ComplaintsforDollar Flight Club, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  09/15/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  In Feb 2024 I purchased a lifetime membership to Concierge, a travel planning service connected to Dollar Flight Club. I was promised once a year trip planning for this price. I used the service once and intended to use it for years to come. I received an email this week that company was dissolving this part of their business, no refunds would be given to lifetime members even though they only offered 6 months of service. They offered a discount on another service that would cost more money and one Im morally opposed to because it is AI. I asked for $100 refund. I thought they was fair because I purchased what I expected to at least be years worth of trip planning but only received a single trip. They declined and continued to push more money from me with the new service. I feel this is stealing and manipulating customers to purchase lifetime memberships for a business they did not keep up for even a single year. I would like $100 refund from this business.

  Business response

  09/16/2024

  Good morning,
  
  We understand and apologize for the frustration in this matter. Our lifetime service is guaranteed so long as we offer the service, unfortunately due to business demands we aren't able to accommodate the service any longer. You can view the terms of our concierge service here ***************************************
  
  We are unable to process refunds for the service. However, we are committed to ensuring that you make the most out of your new benefits with Layla.ai.
  
  We're so very sorry for the change in service but we fully believe that this transition to our partner service will be to the benefit of our customers in the long run.
  
  -The DFC Team

  Customer response

  09/16/2024

   
  Complaint: 22288178
  
  I am rejecting this response because promoting a lifetime membership for a service that did not last even a year, and then not offering a refund when asked, is wrong. This constitutes stealing in my opinion despite the terms. The option offered is to pay more money for a service that I dont want is unsatisfactory. I would like a one-time refund check of $100 to be mailed to my address. Otherwise I will need to escalate further in the form of social media, poor reviews across platforms, and possibly take legal action. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

• Initial Complaint

  09/14/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Paid $199 one time fee for lifetime Dollar Flight Club Concierge membership. Membership includes one annual trip itinerary planning. I had not had a chance to use the service. There was an email indicating a switch to a different service (********). ************* members are granted a six month Prius membership to ******** and then have to pay the annual fee at a discount. Since I never used the service and do not intend to sign up for ********, *** should refund my lifetime membership fee.

  Business response

  09/16/2024

  Good morning,
  
  We understand and apologize for the frustration in this matter. Our lifetime service is guaranteed so long as we offer the service, unfortunately due to business demands we aren't able to accommodate the service any longer. You can view the terms of our concierge service here ***************************************

  We are unable to process refunds for the service. However, we are committed to ensuring that you make the most out of your new benefits with ********.
  
  We're so very sorry for the change in service but we fully believe that this transition to our partner service will be to the benefit of our customers in the long run.
  
  -The DFC Team

• Initial Complaint

  09/13/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I was billed 299 for a lifetime membership to ****************** never had a chance to use it, and then they canceled the service and offered to sell me service from some other company at additional cost, and tried to frame it as a perk! NO REFUND. Is this how *** does business? Is this how they treat their customers?

  Business response

  09/16/2024

  Good morning,

  We understand and apologize for the frustration in this matter. Our lifetime service is guaranteed so long as we offer the service, unfortunately due to business demands we aren't able to accommodate the service any longer. You can view the terms of our concierge service here ***************************************

  We're so very sorry for the change in service but we fully believe that this transition to our partner service will be to the benefit of our customers in the long run.

  -The DFC Team

  Customer response

  09/16/2024

   
  Complaint: 22284357
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  The new service offering is not equivalent to what was paid for

  The new offering is not lifetime

  The new offering comes with additional ongoing costs

  I did not even get a chance to use the old service offering (thinking I had a lifetime to use it,  I was not *******). 

  This appears to be a bait and switch  

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

  Business response

  09/20/2024

  Hello,

  We certainly understand the frustration while we make this transition to the Layla ******** We do need to stick to our policy in this case. As we mentioned, while we wish we could continue to provide the concierge service we're just not able to as a business at the moment. The lifetime offer is as long as the concierge is a service we offer and we worked with ***** to provide our concierge clients a solution that we believe they will benefit from. Our team as well as *****'s team will be happy to work with you through this transition and answer any questions you may have. We sincerely hope that you will give it a chance and plan some amazing trips.

  -The DFC Team

  Customer response

  09/20/2024

   
  Complaint: 22284357
  
  I am rejecting this response because this robotic copy/ paste response is not taking any action to resolve the situation,  only doubling down. 

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

• Initial Complaint

  09/10/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I'm adding my own terrible experience with DFC's unethical and predatory refund policy here to educate others and get a refund. I had a subscription that was $16.90 per year that I canceled in July 2023, but apparently it was not canceled and I was charged $169 in August of 2024. I didn't receive any confirmation of this subscription or future cost, nor did I receive any renewal email indicating a $169 charge. I haven't used the service in the past year and don't plan to use it in the future as there are better free services available. Why force your customers to pay for a service they don't use or want, especially flight deals for $169/year? Customer support has been unhelpful and simply repeats their 'no refund' policy. I've been offered a free lifetime plan which is useless to me as I don't even use the service.

  Business response

  09/11/2024

  Hi *******,

  We're so very sorry for the trouble and frustration this has caused you. Your account was billed because of a membership you have set up with us. We send renewal notices in advance of the charge and can confirm we did in this case as well.  We try to work with our clients as much as we can while sticking to our refund policy. In this case it appears you disputed the charge so we unfortunately cannot take any action on your account while the dispute is ongoing.

  Again, we apologize for the frustration and hope to see you again in the future.

  -The DFC Team

  Customer response

  09/11/2024

   
  Complaint: 22267818
  
  I am rejecting this response because: Disputing the transaction does NOT mean you can't provide a refund. I will simply cancel the dispute when the refund is received.
  
   

• Initial Complaint

  07/23/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I was trying Dollar Flight club, but did not find any useful flights or fares for myself. So on the last day, I cancelled it, or tried to anyway. They say they did not receive that request. They are offering to give me a longer period for the money spent, but I did not find anything useful for my location. The dates I initially emailed were 6/11/24, 6/14/24 and 7/3/24 I would appreciate it if you could find a resolution for this dispute. Thank you.

  Business response

  07/29/2024

  Hi ********,

  We're so sorry for the negative experience you've had with the service so far. Upon review of the support ticket and the account history the request to cancel was after the account had already renewed which in this case would not make it eligible for a refund. We do try to make it as clear as possible when signing up what the renewal terms are. We do need to stick to our policy as far as a refund since the charge was done correctly but we'd be happy to add an extra year to your account free of charge as an effort on our end to make up for any confusion regarding the renewal terms.

  -The DFC Team

  Customer response

  08/01/2024

   
  Complaint: 22029880
  
  I am rejecting this response because I tried to cancel the subscription within the time allowed, but it was not very user-friendly and I wasn't sure it went through.  I waited a few days, and then had to search for a number to try again, just to be sure.  That is the date they are going with.  I don't believe it's correct.  Also, I did not see any flights through their website that would be of use to me in the first place.  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

• Initial Complaint

  07/08/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I initially signed up for a 14-day free trial with Dollar Flight Club. However, I canceled the trial twice: the first attempt did not register, so I canceled again on the 14th day of the trial. I have attached the cancellation email for your reference.Despite my timely cancellation, the merchant incorrectly claimed that my plan would cancel in a year and proceeded to charge my account $99. The second issue is that this charge does not align with the documentation provided by the merchant, which states that after the 14-day free trial, the customer would be charged $69. The $99 charge is higher than the advertised price and was made without my authorization.I did not authorize this transaction, and it is an automatic charge that occurred after I had canceled the trial. Dollar Flight Club employs predatory practices with their trial setup, which misleads and traps customers into unwanted charges.

  Business response

  07/09/2024

  Hi ******,

  We're so sorry for the frustration. In this case you signed up for a premium plus account so the regular cost is $99. Our premium plan is our mid tier plan and that one is the $69 plan. Looking at the account history, we can confirm the account was not canceled before the renewal which is why you were billed. Cancelling the account after it's already renew would not make it eligible for a refund unfortunately.

  That being said, it looks like you've decided to dispute this with your bank and so we cannot take any further action on the account until the dispute is over with.

  Again, we apologize for the frustration in this matter.

  -The DFC Team

• Initial Complaint

  06/30/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I am adding my complaint to the list of many other similar complaints: I signed up for Dollar Flight club for a free trial ages ago, during the pandemic. I check make bank account and see they have taken $69 dollars out of my account. They did not send me a proper renewal notice with clear language or even a receipt. I would have canceled the membership if I received proper notice, since I am no longer interested in there product (havent been for awhile) and cannot really afford to pay $69 for nothing this year. However, they seem to rely on this unethical business practice to stay in business. It is the only explanation for their refusal to refund anyone for this reason even though they are clearly in the wrong. A strong, ethnical, customer-oriented business would not have to hide what they are charging you and count on not paying attention to your bank account.

• Initial Complaint

  06/20/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Have recived multiple unsolicited emails from this company.Have unsubscribed from their mailing list multiple times but continue to receive emails from them. Even sent them a personal email requesting to be taken off of this list and am still receiving emails.

  Business response

  06/23/2024

  Hi *****,

  We're sorry for the trouble. We took a look and we don't see that we were ever contacted by you to our support. We went ahead and deleted the account as well as unsubscribed your email. 

  You should be all set, and we hope to see you back in the future!

  -The DFC Team

• Initial Complaint

  06/06/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I found an advertisement for Dollar Flight Club on a popular media application. I wanted to check their flights just to view their deals, however, you have to make a trial account to view them. In order to make a trial account, you have to connect a card to the account. I connected the card (05/21/24) then attempted to cancel the subscription on the account page, however my cancellation request didn't seem go through as I was charged (06/06/24) $69 for the annual premium membership. I hadn't received any emails other than deal notifications and other flights, which I checked before sending an email requesting a refund.My request, like many others', was denied due to their "policy" even though I cancelled the membership as soon as the card's bank notified me of the pending transaction, and didn't even authorize it for the annual renewal. In fact only authorizing the trial which prompted account creation. This is extremely underhanded and I demand my money back.

  Business response

  06/09/2024

  Hi ******,

  We're so sorry to hear you're experiencing an issue with the service. Having reviewed your account and your support ticket we can confirm the account was not canceled before the end of the trial period which we do confirm needs to be done to avoid being charged. If you canceled your account before the trial you would have received a cancellation confirmation afterwards. While we do need to stick to our refund policy we will be happy to offer you an extra year of premium free of charge for the frustration this has caused.

  Please let us know, and again we're sorry for any confusion regarding the membership.

  -The DFC Team

  Customer response

  06/09/2024

   
  Complaint: 21815247
  
  I am rejecting this response because: As per my screenshots provided, I did cancel in time and the pending charge should've reversed. On top of that, again, there was no notification for when the renewal would take place as per the screenshots I provided, which is a requirement for subscriptions. Give me my money back.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

  Customer response

  06/14/2024

  The unauthorized charge did go through due to not being notified on the date that the renewal would occur. This is the primary reason why I'm filing for a complaint.

• Initial Complaint

  05/14/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I signed up for a $1 trial of the dollar flight club from a Skimm email. I found no use of the emails they had sent. I figured it was for a month, but 2 weeks later I was charged $99 without warning. I wrote to the company asking for a refund and they pointed me to their (No) Refund Policy, claiming they make the renewal date as clear as possible (False). They offered a non-expiring voucher that I could use at any other time (why would I want to go through this again?!?) or an extra year of premium, which they could set to be automatically cancelled at the end of that term. Either way, I'm still out the $99 due to their deceptive business practices. Told me I could log into my account to cancel or see my status, but I never set up the account, so I had no way to cancel according to their email. Their customer service is atrocious, pretending they want to make it a positive experience when they deceive you into a charge. I made it clear the only way this was going to be a "positive experience" for me was to issue a refund, and they make it clear in their customer service emails that they refuse any request for refunds.

  Business response

  05/25/2024

  Hi *****,

  We're very sorry to hear that you've had a negative experience with our service thus far. We apologize for any confusion regarding our promotions but we do not promote or have any offers that are for a month long period. When you go through we confirm that it's $1 for a two week trial. 

  While we cannot issue a refund, we can offer a complimentary lifetime membership at no further cost to you.

  Please let us know.

  -The DFC Team

  Customer response

  05/26/2024

   
  Complaint: 21708385
  
  I am rejecting this response because: The screenshot they posted (with the email ********************* not mine) does say 14 day trial (I was not disputing the length of the trial), but it ALSO SAYS "Cancel anytime, no questions asked".  This led me to believe that I could truly cancel anytime and get a refund. 

  This does not resolve my complaint that they have deceptive business practices and are misleading consumers that it is risk-free. If a customer never sets up their account and the trial period is almost up, it seems reasonable to assume that person either forgot about it or they are not interested.  If it was truly risk-free, there should have been reminder email about the trial ending (and/or setting up an account) and a charge will occur.  Since there was no reminder email, I consider them charging $99 (at the exact hour after the 14 day period expires) predatory, especially because they refuse to issue refunds.  
  
  A "complimentary lifetime membership" is worthless to me, because I found no use for the deal emails they had sent. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************

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