar case with yours today.

I have started my monthly subscription last 17 Dec 2018 for SGD 99/mo. Today, 16 Jan 2019. I was billed on my card SGD 105. And below was the frustrating discussion with the customer service when I asked why the increase in price:

1. The first agent told me it was due to currency exchange rates. First of all, why would the exchange rate create a huge jump at $6 when the adjustments usually run at around or less than 1%!!? Next!

2. I asked for the supervisor, then she said it was actually because Adobe had a price increase, and that SGD 105 will be the monthly rate from hereon. She said that I should have received notice on this earlier - to which I had told her i did not, except for a few junk mails on Photoshop and Illustrator CC. She then suggested that I cancel the subscription if I was not happy with the price. At that point, I was looking at the regional website and trying to find the price increase announcement that she kept insisting, but couldn't find it. In fact, the website pricing was still saying SGD 99/mo!

3. After being put on hold for more than 10 minutes, her tone changed from being insistent on me canceling (if I was not happy with the "new" rates), to being apologetic and admitting for saying that actually NO email was sent regarding a price increase, because in fact there was NO price increase at all to begin with! 

Point here is that the customer service reps seem to answer customers' queries without actually knowing the facts, and pulling answers out from I don't know where. First of all, it is illegal here to advertise prices wrongly. And if I had just went along with her insistence that the prices have increased, then I would be paying for the service with the wrong rates moving forward!

If Adobe is indeed listening and plans to see how they can learn from this issue, my case number is ADB5383499W5D8. I made the call today 16 Jan.