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:04/16/2024

  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.

  Patreon is a month to month subscription service where you can pay to access content early from creators. I purchased a membership to a news channel on March 29th and had access only to the 31st of March, rather than the 29th of April as was to be expected in a month long membership.This membership is supposed to be for one month. That's how it's advertised everywhere and everyone purchases under this framework, this time, I bought the membership on March 29th, 2024 and instead had access for 2 days thereafter. That's the 30th and 31st that's it. I thought this was a glitch since no way they took my money for only 2 days of access after the date of purchase, so I talked to support. They told me that actually, beyond what all the advertising leads you to believe, that in reality your membership is not a month long, but lasts for THE month you buy it. So if I had bought it two days later in March, then I would've gotten under 24 hours of access to the content rather than a full BILLING month like almost all memberships operate.This is a deceitful way of doing content access and totally bad practice for misleading consumers. This was a $5 membership so it's not the end of the world, but for the simple fact that they purposefully hid this mechanism and later showed no remorse warrants others being informed.Upon asking for the refund they denied, instead telling me to message the creator (owner of the channel) and ask for a refund to them. I went ahead and did, and obviously they didn't respond since they are one person with tens of thousands of members, so of course they'll never see it. I reported this back to them to which they then said they'll go ahead and send it to their billing team to have it looked at, and just a day ago they stated they will not issue a refund. It's crazy that they think it's okay to fleece their customers like this so I'm reporting them so others, especially those that pay even more, don't fall prey to their harmful consumer practices

  Business Response

  Date: 04/17/2024

  Hi there,
  
  We do not have any contact from the user's email, if the user needs assistance, they will need to reach out to us 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.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/17/2024

   
  Complaint: 21584620
  
  I am rejecting this response because: 

  This response is patently untrue and shows zero research on behalf of Patreon when regarding this dispute. If they were to actually look up my name in their database and recent complaints, they'd see I did emailed Patreon and spoke to 3 seperate people (****, ****, and ****) over 12 days from my regular personal email. Please do not lie to obfuscate your total disregard and disrespect for consumers. 

  Evidence of the email chain will be linked to this response.

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

  Business Response

  Date: 04/23/2024

  Hi there,
  
  We appreciate you for forwarding us this past communication under a different email address. 
  
  We saw that this user was supported by our team already.
  
  If the user needs 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.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/23/2024

   
  Complaint: 21584620
  
  I am rejecting this response because: They have not addressed any of the issues cited by me in my complaint. This complaint is about your terrible support and bad business practices, I submitted evidence last message of your terrible support, and now you're saying you've already helped me and I need to submit another claim? Are you guys blind? You all must have an automated bot or a high school intern working because it's beyond me on how a firm as big as Patreon can be so incompetent. To ask me to submit another help request when this entire BBB complaint is about your support teams rejection to refund my money after your decieved your consumers into thinking that the subscription was a month long and not 3 days. I hope people get to know of your direct anti consumer practices and woeful ignorance when trying to avoid any remediation. What a useless response, please actually respond with substance or admit to your wrong doings because it'll just be a waste of my time to respond to these seemingly automated, dumpster fire responses.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/04/2024

  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.

  This company charged my ****** for an account that I never had. My debit card was fraudulently used to open an account. I contacted them and they stated that they closed the account and a refund would be made. No refund was given and I was told to contact my bank as they had sent it. I contacted my bank and there is no evidence a refund was given. I have tried several times to reach out with the same response from Patreon. I want a full refund given and an apology.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/05/2024

  The request has been analysed by our internal team and we've advised this user to the best of our abilities. 
  
  A refund of the charges has been provided and action has been taken on the aforementioned account.
  
  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.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/05/2024

   
  Complaint: 21533444
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  No refund was ever given and my bank never received the refund.  I have contacted my bank both in person and by phone. I am requesting a check be cut and mailed since it has been over a week  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************************

  Business Response

  Date: 04/09/2024

  Hi there,
  
  Our team has confirmed the refund was successfully issued on our end and continued support has been provided on the matter to assist the user in locating said refund. A physical check is not an option, seeing has a refund of the transaction has already been issued,
  
  If the user still requires further assistance, they will need to continue communicating with our support team via their open support request.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/02/2024

  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 was double charged for what should have been a monthly subscription through your service. Ive tried to reach out to any sort of customer service yet I get nothing. I want a full refund for the charge.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/04/2024

  Hi there,
  
  Our team is actively working on this case and we will be addressing their concerns as soon as possible. We recommend that the user to keep an eye on their inbox for our email. 
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/30/2024

  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.

  This company has been billing my credit card for $4.50/month for over a year. I did not originally set up an account with them and have no idea what they do or why they are billing me. I recently set up an account with the sole intent of cancelling my "membership" (whatever that means with them) but the instructions they give to do so cannot be followed as the links they say to follow are not there. I have emailed them and requested that they cease billing me and shut down any further charges against my credit card, all to no avail. They just keep up with the charges to my card and do not respond to my attempt at contact. This is a scam.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/04/2024

  Hi there,
  
   
  Our team already assisted the user on 22nd February, after they reached out to us, and the issue was resolved.  If the user needs 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.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/04/2024

   
  Complaint: 21508648
  
  I am rejecting this response because: My issue WAS NOT resolved, as indicated in their response to this complaint. I can find no way on their website to cancel "my account" which I never set up in the first place. I simply wish them to wipe all information regarding me from their website. Is that so difficult? Their customer service is not responsive to my request...they just keep charging my credit card no matter what action I take.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  E *******************

  Business Response

  Date: 04/08/2024

  Hi there,
  
   
  Our team already assisted the user on 22nd February, after they reached out to **, and the issue was resolved.  If the user needs 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.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/08/2024

   
  Complaint: 21508648
  
  I am rejecting this response because: My issue WAS NOT resolved, as indicated in their response to this complaint. I can find no way on their website to cancel "my account" which I never set up in the first place. I simply wish them to wipe all information regarding me from their website. Is that so difficult? Their customer service is not responsive to my request...they just keep charging my credit card no matter what action I take. Their last communication to me was a repeat of the previous one...no attempt was made at resolution. The instructions on their website are not viable, therefore I cannot follow the instructions given in their response. Just wipe me from the Patreon website.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  E *******************
  
  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/22/2024

  Hi there,
  
   
  Our team already assisted the user on February 22nd, and the user has not reached back since. If the user still needs 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:03/29/2024

  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 had a membership with a creator. I changed debit cards and my old card therefore didn't go through. My membership was canceled. I received a new card, went to the site, and entered my new card information. This was, according to Patreon, successful. The creator's content remains locked. Depending on how I do it, it either says my payment was successful or it wasn't. If I go to my payment methods page, it has the new debit card information. This debit card has enough funds to pay the creator. There is no reason for it to keep saying my payment didn't go through. This is absurd, amateur-hour UX.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/04/2024

  Hi there,
  
   
  Our team already assisted the user on 29th of March, after they reached out to support, and the issue was resolved. User was provided with an explanation on what happened and what to do next. If the user still needs 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:03/22/2024

  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.

  I have supported content creators in Patreon. I decreased the amount to some when I lacked the funds to do so but saw that I was being billed a monthly charge of $80.95 and so I deleted all support and was continued to be billed. I called the credit card company to dispute it and they refunded the money but now it has found a place back on my card as a charge. How can I stop them from billing me when they offer no contact to reconcile the matter?

  Business Response

  Date: 03/27/2024

  Hi there,
  
   
  We've checked on our end and could not find any contact from this email address. If the user needs 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:03/14/2024

  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 March 13, 2024 I create a account on this website to help support some creators that I enjoy watching upon subscribing to the first creator I was booted from my patron account, money was pull from my bank account and currently my patron account is currently being held hostage with no sign of a refund under "suspicious activity"

  Business Response

  Date: 03/15/2024

  Hi there,
  
  Our team is actively working with the user since March 13th, 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: 03/15/2024

   
  Complaint: 21433338
  
  I am rejecting this response because: Himalaya emailed me at 14 Mar 2024, 3:28?am GMT-7 I responded Mar 14, 2024, 7:31 am GMT-5. I have yet to receive a response.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************

  Business Response

  Date: 03/22/2024

  Hi there,
  

  Our team is actively working with the user since March 14th and we are addressing their concerns to the best of our abilities.

  The ticket that is currently open, is waiting reply from the user since March 20th. We recommend that the user continues to respond to our emails since it is the best route for a resolution.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/23/2024

  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

  Date:03/06/2024

  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.

  Patreon would not take my payment method, then locked me out of everything. Since I am unemployed I decided it was best to cancel based on these things. After they locked me out of my content and supposedly processed my cancelation, they then charged me again. They still kept me locked out and do not have an issue resolution group. They require me to contact the creator, which I have, to get a refund however the charge comes from the company, not the creator. I have attached the ticket I filed with them. I need help. It appears this is a serious issue for many users.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/07/2024

  Hi there,
  
  This user just reached out to our support team on the 6th of March 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.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/24/2024

  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.

  In December 2023 I tried to sign up to follow a Patreon creator. I had a typo in my email when I originally signed up which shouldnt have been an issue since they claim to do email verification. After receiving no email and realizing the mistake I assumed I wasnt being charged since I never verified, so I again opened an account using my actual email and I verified it. Later found out I was being charged for both accounts and was told I had to first talk to the creator about resolution. I have a screen shot of the creator saying they closed the account and I could continue with the new account. A month later I was charged for both again. Patreon is very unresponsive but eventually asked for the url of the account I wanted to cancel even though I said it was the same url as the active account and they knew the card number. I provided that as well as the screen shot of the creator saying it was already taken care of. After 4 weeks Patreon never replied to me since asking for the **** So we tried to have our card company stop the charges but they said Patreon got back to them and lied by saying we actually have access to the account and were using it. If that were true I wouldnt have this long email chain between me and Patreon I would have simply canceled the account and moved on. We are now being charged $63.30 a month for an account weve never had access to and we will be charged this amount monthly for the rest of our lives. Words like theft, fraud, extortion all come to mind. Im no legal expert but this is unethical and has to be illegal. We feel helpless. My family doesnt have $63.30 to give away to patreon every month. With no access to the account we obviously cant use it but whats worse is we have absolutely no way to stop them from charging this. Patreon keeps acting like the account Im referring to is the account I actually have access to I opened after I had a typo on my email when initially subscribing.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/28/2024

  Hi there,
  
   
  Our team already assisted the user on 26th of January, and we have not got an answer from the user since. We were in the middle of confirming the account information. If the user needs assistance, they will need to reach out to us again either reply to our email or 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:02/14/2024

  Type:Sales and Advertising 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 didnt even know what Patreon was until i started getting recurring subscription charges for 99.00/month on my debit card. Since then, Ive had to cancel & replace eight cards in a year, and Patreon support (despite me reaching out to them often!) has NEVER responded to my support requests. I do not have a subscription, so I cannot access anything on their site let alone figure out what Im being charged for. Each time I get a new debit card the information is somehow found and i am charged once again. Even my bank has no idea how this could be possible unless Patreon was able to get other compromising information about me without my consent! I am poor, practically homeless, and each time I have to dispute the charges. I am at my **** end.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/15/2024

  Hi there,
  
  Our team is actively working with the user since the 15th Feb 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.