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Business Profile

News Services

Substack Inc.

This business is NOT BBB Accredited.

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Complaints

Customer Complaints Summary

  • 34 total complaints in the last 3 years.
  • 25 complaints closed in the last 12 months.

If you've experienced an issue

Submit a Complaint

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.

Sort by

Complaint status

Complaint type

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:04/07/2025

    Type:Billing Issues
    Status:
    Unanswered
    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.
    Should I want to delete my account associated with my email, I can't find the option! I looked online it says go to the "danger zone"; doesn't exist!

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:03/31/2025

    Type:Order Issues
    Status:
    Unanswered
    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.
    Substack has no support that's not AI. I am a paid subscriber to a Substack called Star Quality in which the public and private paid *** feeds are broken. The owner of the Substack has also reached out multiple times and has not gotten any response.

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:03/30/2025

    Type:Service or Repair Issues
    Status:
    Unanswered
    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.
    Hello, I use the Substack platform and monetize through their site. A service they provide is podcast hosting. My podcast *** feed is not working on the public nor private feeds. My paid supporters are canceling their subscriptions due to this error. When I have tried to reach out to Substack, I cannot reach a person, only an AI chatbot that messages in circles. Can I please get a real person contact at Substack to help fix my issue?

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:03/28/2025

    Type:Service or Repair Issues
    Status:
    Unanswered
    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 3/24/25 Substack's algorithm accused me of posting spam/phishing and locked me out of participating on the platform (which is an unjust accusation). I have proof that this is not true. I'm paying for a program called Writers at Work and there is a daily Notes Boost currently going on. But since my account is restricted, I can't access this for 5 days now! I filed an appeal on 3/24 and again on 3/26.

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:03/26/2025

    Type:Product Issues
    Status:
    Unanswered
    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 purchased a gift subscription for a friend in November 2023. I was charged again on February 2025. She does not use this gift and I do not wish to continue paying Substack for an unused subscription. I have tried to resolve this multiple times through their support bot but have not received a response. It constantly tells me to log in. I cannot log in to an account since this was a gift and I do not have access.

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:03/22/2025

    Type:Product Issues
    Status:
    Unanswered
    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 filing this complaint to report Substack, Inc.s unethical business practices, including its refusal to honor refunds, denial of valid subscriptions, and failure to provide accessible customer support.Summary of Issues:On March 15, 2025, I paid $359.10 for an annual subscription to TradeFlowDailys Substack (Invoice #7B1F8D54-0001).Per Substacks policy, refunds must be issued if requested within 7 days. I submitted my request on March 21, 2025, within the timeframe.Substack denied my refund, falsely claiming my subscription lacked payment information, despite attached receipts and correspondence with the publications owner (*****), who confirmed service cancellation and urged refunds.Substack provides no valid contact methods (phone, address, or responsive support), leaving consumers stranded.Public forums (*****************************************************************************************************************************) show widespread complaints about identical issues, proving systemic negligence.This behavior breaches BBBs standards for trust and transparency. I request that the BBB investigate Substacks practices, demand accountability, and ensure resolution for affected consumers.Attached are receipts, chat logs, Dennys email, and screenshots of public complaints. Contact me for further details.

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:03/01/2025

    Type:Service or Repair Issues
    Status:
    Unanswered
    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 name is being used on the platform by Substack user name intotheethers, and my picture are being used in a defamation post which goes against their terms and conditions. Me and several others have reported the post every day but my picture and FULL NAME are still being used and I would like it removed immediately

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:02/25/2025

    Type:Product Issues
    Status:
    Unanswered
    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 charged $4,600 on 12/12/24 by a newsletter through substack. I had previously been a subscriber to this newsletter for $50/year since 2021, but cancelled my subscription earlier in 2024. I filed the $4,600 transaction as fraud through my credit card and was recently denied the fraud claim. I did not authorize this charge **** do not understand how something like this can happen. I have lost trust in substack and demand accountability and an explanation, as well as a refund of my money if my credit card continues to deny it as a fraudulent transaction.

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:01/29/2025

    Type:Service or Repair Issues
    Status:
    Unanswered
    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.
    Since 1/20/25, my SubStack account has been denying me adding new subscribers because it says I am restricted to 5,000 publications. I have complained every day since then and SubStack admits there is a glitch in their system, but they do not fix the problem. I have fewer than 300 subscribers. I don’t know what my publications have to do with that!

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:01/07/2025

    Type:Service or Repair Issues
    Status:
    Unanswered
    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 first signed up for **** ********* Podcast on Substack Nov. 11, 2024. I paid $150 for online founders membership with my ***** Bank **** card. At first, I was able to use the service. But ONLY DAYS LATER, for some reason, Substack had NO record of my PAID membership and I was unable to access what I paid for. I contacted their SUPPORT service over and over again. Yet there was NO resolution nor way to use the service I paid for nor get a refund from them. I contacted ***** bank. They refunded my payment. However, what I WANTED was to be able to use the service I paid for. So I used ANOTHER card, *****...Days later, the SAME thing happened. No service for which I paid, nor record of payment from them, nor any solution with their "support". So THAT bank refunded the payment. THEN, SUDDENLY, for the first time, I got an email from a live human being who fixed the issue for me. SO, at that point, (Dec. 10, 2024), I paid the $150 with a 3RD card. For the first time, it WORKED....UNTIL just YESTERDAY, JAN 6! It stopped working. The VERY SAME issue RECURRED. There was NO RECORD of my PAID membership. I attempted to contact the live human being who previously fixed the issue via email a month ago. Yet I got NO RESPONSE and NO SOLUTION. the 3RD bank is refunding my payment. However, I'd STILL LIKE to be able to USE the SERVICE I HAVE PAID FOR! And there is NO WAY TO DO THAT!

Substack Inc. is NOT a BBB Accredited Business.

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