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:02/19/2025

  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.

  Founders Card is a business that promotes itself as a provider of discounts for travel services. In reality, membership is basically impossible to cancel. The phones they list on their website are no longer in service, the animals I send them get a robot-response but essentially never takes action. I haven't used their service even once...just signed up online thinking to give it a chance. It's clearly fraudulent with no way to stop them from filing annual payments which are not trivial...over $900. I have given them 4 opportunities to cancel and will be left with no alternative than cancel my credit card which should not be necessary and will affect my credit rating. They may have had god intentio0ns but now have become a fraudulent operator. All I ask is they refund the bill they recently sent me and stop charging me.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/27/2025

  Dear ** *************** also sent this via email to you, but responding here as well. You mentioned in this complaint that you have not received a reply from us by email and haven't been able to connect with us by phone.

  First, we responded to your first email on Jan 28, and the read receipt shows that it was read by you on February 3 at 3:04pm. We offered to give you a partial refund and maintain the same level of access, and were just waiting for your reply as to whether you wanted to move forward with that offer. We then sent you follow up emails on Feb 19 and Feb 20. 
  
  You also mentioned that our phone lines don't work- we have 24/7 phone support to both a local number *************) and a toll free number *************). We shared a screenshot of our phone records with you showing we have never received any calls from your number. I am guessing you misdialed our number.
  
  We have refunded your renewal in full and canceled your account effective immediately. We are not a fraudulent company. We answered your emails in a timely manner and didn't receive and calls from you.

  We're sorry for any disappointment and wish you the best.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/11/2025

  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.

  This company is literally a scam and I am not sure how they received an a minus rating. They said I got a free ************************************************************************************************************** anywhere. I reached out to them and they said it was just an authorization to make sure its a valid card for whenever my membership renews. Again, this was never disclosed to ***** is a complete scam. They tell you that you are getting a free 12 month trial but then when you sign up, you hardly have access to any alleged benefits and they tell you that if you pay at least $300 you will then have access to those benefits The few benefits that you are provided in the free 12 month trial are no benefit at all. The price with their alleged discount is the exact same price through the company as a normal person without a founders card. *** hotels for example. They are collecting peoples money saying it is some elite discount card and you literally get nothing with it. It is a scam so please look into this and stop them from taking peoples money.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/11/2025

  Dear ******,

  We are sorry for your experience, and wished you would have contacted us directly with these concerns so we could help resolve them for you.

   First, regarding the $1 charge. When you submit an application on our site, we process a $1 authorization to ensure your credit card is valid, and that charge is immediately reversed/voided. This is a very standard practice among online merchants for a trial period. You emailed us about this on Feb 7 and we explained this, and you responded with: "That sounds good. It was flagged as a fraud alert so I will have my bank clear it. Thank you so much. Sorry about that." I have included that email correspondence to this complaint. Did something change after you sent us this?

  Next, regarding our benefits. You mentioned the one of our hotel benefit partners, and I would need a bit more detail to verify what you're seeing here. I did a few sample bookings myself and saw the savings we promote, but they have hundreds of properties, and I don't know what your dates of travel are so wouldn't be able to replicate exactly what you're seeing.

  We have 24/7 live agent support, and you can see that the two times you've emailed us within the week, we've responded to you immediately. We have been around for 16 years, and Member satisfaction is extremely important to us. We are sorry you had a negative experience during our free trial, but it has since been canceled per your request.

  If you would like to discuss further with us, we'd be happy to.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/12/2024

  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.

  In October of 2023, I was enticed by FoundersCard to upgrade to their All Access Elite membership due mainly to the savings they were offering on ****** Airlines flights of 16% on all personal and business travel. As they requested, I submitted my ****** Airlines MileagePlus number to FoundersClub and within 24 hours, I received a notification that they had confirmed my MileagePlus number had been registered with ******. When I used the ****** app to book a flight, nothing had changed. No discounts and no change in my profile. I opened a case with FoundersClub and indicated nothing was working as they specified/directed. They then recommended I use a browser on a desktop as a way to access special pricing. This also did not work and has never worked. Today (August 12, 2024), I logged into my FoundersCard portal and found that the ****** benefit terms had changed from what they had advertised...that discounts only apply to fares booked on ******, but that are solely operated by Air Canada or Lufthansa. In addition, their discounts have never worked for me and I've gotten ZERO value out of being a member. I requested immediate cancellation of my membership today via ********************************** and indicated I am not renewing. They are not providing the ****** discounts they offered when I originally signed up. **** also be discussing this with the Texas AG's office.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/16/2024

  To Whom it May **************** customer first contacted us in October 2023 to tell us that this benefit wasn't working for him. We responded back with standard troubleshooting tips that resolve most issues but he did not respond to our emails. We did not hear from this customer again until August 2024 when he said the problem persisted. We then contacted our partner to have his request resubmitted just to start over. We've since called him and emailed him twice on the 12th and 14th of August to see if his issue is resolved but we have not heard back from this customer so we do not know where his issue stands. From our perspective, this benefit has been working as expected since last October, we believe the customer just needs our direction on how to utilize it, which we've been trying to provide.
  Additionally, where he mentions the terms of this benefit have changed- we believe he's misinterpreting the description as the details he's pointing out are in addition to what was there when he first requested this instead of replacing it so it has only improved.
  We welcome the opporunity to talk to this customer and resolve his concerns, we just need him to respond to us. In the meantime, we've scheduled his account to automatically cancel at the end of his current billing term. At this time, this benefit will be removed from his account.
  We can be reached 24/7 via ********************************** or by calling ************.
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/16/2024

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/14/2024

  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.

  The website is deceptive and a complete scam. I signed up for a free 6 month trial , as soon as I logged into the website a pop up box shows up saying to confirm your membership , which I did and then it says thank you for upgrading your membership. It is very sneaky as it looks like just a confirmation of the free trial that you just signed up for. I emailed within the first week to let them know that this is not what I wanted and just wanted the free trial and I am being told that its my fault and they will not do anything. I would like a refund of the upgraded membership and full cancellation of anything to do with Founders Card again. These tactics are not in good business practice. When in the upgrade section of the website, they ask you to check a box and then you can click upgrade now however, even if you do not click a box that captures the terms, they will automatically charge you regardless - so a single mistake of a click can cost you $500 .Do NOT do business with this company, and avoid any free trial offers. I want a refund of my money

  Business Response

  Date: 06/18/2024

  This customer originally activated a free trial on June 4, 2024. On that same day, they selected an option to upgrade to a paid subscription through a promotional offer. Upon upgrading, the customer requested multiple valuable benefits that were not available on the free trial. After upgrading, customer received a confirmation email for his purchase and we did not receive any response that this was an error. Then, on June 7, the customer contacted us to say we charged them on a free trial. We explained the offer they accepted to stop the free trial and upgrade to a paid subscription Membership tier, how they accepted the Terms of Service that stated it was non-refundable, and that we had already provided upgrades and benefits that were only available to paid users. He threatened to file a BBB complaint if we didn't give him a full refund, which we explained he was not eligible for since he accepted this offer and requested benefits on our site (which is our product offering). We cannot provide a refund for this year, but have scheduled for this customer's account to cancel automatically without charge at the end of this subscription term.

• 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 canceled my subscription in December using the website's cancellation link. I received an email confirming they received my cancellation. In January, they billed my credit card for a renewal. When I called, no resolution was offered other than canceling my membership, which I already did. My complaint is the company charged me for a canceled membership.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/16/2024

  Dear ***********,
  
  We're very sorry to see this complaint from you but of course we can still help.
  
  We see you filled out a contact form on our site on December 27th requesting to cancel your account. We replied back to you the next day on December 28th, with some information about your account and benefits, and asked you to reply so you could confirm if you wanted to proceed with canceling, or wanted to take our offer. We did not get a confirmation from you so your account was left open. We also searched our phone records for a call from you since December but do not see record of a call. So sorry if there was any confusion on either side about the status of your account after that email exchange, but of course your account is still eligible for a refund.
  
  We have just processed the refund now and canceled your account. You will see the refund back on your side in 3-5 business days.
  
  We wish you all the best.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/06/2023

  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.

  The website is deceptive and a complete scam. When in the upgrade section of the website, they ask you to check a box and then you can click upgrade now however, even if you do not click a box that captures the terms, they will automatically charge you regardless - so a single mistake of a click can cost you $300-595. Do NOT do business with this company, and avoid any free trial offers. I want a refund of my money.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/10/2023

  Dear *******************,
  

  We are sorry to receive this complaint. You recently applied for Membership by activating a free trial. You logged into the site about 10 different times during your first week and reviewed the page on our website to upgrade your trial Membership to a higher Membership tier multiple times. Then, on November 3rd, you were reviewing this upgrade page again, and clicked a button that said "Upgrade to Elite", which upgraded your account. You then called our customer service team and asked for a upgrade rate that was previously offered to you that had since expired, and was not shown on this page, and we told you that offer had expired. We said we could reverse the upgrade entirely at that point and provide a refund if you wanted, but you disconnected the call.
  
  We did not know that you wanted a refund of the charge until we saw this BBB complaint on November 6th. After receiving this complaint, a customer service manager called you and left a voicemail offering assistance and sent you an email as a follow up, but we have not heard back. We also subsequently received an alert from the bank that there was a dispute on the Membership fee. We accepted this dispute so that the Membership fee would be returned to you, and your FoundersCard account has been closed. 
  
  We are sorry for any frustration caused and would have been more than happy to resolve this with you if we had worked with you directly.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/21/2023

  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 signed up for a free year of Founders Card in 2021. I didn't get much out of the card (for instance, their 50k in free stripe processing fees doesn't apply to my business model and I wasn't eligible for the benefit), I book rental cars through ************** and not ***** etc. I didn't realize they were going to charge me $995.00 per year after that, and didn't know that they had charged me because they sent 0 communications to me that anything had been renewed. I have now been charged $1990. I want a full refund and cancellation immediately.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/26/2023

  Dear ****,

  We have been communicating with you via email and am sorry to see this escalate to a complaint.

  You joined FoundersCard in 2021, and agreed to an automatic renewal of your Membership unless canceled per our Terms of Service (**************************************). Per those terms, you were automatically renewed in 2022, and we didn't receive any communication from you that you wanted to cancel your Membership. You would have been eligible for a full refund if you had contacted us within 60 days of your renewal. Additionally, you had logged into your account online after your 2022 renewal which would show awareness that this account was still active.

  For your 2023 renewal, we received a notification from your bank that you were disputing the charge, so we accepted that dispute right away and returned the funds to you. You had also emailed us requesting an additional refund for the 2022 renewal and we told you that was not possible to provide over one year later. We offered to extend your Membership for an additional 12 months at no cost as a courtesy, but we have not heard back from you since that communication.

  Prior to this correspondence, there was no communication about difficulty in redeeming any benefits, and we have ongoing status upgrades on some of your travel accounts that we've granted through our benefits when you redeemed them. 

  We would ******************* further with you to turn this around any way that we can, and we're sorry to see you go.

  I understand this is not the solution you were looking for, but we are not able to provide a refund for a renewal fee charged over one year ago when there was no request for cancelation at that time.