[Locked: Outdated information] How auto-renewal works

[Thgrafix]

How can I turn auto renewal off of my creative cloud subscription? Adobe FAQ says that there is an option for that in account management but I can't find such option. I have one year subscription.

[David__B · Accepted solution]

For a yearly subscription you go to the cancel option within account management on the last month of your membership. Monthly subscribers can cancel at anytime.Cancel your Adobe Creative Cloud membership

[andrewjendesign]

That guide doesn't really seem to apply. In the screenshot in the guide there is an edit button that leads to a page with options to toggle on/off the auto-renewal. In the current Creative cloud subscription page, there is nothing where that edit button is in the guide. It just says auto-renewal, and theres no links anywhere to change it. I'm assuming it might be because thats a "product subscription" and not a "service" scubscription.

I scoured every page of my account and there is nothing; it just seems to auto-renew unless you contact support and tell them you want to cancel after the 12 months or cancel early and pay the 50% of the remaining contract.

In terms of designing for consumers, Adobe team should add an option to the creative cloud account management to turn off auto renewal once the contract is up, and then say to contact customer support for early cancelation. It feels a bit strange to call Adobe support just to tell them my contract is up and I don't want to continue the subscription. It leaves the consumer with the fear that they'll be locked into another 12 month contract that they didn't have the option to agree or not to in the account manager.

[NightSkyGuy]

It's worse. At least one subscriber I know has reported that he was "auto renewed" and told that "there is nothing that can be done about it".  Even GoDaddy who is a shameless "upseller" has a means to turn off auto renew.

Creating calendar entry now to remind me to cancel next May.

Meanwhile, others might want to see here:  http://forums.adobe.com/message/4652052

[tomr29641043]

Don't like the Adobe Auto Renew functionality? Sign the petition and ask Adobe to allow us to turn off auto renew.

https://www.change.org/p/adobe-systems-adobe-creative-cloud-auto-renew-allow-customers-to-turn-it-of...

[georgesd78631136]

I'm an annual subscriber, I would like to have auto-renewal optional, with default (False) and you can send me a notification few days before expiry date in order to renew manually, or enable auto-renewal myself, it's not your call to enable this option instead of your members, this is how it should be not the other way around. I'm really surprised with the way you are running things here!!!

[romeroleo]

Excuse me, but I'm in the last month of my yearly subscription and there is no option to cancel the auto-renew.

The interface now is not the same as the one of the tutorial in the link you posted.

Please help.

[David__B]

Note: The Canel option for yearly subscribers isn't available until their membership expires after a year, for month to month subscribers its available all the time.

[NightSkyGuy]

Sorry, that just doesn't jive with what my friend just went through. He was automatically renewed. No notice (that HE saw). His bill went from $30 / month to $50 for the annual plan. He was also told that there was no option to cancel except to pay the 50% fee.

And it also doesn't jive with what the website/subscription terms say.

Here is a quote:

“Renewal

The price is valid for a full 12 months. After that, we’ll renew your contract automatically unless you cancel. The price is subject to change, but we will always notify you beforehand.”

I added highlighting. The rest is straight from the "subscription terms". Please read it and tell me where I've made a mistake.

http://www.adobe.com/misc/subscription_terms.html

[NightSkyGuy]

By the way, I contacted customer dis-service who told me this:

Sharan: Your account is set to auto-renew so that you don’t experience any interruption in access to your product or services.

Sharan: I am sorry to inform, we do not have the option to disable the auto-renew feature.

Steven: Ok, then can I inform you now that I wish to cancel my membership effective May 14, 2014?

...

Sharan: Click here to review the Creative Cloud Subscription Terms

Steven: When will I be notified? My friend got NO notification! But thanks for pointing that out… you violated your contract with him.

Sharan: Before 2-3 days before renewal date, you will receive a notification regarding the auto renewal

Steven: 2-3 DAYS? That’s all!? What if I’m out of town? What if my internet is broken? 2-3 MONTHS would be acceptable.

...

Sharan: I checked and see that you will receive the email notification before the 12 month renewal.

Sharan: However, we cannot assure when exactly you will receive the email confirmation.

[David__B]

Hi NightShyGuy,

It looks like we changed the interface slightly in relation to the auto-renewal feature, now you just cancel when eligible if you're no longer interested in continuing, this document has the details about the process.

http://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/policy-pricing/cancel-membership-subscription.html

I think the notification tells you that your membership is about to expire a few days in advance. I looked at the terms - I wasn't sure if you could cancel within 30 days after a yearly renewal or not, I suspect if you weren't interested in continuing you'd probably be waiting to cancel when the option became available.

[NightSkyGuy]

I'm sorry, David, but REQUIRING autorenewal is not a "slight change" in the interface.  Nor is it reasonable to not be clear about what costs are, what features accrue.

My beef is simple.  $20 a month is a bargain.  Well worth the money.  $70** a month is a 250% price increase that Adobe assumes I've automatically opted for. That is NOT ok.

Even if the price a year from now is $50/month (as it would be today) that is still 2.5 times as much as I'm paying now.  By then I might love the cloud and think that's a great deal... but being locked into an automatic auto renewal for another 1 YEAR is NOT comfortable. Nothing I read when signing up for the cloud indicated that I'd be forcibly auto-renewed - and by the way, I did my damnedest to try to read the 28 separate included documents in the "Terms and Conditions" - it's a hopeless mess of contradictions covering products that Adobe no longer sells or supports!

Why can't I have the option to not autorenew?  If I like the cloud, AND have been told what the future price is I might welcome autorenewal. I don't know many fiscally savvy people who will automatically agree to pay an unspecified, unbounded future price!

Of course it doesn't make it any more palatable that Adobe themselves don't know what their prices and policies are, or why the information is so scattered around that it's impossible to find. ALL terms should be in the same document. Why can't anyone tell me WHEN I'll get a notice about renewing?  3 days? 3 minutes? 3 months?  How can I trust any answer when no two Adobe employees seem to agree?  Especially when reality seems to contradict what each Adobe agent has said/written so far.

[nahravka]

hmm, is it so hard to just CANCEL your existing credit card and get new one ? Once your ADOBE account is not paid, it will be closed very fast, i guess.....

[PanZlty]

that's exactly what I did. Getting a new card in my bank is totally free so win win situation.

[Jeff_Know1]

There is no online cancelation method that you can do yourself, and there is no way to just stop the automatic renew process. All the methods mentioned in the FAQ are lies. They do not work.

You need to contact Adobe so they can give you a sales pitch why the Creative Cloud is such a 'great deal' and you really should reconsider leaving. I've been there... not fun.

[David__B]

The slight change was that there was a auto renewal setting that month to month subscribers could toggle on or off. Annual subscribers previously had to contact support to cancel their membership but this has changed and now one cancel themselves on the last 30 days of obligation.

Auto-renewal is the default behavior useless you choose to cancel, which you can do yourself - anytime with a month to month membership or within the last month with a yearly membership.

As far as price increases, if you join at a promo rate, it tells you it will return to the standard rate once the promo period is over. If you didn't want to continue at that rate you could cancel. As far as I know, the duration of the promotions have been yearly.

The cancellation process is different for different types of memberships. Team memberships still require contacting support to cancel.

[Jeff_Know1]

Great, Adobe's added a toggle button for auto-renewal for month-to-month subscribers. I guess I shouldn't be surprised it wasn't there in the first place.

Edit: actually, I think I've got this one wrong. You need to select cancel my plan. The wording for this is very misleading.

And it is nice to see that you can cancel your annual account without having to contact Adobe anymore, albeit only if you are in your final month...

Now add an option that you can cancel at ANY TIME and just state how much $ you will be charged for your remaining period and it will start to look like a normal backend.

And nothing has changed for yearly subscribers who want stop the auto-renew process. That option still does not exist. You are forced to wait until you are in your last month and then you need to CANCEL your account.

Any reason why a company that manages to maintain Photoshop/Illustrator/InDesign etc can't add a simple button that toggles auto-renew on and off for yearly subscribers? Afraid too many people might actually use that option?

NightSkyGuy, you will be charged $50 a month for the second year. Not $70, that is the price for a Team Membership. Your second year if you auto-renew on a yearly contract basis will be $50.

Cancellation

We'd hate to see you go, but if you cancel within the first 30 days, we'll give you a full refund. Otherwise, you'll be billed 50% of your remaining contract obligation. If you ever need to cancel, just call Customer Support.

So if the auto-renew does somehow take place you can still cancel in the first month and get your money back for that first month. And you don't have to pay 50% of the rest of the year. At least this is something Adobe has implemented correctly.

[NightSkyGuy]

NightSkyGuy, you will be charged $50 a month for the second year. Not $70, that is the price for a Team Membership. Your second year if you auto-renew on a yearly contract basis will be $50.

Do you have an authoritative place where Adoe has announced next year's pricing?  Please share. They might charge $0.79  or $79.00.  If it actually said I'd be auto renewing AT $50 I'd have some confidence. However it says "The price is subject to change" - it could be anything.

So if the auto-renew does somehow take place you can still cancel in the first month and get your money back for that first month.

I'm sorry, but I have no confidence in this either. My friend was told that since he renewed, his cancellation would cost him 50%.  A Renewal is not being treated the same way as a first time sign up.  I'd like to see what you've written in writing on Adobe's website.  The Terms and Conditions do not say you cannot disable autorenewal. They do say you'll be notified before renewal but NOT WHEN!

Any reason why a company that manages to maintain Photoshop/Illustrator/InDesign etc can't add a simple button that toggles auto-renew on and off for yearly subscribers?

Amen!  The stated reason for not being able to turn off autorenewal is "for my convenience," My *ss. It's for ADOBE's convenience in collecting more $.

Your account is set to auto-renew so that you don't experience any interruption in access to your product or services. I am sorry to inform, we do not have the option to disable the auto-renew feature.

If everyone who reads this opens a case asking how to turn off autorenewal that Adobe might realize it's important.

PS In my last interchange with Support I specifically requested that they CANCEL my subscription.  Guess what Adobe HASN'T done.

[Guest]

I just had a horrible experience with the auto renew funciton. I couldn't find a way to opt out before the renewal and they raised my price (didn't explain that I was signing another year contract or how to cancel). It took 4 attempts to cancel my account. Look up California Business and Provessional Code 17600-17606.. Basically if they raise the price of the annual they have to explain the new contract terms, cancellation process, etc in writing. Adobe didn't do that.

I am in favor of a class action lawsuit against Adobe for deceptive business practices and violation of the state laws.

[ThomasKl]

I'm completely baffled by this situation. I have until June 1st for my renewal, wanted to cancel auto-renewal, but now I think I'll just pay the cancellation fee and leave this disaster behind me.

Way to go Adobe, shit like this will drive people into pirating your software again.

I was really delighted when I first saw Creative Cloud subscriptions, but now it's a real disappointment for me. Lesson learned.

[PLangland]

I subsribed to a month to month for Adobe Muse on 5/10 and toggled the auto renew to off so it expired as it should on 6/10. I then signed up for another month on 8/8 and that button now DOES NOT exist anywhere. Anyone who pays the premium cost for month to month do not want it every month, so the toggle to cancel auto renewal is essential. My expiration date was to be September 8 and I was charged on September 6 for a new month. I had to call adobe, talk to someone across the world who speaks very little english and my account has still not credited the amount. If you want people to use the cloud, you better make it easier to use or like me, they won't bother!

[NightSkyGuy]

PLangland: Did Adobe ever straighten this out, that is:

1. Did they process your refund?
2. Did they put the cancel button back on the page for month-to-month people, or is your only option to call and cancel?

[PLangland]

No they have not sent a refund. Last email said 5- 7 business days. Really slow!

As far as button that should have been there, It is not as far as I can tell, although may not show up until I try to re-subscribe.

All in all this was a very sub-par experience. I would expect better from Adobe.

[Butch_M]

You mean there is someone on planet Earth that doesn't want to renew a CC subscription? ... I find that hard to believe since Creative Cloud is the greatest solution since sliced bread ... I find it difficult to comprehend that there is indeed a user that no longer wishes to be, "another layer of revenue," (instead of a valued customer) added to the Adobe financial coffers ...

[stephanien33685878]

i would just like to add, i dont want it and have been charged for another year without consenting. i am so disappointed tbh. I never read a year ago that it auto renewed and that i would have to set a damn alarm for october or cost me another year...oh you missed your chance..well i travel a lot. and have several email accounts and dont always check the "junk". opportunistic bs. i am poor and we work hard for our living. is this how adobe needs to make money?