Complaintsforacademia.edu

• Initial Complaint

  08/13/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have not been a member of the ***************************** in the past. They were a free search website previously in the early 2010s. As such, I have not been offered or accepted a membership, provided information or consent allowing automatic deductions from my credit card. They have taken ****** as a deduction on my credit card, without my consent. It is absolutely unacceptable that they have unexpectedly taken this amount of money and it is causing me undue financial burden. They are negatively affecting my credit since I have not budgeted for this expense and may suffer attempting to cover this last minute expense.

  Business response

  08/14/2024

  Hi Crystal,

  
  Thanks for getting in touch. Our records indicated you had an Academia Premium subscription and so you were billed in accordance with that setting

  
  Since it sounds like that wasn't intended, I have refunded your payment. Depending on your bank, you will see the refund show up anywhere between 5-10 business days from now.
  
  As a free member, you'll keep access to all our Academia free features, such as uploading and downloading single papers, messaging, basic analytics, title search, and your profile.
  
  Please let us know if we can help you out with anything else regarding Academia or Academia Premium. Thanks for getting in touch!
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  07/05/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I am writing to file a complaint regarding Academia.com's unauthorized charge of $249 USD to my credit card. I was surprised to receive a notification of this charge, especially since I do not recall explicitly authorizing it.I am currently unemployed, and this unexpected charge is causing significant financial strain. Therefore, I request that this charge be reversed immediately.Additionally, I urge you to consider sending prior notice before charging customers' credit cards. It is concerning and unfair to make charges without any prior notification.I would also like to highlight that I could not find customer support information on the Academia.com website. This lack of accessible support is unacceptable and further aggravates the situation.Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to a prompt resolution.

  Business response

  07/05/2024

  Hello ***********************,

  Auto-renew was indicated in your Academia Premium subscription settings, so you were billed in accordance with that preference. A notification about your upcoming renewal payment was sent to your registered email address prior to your renewal date. We apologize for any miscommunication that *** have occurred regarding your upcoming renewal and subscription status with Academia. You can always contact our support team directly at ******************** or by visiting our help center linked in the main Academia menu options (accessed by clicking on your name from the top-right corner of the site). It can also be found here: ****************************
  
  Since it sounds like that wasn't intended, your payment has been refunded to you and your subscription has been cancelled. A refund receipt will be sent to your registered email address. Depending on your bank, you will see the refund show up anywhere between 5-10 business days from now.
  
  As a free member, you'll keep access to all our Academia free features, such as uploading and downloading single papers, messaging, basic analytics, title search, and your profile.
  
  Please let us know if we can help you out with anything else regarding Academia or Academia Premium.

• Initial Complaint

  07/01/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  academiaedu.com tried to debit my checking account for $249, presumably for membership fees. I have had a FREE academiaedu account in the past, but I have not logged in in months. I'm fortunate that my back declined the charge and contacted me with a fraud alert text. However, since it was a fraudulent charge, my card is automatically locked, and now I have to go to my branch tomorrow to have a new card issued, which is an inconvenience I could do without. In researching this I have learned that there are many such complaints about academiaedu, and I feel it's important to add my experience to the others.

  Business response

  07/01/2024

  Hi *****.

   

  Sorry for the confusion here. Our records do indicate that you had an Academia Premium subscription for the year 2023-2024 and were set to annually renew this year, which is why we attempted to bill you. Since it sounds like that was incorrect, I have cancelled any billing attempts and returned you to the free service. Let me know if you have any other questions.
  

• Initial Complaint

  06/30/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Money being paid for a "subscription" even though I don't have a subscription

  Business response

  07/01/2024

  Hi ********,

  In order to process a refund for this payment, we need more information from you.
  
  If you paid with a credit card, please provide the last 4 digits of the card where you see the charge, the date of the payment on your card, and the amount and currency.
  
  If you paid with Paypal, please provide your Academia.edu email address or Paypal email address, and the date of the payment.
  
  If you don't know any of these, the email address that we sent the "Welcome to Academia Premium" email to will also help us look up your payment.

• Initial Complaint

  06/13/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I looked at my bank account and to my surprise I saw a 249$ subscription from Academia.edu! I don't ever recall subscribing to this. I downloaded a paper a long time ago and would never subscribe to a service which would cost me $249 per year. I sent several emails and they continue to be unanswered! I looked on my settings and still do not see any subscription. I would like a refund, this is ALOT of money and I did not sign up for this!

  Business response

  06/13/2024

  Hi *******,

  Thanks for getting in touch. Auto-renew was indicated in your Academia Premium subscription settings, so you were billed in accordance with that preference. Academia Premium includes great upgrades to our free ***************** such as Mentions (see who cites you), Readers (see who's reading your papers), our PDF packages of all documents related to a paper you like, and more.
  
  Since it sounds like that wasn't intended, I have refunded your payment. Depending on your bank, you will see the refund show up anywhere between 5-10 business days from now.
  
  As a free member, you'll keep access to all our Academia free features, such as uploading and downloading single papers, messaging, basic analytics, title search, and your profile.
  
  Please let us know if we can help you out with anything else regarding Academia or Academia Premium. Thanks for getting in touch!
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  05/31/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Last month I signed up and paid for 1 month subscription on academia to get access to some of the research paper and had canceled the premium subscription right after getting everything I needed. But on May 30 without my knowledge and without any notice my debit card was charged $159 for "annual" subscription. I was unknown about the subscription because I was sure I canceled it. I even emailed academia but there hasn't been any response and only a automated email reply. I hope to get a refund.

  Business response

  05/31/2024

  Hi ***,

  
  It looks like your support ticket on this matter has already been answered. Our records indicate you signed up for 1 month low-cost trial and did not cancel the annual renew, thus you were billed for a year's subscription, and a refund is being processed.

   

  Let us know if you have further questions.
  

• Initial Complaint

  05/26/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On 5/26/2024 I was checking my bank account at **************** and discovered that academia.edu had billed me for $249. I have never signed up with this company or given them my bank account details. The charge is "RECURRING PAYMENT AUTHORIZED ON 05/23 ACADEMIA.EDU/PAYME ACADEMIA.EDU CA S384144727434424 CARD XXXX." I had no dealings with them on 5/23/2024 or ever. I have never subscribed to or signed up for their services. I want the charge reversed and my bank account information deleted from their files.

  Business response

  05/28/2024

   

  Hi,
  Thanks for getting in touch. Auto-renew was indicated in your Academia Premium subscription settings, so you were billed in accordance with that preference. Academia Premium includes great upgrades to our free ***************** such as Mentions (see who cites you), Readers (see who's reading your papers), our PDF packages of all documents related to a paper you like, and more. Your account can be found here: *********************************************** and you can log in with your **************** email address. 
  
  Since it sounds like that wasn't intended, I have refunded your payment. Depending on your bank, you will see the refund show up anywhere between 5-10 business days from now.
  
  As a free member, you'll keep access to all our Academia free features, such as uploading and downloading single papers, messaging, basic analytics, title search, and your profile.
  
  Please let us know if we can help you out with anything else regarding Academia or Academia Premium. Thanks for getting in touch!
  

  
  

  Customer response

  05/29/2024

   
  Complaint: 21763198
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  Thank you for getting back to me. I appreciate your response, but we have a couple of issues:

  (1) I don't want a free account. I want all the information you have about me, including my bank info, purged from your system, so that this incident doesn't happen again, even inadvertently. I want no relationship whatsoever in any capacity between us.
  
  (2) I appreciate the refund. Unfortunately, my bank card number has been changed due to my information being compromised in the recent AT&T data breach (It's the bank's policy in these cases). I'm not sure how that would affect your refund. If it does create a problem, you are free to mail me a check. I can provide you my address if necessary. 

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

  Business response

  05/30/2024

  Hi ******,

   

  Sure, we've deleted your account and the information we have in our systems. Currently, we are only able to refund to your original payment method, but essentially all banks and card processors have systems in place to redirect these funds to you in a way that you can access. We recommend following up with them for more information.

  
  Thanks,

  Academia Support
  

• Initial Complaint

  05/23/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I reviewed a May credit card bill today and found a $249 charge authorized, paid and posted on 5/8/2024. I did not authorize the charge to my card. The last email notice I received in any mail folder was 11/23/2023. It notified me that a personal website was created for me to review and customize. I do not recall doing either. Most emails were notification that some form of my name was "mentioned" or a discount for an upgrade to the premium account was available. I never took them up on that, mostly because all the name mentions were others with my same name. My welcome email from Academia.edu was 10/26/2023 with a button to confirm my account, which I believe I did. My only not-so-deep dive into their website, I realized it was not what I was looking to pursue. Fast-forward to today... I do not know how I got into my account from the search engine I used but, I found myself on a Home page with my name on it. I discovered what I expected, that I did not have a premium account. I tried finding what the $249 charge to my account *** have been for, but I was unable to do so. I looked for a phone number to call, or a window to chat with support. During the process, I got off my account. When I tried to get back on, my password did not work. I tried to change my password, but the email address they used to send correspondence to me, did not receive the email I should have today. I am pleased that I found a BBB-Academia.edu connection, because all I fount were two ************* addresses. Perhaps I would still be looking for a phone number. Please contact them on my behalf and ask them to send me an email, or text me with a phone number so I *** call them back. I would like a refund, but I think my 30 days are nearing an end. Thank you for your assistance.

  Business response

  05/24/2024

  Hi,
  
  So sorry that there's been confusion! If you're looking for a refund and are within our 30 day refund guarantee, our staff can typically help you out. Submit a support ticket and our Premium team will assist you as soon as they're able, though please keep in mind that Monday (May 27) is a national holiday. Start by clicking here: *****************************************************************************************

• Initial Complaint

  05/08/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On Feb 18, 2024 Academia.com charged my credit card $124.50 USD for a "premium annual subscription" to online services publishing authored papers on specific subjects that are academic or intellectual in nature from researchers, doctors, graduate students from known higher learning institutions. Since this amount was posted on my **** credit card ending in *****, I have not received any published papers from Academia.com. The $124.50 must be refunded to the same **** credit card ******************************* *******************

  Business response

  05/14/2024

  Hi,

   

  Thanks for following up. We processed a refund for your payment. Please let me know if you have other questions.
  

  Academia Support
  

• Initial Complaint

  05/08/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I just found in my May 2024 **** statement a charge for $135 US Dollars for a premium subscription with Academia.edu -from march 30th of this year- I did not consent, and without them ever notifying any changes, upgrades, anything. I checked my emails years back: there are not receipts for any payments, welcoming emails, invoices, warnings of future charges (i.e. like in "free trials for 7 days and then...). NOTHING. Even worse: I never requested nor approved services that I was never notified that I was receiving or being charged for. I could not have "guessed" I consented to anything by "magic" or accident if I repeatedly received invitations from Academia to check my name on papers and "enjoy upgrades", etc. I already tried to contact them by phone (useless) and by mail and got an auto-response giving me a case number: ******. I want for them to reimburse my charges -any charges obtained without notification/invoices/receipts-, and then I want to cancel my -the one I assumed until today was a free-account, something I would love to do right now (please advise) but I honestly, do their questionable practices, am afraid to do so before solving this matter. After a solution is reached, I want my name, email, all data removed from their academia.edu databases and a written confirmation of said removal as proof. I do not know nor recall of sharing my credit card number, or authorizing them charging it, and I never got any notice of me being using a "paid service". I don't understand how they got my credit card info but I need to make sure they cannot use it ever again. I saw that *** not be affiliated to BBB, but weather they are or not, a warning should be massively shared with the public. Their practices border fraud, are definitely not transparent, and as far as ethical care of "customers" (by force, but regardless) this is a company not to be trusted, not while acting like this. Please help. Sincerely, *************************, Psychologist, Author (Penguin Random House)

  Business response

  05/09/2024

  We processed two refunds for this user, both on their annual payment and their low cost trial payments. Our checkout page does indicate the schedule of payments, which we have attached. We are also in contact with this user via our support team.

  Our records do indicate that there was a visit and a billing to our checkout page from this account, which is where the billing came from. We're sorry for any confusion. 

  
  

*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. ↩