Complaints

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

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  The Motley Fool Inc.

  2000 Duke St Ste 175 Alexandria, VA 22314-6116

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  The Motley Fool Inc.

  123 N Pitt St Alexandria, VA 22314-3128

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:12/31/2023

  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.

  Motley fool charged me $216 for a yearly subscription which I didnt authorize. I canceled my subscription 2 years ago. I wrote then and told them to cancel this and they credited me the $216 and then one day later they recharged me $216. I want nothing to do with them they are a scam and do not respond to emails and are stealing money. They owe me $216.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/03/2024

  Looking over your account, on Dec. 28, 2021 you purchased a two-year subscription to Stock Advisor. 

  Upon purchase of any one subscription, the automatic renewal feature is turned on. Your subscription will automatically renew at the then-current rate until you notify us of your decision to terminate your membership. For subscription terms greater than three months, we will email you about the length and price of your renewal before we charge you. The terms and conditions set the boundaries and nature of our relationship; these were agreed to at the time of purchase.

  On Dec. 28, 2023, your subscription automatically renewed for one year. Prior to this renewal, you were sent renewal notices via email. Both of these emails explained that your Stock Advisor subscription would automatically renew on Dec. 28th unless you took action. 

  The dates and subject lines are as follows:
  Mon Nov 13, 2023 - Subject line: [Renewal Notice] A courtesy notice about your Stock Advisor membership | Sat Dec 9, 2023 - Subject line: Action Required! A quick reminder about your early renewal offer*

  Once your subscription renewed for one year on Dec. 28, 2023, you were sent a receipt. The subject line was "Your receipt from The Motley Fool." Per your request, your subscription renewal was cancelled and fully refunded on Dec. 28, 2023. There was no second charge.

  The Motley Fool 
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/04/2024

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  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. 
  
  Regards,
  
  ***********************
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/19/2023

  Type:Customer Service 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 cancelled my subscription with Motley fool years ago and they still bill me every year and I have to keep cancelling my subscription every year. Lots of complaints about this and they should be fined.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/20/2023

  Your renewal was cancelled and refunded on Nov. 19, 2023, per your request. Prior to Nov. 19, 2023, we did not receive any communication from you via email nor phone requesting cancellation.

  Upon purchase of any one subscription, the automatic renewal feature is turned on. Your subscription will automatically renew at the then-current rate until you notify us of your decision to terminate your membership. For subscription terms greater than three months, we will email you about the length and price of your renewal before we charge you. The terms and conditions set the boundaries and nature of our relationship; these were agreed to at the time of purchase.

  The Motley Fool 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/04/2023

  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.

  In the late winter of 2023, I set my Motley Fool Stock Advisor annual subscription to non-renew ($199/yr). On April 23, 2023 I received a notice from my credit card company of a possible fraudulent charge that was declined from 'TMF*Motley Fool' for $199. Despite me setting the account to non-renew, Motley Fool had attempted to charge me. Since the charge was declined, I assumed the matter was closed. However, Motley Fool continued to attempt to charge my credit card for $199 and on May 2, 2023 they successfully charged me $199. In September 2023 I went thru my junk email folder and noted I was continuing to receive emails from Motley Fool. I also found out they had successfully charged my card on May 2. When I found this out it was September 2023 and upon contacting Motley Fool they told me they could not cancel my subscription or provide any refund because more than 30 days had passed from the original charge. The receipt I received states, "*Your subscription will automatically renew on April 23, 2024 for 1 year at the then current price. You can make changes to your subscription, such as canceling your subscription, by visiting your account settings page any time." However, no ability to cancel the subscription is available from the account page. Note there is NO WAY to remove credit card information from a Motley Fool account and the disabling of the non-renew does not apparently work. I contacted Motely Fool support and they disabled the auto renew, but would not refund the charge. I am requesting that Motley Fool refund me $199 for the renewal I did not authorize.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/04/2023

  Looking over your account, on April 23, 2020 you purchased a one-year subscription to Stock Advisor. This renewed automatically on May 2, 2021, April 23, 2022, and May 2, 2023. We did not receive a cancellation request from you via email or phone until Sept 27, 2023. Our system does not show any attempts to disable the automatic renewal prior to Sept 27, 2023.

  Upon purchase of any one subscription, the automatic renewal feature is turned on. Your subscription will automatically renew at the then-current rate until you notify us of your decision to terminate your membership. For subscription terms greater than three months, we will email you about the length and price of your renewal before we charge you. The terms and conditions set the boundaries and nature of our relationship; these were agreed to at the time of purchase.

  We sent you notices via email alerting you to the upcoming renewal on the following dates: Thu Mar 09, 2023 and Apr 23, 2023.

  When your subscription renewed on Tue May 2, 2023, we sent a copy of your receipt to the email address on file. We are unable to issue a refund, as your service renewed more than 5 months ago and there is site usage since the renewal.

  The Motley Fool 

• 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.

  In their web page the Motley Fool talks about great recommendations for $19 a month but when you go but the membership they want you to dish more money for their other "advice". Their recommendations are BS because that's what you can see on ***** Finance for free, but they make it sound like something amazing. Pure deceivers and scammers who use words carefully to avoid repercussions. Scammers at best. I saw how people complain about them INSIDE their website and they reply with "Look, we recommend. Check the page" but what people are looking for are affordable stocks and they keep them hidden unless you pay more money. Pure definition of a SCAM. If I recommend them to stop advertise like that they'll say nothing wrong (obviously scammers never stop unless the *** break into their offices)

  Business Response

  Date: 09/26/2023

  One of our representatives has contacted you via email to assist with your subscription. We do not have any calls or emails from you since joining our service 5 days ago. Your subscription will renew monthly, and our representative has provided information for how to cancel you subscription if you're unhappy with the service. 

  Were sorry that your experience with our marketing has been frustrating. There is no singular investing strategy which fits the needs,preferences, and a reasonable fee ratio of all investors. Our many services simply follow different strategies and have different resulting risk profiles.
  
  Since publishers like The Motley Fool are prohibited from personalized recommendations, we offer all of our services to members who have subscribed to receive promotions in the hope of finding a better fit for some.The fact that we offer other strategies to allow for different interests and investment styles does not diminish the quality of your service and its affiliated information. 
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/15/2023

  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 found a subscription renewal in my bank account dated 11/07/2022 for $210.94 I did not authorize this renewal. I did try to dispute the 2022 charge and also cancel the subscription today so I do not get charged again 11/07/2023 but I have found it impossible to reach the company or cancel the subscription.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/25/2023

  On Nov. 7, 2021, you purchased a one-year subscription to one of our services. It renewed for one year in November 2022. 

  Upon purchase of any one subscription, the automatic renewal feature is turned on. Your subscription will automatically renew at the then-current rate until you notify us of your decision to terminate your membership. For subscription terms greater than three months, we will email you about the length and price of your renewal before we charge you. The terms and conditions set the boundaries and nature of our relationship; these were agreed to at the time of purchase.

  We sent an email to you on September 23, 2022 alerting you to the upcoming renewal. 

  We have no emails from the email address associated with your account requesting cancellation, nor can we find record of any calls. You're able to reach our representatives via the Help tab on Fool.com, as well as via email and phone during our hours of operation. Per your request in this complaint, your automatic renewal has been disabled. Your subscription will expire on Nov. 7, 2023. 

  The Motley Fool 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/27/2023

  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 spent 2+ hours last night trying to cancel a fraudulent attempt at automatically renewing a past membership. Despite clicking on all the "supposedly correct links" Motley Fool denied me access to even be able to view the auto-renew or cancel part of the website. Also, the Motley Fool 'Customer Service' link is invalid and non-functional. (attachment) I HAVE INDEED already cancelled it previous to this, but they fraudulently auto-renewed me anyway and charged $199.00 to my credit card. I have since reported the fraudulent transaction to my credit card company and having a new card issued. This fraud by Motley Fool is currently being investigated. In addition, I am filing BBB report and a complaint with the Attorney General in their state. I have a PhD in nuclear physics and a professor teach at a local university. If the government allows me to work on nuclear weapons research, I certainly should be able to find a cancel membership and stop auto-renew on a stupid website. The fact is, these items are very likely purposely being hidden from the user to boost their profits. Even finding a phone number for Motley Fool customer service is difficult. Please contact me via my email (so that I have this in writing) that you have cancel your attempt at fraudulently renewing a previous membership, and you are refunding the fraudulent charge of 199.00 Thank you.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/11/2023

  Your renewal was cancelled and fully refunded on July 28, 2023. We have no cancellation requests from the email associated with your account prior to your message on July 27, 2023. 

  Upon purchase of any one subscription, the automatic renewal feature is turned on. Your subscription will automatically renew at the then-current rate until you notify us of your decision to terminate your membership. For subscription terms greater than three months, we will email you about the length and price of your renewal before we charge you. The terms and conditions set the boundaries and nature of our relationship; these were agreed to at the time of purchase.

  On Apr 22, 2023 and May 18, 2023, we sent renewal notices about your Stock Advisor subscription. On Jun 6, 2023, when your subscription automatically renewed, we sent a copy of your renewal receipt to the email address on file.

  The Motley Fool 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/18/2023

  Type:Sales and Advertising 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.

  While I was away on vacation, I received an e-mail from Motley Fool offering to sell a detailed research article on Artificial Intelligence stocks that were not known about and offered excellent future potential. I agreed to purchase the research. The research was not as represented: the companies are all very well known and the research was an ad to purchase stocks rather than analysis of the stocks. It was a fraud. I contacted the company repeatedly and all I could get was a "chat bot" response directing me back to their website, and telling me that charges were non-refundable. I was taken in by a fraud and I am embarrassed. But I know not to do business with this company in the future.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/29/2023

  Motley Fool has refunded the charges. They sell "research" which turned out not to be research, but rather "hot tips" which is the kind of advertising that comes into my email every day.  Disappointing to find out that their business is not research.  Thank you for being there to help BBB.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/31/2023

  Your subscriptions have been cancelled and a full refund has been issued.

  When speaking with our representatives, you sent a link to an article/advertisement from Yahoo Finance. Our representatives explained that you needed to log into your account on Fool.com in order to receive the information provided from your services. We provided login instructions, site tours, and an offer to reset your password if you were having trouble logging in. 

  The Motley Fool 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/14/2023

  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.

  When I signed up for the Motley Fools investment emails last year, I was unaware that they would auto renew the subscription. When I called and canceled the subscription. I was told that there was no pro rata refund as I had not cancelled the subscription with in 30days. The Motley Fool is more interested in earning money then fairly refunding the unused portion of the unwanted subscription. When answering The Motley Fools exit survey. One of their listed reasons for a subscription cancelation is auto renewal. Confirming that The Motley Fool knows that their auto renewal program is taking advantage of consumers.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/26/2023

  Looking at your account, your subscription renewed on March 4, 2023. You did not reach out to us until June 13, 2023. 

  Upon purchase of any one subscription, the automatic renewal feature is turned on. Your subscription will automatically renew at the then-current rate until you notify us of your decision to terminate your membership. For subscription terms greater than three months, we will email you about the length and price of your renewal before we charge you. The terms and conditions set the boundaries and nature of our relationship; these were agreed to at the time of purchase.

  We sent two emails to you prior to your automatic renewal - one on Wed Jan 18, 2023 and one on Sun Feb 12, 2023. We apologize if these renewal notices were missed. 

  Unfortunately, as you are far outside of the 30-day, money-back guarantee, we are unable to issue a refund. The automatic renewal has been disabled. Your subscription will expire on March 4, 2024.

  The Motley Fool 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/04/2023

  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 think I visited their site once & decided against it. Now they are taking money out of my account unauthorized. $216.23 two days ago for unknown reasons. I do not have a account with them nor do I use them at all.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/22/2023

  Your subscription was cancelled on June 5, 2023. We sent two emails to you, confirming your renewal was cancelled and fully refunded. 

  Upon purchase of any one subscription, the automatic renewal feature is turned on. Your subscription will automatically renew at the then-current rate until you notify us of your decision to terminate your membership. For subscription terms greater than three months, we will email you about the length and price of your renewal before we charge you. The terms and conditions set the boundaries and nature of our relationship; these were agreed to at the time of purchase.

  The Motley Fool 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/18/2023

  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 spent approximately $6,000 on the cloud disruptors service from April 2020 to today and the goal of the service was to beat the *** 500 by 3%. For the last year+ they have been significantly underperforming the *** 500 and they refuse to provide any refunds for their services no matter if they don't meet their own goals. They legally cover themselves via their terms of agreement so they can get away with keeping your money regardless of how well their service does. They hide behind well maybe in the 5 years or more we'll be ahead. Take warning: do not waste your money on fool.com portfolio services. You'd be better in a regular *** 500 or targeted index fund with less headache.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/09/2023

  We are unable to provide any additional refunds for your services. When you had active services with us, we consistently sent you content emails and provided you with access to the premium part of our Fool.com website. Our terms and conditions explain that we are not providing personalized advice. "Accordingly, you agree that any recommendation or action taken by a Service does not constitute a recommendation that a particular security, strategy, or action is suitable for you. If you want personal advice, then you should seek a registered investment advisor." Additionally, our terms and conditions explain: "One of the principal tenets here at the Fool is that the best person to handle your finances is you. By your use of our Services, you're agreeing that you bear responsibility for your own investment research and investment decisions. You also agree that The Motley Fool, its directors, its employees, and its agents will not be liable for any investment decision made or action taken by you and others based on news, information, opinion, or any other material published through our Services." 

  The Motley Fool