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:07/05/2023

  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.

  This company, Patreon, has been charging my credit card monthly for a fraudulent charge that I did not authorize. When I discovered the monthly charges, they would not provide me information about the person illegally charging my card, nor would they issue a refund when I told them the charges were not authorized. They hide behind a statement saying that You need to contact the vendor, but will not provide me with the vendors contact info. They also purposely do not have a phone number to reach someone. Their company has been making illegal charges to my account and do not want to take responsibility for them. This company should be shut down immediately.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/26/2023

  Hi there,
  
  Our team is actively working with the user since July 5th and we are addressing their concerns to the best of our abilities.

  We recommend that the user continues to respond to our emails since it is the best route for a resolution.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/26/2023

   
  Complaint: 20274981
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  We have not received any communication from Patreon. I did search through all my emails, including junk boxes, and I was unable to find communication from Patreon.

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

  Business Response

  Date: 09/28/2023

  The request is being analyzed by our internal team and we've advised this user to the best of our abilities.
  
  If the user requires further assistance, they will need to reach out to us again through *********** (*************************************************) to send us a note. At the bottom of every article, theyll find an Email Patreon Support button where they can get in touch with us.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/07/2023

  Type:Customer Service 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.

  Hey I have been trying to reach customer support for days but not getting any response. I even have resorted to contacting them on social media. I have two customer service tickets open with **********************. My support ticket numbers are ******* and *******. Its kinda ridiculous to charge so much creator fees just for "creators" to have to resort to a BBB complaint to get any kind of customer support.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/12/2023

  Hi there,
  
  Our team is actively working with the user since (add date) and we are addressing their concerns to the best of our abilities. We recommend that the user continues to respond to our emails since it is the best route for a resolution.

  Kindly,

  Patreon Support team.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/12/2023

   
  Complaint: 20154999
  
  I am rejecting this response because: They still have not answered my main request. They emailed me last week with some copy & pasted response (Just like they did here) without addressing the main reason I was contacting them In the first place. I responded to that message saying the same thing with no response. And I emailed them again, asking for an update on that original request. Please keep this complaint up as these issues have not been addressed and It's my fear without this complaint that I won't receive the help that I need.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

  Business Response

  Date: 06/13/2023

  Hi there,

  We followed up with this user and provided instructions on how to proceed, we are currently assisting them.

  Kindly,
  Patreon Support Team.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/06/2023

  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 have an account with the website that I cant access because my email ********************* has been hacked however Ive been charged twice for services that I dont have access to, requested a refund and havent heard back from the website

  Business Response

  Date: 06/07/2023

  Hi there,

  Our team is actively working with the user since June 2nd and we are addressing their concerns to the best of our abilities. We recommend that the user continues to respond to our emails since it is the best route for a resolution.

  Kindly,

  Patreon Support Team.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/05/2023

  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.

  I requested my payment withdrawal, but it was not processed. I talked to payoneer support and they informed me that my account is totally correct and they have no problem with it, so I just have to wonder why patreon didn't process my withdrawal.Please, I need to solve this problem as soon as possible.Cashout amount is $9,730.87 It's been 5 days since I sent an email to support and I still haven't gotten a response.I requested the withdrawal on the 1st of June

  Business Response

  Date: 06/06/2023

  Hi there,
  
  Our team is actively working with the user since June 1st and we are addressing their concerns to the best of our abilities. We recommend that the user continues to respond to our emails since it is the best route for a resolution.
  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/06/2023

  
  Complaint: 20145563
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  Patreon told me they've been working on my issue since June 1st. Lie! They only sent me a message on the 5th night, saying they will escalate my issue to the payments team and told me to wait longer. How much longer do I have to wait to receive my money? I've worked hard all month to deliver 7 projects to my supporters, and now I'm over $9k away from my bank account. Could you please provide me with the ** of the payment that was made from Patreon to Payoneer? I need this problem to be resolved as soon as possible. $9k may not be much to you, but the lack of this money is causing several problems in my life.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/07/2023

  The problem was solved.

  Thanks for the help BBB. You can withdraw the claim

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/02/2023

  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.

  On May 29th, I subscribed to a podcast producer because they had advertised that additional content was available on their Patreon. However, on subscribing to their Patreon, I discovered that the advertised content had since been deleted. So I cancelled my subscription and requested a refund. Patreon refused to honor the refund, stating that I had to reach out to the creator directly. I don't feel comfortable doing so and quite frankly, I find it egregious that the company would suggest this is the only means to get my money back. Patreon wants to benefit from being an intermediary, collecting a fee on both sides of any transaction that occurs on the platform. But when it comes time for them to fulfill their responsibilities as an intermediary, resolving any issues that might arise, it's suddenly not their problem.That is unacceptable to me. I did not go to the podcast creator's personal website to initiate this transaction. I went to Patreon because I trusted that as a large company/platform, I'd be in good hands should any issues arise. That was not the case. Not even close.I have disputed the transaction with my credit card company and would like a confirmation from Patreon that they will indeed honor this dispute as I consumed less than a few seconds of content. Just enough to determine that the episodes I was seeking had been deleted. I want a full refund.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/05/2023

  Hi there,

  This user is currently in touch with our team. We will review their request and respond as soon as possible.

  Kindly,

  Patreon Support Team.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/05/2023

   
  Complaint: 20136779
  
  I am rejecting this response because though they did get in touch with me, they did not at all even attempt to resolve the issue. Instead, made me fill out a refund form again and again told me to reach out to the creator of the podcast, all without confirming they would indeed be refunding the subscription that I DID NOT USE because the episodes advertised had since been scrubbed from the Patreon platform.
  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/07/2023

  Hi there,

  The request has been analyzed by our internal team and we've advised this user to the best of our abilities.
  
  If the user requires further assistance, they will need to reach out to us again through *********** (*************************************************) to send us a note.

  Kindly,

  Patreon Support Team.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/19/2023

  Type:Customer Service 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 continue to be charged for an online membership after canceling the membership. I noticed a charge for $20 on my credit card on April 4th. I reached out to patreon customer support and was told the problem was resolved. Not only was the problem resolved I am now being charged double for a service that I am not getting. On May 4th I was charged $20 twice for a total of $40. I reached out to customer service again and they confirmed, I do not have any memberships with Patreon, yet I am still being charged. Patreon customer support has stopped answering my emails with no resolution. I have disputed the charges twice through my credit card company. I shouldnt have to call the credit card every month because a company cant figure out how to stop billing me for a service I do not receive. I want these charges stopped because i canceled my subscription and am no longer a Patreon member. If need be I can provide a copy of my credit card statement detailing the charges from patreon.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/30/2023

  Hi there,
  
  Our team is actively working with the user since May 7th and we are addressing their concerns to the best of our abilities. We recommend that the user continues to respond to our emails since it is the best route for a resolution.
  
  Kindly,
   
  Patreon Support Team.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/31/2023

   
  Complaint: 20083456
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  

  First of all I have been dealing with your customer service since 4/10/23 not 5/7/23, since then I have dealt with four different customer service representatives.  Each time I get a new representative i have to start the **************** again.  I would say this is not actively working to resolve my issue! Either your customer service department is incompetent or that are not dealing with the issue in a timely manner to collect additional money for your company for services that are not provided, both are unacceptable!   I was told the problem was resolved in April, but instead of being resolved I was charged twice in May.  If they were actively working to resolve my issue my problem should be resolved after 2 months and I wouldnt have to contact the Better Business Bureau.   I have had multiple of your customer service representatives state that I have no active subscriptions with patron, yet I still being billed monthly.   Im about to be billed an additional $40 in June because the my problem is still not resolved.  My problem should be easy to fix 0 active subscriptions = $0 charged to my credit card. I want the charges stopped and I want a refund for the unauthorized charges.  
  

  Sincerely,

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

  Business Response

  Date: 06/01/2023

  Hi there,

  As we mentioned in our previous response, this user needs to continue responding to our emails, our team is currently assisting them and we are doing everything we can to help them resolve their issue.

  Kindly,
  Patreon Support Team.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/01/2023

   
  Complaint: 20083456
  
  Unlike your customer service I have responded to every email in a timely manner.  It has been 4 days since I last heard from them. I have provided the requested the same requested information multiple times to each new customer service representative immediately. Obviously there is no sense of urgency in resolving my issue and you have no idea what is going on with my case. Telling me I need to continue working with the customer service representative does nothing to help resolve my complaint when your customer service representative cant respond in a timely manner.   Instead of repeating the exact same response why dont you reach out to your customer service representatives and tell them to actually resolve my issue before I get billed another $40 in about 3 days. I have been dealing with your company for almost 2 months with no resolution and now youre trying to use the same stall techniques that they are using instead of actually working to resolve my problem. 
  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 canceled a $10.00 two times per month Patreon pledge and was immediately charged $21.32. When I say immediately, I mean the exact minute I canceled my membership to the Patreon Creator I was charged. This is very shady, as they extracted money from my account because they knew it was their last opportunity, which is unscrupulous and disgusting. I will never subscribe to Patreon again, rather make donations directly to the Creator. Beware, this is a shady business with no principles.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/15/2023

  Hi there,

  This user can reach out to us again so we can look into this and see what happened. Patreon Support Team is here to help with issues like this.

  They can reach out to ** through support.patreon.com, there is a button in the bottom of the page saying "Email Patreon Support".

  Kindly,

  Patreon Support Team.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/28/2023

  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 am asking that Patreon cease charging me $26.66 monthly for an account that I do not have any access to. The account was likely under either the name ***************** or ****************************I have tried changing card numbers but the charges continue. Currently, it is being charged to my **** Credit Card, last 4 digits ****. Emails it is likely to be attached to are the following:************************ ******************** ************************** ********************** I am not requesting refunds, only that the account be shut down and my cards stop being charged. I have attached a screenshot of charges from April 3, 2023 to May 4, 2020. I also sent a screenshot of the first attempt to contact Patreon. They don't have a phone number to call or any way of helping if I don't know the email for the account. So far I've been charged ***** dollars without me realizing and I just want it to end.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/02/2023

  Hi there,

  This user will need to reach out to us by creating a new request on this page here, *************************************************, they'll find a "Email Patreon Support" button in the bottom of that page.

  We already replied to this user but they never followed up, however we are happy to assist them to resolve this issue if they reach out to us again.

  Best,

  Patreon Support Team. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/02/2023

   
  Complaint: 19996879
  
  I am rejecting this response because I already tried going through the email Patreon route and got told they couldn't help because I dont know what email the account used. Please have someone look up the account information if you want me to go through an email to Patreon.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Zara Day

  Business Response

  Date: 05/03/2023

  Hi there,

  We didn't reject assistance to this user. We have ways to locate their account, they just need to continue talking to us after we send a response. I'm afraid that we cannot help through BBB so if this user needs assistance, they will need to reach out to us again.

  Kindly,

  Patreon Support team.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/03/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have emailed Patreon as requested yesterday using the ******************** email account. Please have someone respond as soon as possible and I request this case not be closed until steps are taken by Patreon. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Zara Day

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/28/2023

  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.

  On March 26, 2023 I was charged two separate times for Patreons without my consent $104.42 for one and $34.08 for the other which is a total of $138.50. I saw the charge and immediately thought it was someone hacking my account since I only had about 3-4 patreons in my membership list that I had already paid for that month and the renew time wasn't there yet. I called my bank to report the unauthorized charges and was given a reversal. I used those patreons in January and Feburary and when they attempted to renew the (up-front monthly charge) patreons it declined the beginning of March, I had attempted to cancel them but was unable to, I was only given the option to retry payment method or use a different card. Due to the charge declining at the beginning of March I no longer had access to the creators Patreon in March and they were no longer listed in my memberships. It was a banner above my patreon stating the membership charge declined and in order to make any changes I'd need to transfer pledges to different payment method or delete the patreon (which I attempted but was unable to do). I was notified by my bank that Patreon reversed the reversal, though I had no access to the memberships, I was unable to delete them, and I cancelled them immediately when granted the chance. According to the Patreon policy listed they state " we retry declined payments even if the patron cancels or downgrades their per creation membership" none of my memberships were per creation. Where the declined patreons hang it states "There's a problem with your payment: We're having trouble processing the card you use to pay for this membership. To make changes to this pledge, we need to fix this issue. How to proceed: If you'd like to try again using your existing card, you can retry the payment. Alternatively, you can use a different payment method to retry with." All of those options require me to initiate the change which I did not do! I even tried deleting payment unsuccessfully.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/02/2023

  Hi there,

  This patron already reached out to us and our team is currently assisting them. We are unable to provide any details here, but they can continue working with us as we are in communication with them.

  Best,

  Patreon Support team.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/03/2023

   
  Complaint: 19994751
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  The person (***) that I am supposed to be resolving this with is not acknowledging my issue or giving me solutions, this person is treating me as if I am giving suggestions and not an infuriated 5+ year user of this platform, that feels robbed and ignored! This person is only able to communicate via email and is sending 5 word emails to me every 3 business days that still display some sort of miscommunication. I was not allowed to cancel the patreons that were according to your FAQ page "up-front billing" patreons and on your FAQ page it also states "If the creator uses monthly charge upfront billing, then, yes, you can cancel if your payment declines, and we will not retry your payment. This is because charge upfront payments are for the preceding month." I should have been able to cancel and they DEFINITELY should not have retried the payment without my consent.

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

  Business Response

  Date: 05/04/2023

  Hi there,

  We will follow with this user as soon as possible as we are already in communication with them.

  Kindly,

  Patreon Support team.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/04/2023

   
  Complaint: 19994751
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  The problem is not being addressed with their support team. They are acting as if I am responsible for this problem. When they are responsible, the card shouldve never been retried without me initiating it and I should be able to cancel patreon subscriptions if they decline. There is no reason to hold a charge in queue, especially considering on your support page you state you would never retry declined payments. I was supposed to just lose access, which is what happened. But somehow I got charged for March! 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/30/2023

  Yes they have, the results were unsatisfactory but they did reach out. Thank you.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/01/2023

  Hi there,

  This user was assisted by our team, however, if they still need assistance, they can reach out to us through this link here:
  
  **************************************************************

  Kindly,
  Patreon Support Team.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/16/2023

  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.

  Patreon has deleted multiple accounts by ********* activists claiming they collect money to help the ********* army (with no evidence whatsoever - and, more importantly, can you seriously hold people accountable for needing to protect themselves?!). All the while, Patreon happily accommodated multiple russian propagandists who openly gather money for the russian offensive against ******* using the platform. Multiple complaints have been brought up against this chaos, but Patreon seems to be quite comfortable with its victim-blaming aggressor-enabling position.Im disgusted with the company. If you are using them right now, seek alternatives. I dont know when the idea of upholding a companys reputation went straight out the window, but I certainly dont need to have anything to do with enabling war crimes.Shame on Patreon.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/20/2023

  Hi there,
  
  
  We support *******, but Patreon does not allow funds raised on the platform to be used to support violence or purchasing of military equipment, regardless of their cause. This is our policy, outlined under "Harmful and illegal activities" here: ******************************************************
  
  If they ever feel like a creator might be violating our guidelines, they can send us a report they can learn how to do this here: ********************************************************************How-do-I-report-content-that-violates-community-guidelines-

  This user has also not brought up this issue with our support team directly.
  
  We do allow campaigns for humanitarian aid or where journalism is the focus. If a page is removed after investigation, we always send the creator the remaining funds or refund all pledges.