ComplaintsforOtter.ai

• Initial Complaint

  07/05/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Last year, July 8, 2023, I canceled a subscription and received a partial refund. I thought that was the end of it. Now, it has auto-renewed and I am out $100.How can a canceled subscription auto-renew? I want a full refund and my account permanently closed/canceled.

  Business response

  07/08/2024

  Our records indicate that an account linked to the email address ************************* was created on July 5, 2024, under the free Basic plan. There are no subscriptions or charges associated with this account. However, we found a separate account linked to the email address ************************* created on October 30, 2023. A refund of $98.63 was processed on July 11, 2023, but the subscription was not canceled at that time, nor was there a request for cancellation. Consequently, the subscription renewed on July 5, 2024. On July 5, 2024, the customer contacted Customer Support to cancel the subscription and requested a refund for the most recent payment of $99.99. I have confirmed that the subscription has been canceled and the refund processed.

• Initial Complaint

  05/23/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Without my permission ***** added people to my account and then charged me for it. They have admitted the error, but since gone non-responsive.

  Business response

  06/17/2024

  Our records show that an account associated with the email address ********************* was created on May 15, 2022, and upgraded to the Otter Business monthly subscription on October 20, 2023. Upon investigating, we found that a feature was set to on, allowing teammates with the same email domain (@neo4j.com) to join the account. Email notifications were sent to *********************, informing the customer when a team member joined on a trial basis, and another email was sent prior to the trial ending, notifying the customer that they would be charged for the remaining time of their existing billing cycle once the trial ended, as well as instructions to cancel the trial so they would not be charged.
  
  We have disabled this setting to prevent further team members from discovering and joining the account. However, because the payment has been disputed with your bank, we are unable to issue a refund at this time. Refunds cannot be processed until the dispute has been resolved.

• Initial Complaint

  03/01/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I set up a free account with ********************** years ago to try it out.I connected it to my ****** Calendar work account to try it out for meeting transcription. I tried it again here and there over the years but didn't like it that much and stopped using it.Now, much later, it's suddenly aggressively trying to push its way into work meetings, asking other people who lead meetings that I attend for permission for ***** to listen in on the meetings. I have followed the Otter.ai website instructions for disconnecting it, and turned off the meeting "auto join" setting, etc. Still, every week, it harasses other people at work asking to sit in on private meetings.This is completely unacceptable and is making me look very bad at work. For many people, this would get them fired.Our office uses ****** Calendar/****** Meet for meetings. From the ****** side of things I removed Otter from subscribing to any of my schedules or meetings there. But for recurrent weekly meetings, the *** for each meeting is predictable. So now that ***** was in previous meetings, it knows what the *** will be for future meetings, and it uses that to continue to harass meeting organizers (who have never signed up for it or even heard of it themselves), asking them to let it into meetings!Please warn consumers about this, ***** is aggressive and untrustworthy and providing it access to your work accounts can get you fired.

  Business response

  03/08/2024

  According to our records, an account associated with the email ********************* was created on April 20, 2018, and is connected to a ****** Calendar account using the same email. Our records indicate that the auto-join feature for this account was disabled on February 15, 2024. However, several meetings scheduled for that day took place before the change was made, leading to attempts by their Otter account to join these meetings automatically. We have verified that the auto-join feature is now deactivated and assure you it will not attempt to join any further meetings. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

• Initial Complaint

  02/16/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I contacted OtterAI back in October 2023 to cancel my subscription with them after using their product shortly and realizing it was not what I wanted/needed/disliked the service. Firstly, there is no way to cancel your account on their website, you have to contact their customer support to do so. This is an underhanded tactic businesses use to make cancellation more difficult. So I contacted their customer support to cancel. At first they ignored me, did not respond, and charged me for Oct 2023. I thought maybe my contact was too late for that billing cycle and asked again to simply not charge me as of Nov 2023. They have continued to charge me every month since then (Nov 23, Dec 23, Jan 24, and Feb 24) despite emailing their customer support monthly to stop charging me. I've gotten my credit card company involved to dispute all the charges as well. My next step is to ask my credit card company to blacklist OtterAI so they are unable to charge my credit card.

  Business response

  02/28/2024

  Our records indicate that an account associated with the email *************************************** was created and deleted several times. Currently, there is no record of an active account associated with that email address. We provide all customers the ability to manage their subscription online by signing into their account. For further assistance, our public *********** (******************************************************************) offers detailed instructions on how to cancel subscriptions. We make it easy and intuitive for customers to cancel their subscription at any time.

  According to our records, on November 13, 2023, there was an attempt to reach out to Customer Support through an email address that we not monitor. An automated reply was sent providing instructions to submit a support request via our website. On January 12/2024, the customer contacted Customer Support requesting to stop charging them. The following day, a Customer Support Representative replied explaining that because the customer filed a dispute with their bank, we are unable to process a refund until the dispute has been resolved. On January 17, 2024, the customer responded, stating, "Yes, I'll wait for the dispute to be resolved before hearing back from you."

  On February 15, 2024, the customer contacted Customer Support asking for a refund and to cancel the subscription. On the same day, a Customer Support Representative honored this request by processing a full refund for the most recent payment and canceling the subscription.

  No additional actions are necessary at this moment.

  Customer response

  03/08/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. Thank you for your reimbursement and cooperation. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************************

• Initial Complaint

  01/03/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I signed up for an annual plan. It was automatically renewed and my card was charged. However, I was not given notice that my subscription was up for renewal. Is there no system in place to notify subscribers? I've already cancelled my subscription. However, I've now paid for another year's service for a software program I no longer need. According to the ********** Automatic Renewal Law, "Most businesses selling automatic renewal plans to ********** consumers with an initial term of one year or longer will have to deliver notices to their ********** subscribers 15 to 45 days before the renewal date reminding them that their plans will automatically renew unless canceled." No such notification was received, and I'd like a refund. Thanks.

  Business response

  01/08/2024

  We apologize for any inconvenience that *** have resulted from the automatic renewal of this users subscription. We have reviewed our records and we can confirm that this user's subscription under ************************* has ended and that an appropriate refund has been issued to this user.

  Customer response

  01/11/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

• Initial Complaint

  12/20/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  11/01/2023, I paid the invoice to extend my Otter Pro Edu Legacy plan through Stripe. Despite the successful payment ($49.99 charged and settled from my credit card), my existing plan was immediately cancelled due to a system error ("Your Otter Pro subscription has been cancelled, as we could not process the payment method you have on file").I contacted customer support immediately, but despite repeated follow-up emails (including some with my case number), they haven't provided any resolution or explanation for the cancellation or the lack of service for the past 50 days. Notably, they respond to other email addresses from me but ignore those associated with my account information and case number.Initially, I trusted their customer support that a higher department was working on a resolution. However, after more than a month without service, I filed a dispute on 12/20/2023 with my credit card company in case the issue remains unresolved before dispute deadline passes. I want either refund, or correction with compensations for inconvenience and no service.Case numbers: ****** (no update), ****** (ignored), ****** (no update), ****** (ignored)

  Business response

  12/29/2023

  Our records indicate that an account under ********************************************************* was created on 9/15/2022. The account was upgraded to the Otter Pro plan on 11/11/2022, charged $49.99, and set to renew annually. On 11/1/2023, our billing system renewed the account for a subsequent 12 months and charged $49.99. However, the charge failed several times before it was successfully charged that same day. However, there were several unsuccessful payment attempts before finally processing the charge on the same day. Due to these initial payment failures, the account was automatically downgraded by our system. Interestingly, the successful payment occurred almost simultaneously with the downgrade, leading to a system error where the upgrade did not register. Currently, there is a dispute over the $49.99 charge, and as it is under review, our billing system is unable to issue refunds for disputed charges.

  Customer response

  01/12/2024

   
  Complaint: 21034127
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  1. The explanation is unacceptable. While they may have identified the issue, they failed to follow up on my initial communications before contacting BBB. This lapse caused over two months of service disruption until today despite successfully processing my payment eventually.
  
  2. Their explanation raises further concerns. They claim that the charge "failed several times before it was successfully charged that same day," but my credit card statement shows no failed charges or even attempted charges. Usually, failed payments appear as negative payment followed by positive ones in the pending section to offset the failed payment. Or I get calls from the credit card company for suspicious attempts. Additionally, the saved credit card has always had sufficient available credit and has never had trouble with automatic payments.
  
  3. They also state that the "successful payment occurred almost simultaneously with the downgrade." However, I paid the initial invoice manually through the emailed Stripe link last year (2022), not through the saved credit card. They repeated this process this year (2023) by sending me an invoice with a 30-day payment window, which I met. Their so-called "successful payment" is simply the manual payment I made via their invoice. Furthermore, I paid using a different credit card on Stripe rather than the one saved on the account. So the successful payment is not made using the credit card number on the account, meaning ***** was not the one who made "successful payment", but it was simply me who paid manually. Also, the alleged payment conflict occurred just one minute after the invoice payment in the whole 30 days of payment window, making this timing highly improbable. This strongly suggests that they never attempted to charge my card, and provided the unsuccessful charges narrative.
  
  4. Most of all, despite contacting the BBB, no actual resolution has been reached but only received explanations that further raise questions about their handling of my account.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

  Business response

  01/22/2024

  1.We acknowledge that due to the billing complication, the user was unable to import files into their account. Ordinarily, in such situations, it is our practice to offer a prorated refund to address the inconvenience caused. Nonetheless, the current dispute of the payment with the user's bank prevents our billing system from issuing a refund through Otter.ai at this moment. Consequently, it is necessary for us to await the final decision from the issuing bank regarding the dispute. We regret any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your understanding.

  2. When a payment attempt is unsuccessful, it may not appear on the cardholder's credit card statement. Depending on the type of card, cardholders may notice an authorization for the payment amount on their statement. However, if the funds haven't been charged or withdrawn, card issuers generally remove this authorization within a few days. Since the payment attempt was not flagged for potential fraud, the card issuer would not have notified the cardholder about this incident. In rare occasions, issues with our payment processor can lead to unexpected outcomes. In this instance, it resulted in the user's account not being upgraded as intended, even though the payment was eventually processed successfully after multiple unsuccessful attempts by our billing system.

  3. We appreciate your detailed account of the payment process and acknowledge the concerns you've raised. Our records do point to an unsuccessful attempt to charge a credit card, but we realize our initial communication did not clearly specify which credit card was involved or whether the transaction was processed manually or automatically. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused.

  4. When a complaint is filed with the Better Business Bureau (BBB), it's advisable to channel all correspondences through the BBB to prevent any miscommunication or further complexities. Given that the payment is currently under dispute by the user, we are unable to issue a refund. Should the user opt to upgrade their account, they may proceed to do so at *******************************************. The billing discrepancy that led to this situation is under thorough investigation by the engineering team at Otter, and we are committed to implementing a resolution promptly.

• Initial Complaint

  09/19/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have been a customer of **********************'s AI transcription service for the last 3 - 4 years. The company offers a monthly subscription or an annual subscription, and they have charged me both more than once. I brought this to their attention last year and recently. They're done nothing. Also, they kicked me off the annual subscription forcing me to pay a higher price. The fact you can't talk to a human being anymore is ridiculous. I want them to refund all of the overcharges. I have attached my purchase history from the company's site. It is clear they have been overcharging me. I did not have two accounts at any time.

  Business response

  09/19/2023

  Our records indicate that an Otter account was created on 7/14/2020 under the email address ****************************************** and upgraded to the Otter Pro monthly subscription at $9.99/month that same day. On their renewal date of 12/14/2022, the user's monthly subscription price increased to $16.99/month.

  In 2022, Otter.ai adjusted the price of the Otter Pro monthly plan from $9.99/month to $16.99/month. According to section 4.1 of our Terms of Service (***********************************************), Otter.ai reserves the right to determine pricing for the Service. Otter.ai will make reasonable efforts to keep pricing information published on the website up to date. We encourage you to check our website periodically for current pricing information. Otter.ai may change the fees for any feature of the Service, including additional fees or charges, if Otter.ai gives you advance notice of changes before they apply. We informed our customers about this change via emails on 8/18/2022, with reminders on 9/6/2022, 9/15/2022, and 9/22/2022. The updated pricing went into affect for customers renewing after 11/30/2022.

  On 6/19/2023, the user contacted Otter Support regarding the account subscription upgraded to the Otter Pro annual subscription and subsequently charged $99.99 on 10/16/2022. The user also mentions that they were charged an additional $9.99 on 11/14 (they did confirm the year), which they should not have been charged.

  Our records show that the user upgraded to the Otter Pro annual subscription on 10/16/2020. Typically, our system will automatically apply a prorated credit of their last payment towards the upgrade and cancel the original subscription. However, it does not appear that this happened for this user. Therefore, we have refunded a total of $402.66 and have made the necessary changes to discontinue any further overcharges.

• Initial Complaint

  08/14/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  One BIG problem is that there is no customer service number so any issue is challenging to get resolved in a timely fashion as it is too much back and forth with the customer service email and sometimes they don't fix the problem or address the wrong issue! The software is buggy and has several issues... half the time, the Zoom URL is reported as "Invalid" within Otter while it is still a perfectly good URL for me to join the meeting; So critical meetings that I wanted to record/transcribe I have been unable to do so (reported this multiple times with screenshots); sometimes the service simply refuses to connect at times even the meeting it is transcribing has a perfectly good connection to the network at the same time (provided proof with screenshots). In multiple instances, ***** has recorded the same meeting twice because there happened to be 2 meeting invites on the calendar for the same meeting resulting in 2 identical recordings/transcripts. When it does this, it counts both meetings towards the monthly limit. I contacted customer service a couple times about this problem but they say they are unable to fix this and give me the credit for the minutes used. Another issue is that meetings don't stop transcribe even after the meeting is done and as I result I had the recording go on for 152 minutes even though meeting recording limits according to their website stop at 90 minutes. I have been a paid subscriber only for just over month and already it has been such a painful, frustrating experience!!

  Business response

  08/14/2023

  At the moment, we don't have phone support available, but we're considering it for future enhancements. Since we didn't receive a valid email address from you, we're unable to delve into and address your specific concerns. Please provide your email address associated with your Otter account.

• Initial Complaint

  04/24/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Upgraded my service to pro account last year in May. Used the service without issue until Thursday , April 20th. I signed on to listen to a meeting I had recorded the day before and while I was using the service, it stopped working. I logged out and logged back on and I got a message that my account was deactivated. I received no reason for the deactivation, the links on the website under help actually offer no help for this issue and some of the links are broken that you click on to get more information on the issue. I have sent three emails and I've gotten no assistance or response other than the canned response of someone will get back to you. I use this service to record meetings to write reports and prepare sermons and now I have no access to my files because I cannot even log into an account that I pay for. There is no customer service number you can call and get help and the one that is online is bogus. If my access to a service that I am paying for is going to be restricted, then I should know why immediately. You cannot take access away for a paid service without notice,warning or any type of communication of a reason for such restriction. If there is an issue with the user perhaps they should notify if there is a problem. I've already paid for the service that I can't even use. ******* is next month and there is no reason to do so when I can't even get into my account. I BETTER not see any charges on my card for this subscription.

  Customer response

  04/25/2023

  My address is

  **********************************

  ********, ** 11520

  Business response

  05/04/2023

  Our records indicate that the account under ********************* was deactivated for unusual activity that violates the Terms of Service. Per section **** "Termination" of the Terms of Service, "If you violate any provision of these Terms, your authorization to access the Service and these Terms automatically terminate. In addition, Otter.ai may, at its sole discretion, terminate these Terms or your account on the Service, or suspend or terminate your access to the Service, at any time for any reason or no reason, with or without notice."

  Our Security team will contact you to determine whether the activity is valid. If the activity is determined to be valid, the account will be reinstated.

• Initial Complaint

  01/13/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I purchased a one-year Otter Pro subscription for $49.99 using the Education discount on August 19, 2022 (invoice number *************), but I haven't received the service I paid for -- my account is still set at Basic. I've repeatedly emailed Otter.ai to ask for assistance, asking them either to provide the service I paid for or provide a refund, but I've received no response. I sent emails on November 28, December 5, December 15, December 28, and January 12. The only response of any kind I've received from Otter.ai was an email on December 5 stating, "We apologize for the delay in our response. We're currently experiencing a higher volume of requests and appreciate your patience."

  Business response

  01/18/2023

  Consumer Response /* (2000, 6, 2023/01/18) */ After three months, I finally heard back from Otter.ai today, so I would like to withdraw the complaint. Thanks, ************

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩