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Business Profile

Photo Finishing

Photobucket.com, Inc.

This business is NOT BBB Accredited.

Find BBB Accredited Businesses in Photo Finishing.

This business has 1 alert

Complaints

Customer Complaints Summary

  • 54 total complaints in the last 3 years.
  • 27 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:04/01/2025

    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.
    Photobucket emails say my photos and account will be deleted if I don't reregisiter. They charge $5 to register and my photos have already been deleted! I want my money back.

    Business Response

    Date: 04/03/2025

    Hi there,

    Thank you for your concern. We have contacted the customer regarding their refund request and potentially locating another account for them. Please have the customer respond to our ticket number 7585253 so we can better assist them.

    Thank you.
  • Initial Complaint

    Date:03/27/2025

    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've had an account with *********** since 2010. They offered a service to store all your photos for free in one place. I have a lot of personal and precious photos saved with them and when I signed up, this was a free service. Now, they will not let me access my photos unless I pay $5. I no longer need the service, but they are holding my photos hostage unless I pay.

    Business Response

    Date: 03/28/2025

    Hi there,

    Thanks for your concern. We have contacted the customer to help them download their images and delete their account. Please have the customer respond to their ticket ******* so we can further assist them.

    Thank you.
  • Initial Complaint

    Date:03/20/2025

    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.
    My mother passed and I logged into Photobucket to retrieve photos and videos of her. To my shock and dismay, my personal photos have been placed behind a paywall, where I am unable to access them without paying a fee. This was a once free site, and to find that I cant even download my own photos of my deceased mother is distressing, and I feel as if I have lost her a second time. I should not have to pay to see my own photos, and considering how long I was a member, at the very least I should have been grandfathered in. My grief has multiplied in ways I did not know was possible.

    Business Response

    Date: 03/28/2025

    Hi there,

    Thanks for your concern. The customer contacted us on March 20, 2025 regarding this issue. We provided them with a download link and we are currently waiting for their confirmation that they have received it so we can continue forward with deleting their account. Please direct the customer to respond to their ticket number 7536462 so we can continue to assist them with their images.

    Thank you.
  • Initial Complaint

    Date:03/17/2025

    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 was charged without my consent on my card. Spoke with their reseller ********** to stop charging me and I was sent confirmation that they cancelled but to my surprise I have been charged monthly since December 2023 again. They are now claiming I purchased a monthly package in September 2023 when I have confirmation of them cancelling! They ended up just signing me up again. This company is A SCAM.

    Business Response

    Date: 03/27/2025

    Hello there,

    Thank for your concern. Please have the customer forward us a confirmation email from Paddle of when their subscription was cancelled. We're unable to locate a record of their subscription being cancelled and our payment processor Paddle would have sent a confirmation of the cancellation to the email address on file for their account.

    The customer can also contact Paddle for further discussion on this subscription if they state that they contacted Paddle in September 2023 to cancel the subscription. We have no records of a request for a subscription cancellation prior to March 17, 2025. We did cancel their subscription as requested on March 17, as requested.

    Thank you.
  • Initial Complaint

    Date:02/09/2025

    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 have been receiving emails warning me that all my pictures would be deleted if I didn't hurry up and pay to resubscribe to photobucket. I did have pictures on photobucket from a 2015 trip that I took. Today, I went ahead and attempted to save my pictures. Before I could even see what photos I had on photobucket I was promted to pay 5$. I paid 5$ for a "membership" only to find out I have ZERO pictures saved on photobucket. This is fraud and feels like a scam. I want my money back and my credit card information scrubbed from their site. I want this resolved ASAP.

    Business Response

    Date: 02/10/2025

    Hi there,

    Thanks for your concern. The customer contacted us twice on February 9, 2025 to request a refund. We issued their requested refund and it can take up to five business days to complete. If the customer needs further assistance, please have them contact our Support team.

    Thank you.

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:02/06/2025

    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.
    Bait and switch scam.I signed up with them some years ago for a free photo hosting account and now they have arbitrarily changed their terms and no longer offer free accounts and are now holding my photos hostage and threatening to delete them if I do not sign up for their (wildly over proved compared to the competition) service, which I previously had for free.This is an attempt at extortion.I want to download my photos without charge and then delete my account. I will not give money to scammers or extortionists.

    Business Response

    Date: 02/10/2025

    Hi there,

    Thanks for your concern. We have created an email support ticket for this customer to assist them with downloading their images during the account deletion process. Please have them respond to ticket number 7410872 so we can further assist them.

    Thank you.

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:01/31/2025

    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.
    Photobucket was a service I used in the early 2000's when ******* was really popular. I'd save silly images that I'd upload later. I've never used the account for anything else.On 1/29/25, I checked my email and was surprised to see a receipt for a monthly subscription service for Photobucket. My stomach dropped because I instantly think it's a scam. Upon further inspection the email was legit and the invoice was real. I immediately cancelled the subscription and reached out to *********** directly to report the fraudlent charge.Apparently they've been charging me for 9 months without my consent or knowledge. Well I'm not actually sure who they charged. I can only see 2 invoices from my Photobucket account and nothing from my ******. They refuse to provide me with any further invoices that are linked, despite establishing that I'm the account owner. Apparently it's being charged to a ****** account with an email no one recognizes.They can't provide me with a record of where I signed up for the subscription service either. The entire thing is screaming fraud. I've been talking to someone on their support team named **** (was never given a ticket #).**** says there's no possible way to speak to anyone on the phone, it's all via email and the virtual chat on their website, and tells me not to worry because it's been cancelled now. I'm worried about the money that's already been charged, how my account was even set up for that subscription, how somehow a completely separate ****** account with an email no one recognizes is tied into it

    Business Response

    Date: 02/10/2025

    Hi there,

    Thanks for your concern. We are currently working with the customer and our engineers to look into this issue. While we do understand that this is taking longer than expected, we are actively working on getting this resolved as soon as possible. Please have the customer respond to their ticket ******* if they need any further assistance.

    Thank you.

    Customer Answer

    Date: 02/10/2025

     
    Complaint: 22884301

    I am rejecting this response because: They still haven't refunded me. They can't even provide me with all of the invoice numbers they've told me they've charged me. The invoice summary that they finally sent me on 2/3/25 has a total of 10 invoices listed. They are only willing to provide me with 2 out of the 10 invoice numbers. Conviently the only 2 invoices they provided me with are from after they switched payment processors and were also for different amounts. The prior 8 charges were for $5 even, the final 2 invoices are for $1.68 & $5.32, both charges occuring in January 2025. At no point prior to January 2025, did I ever receive an invoice, receipt or even statement from Photobucket. When I did I immediately cancelled the service and reached out to *********** regarding the fraudlent charges.

    Not only did I not sign up for this service, I certainly never received any notification that invoice amounts would be changed or suddenly have tax added. There is no way that's legal.

    It's been 12 days that I've been corresponsing with Photbucket via email, which to remind you is their only source of contact aside from their website. **** just keep telling me "I understand your frustration. I'm still working it out with our engineers. I'll provide you with more info once we take a deeper look into the issue."

    Photobucket's response to my BBB complaint stating to "Please have the customer respond to their ticket ******* if they need any further assistance" is laughble. Nothing has been resolved! I've been responding to that ticket consistently, for almost 2 weeks. I've had zero help from Photobucket, they just keep spinning in circles.

    My guess is that either their old or new payment processor had some serious issues and they are doing everything they can to try to cover their tracks

    Frustrated isn't even close to the right word. If they don't make immediate strides in reconciling this issue, I will be seeking legal council.

    Sincerely,

    *** ********

    Business Response

    Date: 02/18/2025

    Hi there,

    Thank you for your reply. We do understand the frustration behind this and we're actively working with our engineering team to provide a solution for this issue. We do apologize that it's taking a little bit of time to resolve this matter; however, our engineers are looking into this issue. 

    Thank you. 

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:01/23/2025

    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 signed up for a 7 day free trial of *********** on 10/17/24. I canceled that free trial the next day, 10/18/24, via their website. I did not receive email proof of the subscription beginning, or of its cancelation, at any time. I noticed on 01/17/25 that I had been charged monthly for the subscription via ******, despite canceling before I should have been charged. I had zero emails from Photobucket over this 3 month period, just monthly charges to ****** for a free trial I had canceled on 10/18.This is a violation of the ***'s One Click to Cancel law; it is illegal to have continued to process a monthly payment despite my cancellation of a free trial. There are a plethora of identical complaints all across BBB. Photobucket's TOS state that refunds must be requested within 48 hours, and so they are unlikely to refund me for these 3 months of payment. However, I'd like to report my problem here, so other consumers are aware of this fraudulent practice, and avoid signing up for any "free" trials through this business. They will not honor the terms of this trial and make it hard to seek refund.

    Business Response

    Date: 01/24/2025

    Hello there,

    Thank you for your concern. Our refund policy specifically states that a refund request must be made within 48 hours of the initial request. We did issue a refund for their January payment; however, we will not be issuing any refunds prior to January. We do understand that the customer states they cancelled their trial and if they do find proof of this at any point, please have them contact us. We'd be happy to review that information.

    Thank you. 

    Customer Answer

    Date: 01/25/2025

     
    Complaint: 22848629

    I am rejecting this response because: the business is requesting proof of cancellation, but they did not at any time send me any proof of my account - either my subscription OR proof of my cancellation. They are well aware there is no proof of cancellation, as they never supplied me with one, or of any record of this subscription I did not keep after its free trial.

    Based on the VERY many complaints that are identical to mine, in which others canceled subscriptions were continually charged for months, it is clear Photobucket is engaging in a fraudulent practice in violation of FTC law by making their subscriptions challenging to cancel and not honoring the terms of their free trials. 

    As I expected in my initial complaint, this business was unlikely to issue a refund of these charges, as they have failed to do so for myriad customers who filed ******************** complaints.  I am unsurprised that they are failing to remedy these erroneous charges, and I do not accept this response. Photobucket is blatantly a scam operation, and have earned their current F rating with BBB. It is not a company that is trustworthy with credit card information, and I would advise any potential customers to steer clear, as they will not refund you for charges you did not authorize.

    Sincerely,

    ***** Dupuis 

    Business Response

    Date: 02/10/2025

    Hi there,

    Thanks for your reply. We do understand their concerns; however, without any proof of cancellation prior to the time of the refund we issued in January, we cannot issue any other refunds. We do understand that this isn't the outcome the customer would like and our refund policy is that the request for a refund needs to be made within 48 hours of the initial payment. ****** has sent receipts every time their payment method is charged.

    Our customers can change or cancel a subscription on their Settings page. To get to the Settings page, click on the icon in the top right corner --> select Settings, and --> click on the Membership tab. There are three pages to complete the cancellation of a subscription, and we have a message to contact Support if there are any issues with cancelation.

    If the customer needs any further assistance, please have them contact our Support team.

    Thank you.

    Customer Answer

    Date: 02/11/2025

     
    Complaint: 22848629

    I am rejecting this response because: it does not resolve the issue of fraudulent and repeated charges to my account after cancellation. I will be escalating to the *** as this is a violation of their policy. I advise other customers to avoid sharing payment information with *********** as there is a documented pattern of fraudulence on their part.


    Sincerely,

    ***** ******

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:12/30/2024

    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.
    Many years ago I cancelled my Photobucket account when they refused to 'grandfather' in fully paid accounts. I sent at least 5 emails specifically telling them to cancel. Specifically also to REMOVE any and all of my images from their account. Which they are still holding on to at least 14 years later. Now, they have spammed my email at least 1 time PER WEEK, with ****** letters about 'don't you want to rescue your account'? I attempted to contact them reminding them that back around 2012 I cancelled my account with them and DEMANDED that they remove it. They continued to assert: you have to give them your info to do that. I refuse to resubmit account info that I have removed more than a decade ago to do something that they should have done AT THAT ******* is infuriating to see that suddenly they are desperately trying to scam people after this long. I want them to STOP contacting me, and permanently remove the account that they were told YEARS AGO to remove in the first place.

    Business Response

    Date: 12/31/2024

    Hi there,

    Thanks for your concern. We looked in our ticket system and found one email ticket from them asking to delete their account. Per our policies, we have to verify that the account owner is writing in before we can delete it. They did not verify their information, therefore the account remains deactivated in our system.

    If they don't want to provide that information, then they will need to delete the account themselves.

    Please direct the them to this page:
    *************************************************************************;

    From here, they will need to click through all of the confirmation pages to complete the process. They will see a pop-up confirming that the account has been queued for deletion.

    If they run into any issues regarding the account deletion flow, please have them contact us.

    Thank you.

    Customer Answer

    Date: 01/01/2025

     
    Complaint: 22744513

    I am rejecting this response because:

    Look farther back in the history of the account attached to the emails you keep spamming, and my requests were submitted NUMEROUS TIMES. More than 10 years ago: thus don't expect me to go digging that c*** up. Your company is illegally keeping items visible on your hardware long, long after your 'threats' to remove the accounts. If you're going to tell me to do anything, REMOVE THE ***** you are not supposed to be storing AS REQUESTED a DECADE ago.


    Sincerely,

    ***** ****

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:12/24/2024

    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.
    want access to my account so i may get back family phots i had uploaded to keep safe. i shouldn't have to pay for them to retrieve them from their serves

    Business Response

    Date: 01/06/2025

    Hi there,

    Thanks for your concern. We have reached out to the customer and please have them check for ticket number 7303520 so we can assist them with downloading their images.

    Thank you.

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