Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. 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.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/25/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I got a text message from my bank about a charge that was blocked, for $84.79 from EPIC BOOKS. I didn't know what the charge was from, and while on the phone with fraud service, noticed I had an account with them, which they tried to auto-renew on 10/24/2023. I cancelled my account with them (I couldn't remove my credit card from their account), see email attached (that membership was cancelled). However, when I checked my account this morning, 10/25/2023, I saw that they still charged me $84.79 anyway!I would like a refund of $84.79. I filed a complaint with EPIC BOOKS (Thank you for reaching out to the Epic Customer Experience team! We have received your support request (#*******), and look forward to replying.)

  Business Response

  Date: 10/30/2023

  Customer reached out to Epic support Wednesday October 25, 2023 and received an immediate respond on October 25, 2023 stating that a full refund for the annual subscription had been issued. Customer are notified prior to completing the subscription that they will be charged until the subscription is canceled. I show no cancellation requests prior to this cancellation on October 24, 2023.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/31/2023

  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

  Date:09/29/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have subscribed on Epic Kids' Book and Reading on 09/17/23 for $59.99, with a free 7day trial which expires on 09/24/23. I've been charged $59.99 on 09/25/23. Attached is a screenshot of the charge on my Citi Card. When we try to log in on 9/25, 9/26, 9/27, and 9/28, we could not open Epic Kids' Books, but it directed us to subscribe another fee of $59.99 (which I've already paid). I searched Epic Kids Book for their customer service phone number, but there is no such listing online. And I emailed then in regard to my payment of $59.99 but did not receive any response to it. There is no way for us to contact them.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/02/2023

  Customer contacted us regarding the cancellation on 9/18/2023. However, due to not knowing which subscription they purchased and choosing *********** Plus and purchase order, the system automatically sends a response to contact sales. This is because that form is for schools requesting purchase orders and requests only.

  Customer also provide an incorrect email, ************************ which prevented the representative from locating an account. After further research we have located the correct email which is ********************* We have emailed the customer today 10/2/2023 to provide the correct email needed to sign in and a password reset link in case they have forgotten the password.

   

   

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/02/2023

   
  Complaint: 20672225
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I received an email from epic support (gatepic.com) today 10/3/23, telling me that it was the wrong email address ************************* to log in. Here's the thing, I tried several times, YES several times to sign up on Epic Kids using different emails. The first email I used was ********************* It took me several attempts, entered several credit card payments, Epic Kids accepted it but when I log in, I could not log in. I made several attempts but still wasn't able to log in. So, I tried it again by using my other email, *********************** and used another credit card payment, and by that time I was able to subscribe and log in. I was able to log in for the 7 days free trial, from 09/18/23 - 09/24/23, but after the free 7-day trial expired, I could NOT not log in, that is why I had to file complaint at BBB, because my email to Epic was unanswered and they don't have any customer service number. I emailed them in regard to it my issue, but they did not respond until 10/03, which is today. Signing up for Epic Kids is very TRICKY and laborious, it would take a lot of attempts/try to sign up or subscribe (by using different emails and credit card payments), but once you're subscribed you could NOT log in and that's what happened here. Epic Kids made it tricky to sign up, it's NOT SIMPLE. I don't know if this is a scam or what? I would like to get a REFUND of $59.99 that I paid for 1 year subscription. Before I signed up there was a note that says "CANCEL ANYTIME." 

  Sincerely,
  
  *********************** Mightiest

  Business Response

  Date: 10/03/2023

  The error with contacting Epic was due to choosing an incorrect form. Once the automated response is sent the ticket is automatically closed. Once we were made aware of the issue we responded and customer was able to log in with the email and we included a password reset link. The following correspondence no dissatisfaction with our efforts to resolve the issue.
  

  On 10/2/2023 the customer responded with the following:
  Dmightiestone
  Yesterday 01:17 pm
  
  Hi ****, I was able to log in to Epic Kids' (through my subscription) but I had to uninstall and reinstall it again. I got a question. My daughter in grades' school at **************, ************; her class is subscribed to Epic Kids' which they use for reading and they get points or score every time they finished reading a book. She gets her own school Epic avatar in which she clicks on to start reading, my question is since my daughter's Epic Reading app is linked or connected to her school, I don't need to subscribe to Epic Kids' & Books right? Your prompt response is greatly appreciated. I hope to hear from you soon.
  Regards, ******
  
  The response was:

  Iris Today October 3, 2023 05:06 am
  
  Hello ******,
   
  I do not show that your parent account and school accounts are linked. The school version of Epic is available 7am - 3pm your local time only. If you would like your child to read after school a family subscription is needed. I see that you requested to cancel your subscription and an agent has canceled and refunded as requested. This will limit your child to reading during the school hours of 7am -3pm your local time. I hope I was able to answer your questions. 
   
  If there is anything else I can assist with, please let me know. Have a wonderful day!
   
  Best Regards,
  Iris
  Epic - Books for Kids

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/05/2023

  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 very much BBB for the help in resolving this isse with Epic Kids Books. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************** Mightiest

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/26/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On 9/15/23, a charge was made to my credit card labelled "EPIC!* TRIAL OVER" for $79.99. We did not subscribe or make any purchases from Epic! I contacted them via email and explained the situation. They requested several pieces of information in order to locate the charge - I provided all of the requested data. Then they asked me for a copy of my Credit Card statement. I refused, then they asked me if I was related to an email account linked to the charge. I told them I was not related to that email account. The next day they started referring to me by the name on that email account and asked me for my Credit Card statement again. One day later, I got an email saying that they were closing the ticket because I had not responded fast enough. It has been almost a week since I started interacting with them over email.I want them to reverse the charge and cancel whatever subscriptions are linked to it. These are not our accounts or charges.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/27/2023

  Customer provided email and billing information for cancellation of subscription. We search using the information provided but was unable to locate the subscription. Additional research was conducted and the subscription was located under the spouse's email, ************************ which was not originally provided. Once located we canceled and refunded the customer.

  I have included a screenshot of the email notifying the customer of the refund and the refund receipt.
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/27/2023

  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

  Date:07/31/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Epic Reading and Learning has been double charging us for the last 16 months. I emailed their support and was told a second subscription existed yet it was for the same account. How can their system allow multiple subscriptions on the same account? To make matters worse it looks like the email was a typo so their system allows typos in email and is clearly not verifying email addresses. They owe us $159.84 which is $9.99 x 16 months. The support person offered one months credit as a courtesy but this is unacceptable. I have never seen where a duplicate subscription was allowed on the same email. I kept thinking maybe we set it up under one of our kids emails but no. The business refuses to help further feeling they have done all they can with the one courtesy credit. We need the full refund amount to make this right. Shame on this business for operating this way and taking advantage of students and their families.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/31/2023

  Customer accidentally created a second subscription due to a typo. Customer did not notice until 16 months later. We advised customer that we do not refund subscription per our Terms of Service provided at setup of account before payment information is provided.

  Customers are also informed that they can cancel at anytime and provided the support contact if they have any issues at signup and via the website. We have received no support tickets or cancellation requested from the customer during the time of the subscription.

  Both subscriptions was canceled immediately.
  

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/31/2023

  Complaint: 20399367

  I am rejecting this response because:

  The system never should have allowed a duplicate account to be created in the first place. The email typo @gmil without the a should have been verified because its not even a valid domain. Does this mean every subscriber has to perfectly type their email address or risk getting billed twice? That is insane. I stand by my refund request. The business needs to take ownership for a faulty system. It should not fall on the customer to audit a very unscrupulous subscription process that allows duplicate accounts to be created even when they are mistyped and not valid email addresses. I cant even imagine the cybersecurity and PCI issues that are implied based off this scenario. 

  Sincerely,

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

  Business Response

  Date: 08/01/2023

  In the Epic Terms of Service provided during registration that a customer must accept to move forward, Section 3 Accounts and Registration states that "You (meaning the customer) agree that the information you provide to us is accurate and that you will keep it accurate and up-to-date at all times." It is the responsibility of the customer to accurately setup their account with Epic and ensure the accuracy of the information provided.
  

  3. Accounts and Registration. When you register for an account, you may be required to provide us with some information about yourself, such as your name, email address, or other contact information. You agree that the information you provide to us is accurate and that you will keep it accurate and up-to-date at all times. When you register, you will be asked to provide a password. You are solely responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account and password, and you accept responsibility for all activities that occur under your account. If you believe that your account is no longer secure, then you must immediately notify us at ********************

  Also in section 4.3 ********************* it states in capital letters "UNLESS EXPRESSLY STATED OTHERWISE AT THE **** YOU ACTIVATE THE SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE: (A) YOUR ACCOUNT WILL BE CHARGED AUTOMATICALLY ON THE SUBSCRIPTION BILLING DATE ALL APPLICABLE FEES AND TAXES FOR THE NEXT SUBSCRIPTION PERIOD, (B) THE SUBSCRIPTION WILL CONTINUE UNLESS AND UNTIL YOU CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION OR WE TERMINATE IT, AND (C) YOU MUST CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION BEFORE IT RENEWS IN ORDER TO AVOID BILLING OF THE NEXT PERIODIC SUBSCRIPTION FEE TO YOUR ACCOUNT. We will bill the periodic Subscription Fee to the payment method you provide to us during registration (or to a different payment method if you change your payment information). You may cancel the ******************** by following the instructions here or contacting us at: ********************"

  Finally in section 4 General Payment Terms it states, "All fees are in U.S. Dollars and are non-refundable."
  

  We canceled the subscriptions as requested and issued a one month refund as a courtesy as we do not refund subscriptions.
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/01/2023

   
  Complaint: 20399367
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  There was no possible way for us to cancel the subscription because it was under a duplicate login. The point is entirely being missed here. The system allowed a duplicate account to be created and billed without any verification. There would be no way to cancel it because there was no awareness it existed. It was never verified because its not a valid email address. Even support could not initially find the duplicate account. It took some digging. How could we be expected to access this account if support struggled to do so? Again, the system never should have allowed a duplicate account. We never authorized this account to bill us. This is an unauthorized charge and a legal matter. The subscription policy does not apply because it was never authorized. The funds needs to be returned ASAP.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/15/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have been using Epic Books for children, now changed to Epic Family and have been happy with it. Suddenly it eliminated one of my four children's profiles. When I search under the parent account, all the names are there. When I click on one of the children's names, the dropdown only shows 3 profiles (including the one I clicked) and eliminates the fourth. I have tried adding another profile to make a total of four at least six times, go through all the steps and then it does not add it. The four names only show up for the parent account. I have tried talking with the **** center at the site. At first they said they were having a problem and then that it was resolved. Now I keep getting responses to do things connected with problems with my browser, connectivity, etc. I have no problem with my browser or connectivity and the other 3 profiles work fine. They showed me a list of profiles and said I already had four profiles and couldn't have a fifth (I only want 4), they said I registered another child. I did not. They showed me an image with a blank 4th child (no name). Something is wrong at their end. There is no phone number to speak with someone. I have tried numerous times to resolve this in good faith. Any other site would have someone to speak to, they would go over everything and resolve it. If I cannot get this resolved, I want my money back. I have paid for the year.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/16/2023

  Customer received response asking for permission to access account for troubleshooting. Permission was granted 5/15/2023 and a response was sent after troubleshooting was completed today 5/16/23 AM response reads as follows:
  
  "Hello *****,
   
  Thanks for granting permission. I'm sorry for my misunderstanding. I was looking at the initial login and needed help understanding you meant the profile is not available when switching between profiles after log-in. 
   
  I'm sending this to the team for investigation, and when I head back from the, I will respond to this email. In the meantime, to access ******* profile, they must log out completely, log back, and select the profile. I did test access on an iPad, and all profiles are available, so if there is one available, they can download the app and use that as well. 
   
  There is a temporary password still in place for the team to test the account. It is epicreads Please leave this in place so the team can fix the issue as quickly as possible."
  

   

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/17/2023

   
  Complaint: 20061633
  
  I am rejecting this response because:  the business had all the information from me numerous times, but kept sending a standard tech response that didnt pertain to the situation over and over again, and only began to make an effort to really resolve the issue once I filed a complaint with the BBB. I believe if they had really been trying to resolve the issue it would have been done by now.   I should receive a refund and my **** information should be deleted from the site records 

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

  Business Response

  Date: 05/18/2023

  The customer never requested a refund only a cancellation (please see screenshot attached of conversation). We are more than happy to refund the amount and a refund has been issued as of today. We are always willing to work with the customer if they request a refund but in this case she never requested one.
  

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/15/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I am unable to cancel Epic! subscription. There is no phone number where business responding. My requests to reset password are not honored and thus I am unable to cancel subscription through the phone or an online account.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/16/2023

  There has been no support tickets received from this customer. I created a ticket and responded with the following the locate the account and resolve the issue. Ticket # ******
  

  "Hello ******,
   
  *************** to following complaint: "I am unable to cancel Epic! subscription. There is no phone number where business responding. My requests to reset password are not honored and thus I am unable to cancel subscription through the phone or an online account."
   
  I am unable to locate an active paid account under ************************ Could you please provide the following information so that I can further investigate to resolve your issue? 
   
  Name on the credit card being billed for Epic?
  Credit or Debit card type ************************************ or Discover)?
  Last 4 numbers of the credit card?
  Expiration date on the card?
  What is the charge amount?
  Please list the date of each charge
  What is the description of the charge (how is the charge listed on your credit card billing statement)?
  Additional email addresses you own that we can search by 
  Thank you for your patience while I continue to assist you with your request.

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/20/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On 03/22/2023, I purchased the yearly subscription of Epic Unlimited and paid by my credit card. My credit card has been charged and I received the confirmation email (attached). My sons have been using it until 04/17/2023 for less than a month. On the evening of 04/17/2023, the app quit by itself, and after I login again the subscription was lost. I have tried to uninstall and reinstall the app but it didn't help. Sent an email to the help center on 04/17/2023 but received no reply. Can't find any number to call. My username is my email, which one can find in the attached confirmation email. I want Epic to restore my subscription and extend it a few days to cover the days we lost.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/21/2023

  Customer reached out to support on Monday 4/17/23 and received a response from the support team. The account was reviewed and the issue resolved. Customer responded with the following:

  Zhanghe1979 Yesterday 02:09 pm
  I'm able to access Epic Unlimited, now. Thanks.

  Customer account is active and shows as subscribed in the system.
  

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/21/2023

  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

  Date:04/03/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My daughter wanted to use GetEpic at home because she uses it at school, but I realized you now had to upgrade to the unlimited plan to be able to use. So, on Friday, March 24, 2023, I signed up for the annual subscription which was to include a free trial. However, when my daughter continued to try to use the app, even after we signed up for the "free trial", the app continued to not let her view any books, and asked us once again to sign up for the unlimited plan. I can confirm I received the email stating we signed up this date and that the free trial should have started but did not. Seeing that the free trial was not working, I immediately logged into the parent dashboard to cancel the subscription. But, my account settings showed no subscription, no card information, and no way to cancel (but remember I received the email confirmation). I tried to find a way to contact the company. The only support found was an automated help chat that was NOT helpful! I needed to speak to an actual person concerning the issue, but they have no such thing. I decided to wait and see if anything would change over the next few days, but it did not. I then tried to cancel again on Wednesday/Thursday March 29/30 before I would be charged for something I have been unable to use. I had no luck. I then tried to contact the company AGAIN, but could only locate the automated chat (which says you will be contacted within a few days, but you never are). For an account that showed no subscription nor way to cancel, I was EXTREMELY unhappy to see they were not afraid to charge my debit card after all of this!! This company may work for schools, but I believe it to be a SCAM and want my money back immediately!! This company lied about a free trial, showed me as having no subscription therefore no way to cancel a subscription, but then they dare to charge my debit card. Honestly, from other reviews, I am severely considering getting a new card before they can scam me anymore. SO UNHAPPY!

  Business Response

  Date: 04/05/2023

  We were able to locate account for customer, cancel the subscription, and refund the annual fee.Please see attached receipt.
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/11/2023

  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

  Date:03/17/2023

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  This company is nothing but a bunch of thieves! I have been being charged for nearly 2 years a **** dollar amount monthly. I have ended my subscription, had Apple credit me $100s of dollars and I even changed my card number.Guess what? They still charge me! At this point I might just end my card and get a new one to stop being charged by these lunatics.And forget about contacting Epic! Nobodys is available to fix the issue.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/24/2023

  After investigating the issue I was unable to locate any contacts from the customer. I have emailed the customer per the email provided in the complaint and am awaiting a response as we need additional information to locate an active paid account.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/15/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Paid for a yearly subscription for *****, decided to cancel it, but the company offered the price of ***** instead of the ***** to keep the subscription, and stated the ***** would be refunded. So I decided to do the *****. However both charges are STILL on my credit card, the company has NOT refunded me the *****. So at this time the company has charged me TWICE for one service. No phone support so only was able to submit a claim. Very shady company which is sad because my daughter's love reading using their app. Will be very cautious going forward with these kind of bait and switch practices. Only wanted to help my daughter's read more.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/24/2023

  Customer reached out on 3/15/2023 and an agent responded on 3/15/2023 with the following "Thanks for reaching out! I am happy to help you with your request. I have refunded you for the charge on 13th March,2023 ($79.99). You will receive an email from our payment processor (Stripe) to confirm the refund. The refund will appear on your credit card statement in **** business days.