All Adobe Stock Credits Disappeared!

[mustafaa86809807]

Hi,

I purchased a monthly subscription to Adobe Stock and had accumulated over 50 credits, having only used 7. I had the subscription for a total of 6 months, the total cost of which was £216.

On cancelling my subscription to Adobe Stock, my credits remained there, as expected. But on logging back in a couple of week later, all the credits had disappeared. I received no notice whatsoever that the credits would expire (if that is the reason for them vanishing).

I chose Adobe Stock because I checked in detail whether credits would be lost on subscription cancellation. At the time, I found no information within the registration process or within the Adobe website. I chose Adobe over it's competitors such as Shutter Stock (which I used previously) specifically because I saw that credits would remain after cancellation.

Now I am unable to contact Adobe Stock as there is no contact or email to contact them. If there was any notice in regards to the removal of credits then it was not clear.

I am appalled with the service and lack of information regarding this matter and the only option Adobe have given me in relation to this is to post on this forum.

I hope someone from Adobe can explain this predicament.

Regards,

Mustafa

[Sheena Kaul]

Hi there,

I totally understand the issue that you are seeing but as per the terms mentioned in our FAQs here: Common Questions about plans, purchasing, and availability, Adobe Stock the unused credits are only valid till the time your subscription is active.

If I cancel my subscription, can I still use any unused licenses in my account?

Yes. Once you have licensed an asset, the license is permanent. You can use the assets you license regardless of your subscription status as long as you adhere to the general terms of use restrictions.

Let me know if that helps!

Regards,

Sheena

[mustafaa86809807]

Hi Sheena,

I appreciate your swift reply. However, before purchasing the credits I tried finding any clause both within your website and during registration that stated that credits would vanish when the subscription has ended. I was not able to find any such notice. What's more shocking is that no notice was given even after cancelling the subscription, through email or during the cancellation process.

The only reason I let the subscription continue was because I thought I would have the credits at hand for future use. Had I known the truth, I would have instantly cancelled my subscription after the first month.

I must note that whilst searching for the best stock photo site to use, other sites were much clearer straightaway in regards to credits in this situation; and rightly so.

With such a large loss occurred to customers such as myself, having this critical information within your FAQs is simply not good enough; it's abysmal. It's actually ruined my trust for Adobe.

[Sheena Kaul]

Hi there,

I totally understand your frustration around this situation, but I would suggest that you please Contact Customer Care as they would be able to provide you some exceptions if any, as we don't want you to lose your trust from Adobe.

Regards,

Sheena

[Jafar Dee]

I'm sorry but I'm in the same situation  and I never see any Terms mentioning this clause. I think these terms are new due to your new prices !

I'm really sad because I had at least 60 credits and now nothing.. That's no serious Adobe...really

Excuse my English I come from France and I don't know who to contact and find a solution for me and I can't just admit I loose 60 credit like this..

Regards

Thomas

[Sheena Kaul]

Hi Thomas,

These aren't new term and have been mentioned in our FAQ here: Common Questions about plans, purchasing, and availability, Adobe Stock

Regards,

Sheena

[mustafaa86809807]

Hi Sheena,

I accessed the link you gave me in order to contact Customer Care. However, after going through the automated process of gaining contact details, the only option I was given was to post my issue on the forum.

Regards,

Mustafa

[twaritar3263062 · Accepted solution]

Hi Mustafa,

If you are unable to reach support through the above-mentioned link, please see Contact Support FAQ: Unable to reach support through the "Contact US" link

Feel free to update this thread in case of any additional questions.

Regards,

Twarita

[michaelw36664653]

Yes. This is a HORRIBLE policy that I didn't know about either. I had over 120 credits that existed even after I closed my account. I was actively using those assets and then today when I logged in, they were all gone.

Here is the way I look at this: I paid well over $600 for those assets -- Adobe has not delivered those assets. How do I get my money back or my credits back?

If I operated my business like this...well, I wouldn't be in business for very long.

[mattpunkle309]

This is awful!  If I sign back up for the stock plan will I get all of my credits back?

[Sheena Kaul]

Hi Matt,

We will be able to add the credits back in your account once you subscribe to the Stock plan.

The credits which were valid and active in your account at the time of the subscription cancellation will be added.

Regards,

Sheena

[mattpunkle309]

Thank you Sheena.

Can I please have the credits back now?  I'm really struggling with something that I paid for and saved month after month, disappearing without notice.  Is Adobe becoming one of those companies that hides dishonest business practices deep in their terms and conditions?  This is a big swing for you guys.  Pretty disappointing.

[Sheena Kaul]

Matt, once you're able to subscribe to Adobe Stock plan I'll be able to add the credits.

Currently the Stock plan in your account is cancelled.

[mattpunkle309]

Yes, I realize that.  At this point I'm not really confident in the honesty of the plan.  I'd like to have back what I already paid for, then see if the policies are updated based on customer feedback.  If the terms become more equitable, I would definitely resubscribe.  As an Adobe customer for over 25 years and a daily user of Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, Premiere Pro, Dreamweaver, Lightroom, Character Animator, Etc..., this shift in ethics is very disconcerting.

Thanks!

[johnd66605053]

Sheena, could you clarify this please?

• With a subscription users are purchasing credits? (At a fixed rate of credits per month)
• These credits are ours, we keep them and they do not 'expire'?
• We can only have access to use these credits with an active subscription?
• If our subscription lapses when we renew / re-subscribe we can have access to any 'old' credits which were not used from a previous subscription?

Clarification for each separate point would be appreciated, thanks.

[Beverley Gray]

Hi John

With a subscription, you are subscribing to a service where you are given an allocation of licenses to use each month.

The licenses are available to use providing the subscription is active.  They will expire as stated in the legal terms below, or will be forfeited if you end your subscription.

Yes, you only have access to the unused licenses while your subscription is active.  Once you've licensed an asset, the license is permanent and you can use the assets you have licensed regardless of your subscription status, as long as you adhere to the general terms of use restrictions.

If your subscription lapses and you resubscribe you do not have access to unused licenses from previous subscriptions.

From the legal terms - Legal subscription terms | Adobe

Unused downloads from a monthly allowance of your annual plan accumulate and carry over for up to 12 consecutive billing cycles only if you have renewed the Adobe Stock subscription without letting it lapse and without repacking it with a lesser value subscription. Unused downloads (A) are subject to a cap of a maximum of twelve times your monthly allowance; and (B) automatically expire on a rolling basis 12 monthly billing periods after the date when they were first allocated. When your subscription ends, you will forfeit all rights to any unused downloads.

Thanks

Bev

[mattpunkle309]

Hi Bev,

This conflicts with what has been said by other staff members above, who have offered the reinstatement of previously purchased credits upon renewal of the plan again.

The question remains, is Adobe willing to honor the purchase of these credits that many of your loyal customers have made in good faith, not aware of these policies hidden within the small print?  These types of policies have been proven unethical time and time again in class action lawsuits.  I would imagine that a situation like that could be disastrous and easily avoided, at small cost (no cost, since people are just asking for what they've already paid for). Tricking people is never good for business.

[Beverley Gray]

Hi Matt

We would advise customers to contact our support team to discuss their individual situation to see what can be done.

Kind regards

Bev

[Aneira]

Same thing happened to me, I lost 120 credits. Did you ever get a resolution you were happy with?

If I resubscribe will I get my credits back? I was also not warned about the fact that they would disappear when I unsubscribed.

To add insult to injury, I also signed up for my CC subscription at a discounted rate for a 12 month sub. Part way through the sub period they increased the monthly price. To cancel my sub I would have had to pay out the remainder at the new price. Pretty sure that's also a consumer no-no. Hypothetically speaking, what if they raised it to $1M p/m. Tough, and if you want to cancel, that's $6M please.

Disappointed ex-subscriber.

[Abambo]

Aneira  wrote

If I resubscribe will I get my credits back? I was also not warned about the fact that they would disappear when I unsubscribed.

It's in the conditions when you subscribe. But I agree, a lot of the people do not read those, even that they are quite small.

Aneira  wrote

Part way through the sub period they increased the monthly price.

Prices change only at renewal. What may be is that you have a contract in USD and you pay local currency.

[Aneira]

That may be your current policy but it’s not what happened to me or if it

was the case with my account it wasn’t communicated that way when I

questioned staff about the alteration to my monthly payment.

It was communicated to me that local laws had changed and they were

now being charged more tax and were passing that on to me. I’m not a lawyer

but I assumed it was illegal to alter the conditions of a contract part way

through. Again, when I spoke to helpdesk they more or less said check the

fine print.

It’s the circumstance but more importantly the way it was handled that is

the primary reason I went from being a loyal subscriber / adobe promoter

and professional user (software development) to, well, the opposite.

My stock credits getting wiped out when I cancelled my subscription was the

cherry.

[Abambo]

Aneira  wrote

That may be your current policy (...)

I‘m not Adobe so it‘s Adobe‘s policy. It‘s like that since I deal with this and it has not changed since then.

Adobe does not adjust prices « en route ». If VAT gets adjusted, prices change, but that’s not something that gets controlled by Adobe.

[Aneira]

My mistake Abambo, you are responding as though you are from Adobe.

I guess the part that you're missing, since you're not from Adobe and aren't across the conversation I had with Adobe support then is that after increasing my monthly payments (whether it be to VAT adjustments or otherwise) they [Adobe, not yourself] then released a special deal, akin to the special deal that I signed up for in the first place at a reduced price.

So the timeline from my perspective:

Adobe released a promotional rate on the full CS suite, which I subscribed to along with the 1 year of Adobe Stock

Adobe upped the price on my contracted 1 year rate of CS

Adobe released a promotional rate at the same price that I originally signed up for (or maybe less, I'd have to check) at which point I questioned Adobe staff about the ethics of the above and was not satisfied with their response.

I attempted to cancel my CS subscription and they said I would need to pay half of the remaining subscription price (the increased price) to exit.

I cancelled my Stock subscription and then after the fact found out that my credits would disappear.

I'm not saying that they are not legally in the right. I'm sure their fine print checks out. All I'm saying is that relying on policy and fine print to get out of treating your customers fairly or kindly is not the way any decent company of human beings should behave or be proud of.

[Aneira]

To give some additional context, I recently had a comparable experience with ALG (an Australian gas company).

They sold me a product and then released a superior product during the first year of my contract, let's call it a subscription.

I called them and questioned it, they apologised for not informing me about the plans to release that product at the time of sign up and switched me over to the new product.

Now I am on an Adobe forum advocating for that company. Happy customer.

There's a human component to business that you (and Adobe) would do well to recognise.

[od55511673]

Thanks for clarifying! We will look for image assets elsewhere.