Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Animoto Inc.'s headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  Animoto Inc.

  436 Lafayette St New York, NY 10003-6946

• 

  Animoto Inc.

  333 Kearny St Fl 6 San Francisco, CA 94108-3269

• 

  Animoto Inc.

  333 Kearny St Fl 6 San Francisco, CA 94108-3269

• 

  Animoto Inc.

  1543 Sloat Blvd, #320428 San Francisco, CA 94132

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:01/06/2025

  Type:Order 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.

  Animoto's business model is to trick you into signing up for a yearly subscription with no realistic ability to cancel. They do this by giving you a substantial discount vs the monthly fees. You can't continue to use the service WITHOUT automatic renewal. So unless you cancel right before the yearly charge you will automatically be charged again for a year. Once they charge you it's not like you can cancel. If you take off your automatic renewal after being charged again then you can't use the service you've prepaid for a year. If they actually stood behind their technology they wouldn't be tricking people and preventing them from using the service for the year they've accidently prepaid again. Don't fall for the Animoto trap business model and RUN don't walk away from them. Somebody should be filing a class action lawsuit and I would be happy to join.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/22/2025

  The user was enrolled in our Monthly Professional Plan starting in January of 2021. The user then upgraded with a one-time promo to our Annual Professional Plan on November 27, 2023. See receipt attached detailing this promo applied. All Animoto plans will continue to renew unless they are canceled by the user, or our team is notified to cancel future charges in order to avoid a lapse in service. We have not received any requests for cancellation through any of our support channels, and the auto renewal on the account was not disabled until they wrote to us on December 21, 2024 after the scheduled renewal was processed. The auto renewal information is provided on the checkout page prior to completing the purchase, on the receipt sent upon completion of a purchase, and at all times on the users account homepage. We detail where to cancel the plan and make this option fully available within their account at all times. We hope by providing this information along the way and providing the user with the ability to disable their auto renewal at any time that no unwanted renewal charge takes place. The user must cancel within their account or reach out to us to ensure the subscription is canceled. 
  The user was initially offered an access code to use their paid-for time at a better time in the future when they first reached out for cancellation. Animoto does not prevent usage of the paid-for subscription unless a chargeback is issued against Animoto on behalf of the customer. This was not the case for this user, and therefore the account was fully available and remains fully available to this day.
  If there is anything additional we can do to support this customer, were happy to check into that and ask that the customer reach out to our team to re-open the conversation.
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/23/2025

  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:

  Yes you can remove the Auto Pay and be given a "code" to use it in the future. But if you do decide to use it in the future, they trick you again by forcing you to put Auto Pay back on in the hopes that you forget to cancel right before the year is over. The scam to try tricking you into paying for future service you don't want or need is once again set in place to trap you. Or you can keep the code and never use it again. Once again they win because you've already prepaid for a service for another year that you don't want or need. They don't stand by their product or service. Instead they're in a constant state of trying to re-trap you into paying for another year. 

   

   

   

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

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *** *****
  
  
  
  
   
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/08/2024

  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.

  Ive requested animoto change my email login as I no longer have access to the email originally used so that I dont lose all of my videos. I gave them a new email to use for login purposes and have not received a response

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/01/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  At this time, I have not been contacted by Animoto Inc. regarding complaint ID ********.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************
  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/07/2024

  The customer wrote in on July 1st, 2024 regarding an email change. The agent responded less than 3 hours later advising them on how to change the email address on the account. See attached screenshot from our help center. The agent never heard back. The customer received the information requested on how to change the email on file. If there is anything additional we can do to support this customer, were happy to check into that and ask that the customer reach out to our team to re-open the conversation.
  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/09/2024

  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:

  I never got this email as the geniuses sent it to the email uninformed them I had no access to(***************************) instead of the new email I sent the request to them from  

   

   

   

   

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

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

  Business Response

  Date: 08/23/2024

  Reposting the response I sent in to the initial complaint: "The customer wrote in on July 1st, 2024 regarding an email change. The agent responded less than 3 hours later advising them on how to change the email address on the account. See attached screenshot from our help center. The agent never heard back. The customer received the information requested on how to change the email on file. If there is anything additional we can do to support this customer, were happy to check into that and ask that the customer reach out to our team to re-open the conversation." Looks like the email they listed for the complaint is the one they say they don't have access to. We have sent a response to their preferred email under ********************* to touch base on what more we can do to help.
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/13/2023

  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.

  November 11, 2023 Charged $103.92 I signed up for one year and noticed in my bank account I was charged $103.92 without my knowledge. I reached out to the company and received this message: Hey, Thank you for checking in with this on us. ****** here with the billing team at Animoto. Waving hand emoji.After reviewing your account, I can see that the auto renewal for your subscription was still turned on when the renewal payment was scheduled to process. For next time you can turn the renewal feature off from the billing tab of you account page anytime before the renewal date that was provided at checkout. I can confirm that the subscription is cancelled now, so you won't be charged again.Generally, Animoto has a no-refund policy (highlighted, bolded and underlined in blue), so if you don't need to use your Animoto account right now, I would be happy to pause your account and give you a credit code good that you can use at any time in the future to redeem your 1 year plan. The credit code offer essentially places your paid subscription on hold until you are ready to use it. (Bolded) I can even split those into two separate 6-month codes it that works better for you. Just let us know. (SMILEY FACE EMOJI)Excited to hear back from you soon! There should be something done about this company charging my account with no warning or reminder. I did not press the automatic renewal button. It was turn on by them. Please help, so that other people won't have to look into their accounts right before the holidays and see their money is gone. Help so that other people that need to pay for medication, won't have to suffer without their funds. Help a tax paying consumer get justice for this unauthorized purchase. I don't need a coupon or credit, I would like my money back. I will not be using this service again.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/23/2023

  This user signed up for a monthly Professional subscription on November 11, 2022, receipt attached. All Animoto plans will continue to renew unless they are canceled by the user, or our team is notified to cancel future charges in order to avoid a lapse in service. We have not received any requests for cancellation through any of our support channels, and the auto renewal on the account was not disabled until November 12, 2023, after the renewal had already processed. The auto renewal information is provided on the checkout page prior to completing the purchase, on the receipt sent upon completion of a purchase (see receipt), and at all times on the users account homepage. We hope by providing this information along the way and providing the user with the ability to disable their auto renewal at any time that no unwanted renewal charge takes place. The payment information was still saved within the account at the time of the scheduled renewal. The user must cancel within their account or reach out to us to ensure the subscription is canceled. Please see attached PDF of the user's email with our billing agent. Our agent reached out on November 12, 2023 to offer a courtesy refund of 50%, but never heard back. They then reached out again on November 13, 2023 to ensure they received the courtesy offer, but again never heard back. 
  
  If there is anything additional we can do to support this customer, we ask that the customer respond back to our team to re-open the conversation and come to a resolution.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/04/2023

  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 discovered today that Animoto *** has been charging me a $29 monthly subscription fee since 2021, resulting in more than $600 in charges. I signed up for a one time, one month subscription in November 2021 and made sure that I would not have an ongoing subscription. I have not received any emails about this subscription being renewed and was unaware until a charge hit my credit card notification and I didn't recognize the charge. I searched how to stop the recurring charge and was able to log into the account and follow the cancellation steps, including deleting my credit card information because this is what I had done in ******************************* I reviewed the email preferences, where I had unsubscribed from marketing newsletters and surveys, and it says "You will still receive transaction emails". I am concerned that I continued to be charged and was not notified by the company about the ongoing subscription.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/28/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  At this time, I have not been contacted by Animoto Inc. regarding complaint ID ********.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************
  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/13/2023

  This user signed up for a monthly Professional subscription on November 4, 2021, receipt attached. All Animoto plans will continue to renew unless they are canceled by the user, or our team is notified to cancel future charges in order to avoid a lapse in service. We have not received any requests for cancellation through any of our support channels, and the auto renewal on the account was not disabled until August 4, 2023. The auto renewal information is provided on the checkout page prior to completing the purchase, on the receipt sent upon completion of a purchase, and at all times on the users account homepage. We hope by providing this information along the way and providing the user with the ability to disable their auto renewal at any time that no unwanted renewal charge takes place. The payment information was still saved within the account at the time of the scheduled renewal. The user must cancel within their account or reach out to us to ensure the subscription is canceled. 
  

  If there is anything additional we can do to support this customer, were happy to check into that and ask that the customer reach out to our team to re-open the conversation.

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/25/2023

  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.

  I purchased a 1-year Animoto subscription in full. Animoto upselled me to a higher level plan months later, which I decided to try, and paid extra for one month in addition to the upfront plan. Unknowingly, Animoto removed 1-month of my year service I had paid in full for in addition to charging me for the one month upsell. They have deceptive upselling practices, bad business practice and bad customer care.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/21/2024

  The user first upgraded to our Professional Plan on June 22, 2023 with a one-time promo for 30% off, bringing their total for the year down from $180 to $126. See receipt attached detailing this promo applied. They then opted to upgrade one month early on May 12, 2024 with an additional promo for 30% off, yet again bringing their total down from $180/year to $126/year. See this additional receipt attached. The system accounted for the early upgrade by having them renew on June 22, 2025, not removing any time from the subscription. They were not credited monetarily for those 5 weeks, but instead their renewal date was pushed so they would lose no time. See screenshot attached from within our internal system detailing the exact dates and subscription length.
  

  If there is anything additional we can do to support this customer, were happy to check into that and ask that the customer reach out to our team to re-open the conversation.
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/27/2022

  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 purchased a subscription from Animoto on May 27, 2022. I used the feature and no longer need it. The company states that I purchased through the Apple store and cannot cancel it. They informed me that I need to contact Apple. I called Apple and they cannot located the transaction in my Apple account, which I am not surprised as when I joined Animoto I used my personal email which is not linked to Apple.Apple informed me that there is nothing that they can do as my personal email is not linked to any Apple or iTunes Store account. I need Animoto to assist me in cancelling account which they seem resistant to help me with. I do not wish to continue account nor pay for this service. My last resort will be to cancel the card that the charge comes out of.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/18/2022

  This user purchased a subscription through their iTunes account in the Animoto mobile app. Apple manages all subscription details and payments for the user through the users iTunes subscriptions and passes along the information to Animoto for access to the app. This information is relayed on the original purchase receipt (which we shared with the customer in our conversation) and in the app at the time of purchase. When the payment is processed directly by iTunes, we do not have the ability to manage or view the secure details. For this user, we are able to see that a payment was made on May 27, 2022 through Apple but cannot see the payment method or the payment amount. We do not show any scheduled renewals.
  
  
  When the user reached out to us in June, we let them know that the payment is managed by Apple and how to cancel directly with them. The subscription is no longer showing on the users end under their active Apple subscriptions, and they let us know that Apple has confirmed they do not show any upcoming payments. Once a subscription is cancelled, it will no longer show in the upcoming payments list since it has been cancelled. Since we dont have access to any of the secure details we cannot see for sure, but it sounds like the subscription was already cancelled with Apple when the user reached out.
  
  
   The user confirmed in our last conversation that they do not have any additional charges on their card for this subscription and we are not showing an active subscription on this account, so the request was closed. If they are showing a renewal fee charged since we last spoke, we ask that they reach out to us with the purchase details so we can investigate into any other open accounts and help get that cancelled.