I'm pretty sure it must have said somewhere on the contract she skipped over that it would auto-refund. Chances are she's out of luck, at least it won't happen again.

My question is: Why would you want to pay to use that spamtastic POS? How much do you pay for gold status and what do you get out of it? There are a lot better ways of keeping track of your classmates nowadays anyways...

Well it technically wasn't fraud, since she agreed to it a year ago. So I don't think she has grounds to complain to her credit card company. It sucks that she lost her job, but classmates.com isn't required to refund her money. It sucks that they won't, but I've gone through a similar thing with a gym and just had to give it up and not give them any more of my money.

It seems to me that this is just another example of someone not reading the Terms of Service they sign up to, then complaining when they can't get their way. Apologizes if that sounds harsh, but people need to be more conscious of their actions (I've done the same thing myself in the past).

I am sympathetic to Kelly's situation, but it seems that everything was laid out pretty well when she signed up for her membership. Tally this as a loss and know that at least she won't be charged again next year.

I'm confused, as per her agreement she got charged for her membership, but then lost her job and wants her money back now (solely based on the idea that she lost her job)? I know Phil says the won't acknowledge her asking for a refund but that is contradicted by the Rep's comment that refunds are non-refundable (addressing Kelly's requests for a refund). They may not be the most consumer friendly business on the net (no idea as I've never dealt with them) but I seem to be missing whatever is truly shady here?

I'm not trying to "blame the consumer" here but I've read the post twice now and can't figure out what is the problem outside of just plain old bad luck.

Alot of companies I've dealt with that auto-bill you for renewals don't warn you ahead of time. That's why I have a calendar that lists what companies are auto-debiting me on what days.

I hate to take the side of classmates.com, but I don't think it's their responsibility to refund her.

So...what exactly is the company doing wrong? Sure, it's definitely sad that she lost her job, but why should they have to violate their own policy to give her a refund just to be nice?

are those her entire e-mails to the company or just snippets? I feel like irregardless of her next course of action she should work a little better at her approach. Losing her job does not entitle her to a refund. Being unaware she was being charged presumably due to some fine print shenanigans and them not e-mailing to notify is kind of low but, again, doesn't entitle her.

I agree with a lot of the trouble spots consumerist readers have, but this sounds like a situation where there's really not much to be done and she should've looked at what she signed herself into.

That sounds like a "canned" e-mail reply to me. I doubt that "Monica" even read most of Kelly's e-mail.

If somewhere there was information regarding auto-renewal, and she merely did not read it, or did in fact, consent to it, they are not required to refund her money. This is partially because they're scammy pieces of scum, and partially because the OP agreed to it (whether by not reading it, she agreed, or she did read it, and agreed).

The company seems to be going with the "plug your ears and say LA LA LA LA LA LA LA!" route of customer service.

Well with Facebook around, I'm sure Classmates.com has to resort to BS tactics like this to continue making any money.

@morganlh85: Never been a member of any subscription site, have you?

Auto-renewal is standard industry practice. There is nothing new about this. Kelly, and yes I'm blaming the OP, is at fault here for checking into that before it renewed.

I'm pretty sure she can get her card company to reverse her charges. She just has to tell the card company that she asked Classmates.com to cancel the membership before the auto-renew and they didn't. At that point the card company will ask Classmates.com to prove that she didn't do so. Since they can't prove a negative she'll get the chargeback. I've heard that Classmates.com raised a bunch of money from investors a while ago. They certainly aren't making money but as long as the pile of investor money sits in their bank account, the CEO and staff can still draw their fat salaries and stay employed. Obviously there is no business model here since Facebook is free. Everyone knows that. The right thing to do would be to admit defeat and return what is left of investors' money. But the CEO and staff would then be out of a job. So they'll just draw down on the company bank account for a few more years while running cheap banner ads that make it look like they're actively running a business.

@Zorks:

Seconded. Yes, Classmates is a sleazy outfit but, well, she agreed to their sleaziness.

@Urgleglurk:

Well, I read all of it, and it makes no difference; she agreed to the charge.

@johnfrombrooklyn: She has no record that she asked before auto-renewal, Classmates.com possibly has record of her asking for a refund after the renewal - and now this post is on all of the internets.

Go ahead and fill out your Bingo sheets; I'm blaming the OP. She signed up for a membership, and I'm willing to be that somewhere in the agreement, it told her that it would be autorenewing. She didn't cancel it until after the renewal date. She complained, and they sent a response that, while a form letter, clearly explains why a refund isn't called for and isn't going to happen. Sure, they could go above and beyond and give her a refund out of the kindness of their hearts, but they aren't required to.

This falls in the category of "too bad, so sad."

She didn't read the terms. However, if this company had any idea what good costumer service was they would refund he charge. I think they should have a policy of allowing one refund per customer. If the a costumer asks for a refund after allowing this to happen a second time, the costumer deserves to be screwed to learn a lesson: read the terms.
BTW, Classmates is a rotten website.

@johnfrombrooklyn: RTFA: "Having lost her job, she was looking for ways to cut down on expenses and canceled her account shortly after her credit card was charged for auto-renewal."

She cancelled after the auto-renewal. Her credit card company doesn't have to help her either. Yes, she lost her job, and that is very sad, but it does not give her a right to a refund she would otherwise not have qualified for.

@Urgleglurk: Surprisingly, though, it does technically address her question.

"While purchasing your Gold membership, you were provided with information just above the "Submit Payment" button explaining that all memberships are enrolled in our automatic renewal program. This automated billing process prevents any interruption in your Gold membership benefits. Through your acceptance of the Gold membership offer, you authorized us to continue to charge your credit card to extend your membership until you took the necessary steps to remove yourself from this program."

Pretty clear explanation of why she won't get a refund.

@katstermonster: Can I add a very serious "Why is this on Consumerist"?

The poster has bad luck, but there's no bad customer service here.

there is a section in the TOS that reads:
"Subscription Services and Automatic Renewal". Actually its in all caps, I was just being polite. Further down,

"4. Automatic Renewal Program. Upon your acceptance of an offer for Subscription Services, you will be enrolled in Classmates' automatic renewal program to help ensure that there is no interruption of your Gold member privileges. Under this program, you authorize Classmates to automatically renew your subscription at the end of the term of the subscription you purchased, and each subsequent term, for the same term length of the subscription you initially purchased (unless otherwise stated in the offer you accepted). Unless you take the necessary steps to remove yourself from Classmates' automatic renewal program, at the time of each such renewal you authorize Classmates to charge your credit card (or other payment method) at the then-current, non-promotional price for the renewal of your Subscription Services. If you no longer want to be enrolled in Classmates' automatic renewal program, you can change your renewal status at any time..... Please note that changing your renewal option in this way will only stop future automatic renewals of your subscription and will not impact any automatic renewals that occurred prior to the date of your status change."

Sucks, but I have to back classmates on this one. Sorry OP, you're SOL.

@Smashville: To go a little further...had they refunded it, would this be an above and beyond story?

On the flip side, I have auto-renewal with Enoms for my Google Apps Domain every year in April for $10. They notify me well in advance of the auto-debit to my account. Sure, it may just be a courtesy, but sometimes that one reminder is what saves people from a $35 overdraft fee when they'll be a couple of dollars short.

@katstermonster: her credit card doesnt have to help her, but they probably will. I have a weakness for late night informercials, and a couple times they've automatically enrolled me in different things, and I've never had a problem getting them reversed, taking a chargebck with my citibank card. It was actually a much easier process than I'd have thought

Sorry Kelly but add me to the list of people that don't think Classmates.com is in the wrong. They explained how the automatic renewal system works, exactly where and how you consented to it and addressed your request for a refund by referring to their terms of service that indicates they don't give them. Losing your job is tough, but it doesn't automatically entitle you to a special set of rules outside of a previously agreed contract. A refund would be a nice gesture, but it shouldn't be expected.

@Smashville: Yeah, that's actually deserved this time...

Slw nws dy?

@craptastico: Huh, go figure. Well, maybe that'll work.

@morganlh85: What BS tactic is giving a service after someone pays for it?

Neither GoDaddy or Netflix provide me with any warning that they plan to charge my account. I'm responsible for my payments whether they're manual or not. I know exactly when netflix is going to take their $10 out of my account and I track my domain expiration dates in GCal so i'm aware of the GoDaddy charge too. I couldn't imagine asking for a refund if I wasn't responsible enough to keep track of my bills.

I've found I've been signed up for a lot of auto renewals, and i'm to blame for not reading the fine print. I just checked and while I admit (shamefully) that I caved to classmates a year ago, I apparently had no problems changing to manual renewal and removed my billing info.

when you click that "agree to terms" box, you either read and make an informed decision, or you deal with the consequences later.

@katstermonster: And while we're on this roll...why would you pay for classmates.com when Facebook is free and way more likely to have the people you are looking for?

But I want to find out which one of my 31 classmates did something today.

@Smashville: Indeed. I myself was thinking "wh d ppl stll g t clssmtes.cm," as well.

Now that we've established that classmates.com is astoundingly not the villain here I will add a new idea:

It seems like a fair compromise for classmates.com to offer a pro-rated refund based on the date she actually cancelled.

Kelly would only be out $3-5 and the goodwill generated would be worth way more than the $35 classmates.com stands to lose.

@RcrdStrTghGy: mk my clssmts t hm! [e]

I completely disagree with the idea that because she didn't read the contract carefully and didn't see the auto-renew clause that it's her fault.

Classmates.com, like many other sites (ahem, porn), do this deceptive practice because they want to trick you into buying another year without you knowing. The only way Classmates.com would be blameless in this is if the made it very, very clear that there was an auto-renewal by default. As in, "Before you click this purchase button, remember that this is set for AUTO-RENEWAL every year. After your purchase, you may change the auto-renewal settings in your account preferences."

They didn't make it obvious because they are being willfully deceptive to make more money, period. Shame on them and hopefully they'll be out of business soon.

At the risk of being all, "People still use..."

I'm shocked that anyone has ever used Classmates.com and it's actually a real live working thing and not just some scam to get your money without providing you anything resembling a website.

Any auto-renew or similar tactic to me is pure scaminess. I don't care how much a consumer is advised of it. I believe that such should be illegal under various "usury" laws. I never give anyone access to directly debit or charge me (although I am still troubled by the linkage PayPal does to your bank account). These things are a recipe for certain disaster. I would like to use my drug benefit by mail and save $25.00 a month, but I can not agree to their terms that they can charge what they figure is correct well beyond just copays (think annual deductibles and some expensive drugs that can be in more than one tier depending on various factors) and all sorts of disclaimers if they goof. I would do it they confirmed any charges for my authorization first, but they won't. As tight as money is, I can't risk that gamble.

Kelly, do a chargeback. As long as companies get away with this crap because it is currently legal (and regardless of how unethical, immoral, or unfair), they will continue to treat consumers this way. Sometimes it takes a dirty trick to respond to a dirty trick.

Trusting ANY business when it comes down to their vs. your finances is a fool's game. Just don't play it.

@lintacious: I received several advance warnings from GoDaddy on both hosting and domain renewals.

@RecordStoreToughGuy_IsTakingItBack: I make my own networking websites at home from chewing gum and old string.

@katstermonster: Do your friends' pictures pop up in your ads there, too?

@katstermonster: If they bury it in such a way that its inconspicuous and difficult to find, then that is dishonest.

Do you read every letter of the EULAs you agree to? Doubtful.

Disemvowel them chief wiggum!

@SatanicGuinea: What are they supposed to do? From a comment below:

"Subscription Services and Automatic Renewal". Actually its in all caps, I was just being polite. Further down,

"4. Automatic Renewal Program. Upon your acceptance of an offer for Subscription Services, you will be enrolled in Classmates' automatic renewal program to help ensure that there is no interruption of your Gold member privileges. Under this program, you authorize Classmates to automatically renew your subscription at the end of the term of the subscription you purchased, and each subsequent term, for the same term length of the subscription you initially purchased (unless otherwise stated in the offer you accepted). Unless you take the necessary steps to remove yourself from Classmates' automatic renewal program, at the time of each such renewal you authorize Classmates to charge your credit card (or other payment method) at the then-current, non-promotional price for the renewal of your Subscription Services. If you no longer want to be enrolled in Classmates' automatic renewal program, you can change your renewal status at any time..... Please note that changing your renewal option in this way will only stop future automatic renewals of your subscription and will not impact any automatic renewals that occurred prior to the date of your status change."

It's very clear, and I'm willing to bet that the screen you see when you're subscribing has something about auto-renewal. If I'm putting a subscription on my credit card, I expect an auto-renewal, unless otherwise specified. They didn't hide it. It's not an uncommon practice. Is it lousy? Yes. Does it leave the OP a legal leg to stand on? Not at all.

@Smashville: Nope. Because I made them, and they are clearly superior.

@wvFrugan: hey, doesn't Consumer Reports have an auto-renewal policy?

it was clearly stated in terms and service. for some reason, I am still surprise that people don't at least skim through them before accepting.

Best advice, Read the fine print!! Before you click send or pay or yeah, go ahead and send me email!

@SatanicGuinea: I'm wondering if this is one of those familiarity issues, though. At this point, I tend to expect auto-renewal from any subscription where I've provided my credit card, but I remember that I was surprised as all get out the first time I encountered it. I think most of us here are so far in the first category that it's hard for us to remember when it was news to us that a company would even do this.

I don't understand why people spend time fighting with obstinate companies like this... it's very easy to do a chargeback, and with a chargeback you're communicating with someone who is on your side, or at least neutral, instead of an adversary... so it's less stressful as well.

@DannyJD:
Right under the button to submit the subscription it states in standard print:
"Automatic Subscription Renewal: The annual subscription is a continuous service, billed to your payment card each year at the rate then in effect. We will send an e-mail reminder before your subscription is renewed and you may cancel at any time. The monthly subscription is a continuous service, billed to your payment card each month. Cancel or change to an annual subscription at any time. Partial months can not be refunded.

*The $2.16 per month is the estimated monthly cost of a 12-month subscription to ConsumerReports.org. The annual subscription fee of $26 is billed one-time, annually. "

Or are you asking if I suscribe under the online method with with auto-renew? No, I do not participate in any sort of auto-renew or debit/charge for anything. I'd suggest a good old check to pre-pay a magazine subscription. Online access that requires auto-renew is a no go for me.