Complaints

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

close

Find a Location

PublicGoods.com has 3 locations, listed below.

*This company may be headquartered in or have additional locations in another country. Please click on the country abbreviation in the search box below to change to a different country location.

BBB accredited

Near

Country

USUnited States

Please enter a valid location.

Filter

• 

  PublicGoods.com

  PO Box 838 New York, NY 10008-0838

• 

  Public Goods

  11 Corn Rd Ste B Dayton, NJ 08810-1527

• 

  Public Goods

  11 Corn Rd Ste B Dayton, NJ 08810-1527

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:04/12/2025

  Type:Service or Repair 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.

  I have ordered from Public Goods in the past, but not since 2021. They have a membership fee and I used a free trial and cancelled the membership. It is now *********************************************************************************** $79.00. I did not agree to renew my membership and the only way to cancel this was via a contact form. They did refund me, however I never should have been charged to begin with and hadnt been charged for an annual membership until this year. This also happened to my husband as he had a free trial at one point as well.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/12/2025

  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:04/11/2025

  Type:Service or Repair 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.

  I placed a small order in 2020. Was signed up for a membership. This membership agreement was not transparent in any way. I noticed this charge last year and spent quite a bit of time trying to dispute it and cancel the membership. I was just charged 79 dollars again. I would like this membership cancelled and at the very least this latest charge refunded.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/15/2025

  The customer reached out to our customer service team on 04/11/2025, regarding their membership. Our customer service team responded and resolved the concern and explained the charge. Per the customer's request, the account was cancelled and refunded in line with our policy on the next day. The issue has been resolved, and an email was sent out in response.
  
  We do offer a membership which allows us to offer everything at the best, direct-to-consumer prices. We try to be transparent that we are also membership-based company by including the free two-week trial in our cart on first orders, before checkout. Our membership was also indicated on our homepage, FAQ and About Us page.
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/15/2025

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is the bare minimum they could do to satisfy the complaint.  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** *******
  
  
  
   
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/08/2025

  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.

  Back in 2019, we bought some towels from PublicGoods.com. They were ********* forward SIX YEARS to March 2025 when suddenly my credit card got charged $59.00 out of the blue for some membership scam that we never approved or signed up for.I emailed Public Goods' customer service on 3/31/25 with our account email address, phone number & the transaction details. It's been 10 days so far, with no reply.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/11/2025

  The customer reached out to our customer service team on 04/08/2025, regarding their membership. Our customer service team responded and resolved the concern and explained the charge. Per the customer's request, the account was cancelled and refunded in line with our policy on the same day. The issue has been resolved, and an email was sent out in response.
  
  We do offer a membership which allows us to offer everything at the best, direct-to-consumer prices. We try to be transparent that we are also membership-based company by including the free two-week trial in our cart on first orders, before checkout. Our membership was also indicated on our homepage, FAQ and About Us page.
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/18/2025

  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.

  I purchased some noodles on this site like 2 years ago. A few days ago I received a fraud alert on my debit card and promptly got a new card because they are trying to charge me ***** for nothing. I did not sign up for a membership or subscription. I have not made a purchase in several years. I dont even have an account so I have no recourse to stop them. I got another fraud alert just after and I hope its not going to go through because I literally just activated the new card. I dont even know whats going on anymore. How is this legal?

  Business Response

  Date: 03/20/2025

  The customer reached out to our customer service team on March 18, 2025 regarding their membership. Our customer service team responded and resolved the concern and explained the charge. Per the customer's request, the account was cancelled in line with our policy. The issue has been resolved, and an email was sent out in response.
  
  We do offer a membership which allows us to offer everything at the best, direct-to-consumer prices. We try to be transparent that we are also membership-based company by including the free two-week trial in our cart on first orders, before checkout. Our membership was also indicated on our homepage, FAQ and About Us page.
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/06/2025

  Type:Order 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.

  I bought noodles from them, so horrible i couldnt eat them btw. and they without my knowlege signed me up for their "premium membership" of $79 dollars a year. these people are scammers and need to be shut down

  Business Response

  Date: 03/07/2025

  The customer reached out to our customer service team on March 6, 2025, regarding their membership. Our customer service team responded and resolved the concern and explained the charge. Per the customer's request, the account was cancelled and refunded in line with our policy on the same day. The issue has been resolved, and an email was sent out in response.
  
  We do offer a membership which allows us to offer everything at the best, direct-to-consumer prices. We try to be transparent that we are also membership-based company by including the free two-week trial in our cart on first orders, before checkout. Our membership was also indicated on our homepage, FAQ and About Us page.
  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/02/2025

  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:02/21/2025

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  UnresolvedMore 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 made a purchase from this merchant on 1/29/2022. The attached email confirmation shows the order I made. I was then charged a $79 'membership fee' on three occasions: 2/14/2022, 2/14/2023, and 2/13/2024. However, I was never notified that I was being charged this membership fee by the merchant, nor was it made clear when I made the purchase that they were also going to use my credit card details to automatically bill me every year for a membership I had no intention of using. On 2/12/2025 I received an email from them telling me that my membership was being renewed and that I was charged another $79. I was surprised to see this (and it was the first such email I got since making my single purchase in 2022) so I immediately contacted them for a refund. They refunded me $79 but refused to refund the $237 total they have billed me against my knowledge over the past three years, claiming that it's past the refund window. They also said:"It looks like you signed up for our 14-day free trial on your first order with us. Your free trial starts when you place your first order, and your annual membership officially begins at the end of the free trial period. We try to be transparent that we're a membership-based company by including our free trial in your cart upon your first order. The recent charge is an annual membership renewal fee."I do not believe that they were transparent at all. If I had seen any notice of this membership fee charge I would have made sure to cancel it immediately, but I did not get that opportunity due to their lack of transparency.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/17/2025

  At this time, I have been contacted directly by PublicGoods.com regarding complaint ID ********, however my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

  They did not provide the requested refund for the money they took from me without notifying me. 

   

   

   

   

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

  Sincerely,

  **** ******

  Business Response

  Date: 04/01/2025

  The customer reached out to our customer service team on 12/02/2025, regarding their membership. Our customer service team responded and resolved the concern and explained the charge. Per the customer's request, the account was cancelled and refunded in line with our policy on 13/02/2025. The issue has been resolved, and an email was sent out in response.
  
  We do offer a membership which allows us to offer everything at the best, direct-to-consumer prices. We try to be transparent that we are also membership-based company by including the free two-week trial in our cart on first orders, before checkout. Our membership was also indicated on our homepage, FAQ and About Us page.
  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/01/2025

  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:

   

  They claim they have resolved my concern because they refunded me for the charge they made in 2025, but this doesn't resolve my concern because I take issue with the following:

  1. No emails were sent to notify me of this membership fee being charged three times between 2022 and 2024 - if I had received an email I would have cancelled immediately.
  2. I never created an account with ********************** (I tried entering my email in the forgot my password page and did not receive an email with reset instructions).
  3. I made a single purchase from them in 2022 and you have now charged me $237 since then for a service I never used nor intended to use.
  

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/17/2025

  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 made one order of noodles years ago and was recently contacted by my credit card company to ask if a "membership fee" that was charged by the company was fraud. I said it was and my account was frozen. After a long call with my credit card company they rejected the charge and reactivated my account. I just looked at my account and the company has fraudulently charged me again! I have never signed up for a membership and demand that they refund the payment and cancel any fake membership.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/18/2025

  The customer reached out to our customer service team on Feb 17, 2025, regarding their membership. Our customer service team responded and resolved the concern and explained the charge. Per the customer's request, the account was cancelled and refunded in line with our policy on the same day. The issue has been resolved, and an email was sent out in response.
  
  We do offer a membership which allows us to offer everything at the best, direct-to-consumer prices. We try to be transparent that we are also membership-based company by including the free two-week trial in our cart on first orders, before checkout. Our membership was also indicated on our homepage, FAQ and About Us page.
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/12/2025

  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.

  Well well well, seems like PublicGoods has a reputation for charging people months after their first purchase without any notice of an active membership, agreed upon membership confirmation, and most importantly a notice in advance of membership charges.Much like their other victims, I bought a cutting board in January 2024 only to be sneakily charged in February 2025 for their stupid annual membership. No it was not a ********************************************************** a charge after said trial ended, it was months later. I suspect they prey upon people forgetting that they were forced into account creation after purchasing. I've even read that someone received a membership signup email after only completing the purchasing form even though they backed away prior to purchasing. My hypothesis: they are capturing any and all information you ever enter on their website regardless of your implicit consent or submission.I have also read another customer's anecdote about cancellation. Even after cancelling your membership and deleting your account information, this company still may force a membership charge or even charge your new credit cards without you updating it on their ********* believe if Public Goods tries any shenanigans I will be visiting your store personally and filing a lawsuit. I regret ever purchasing anything from you guys and not to mention the cutting board was extremely mid. Bought a $31 cutting board to get a surprise $80 membership a year later haha; PublicGoods you are out of your f'ing mind to treat people like this. They claim that the membership is offered in order to provide their customers with great products, even though several retailers big and small do so without such a scummy practice. Yes they resolved the issue, but the immediate refund email tells me they know what they are doing is wrong.BUYER BE WARE (screenshots attached excluding personal info)

  Business Response

  Date: 02/16/2025

  The customer reached out to our customer service team on February 12, 2025, regarding their membership. Our customer service team responded and resolved the concern and explained the charge. Per the customer's request, the account was cancelled and refunded in line with our policy on the same day. The issue has been resolved, and an email was sent out in response.
  
  We do offer a membership which allows us to offer everything at the best, direct-to-consumer prices. We try to be transparent that we are also membership-based company by including the free two-week trial in our cart on first orders, before checkout. Our membership was also indicated on our homepage, FAQ and About Us page.
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/09/2025

  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.

  Membership charges for membership did not request years after first and only purchase. Billed during holidays so not noticed. No way to remove payment details from website. Did two years in a row (12/2023 and 12/2024).

  Business Response

  Date: 02/09/2025

  The customer reached out to our customer service team today, regarding their membership. Our customer service team responded and resolved the concern and explained the charge. Per the customer's request, the account was cancelled and refunded in line with our policy on the same day. The issue has been resolved, and an email was sent out in response.
  
  We do offer a membership which allows us to offer everything at the best, direct-to-consumer prices. We try to be transparent that we are also membership-based company by including the free two-week trial in our cart on first orders, before checkout. Our membership was also indicated on our homepage, FAQ and About Us page.
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/08/2025

  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.

  The company has an extremely shady "membership" practice. Without my knowledge, or in very misleading language upon making a single small purchase on the website they automatically sign you up for their 80$ dollar a year membership. I made one small purchase with the company a few years ago, and come to find out they have been charging me the past few years. Luckly I found out this year because my creditcard expired and they sent an email for me to "update my payment method" Their practice needs to be looked at closely

  Business Response

  Date: 02/09/2025

  The customer reached out to our customer service team on February 8, 2025, regarding their membership. Our customer service team responded and resolved the concern and explained the attempted charge. Per the customer's request, the account was cancelled; no refund needed as the payment failed. The issue has been resolved, and an email was sent out in response.
  
  We do offer a membership which allows us to offer everything at the best, direct-to-consumer prices. We try to be transparent that we are also membership-based company by including the free two-week trial in our cart on first orders, before checkout. Our membership was also indicated on our homepage, FAQ and About Us page.