I feel upset and could really use your advice. I’m a student, and recently I’ve been really overwhelmed with exams. A friend recommended an astrology app, saying their readings helped him think through some life decisions. I’m not sure if he paid for a subscription or just used the free features, but I thought it might be a nice distraction from studying, so I signed up for a free trial. They asked for my card details to verify, and I figured it was safe.
But a week later, I saw a $39.99 charge on my account. It turns out the trial automatically turned into a paid subscription, and I didn’t notice the terms. I tried to cancel right away, but the interface was hard to use, and even after I thought I canceled, another charge came through. I’ve emailed their support three times and even tried to find a phone number to call, but all I’ve gotten are automated replies saying they’ll get back to me soon. It’s been two weeks, and still nothing.
Also, the readings I got during the trial were not very helpful – just generic advice I could’ve found online for free. Now I’m out $100, which is half my monthly food budget. I’ve had to skip coffee with friends and buy only the cheapest groceries to get by. I wish I hadn’t trusted my friend’s recommendation, and I feel like I should’ve been more careful—my parents always told me to be cautious with online services, but I didn’t listen.
I called my bank, but they said disputing the charges could take weeks, and I’m not sure what to do next. Should I keep waiting for a response from support, or go ahead and dispute the charges through my bank? Has anyone had a similar experience with apps like this? How can I get my money back and avoid this happening again? And how do I check these kinds of services to make sure I don’t lose money in the future? I’m not sure I can trust my friends’ recommendations now. Thank you so much for any advice – I really need help to figure this out and feel more confident moving forward.
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I’d recommend disputing the charges with your bank right away – don’t wait for support to respond since it’s already been two weeks. Call your bank again, explain the situation, and ask for a chargeback due to unauthorized charges after a free trial
I signed up for a trial, forgot to cancel, and they charged me $50. I felt so dumb, but I learned my lesson. What worked for me was filing a dispute with my credit card company—they were able to reverse the charge after I showed them the app’s terms were unclear. It took about a month, but I got my money back.
I think going through your bank to dispute the charges is a good step, and you’ll figure this out. You’re already learning from this, which is what matters
Sometimes those emails have a link to cancel, which might be easier than going through the app
For the future, one thing I do with any online subscription is use a virtual card through my bank. You can set a spending limit, so even if something like this happens, they can’t charge more than you allow. As for getting your money back, I’d say go ahead with the bank dispute since support hasn’t responded. Also, maybe screenshot everything – your cancellation attempts, emails, charges – as proof for your bank.
check if your bank has a fraud department – they might be able to speed things up
You’re not alone, though; I’ve seen a lot of apps do this with free trials. Have you tried looking up AskNebula on the Better Business Bureau website? Sometimes filing a complaint there can get a company’s attention faster than email support. It might be worth a shot while you wait for your bank to handle the dispute.
Sometimes they have specific steps you need to follow, and if they didn’t honor that, it could help your bank dispute. I’d also recommend blocking future charges through your bank if you can, just in case they try to bill you again. For checking services in the future, I always search for reviews online before signing up
https://www.reddit.com/r/internetparents/comments/1jkd0lm/feeling_lost_after_a_bad_experience_with/
Rocket money canceled that subscription for me
Report the card you used as lost or stolen. You will issued a new card and the one associated with the subscription will be shut down.
I would contact your bank and get then to block the direct debit to ensure that they don’t continue to raid your bank account for any more payments.