ComplaintsforExecThread, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  04/23/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  This vendor has an unauthorized charge on my credit card for a membership I never used. Theyre claiming that I agreed to it as part of the free trial. Its possible that it was in the print of the agreement that no one ever reads. They seem to prey on such users that dont pay attention to the agreement and/or dont look at their credit card bills. These business should be heavily penalized for such deceptive and fraudulent practices.

  Business response

  04/29/2024

  Hello

  This customer proactively signed up for a promotion that transparently states the terms. 

  Attached is the:

  1. Terms (2 separate screenshots)

  2. Confirmation of promotional sign up email. 

  Customer response

  04/30/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

  Its impossible for a customer to read the fine print and keep track of these trial memberships and remember to promptly terminate them.  These types of business solely rely on customers not remembering to cancel and that makes this practice predatory.  If the business were acting in good faith, they would have reached out to the customer seeking an explicit authorization for charges going forward.  However, there was no authorization sought and as such, this type of practice should be illegal.

   

   

   

  In order for the BBB to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

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

• Initial Complaint

  01/12/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I emailed to cancel this scam of a subscription on September 10th, 2023 (All of their postings were old expired jobs anyway). Did not get a response to the email I sent (was also locked out of my online account so could not cancel online). No email or callback. Started services on 7/30 with billing cycle every 28 days. Fast forward to January 3, **** I noticed I was still being charged $59 a month. I emailed again on 1/3/24 and this time got a response 5 hours later asking for me to re-send the email I sent in September, which I had deleted (fair, I did not have the email so that part is on me). I was able to cancel online at 9:10am PST on 1/3/24 (and got the cancellation notification via email at 9:10am PST). Later that evening, I got charged ANOTHER $59 for ******** My next billing date should have been 1/4/24 anyways. This is just pathetic and the absolute WORST customer service I have ever been subjected to. This fake scam of a company has created a terrible reputation for itself as seen from the numerous other reviews stating cancellation issues. I would like to be reimbursed for the month of January $59 (I spent $413 on fake services since July). This company is a legit SCAM and needs to be shut down.

  Business response

  01/16/2024

  Hi *******,
  
  You proactively signed up for ExecThread on May 15, 2023. On July 19th, 2023 you then signed up for our monthly Full Access Plus Membership which auto-renews every 28 days (see attached screenshot) as well as the Welcome email you received immediately after upgrading to Full Access Plus Membership. 
  
  In regards to the billing date, we have shared the billing dates with you via email which were properly billed. However, I will share them below as well.
  
  7/19/23
  8/16/23
  9/13/23
  10/11/23
  11/8/23
  12/6/23
  1/3/24
  
  You were not charged after you canceled your Full Access Plus Membership. Please note you cancelled the same day after you were already billed. You will receive Full Access Plus benefits until the end of your current subscription period without it auto-renewing again thereafter.

  I have also attached our terms and conditions that were agreed to upon the upgrade to Full Access Plus Membership. 

• Initial Complaint

  11/06/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I joined and paid the annual fee for Exec Thread a year ago and used their web-based services for approximately seven months. I didn't see much value in the services they provided. They set up their accounts as automatic renewals. Without notifying me that my annual subscription was about to be renewed, they charged my credit card for $150 on 10/21/2023. Once I discovered the charge pending on my credit card account, I immediately canceled my subscription on 10/23/2023 and notified them that I no longer wanted to use their service. They responded on 10/31/2023, stating they would not refund the money because of what is said in their terms of service. This is their cancelation policy:"Cancellations: To cancel your Paid Membership, log in to your ExecThread account and visit the Settings page in your ExecThread profile (*******************************************) to cancel your subscription at least one (1) day before the end of the current billing cycle. In the event of cancellation, no refund will be provided for the duration of the current cycle, and you will continue to have access to the Paid Membership through the end of the current cycle."Any reputable business would have notified me in advance that my subscription was about to end and that they intended to automatically renew my subscription on this date with the card on file. They didn't do that. As soon as I noticed a charge pending on my credit card account, I canceled my subscription and immediately told them that I did and asked them to refund my money. Their cancellation policy puts their customer at a disadvantage. They must revise their practice and notify their customer before automatically renewing the subscription. They have $150 for services I will not use and have already canceled the account.

  Business response

  11/06/2023

  This member originally signed up for ExecThread as a free member on Apr 14, 2022. He then upgraded to a paid membership tier on 04/29/2022 (see attachment). When the member upgraded to the biannual Full Access Membership on 04/29/2022, it was done in a proactive manner. See screenshot of the exact upgraded page/message showing that this package auto-renews every 180 days. 

  Also, see email confirmation of date/time in screenshot attached as well as 1) a link to our terms that were agreed to 2) a clear statement stating that the biannual Full Access Membership will auto-renew every 180 days. 

  The renewal occurred on 10/21/2023 and the member first reached out to cancel on 10/23/2023. As stated in our terms and conditions that were agreed to, "All fees listed above are fully-earned upon payment, and are non-refundable". 

  We do understand that members may want to cancel at any point during their upgraded membership. So we offer a pause on the membership. As stated in the agreed upon terms "If you're on the Biannual or Annual Subscription plan you are permitted to pause and reactivate your Paid Membership one time per billing period. Once you reactivate your Paid Membership, the subscription will continue for the remaining duration of the pay period and will automatically renew at the initial recurring subscription fee until you cancel the Paid Membership as permitted below."

  This member is able to take advantage of the ability to pause. 

   

  Customer response

  11/09/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

  ExecThreads isn't following a best business practice. They know that many subscribers to their services fall into this trap. I don't track the date my subscription expires and fully expected ExecThreads to notify me that my subscription is about to expire and my credit card will be charged for the next billing period. They didn't do that. Why would you charge in advance for services not delivered? I cancelled my subscription immediately after noticing a pending charge on my credit card account. I don't want to use their services and do not desire to pause them. I want my money back for services never delivered. 

   

   

   

  In order for the BBB to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

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

  Business response

  12/08/2023

  This member opted into Terms & Conditions when purchasing their upgraded membership and alerted to the length of each billing cycle upfront. As stated in the T&Cs, "All fees listed above are fully-earned upon payment, and are non-refundable.". Also see Section"6. Special Terms Regarding ******** & Annual Memberships: If you're on the Biannual or Annual Subscription plan you are permitted to pause and reactivate your Paid Membership one time per billing period. Once you reactivate your Paid Membership, the subscription will continue for the remaining duration of the pay period and will automatically renew at the initial recurring subscription fee until you cancel the Paid Membership as permitted below."

   

   

• Initial Complaint

  07/31/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I subscribed to this site and their subscription is auto renewing. As others have stated, they never send any communications to let you know when it's renewing and they make it very hard to figure out how to cancel on the site. The site FAQs don't even address how to cancel. I contacted them on July 6th, the day before my subscription was to renew, asking how to cancel as I couldn't find out how on the website. They didn't respond until the next day at which time my subscription auto-renewed. I asked them to refund my money since I would have canceled before the renewal if they had responded to me on the day I contacted them or if they had made it more transparent to customers how to cancel (e.g. had a FAQ that explained this; offered a "cancel subscription" link in the account section, etc.). They refused and keep referring to the Terms of Service I signed. This is extremely poor customer service and this business clearly is designed to take customers' money without concern for actual good service.

  Business response

  08/02/2023

  **** - thank you for reaching out. 

  Each member that signs up for our premium membership opts into auto-renewal. The auto-renewal is transparent to all members before and during sign up. The auto-renewal is stated on the initial sign up page, in the terms and conditions which are available before and after purchase.

  Also, all members can cancel their premium membership directly from their settings page at any time under the section called Member Preferences. 

  In addition, your email was sent to our team  after the renewal already occurred. 

   

  Best,

  The ExecThread Team 

   

• Initial Complaint

  08/26/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  The business is predatory, and reposts executive level roles that are no longer available. This results in dozens of unwanted outreaches to myself and my clients about positions that have been filled.

• Initial Complaint

  08/02/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I was a subscriber and didn't realize my account was on auto-charge. I notified ExecThread on the day that my card was charged $243 for a new annual membership, but they refused to refund me. This is egregious and punitive. I'm seeking a refund of the annual fee charged.

  Business response

  08/04/2022

  To whom this may concern,
  
  
  
  ExecThread is an online marketplace for executives to find and share information on job opportunities.  We have over ******* members. All members have the option of being a basic (free) member and receiving limited access or Premium/Full Access (paid subscription) member and receiving access to all the information on our site. Members can also receive discounts on their Full Access Membership based on their level of activity and engagement.
  
  
  ****************** ***** became a free ExecThread Member in 2016. He then became an annual Full Access Member on June 1, 2020 paying $111. He then let his Full Access Membership lapse due to a failed credit card payment when his annual subscription was due. During that years time, ExecThread raised their prices so the annual plan went up to $240 plus $3 service fee for any new purchases (note: if the credit card did not lapse, the customer still would have been on the original plan/price). ************** asked for his old pricing which we gave him for 1 year i.e. a $120 discount but told him that the subscription will renew at $240. ************** agreed and signed up for the newly priced annual Full Access plan. 
  
  
  All Full Access members proactively opt into our terms of service (****************************************) when signing-up for a recurring Full Access Membership subscription, which could be canceled at any time prior to the automatic renewal, and which also state that the fees listed are fully-earned upon payment and are non-refundable.
  
  
  As clearly stated in our terms & conditions (to which ************** proactively opted-in) we do not provide refunds to Members who upgrade/subscribe, when then engaged with the upgraded service and receive information that they want at the time, and then request a refund after-the-fact. Despite our clearly established terms that were opted into, we offered to "pause" this Full Access Membership, which would allow this member to reactivate their remaining time at any point in the future.
  
  
  Please let us know if you need any additional information from us to resolve this matter. Thank you.
  
  
  Best,
  The ExecThread Team

  Customer response

  08/11/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

  
  Hello,
  
  I just reviewed ExecThreads response.
  
  They did not provide a satisfactory response.
  
  As mentioned, I was not disputing any charges from prior years. 
  
  Instead, I was disputing the fact that they did not refund my charge when I complained on the very day it was charged.
  
  This matter remains unresolved and should remain an open case at BBB.  A refund is due.

   

   

   

   

  In order for the BBB to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

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

  Business response

  08/16/2022

  The refund was asked for after the payment occurred for the renewal. 

  The member proactively opted into our terms of service when signing-up for a recurring Full Access Membership subscription, which he could have canceled at any time prior to the automatic renewal, and which also state that the fees listed are fully-earned upon payment and are non-refundable. However, he can still "pause" his Full Access Membership, which will allow him to reactivate your remaining time at any point in the future.
  
  

  Customer response

  08/17/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

  The business's response is not accurate.  Maintain request for refund.

   

   

  In order for the BBB to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

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

• Initial Complaint

  12/06/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Company does not alert subscriber to an annual renewal date. Subscriber is forced to accept a 1-year auto-renew (no other options) and then it auto-renews without any notice a year later. It is impossible to track this stuff and not easy to cancel even during the subscription period. This is a shady business practice and I want it stopped and I'd like my money back for the 360 days I paid for after I cancelled when i saw the charge on my AMEX card.

  Customer response

  12/22/2021

  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 and the matter has been resolved.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************
  
  
  
   
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  09/23/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  This company makes it nearly impossible to cancel their membership . You are not shown anywhere on there website how to do about canceling.They have been charging my credit card to no avail. I had to cancel my credit card because I have no way of canceling it. When I attempted to do so it instead upgraded something I didn't ask for. This is very poor business practices. I've been impacted my the pandemic. I do not have any income and Cannot have this company continue to charge. I've sent an e-mail and no one gets back to me They are misleading this is so frustrating

*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. ↩