Subscription - intransparant and unfair

[Liathano]

I am very disappointed with Adobe. I tried the free month for Adobe Stock. When I tried to login on the last day of the month to cancel my subscription, it was not possible for some reason. So I thought, well, then I cancel next month. Only now I see that I've enterented into a subscription for a whole year. Nowhere was this mentioned in a transparent, fair matter. I looked through my e-mails and there, in smallprint, in a VERY unclear wording (and I am a lawyer, I usually understand terms and conditions quite well), you could have maybe guessed that. If you just looked like an average consumer, you would have guessed it was a monthly subscription service with a 30 days trial. So, now I shall either deal with a very expensive subscription or pay a very expensive fee? Wow. 

I think it's a shame to make money in a such a way, it seems like a better fit for a scam company - not like Adobe. I will write a letter to the German consumer association and will start looking for a new alternative to the Adobe services, although I've been very happy with Photoshop and Lightroom. But that is just not the right way to deal with customers.

[Tacafy大尉]

Liathano, Hello.
That means that Adobe Stock's 30-day free trial failed to cancel within the trial period.
Certainly, there seems to be an event that the cancellation button does not appear on the last day even in other free trial versions.
However, as stated in the terms and conditions of the Stock Free Trial, you will be charged once, but if you cancel within 14 days of the first billing date, it will be refunded.

https://www.adobe.com/legal/subscription-terms.html#04

If you are still in time, please proceed.

Cancel Adobe trial or subscription

Adobe also has many subscribers. There is no reason for fraud or illegal activities. Annual contract with the expectation of continuous use.
I am a Japanese, but when it comes to Adobe ’s obscure wording, there are often cases in Japan where I do n’t know if it ’s a machine translation.

[Zone_99]

I'd agree with this.  My daughter signed up for the trial, cancelled the trial and it didn't take.  4 months later I find 4 charges for $29.99 and when you go to cancel, you're charged $60.

This model is completely ridiculous.  It's a month to month payment plan, not a yearly commitment.  An 'early termination fee' is highway robbery and it should be VERY clearly spelled out.

[Abambo]

Contact customer service (https://helpx.adobe.com/contact.html) and negotiate the fee. 

You should always check thatcancellation got through, not only with Adobe. And you should check your credit card payment when ever possible. I get a warning when my credit cards are charged.

[Abambo]

I'm sorry to read that, but the terms are clear and you accepted the terms when you took your subscription.

Service begins as soon as your initial payment is processed. At the end of your first month free, your subscription will automatically renew on your annual renewal date until you cancel. Your eligibility to use an Adobe free trial is determined solely by Adobe.  Your access to any free trial offer is provided at Adobe’s sole discretion. You authorize us to store your payment method(s) and to automatically charge your payment method(s) every month of your annual contract until you cancel. We will automatically charge you the then-current rate for your plan, plus applicable taxes (such as VAT or GST if the rate does not include it), every month of your annual contract until you cancel.

(...)

Cancellation Terms:

You can cancel your subscription anytime via your Adobe Account page or by contacting Customer Support*. If you cancel during the first month billing cycle, your credit card will not be charged, and your service will continue until the end of that first month’s billing cycle. If you cancel within 14 days of your initial order, you’ll be fully refunded. Should you cancel after 14 days, you’ll be charged a lump sum amount of 50% of your remaining contract obligation and your service will continue until the end of that month’s billing period.

As a lawyer you should be able to interpret this correctly. I'm a non native English speaker and this looks quite clear to me.

[Zone_99]

Abambo,

I am not sure if you are implying that I am a lawyer or if you are stating you are.  If you are implying I am a lawyer, then I have no idea where you got that impression.  I'm also not sure how being a 'non-native English speaker' has any value here?

Regardless,  I have seen a response similar to yours in other threads similar to this and, when a response is given over and over to the same problem, it indicates a defensive posture for a policy that is known to be confusing.

Regardless of wording, the plan is deceptive.  When initiating the trial, there is no warning that this is an annual contract you are signing up for.  It's all removed from the purchase dialog.  Given that the monthly plan is ALSO $29.99, it's very easy for a user to misinterpret and choose the wrong plan as they flip back and forth trying to determine what the differences are.   If Adobe wants to reduce the confusion then they should make it more clear either by an annual fee or making the monthly fee for an annual subscription a different price.

These are our opinions and some of us are long time Adobe customers. Throwing "these are the terms" at us does nothing to bolster our support in Adobe but, rather, comes across as "you're an idiot".  So thanks for that.

[Abambo]

The response you referring to was intended for OP who states to be a lawyer. As a non native speaker you have sometimes difficulties with specific terms that you do not know or misunderstand the term in the way they are used. 

You need to look at the terms when you're buying a subscription and the terms are much less here than the terms for my phone plan. 

If there are some people complaining, these who did understood the terms are not present here. Reading such fora, you could easily get the impression that the world is full of problems, which evidently is not the case. 

Please look into my answer to your post and try my suggestion. 

[Tacafy大尉]

Zone_99, good evening.
I am also a Japanese who does not speak English.
In addition to Adobe, services such as free for the first month are used in a wide range of industries and business categories in Japan, such as mobile phone music distribution services, image streaming sites, and paid members of mail order sites.
When I checked the Adobe Japan page again, it seemed that it was written that it was an annual contract when signing up for the trial.
But you may not be convinced.

The red line part of the image indicates that the contract is an annual contract, and it is clearly stated that there is no cancellation fee for the first month of the contract.

For cancellation, please contact customer support as shown above.

[michaelm78088356]

Abambo,

Do you have an affiliation with Adobe or its partners where you are paid to respond to complaints online?  Your response sounds like the "Adobe Service" person, not another user.

[Abambo]

@michaelm78088356 ,

This is a user to user forum. I'm a user of Adobe products and not an Adobe emplolyee. Adobe people are marked as Adobe.

I can understand that people can get confused with the terms or that people can just buy services without reading the terms. To call them, however, intransparent and unfair, is misleading.

You should simply be aware that anytime you need to enter your credit card details that you may get charged. I would recommend everyone giving his credit card data, to read exactly how much one gets charged and what the way out is.