Don't Fall into This Adobe Subscription Trap

[Guest]

 

I've been a customer of Adobe for quite some time, paying €78.10 per month for their subscription services, even though I rarely used their products—perhaps opening Photoshop and After Effects once or twice a month for a few minutes. I had heard numerous stories about people running into difficulties with Adobe subscriptions, but it didn't affect my trust or attitude towards them in any way. I believed in Adobe and valued their products.

Realizing I was wasting money on services I wasn't utilizing, I decided to cancel my subscription. When I attempted to cancel through my account dashboard, I repeatedly encountered server errors stating there were issues with the server—conveniently just days before the next billing cycle. It felt as if these errors were deliberately preventing me from canceling. Frustrated, I reached out to Adobe's customer support.

The representative was polite and offered me the entire Adobe suite for just €29.99 per month. They presented this in a friendly and playful manner, assuring me it was a "beneficial offer." Trusting them, I didn't scrutinize the agreement details—after all, it was a live chat, and they were waiting for my immediate response. I thought, "Come on, it's Adobe! I love them so much; what a cool offer!" I even told my friends and acquaintances about how great they were.

I paid this amount for a year without concern. However, as the new year began, my monthly fee unexpectedly increased to €55.84. When I tried to cancel the subscription again, I was informed that I would have to pay a cancellation fee of €307.12. Now, I find myself trapped by these unforeseen changes and the hefty penalty for trying to leave.

Do you think I'm just upset? No, it's as if they've shot me in the back. I feel a deep sense of disgust and betrayal. And for what? €300? How glad I am that the deal for Adobe to acquire Figma fell through—now I see everything clearly. Thank you!

It's disheartening to experience this with a company as prominent as Adobe. I trusted them to value their customers, but instead, I feel they've acted unfairly and lacked transparency. I'm sharing my experience to warn others to be cautious when dealing with Adobe's subscription services.

[kglad]

for others, make sure you're aware of the cancellation terms by selecting your plan type (at the top of the page here), https://helpx.adobe.com/manage-account/using/creative-cloud-subscription-terms.html

for info on how to cancel your subscription, this page describes the few steps involved, https://helpx.adobe.com/manage-account/using/cancel-subscription.html

if you want to cancel but are unable to follow the steps described in the "how to cancel page", contact adobe support.

there are 2 ways to contact adobe; chat and twitter (now x):

chat:
use a browser that allows popups and cookies, and click here, https://helpx.adobe.com/contact.html?rghtup=autoOpen
in the chat field (lower right), type AGENT
be patient, it can take quite a while to reach a human.

twitter/x:
tweet @AdobeCare

p.s. if you're contacted by anyone (via email or private message), it's much more likely to be a scammer than an adobe representative.

[Guest · Accepted solution]

I'm not going to reach out to anyone; I'll pay the penalty. I want to see those €300 in my billing history so that the next time I consider trying your products, they remind me of who you are.

I'm also interested to hear from others: have you encountered server errors when trying to cancel an Adobe subscription?

Below is a schematic of the supposed financial trap:

You deliberately pay a high subscription price to have the ability to cancel at any time.

:down_arrow:

When attempting to cancel the subscription a few days before the next payment, you may encounter server errors multiple times.

:down_arrow:

You contact their friendly support team; they ask why you want to cancel the subscription.

:down_arrow:

You explain that you rarely use the products and the price is too high.

:down_arrow:

They offer you a "beneficial" subscription at a lower price.

:down_arrow:

Result:

You wanted to cancel a subscription that you could end at any time.
They moved you to "beneficial terms," under which you paid €360, launching their software only a couple of times over the year.
Now you're on a subscription where you have only two options:
Pay them €672 over the next year.
Or cancel it by paying a €300 penalty.

I'm sharing this to raise awareness about such practices. Be cautious when dealing with subscriptions, even from well-known companies.

[kglad]

it's your right to waste your money.

[Guest]

Thank you for your input. While I understand that ultimately it's my choice how I spend my money, my intention is to highlight practices that may not be transparent or fair to customers. By sharing my experience, I hope to raise awareness so others can make informed decisions when dealing with subscription services. Transparency and respect for customers are essential, and I believe companies should prioritize these values.

[kglad]

you made your point.  why not recover your money?

[Guest]

Your responses seem very well-informed. Could you share whether you are an official representative of Adobe or work for the company? This would help me better understand the context of your advice. Also, could you please clarify what you mean by 'recover your money'? Are there official ways or procedures that I'm not aware of?

[kglad]

i am not an adobe employee and am not an official adobe representative.

my suggestion to you is to contact adobe support and make your case.  it's not unusual for them to refund money.

[Guest]

Thank you for clarifying your affiliation. I appreciate your suggestion to contact Adobe support. Hopefully, at least these web pages belong to the company.
Wishing you a great weekend! 

[kglad]

you're welcome

[Why_A_$cam]

Just fell for this too. Adobe is such a scam!

[stephen_6446]

This was effectively a scam.  Just as they said huge fee for stopping payment and I cant find anything in my bank account saying that I had started it.  If I do not get my money back I will report this to the scam fraud office

[kglad]

@stephen_6446 

did you start an adobe trial or subscription?

[elaine_7430]

Same here, I'm on my first day of the yearly subscription and it's trying to charge me £71 to cancel today, i.e. £80+ to pay on the first day of yearly plan to use the service for one month. This is pure scam, I'll also report it

[kglad]

cancel within 2 weeks of your initial trial, or after your 12 payment is received (and before the next is due), to have no penalty.