130$ Cancellation charge to a student!!!!???

[nicholasd69043656]

Just closed my creative cloud student package ~25$/month - and Adobe charges cad $130 for the cancellation fee with no prior clear warning at signup. Imagine charging a STUDENT that amount for subscription cancellation. Always had a great experience with online software subscription services in today's online world but this is pathetic to see from such a large company. I highly recommend that students like myself go with a different software product so they're not linked to a ridiculous contract.

Thanks for taking advantage of students Adobe...

Cheers,

Nic

[John T Smith]

You signed up for an ANNUAL plan with monthly payments... and a fee to cancel early

Did you read the Subscription Terms https://www.adobe.com/misc/subscription_terms.html

-Purchasing FAQ https://forums.adobe.com/thread/1926340

[Barb Binder]

Hey Nicolas:

I don't recommend purchasing any subscription without a.) reading the terms and b.) putting the auto-renewal date on your calendar, be it an Adobe subscription, Dropox, iCloud storage, Lynda.com, etc. Most of us only make this mistake once.

~Barb

[nicholasd69043656]

Oh okay, the 130 cancellation fee makes sense now... someone has to pay for moderators to write a useless comment on a complaint 30 seconds after it was posted.

The point of my post is that a software giant like adobe shouldn’t be charging students penalties. Most software companies are making their software free to use for students to inspire creativity and productivity. This is just a money grab, there’s no reason for it.

[Barb Binder]

I know this is frustrating for you, Nicolas and I'm sorry. We do understand the point of your post, and there is nothing any of us can do about it, other than to draw your attention to the terms that all subscription sites use so that you (and others reading this post later) don't find yourself in this predicament again.

This is a user-to-user forum. We work in the field with Adobe products, and volunteer in our spare time to help others with their questions on the products that we use. We are not paid.

[John T Smith]

Volunteers like Barb and I are not paid by Adobe... we only respond with the information we have, not what someone thinks should be the Adobe policy should set

[Nexahs1138]

Companies that offer free versions for students are only as valuable as to what professional uses them. I'm a student with a subscription to CC, why you thought you could break a contract without paying for it is beyone me 1) it's in the ToS, 2) it's basic business economics.

Houdini has a student version but it is significantly hindered by it's watermark and fixed resolution.

Autodesk need people to use Maya whatever way they can as it's the worst. It creates a dialogue box for the student versions which can't be worked that well in the licensed version.

The Foundry offer non-commercial versions of Nuke + Mari but they're exactly that, non-commercial.

Everything else is not professional standard so even if it is free it won't get you a job.

[Nancy OShea]

You agreed to the terms when you joined Creative Cloud.   A contract is a legally binding agreement between two parties.  Students are not exempt from honoring their contract agreements as you will soon discover when you buy / lease a car, apartment or take out student loans. 

[nicholasd69043656]

The level of intelligence is very high in the adobe community, wow.  Thanks for all the great feedback everyone! Super helpful! If there’s anything I can do for you guys just let me know! Solved my problem completely . I didn’t know that a contract was legally binding! wow! you learn something new everyday.

[Terri Stevens]

Nic there is nobody here who can refund your money if that is what you are hoping for and all the sarcasm in the world will get you nowhere. As Barb said all you can do is learn a lesson. If you feel strongly write a letter of complaint to Adobe , at the moment all you are doing is 'shooting the messengers' who are telling you the rules.

[Terri Stevens · Accepted solution]

You have my sympathy Nicholas, as a student money is in short supply and I can understand your annoyance. Adobe does provide versions of all the Creative Cloud products in a form that you can subscribe too month by month and not be subject to a penalty clause when you decide to stop subscribing. These products though are more expensive than their contract equivalents requiring a 12 month period of subscription-so you do have a choice a) subscribe free of a contract at higher cost b) pay less but be committed to a 12 month subscription. In life the 'small print' counts and you have fallen foul of not reading it. To be fair Adobe's contract is not excessively difficult to understand- can't be as even I understand it

[patricks79699147]

Nic, I totally understand your pain. Just remember the squeeky wheel get the grease.

[rhyst38858318]

I was thinking of a comparisons. Adobe is like Volkswagen. Massive, has legacy, really good, but not exactly........... well I let you fill in the gap there.

It's funny that people make out you should 'read 'Terms and conditions' or suck it up. I'd counter that with 'Be upfront or you're being deceptive'. That's clearly a choice business's make all the time. In the real world, away from the black and white version of T&Cs, people's circumstance change. Perhaps you're not using CC as much as you thought, perhaps your financial situation has changed, perhaps student's are new to the world and aren't as savvy. Many companies had adopted the subscription based model, and let's be honest it's not because it's suits the consumer. Vast swathes of the population don't have the time to waste their short lives reading all T&Cs, and business knows that for a FACT!

Click to agree with what? No one reads terms of service, studies confirm | Technology | The Guardian

It's about fairness. Companies can choose how they conduct themselves. If you're not upfront then you've deceived.  If you as the consumer feel that the company you're paying a service to has unfairly charged you, then take your money elsewhere. In Adobe's case and my own set of requirements I feel that I've been pushed into a subscription model that encompasses lots of software I will barely, if ever use. That's not money spent well. Fortunately for us here are other professional brands of software that can do similar things that don't operate Adobe's model.

[mmmisHmasH]

I honestly have to say that that's shady business model. I subscribed to the student version basically just to use photoshop - didn't like the UI (didn't want to learn it - used it like 4 times total); not as userfriendly as sketchbook in my opinion. So decided that I'd cancel it just like 99% of the other subscriptions I've done--- but no... have to pay for 50% from the remaining amount (just 40 € though)

No one is expected to read through the terms of service considering almost all are about how or how not to use the product + trademark bs blahblah. This is one of those things that should have a clear pagesize notification before you manage to include your credentials. No one is expected to read text from a "10% of your screen" sized block and roll it down for 1000 middlemouse trigger

Edit: Almost forgot... problems in the software. Pen tablet worked awful in Photoshop last when I tried it. Not maybe "awful" but in a way it shouldn't have. I don't know but isn't that eligible reason for refund. (The pen dragged the image instead of making lines - had to do some really precise movements to be able to draw anything)

[Abambo]

mmmisHmasH  wrote

No one is expected to read through the terms of service considering almost all are about how or how not to use the product + trademark bs blahblah. This is one of those things that should have a clear pagesize notification before you manage to include your credentials. No one is expected to read text from a "10% of your screen" sized block and roll it down for 1000 middlemouse trigger

I do read payement terms, cancelation terms and reconduction terms.

[Nancy OShea]

Yes.  Adults understand the importance of reading terms.  You wouldn't rent an apartment, lease a vehicle or purchase a cell phone plan without understanding the terms & conditions of your agreement.  This is no different.  That's what responsible people do.

[mmmisHmasH]

Can... did you just compare those two (few) things. Buying an apartment/leasing a car/purchasing a cellphone to a content creation tool subscription. I can get the reading in scenarios where you might lose actual money - or in the ones where you can't use common sense / could basically get swindled by someone... but in this case... you know sure whatever.

It's just that EVERY f'n OTHER contract of the sort I've come upon that uses this following principle: "you will pay less but you'll have to commit" - has it shown in the informationary part of the contract in a place where it can be seen at the first glance...

[Nancy OShea]

Where I live, Annual Plan = 12 months.  

I think that's pretty clear, don't you?

[Abambo]

If you commit less, you pay more. Student reductions are only availabe for renewable 12month commitments. The drawback is the cancelation fee on yearly commitments. Adobe could also ask to respect the terms of the contract and allow cancelation for the end of the contract.

[mmmisHmasH]

Well, congratulations on being in the minority group

[Christine22690624to56]

Im also appauled by Adobe's sneaking manipulation charging people very high unexpected fees to cancel.

I subscribed under a trial 6 weeks ago thinking Id only be charged for the period of usage (at mont 2 months) but NO they will change $110 to end my subscription today. Manipulation on this level must be illegal

[LinSims]

Adobe tells you up front that if you don't cancel before the end of the grace period, you are charged a fee. If you only wanted to try it for a couple of months, sign up for the monthly plan and pay a bit more. Adobe gives a monthly discount if you commit for a year, but if you cancel early they want the discount back. All plans renew automatically at the end of the subscription term unless canceled.

[Nancy OShea]

@Christine22690624to56,

There is no such thing as a 2 month or 6 month free trial.  Not now, not ever.  I can't figure out where that idea came from.  Maybe you get your news from social media, I don't know.

In any case, you had 7 days to evaluate Creative Cloud for free.  After which your free trial converted to a paid annual (12 month) plan.  You had 14 days to cancel and request a refund without penalty fees. It's all spelled out in the TERMS you agreed to.  It doesn't matter if you used the services or not.

To avoid this in the future, please read the TERMS you're agreeing to. If you can't understand them, ask an adult parent or teacher to help you. 

Subscription & Cancellation Terms:
https://www.adobe.com/legal/subscription-terms.html

How do I Cancel my Subscription?
https://helpx.adobe.com/manage-account/using/cancel-subscription.html
===============
CONTACT ADOBE SUPPORT:
================
Online Chat: https://helpx.adobe.com/contact.html?rghtup=autoOpen
Phone M-F, during normal business hours: https://helpx.adobe.com/contact/phone.html

[Caden23090721zbna]

Your response is shameful. Adobe purposefully indulges in opaque labeling and confusing syntax. They are simply being outdated. No student has $250 to give for Adobe. The fact that you think the other is an option speaks to your diminished character.

[Nancy OShea]

There's nothing opaque about it.  The subscription terms are clearly posted in straightforward language easy enough for a 12 year old to understand.  Students must be at least 13 years of age to subscribe.

https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/buy/students.html

 

Terms for Students and Teachers

Introductory Pricing Terms and Conditions

US$19.99/month Creative Cloud Introductory Pricing

Eligible students 13 and older and teachers can purchase an annual membership to Adobe® Creative Cloud™ for a reduced price of US$19.99/mo for the first year. At the end of your offer term, your subscription will be automatically billed at the standard subscription rate, currently at US$29.99/mo (plus applicable taxes), unless you elect to change or cancel your subscription. This pricing is valid for purchases of an annual plan, which requires a 12-month contract. This pricing is available for first time membership only and limited to eligible education customers who purchase directly from the Adobe Store or by calling Adobe Sales. This pricing is not available to OEM, commercial or volume licensing customers. This pricing is limited to one (1) purchase of one (1) Creative Cloud annual membership per customer. Offer may not be assigned, exchanged, sold, transferred, or combined with any other discount or offer, or redeemed for cash or other goods and services. This pricing is subject to change without notice. Void where prohibited, taxed or restricted by law.

One Year Prepaid Creative Cloud Introductory Pricing

Eligible students 13 and older and teachers can purchase an annual membership to Adobe® Creative Cloud™ for a reduced price of US$239.88 for the first year. At the end of your offer term, your subscription will be automatically billed at the standard subscription rate, currently at US$359.88/yr (plus applicable taxes), unless you elect to change or cancel your subscription. This pricing is available for first time membership only and limited to eligible education customers who purchase directly from the Adobe Store or by calling Adobe Sales. This pricing is not available to OEM, commercial or volume licensing customers. This pricing is limited to one (1) purchase of one (1) Creative Cloud annual membership per customer. Offer may not be assigned, exchanged, sold, transferred, or combined with any other discount or offer, or redeemed for cash or other goods and services. This pricing is subject to change without notice. Void where prohibited, taxed or restricted by law.

Fees are incurred ONLY when one cancels their ANNUAL plan early.  To avoid fees, wait until the 12 month of service to cancel.  Simple, simple.

• https://www.adobe.com/legal/subscription-terms.html
• https://www.adobe.com/legal/terms.html