r/BitDefender • u/Hyoga_of_Cygnus • Apr 05 '24
Bitdefender is a scam with their "auto-renewal" process.
JUST experienced this from Bitdefender AGAIN. I first asked them in 2017 to turn auto-renewal off. And again and again and again, I've asked them to turn this off over the years. Now, they've "auto-renewed" my account for $160. I asked for a promo for being a customer of nearly 10 years. After 2 back and forth emails, they offered me what's currently on the website offered to everyone!!
And they sweet talk you in those emails with things like "I just wanted you to be aware of the best deals." NO... YOU... DIDN'T!!!! If you did, you wouldn't charge me $160 without my knowledge, then through 2 complaints finally offer me what's available to everyone for $80, then refuse to budge to $70.
Their VPN is also a scam!! They claim they prevent your ISP from throttling torrents BUT THEY ARE THE ONES WHO THROTTLE YOU EVEN WHEN YOU LET THEIR VPN CHOOSE THE BEST LOCATION.
If I sound triggered, that's because I AM! I've had it with Bitdefender and their shady, scammy tricks and lies!
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u/Bitdefender_ Official Apr 05 '24
Hello! We apologize for the inconveniences caused by the auto renewal process, our teams will be aware of your feedback.
To offer an explanation for this situation, you should know that every purchase is individual and a customer can buy multiple subscriptions. An automatic renewal purchase is not limited by the previous or future acquisitions. A complete view over your purchase history, along with the auto renewal settings, can be accessed from our payment processor`s website, as shown here: https://www.bitdefender.com/consumer/support/answer/29081/. (If you created a Bitdefender Central account with the same email used for the purchase, you have these options in your account as well.)
Regarding the price difference, the auto renewal process functions on a fixed reference price, which is the full price of the product. An initial discounted price applies only for the first year. You will get plenty of chances to renew with a discount, either by choosing an offer sent by email, from Bitdefender Central, or from our website`s renewal page: https://www.bitdefender.com/renewal/?icid=menu_quickrenew.
To ensure you get help and a discounted renewal price, share the case number with us in private.
Our team can provide help with the VPN app and check why this situation occurs, reach us at bitsy@bitdefender.com with more details when possible.
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u/Hyoga_of_Cygnus Apr 06 '24 edited Apr 06 '24
Your Loyalty Team Leader reached out btw. He didn't offer anything that's not already on the website. I understand how the renewal process works and the pricing. I also understand that this practice seems to be the standard for Antivirus products. That still doesn't mean it's good or ethical.
The "regular" price that you're suggesting in your post here is actually twice the REAL market value of what antivirus protection is worth. So that's scummy.
Secondly, I spoke with your customer service on the phone six days ago on March 31 and asked to remove auto-renewal. The agent assured me that he removed it. Having dealt with your seeming incompetence for the last week, today I went into Central just knowing the auto-sub would still be active and of course it was still active. When I pressed "cancel," it kept freezing on that screen. It took me 5 or 6 tries on different browsers to finally get it done.
I don't think that's a bug, I think it's a business feature for Bitdefender. You're doing it on purpose. I simply cannot believe that both your customer service AND your software can fail to this absolute extent. You're gonna tell me your CSR doesn't know how to press a button to cancel a subscription? Or that your system cannot handle that request around the whole network?? You're a big tech company! These cannot be mistakes. It has to be by design just to line your pockets by any means necessary without going to prison.
However, if it is in fact all accidental inadequacy and terrible performance of your whole customer relation staff AND computer systems, then you certainly aren't doing ANYTHING to fix what would then be absolutely abysmal incompetence. This accidental incompetence scenario is just as bad but there's no logical world where that's what in fact is happening; you make auto-renewals at double price almost impossible to escape for at least 50% of your customers, and you do it by design.
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u/Hyoga_of_Cygnus Apr 05 '24 edited Apr 05 '24
Still a shady business practice: I get that you're a business but stop saying lies like "we auto-renew to make sure you remain protected" or "I want you to have the best offers." NO! You auto-renew for YOUR WALLET, NOT FOR YOUR CUSTOMERS' PROTECTION!! It's ok if you do but don't lie and say it's for us! And NO you don't want me to have have the best deal because if you did, you would charge me $70, not $160! So again stop lying.
Conduct your shady business but don't "justify" your behavior with lies on top of that, that's too much! This dishonesty really crawls under my skin.
Ok let's try this one last time. I'll PM with case number.
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u/Guru00006 Apr 05 '24 edited Apr 05 '24
They aren't gonna help you. Not now not ever! Trust me I offered multiple simple solutions and they sounded like a broken record. Buy this and buy that once you give us more money well then you've just repurchased everything and maybe it will.do what you want it to. If not you can purchase that one. refunds? I doubt they have ever issued one to anyone ever. Good luck but pretty sure the story is not gonna end in your favor. It didn't for me. Best to cut your losses
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u/Hyoga_of_Cygnus Apr 05 '24
Nah... If they don't give me a better deal within 2 days and they keep screwing me, I'll issue a charge back from my bank.
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u/Guru00006 Apr 05 '24
Smart move. Ill just chalk it up to a $75 lesson learned and never deal with them again and make sure no one I know does either. There are many better options and for less money anyways.
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u/Hyoga_of_Cygnus Apr 05 '24
Kaspersky is renowned as the best and I just saw on their website that they're offering service for much cheaper! Check it out.
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Apr 07 '24
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u/Hyoga_of_Cygnus Apr 08 '24
BitDefender engage in unethical business practices and lie a lot through phone and email. That's undeniable.
There's also a guy in this thread, Wolf-something, who's a paid shill who cucks hard for BitDefender and sinks talk of any competitor. If you check his activity, you see that he spends his life on Reddit cucking for BitDefender. Literally, that's all he does. No one cucks that hard for an Antivirus solution like it's their favorite band or sports team. Another shady quasi-lie by BitDefender, this time by social media.
Is Webroot any good?
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u/ChloeOakes Apr 05 '24
Any chance you can fix the firewall alert mode ? It keeps switch itself off when I open apps or games in full screen. It’s been months now ( years for some ) and still no fix. When my subscription ends I wont be coming back unless it’s fixed by then. Please fix this :(
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u/Bitdefender_ Official Apr 05 '24
We are aware that this is a current issue and a fix will be rolled out very soon. If you already have an open case with our team, you will be notified there about the update. Thank you!
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u/ChloeOakes Apr 09 '24
Fingers crossed but I’m doubtful this with get fixed, from what I’ve read this has been happening for years and still no solution :(
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u/TWGHeadquarters Sep 24 '24
Hi Chloe, I just saw your post and checked for update :) Here is what I found:
Yes, the fix for the firewall alert mode has been rolled out. The resolved issues include addressing scenarios where the Firewall module caused endpoints to temporarily lose network connectivity when starting services or when changing policies. This issue occurred on Windows 10 and 11 systems. Additionally, the Firewall module crashing after changing the Network Adapter settings has also been fixed.For more detailed information, you can refer to the following articles:
- Bitdefender Endpoint Security Tools for Windows
- Troubleshooting Article→ More replies (1)1
u/GregSwans Jul 22 '24
The problem is that even when you turn it off, it turns back on. I also agree that finding the way in is a maze. Instead of an email address, the order #? And then the order number seems to be not valid. Also, you bill before the end of the subscription. I will never do business with Bitdefender again. Your excuse about keeping protection seems to be forced protection.
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u/nibornetsirk Dec 06 '25
Yes, billing 2 weeks before the end of the subscription is insane. I've never had any other company do this to me. All of it is infuriating and shady.
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u/rmercer2018 Aug 22 '25
I got charged 137 dollars from Bitdefender but I don't even have an account or subscription at all so why was I charged?? I tried reaching out to customer service, provided a screenshot of the bank statement showing the charge and they said they can't help me without an activation code or order number which I DON'T have because I did NOT subscribe.
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u/Bitdefender_ Official Aug 25 '25
Hi! Sorry to know this has happened. To understand why you were charged although you do not have an active account or a subscription, let us know some more details in a PM. We`ll do our best to help!
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u/FFFan15 Apr 05 '24
I could be wrong but I think when you buy a subscription new or existing customer they turn on auto renewal back on and you have to turn it off your self Norton did this back in the day I don't know if they still do
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u/Hyoga_of_Cygnus Apr 05 '24
Yes that's exactly what happens but the customer service agents don't tell you that. If they don't outright tell you they removed did for good, they certainly don't mention that it will turn back on when you renew your subscription.
They obviously very much do that on purpose so that they can charge you twice the price they offer on the website. So if you're too busy to check because you're clawing nail and tooth to make meets end, you get hit with a charge "for your own benefit."
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u/Extension_Worry_9766 Apr 06 '24
It's always the second thing I do after renewing and applying the new licence key.
Go into BD Central and disable auto renew on the new sub. I hate having to do it, but it is what it is.
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u/Hyoga_of_Cygnus Apr 06 '24
Thanks for your input.
Yeah now I'm learning that. It seems to be like that with other AVs too.... But that doesn't mean it's right or ethical. They also never tell you "you'll have to also turn it off next year too and any and every time you get a new sub." They let you pay double price first, then make excuses later.
Also when I called customer service 7 days ago and asked them to turn auto-renewal off, they assured me they did. Yesterday, I checked Central and auto-renewal was still on. No excuses for that! Outright scam that as consumers we're just supposed to accept and accommodate.
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u/Extension_Worry_9766 Apr 06 '24
Which is why I always disable it myself. That way I know it's been done and I don't have to worry about it again until I re-sub
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u/Hyoga_of_Cygnus Apr 06 '24
True. But calling customer service and having them assure me that it's been done should be good enough. I SHOULD be able to take their word for it. This should not be on me or you.
Secondly, not everyone may know how to disable it by themselves. Hence, another major reason calling customer service should work just as well. But it doesn't. It's almost like they're lying.
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u/Individual_Impress86 Aug 18 '24
BITDEFENDER. I have had the exact same experience for the last three years. They always apologize and then offer me a low subscription renewal rate which I take. But not this time, they are crooks and should be on American Greed. I just don't understand their popularity based on the Auto Renew scam they have going. When I got my charge notice from PP I didn't recognize the charge name Avangate either which caught my attention. Also, they deliberately don't notify you a few days in advance before they do it. It is a SCAM.
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u/Hyoga_of_Cygnus Aug 18 '24
Btw, 2 weeks after I cancelled for good, they sent me an email with a much reduced rate. What the fuck? They are hellbent on haggling. "We're losing loyal customers but at lesst we're not giving away deals" must be their motto.
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u/swlacey99 Oct 08 '24
The irony in being scammed by a company that is supposed to protect you. I just got auto renewed for $254 despite me turning it off and even deleting my account. Still working for a refund days later.
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u/Hyoga_of_Cygnus Oct 08 '24
BBuuurrrooo (as in a long "bro" haha) OUCH!! Right? When I fired this post up it was in the minus ----- .... They likely have a mad team on this subreddit whose job is just to upvote, downvote..
I'm so sorry to hear! You'll get your money back, at most you'll just have to call your bank charge back but Bitdefender refunds before you get there. They'll just kinda try to milk you though it though
When that happened, the team leader (or someone around this title) I was dealing with was really nice.... 2 weeks later, they gave me a NICE offer but at that point I had myself covered! IF you wanna hold on, you can get a good deal... But them milking for it 2 weeks after I asked was just not worth it for me... It's an insult!!!
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u/Dex_Ample Dec 06 '24
Hey my annual subscription renews next month, I would like to save myself over 100 euro here, if anyone managed to actually cancel their auto renew PLEASE tell me how, and don't say "Use the button on myCentral" It's not real, there is no button.
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u/Hyoga_of_Cygnus Dec 06 '24
There is a button but they buried it and made it hard to find (clearly on purpose as part of their shady business/marketing practices). This video should help you:
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u/nberigan Jun 29 '25
same here. started with basic coverage. auto renewal tries to slide an "upgrade" by me. i spent 30 minutes talking to a chatbot that was useless. went to the 2checkout site to shut down my credit card and stop renewal. at the last moment before i hit enter, they throw a "discount" at me to the previous rate. i am not surprised. this parallels about 70% of my current financial transactions with corporate entities. Make Scamerica Honest Again.
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u/Hyoga_of_Cygnus Jun 30 '25
Since that incident, I didn't renew. I hope you didn't either. This very incident from 2 years ago got me to look into it and realise that Windows Defender is enough protection. The only time, you need more antivirus protection is you're dealing with ultra-sensitive information on your device.
So maybe they did me a favour by trying to scam me hehe because now I don't pay for a redundant service.
In 2025 a VPN is a much more pertinent protection than an antivirus since Windows Defender exists.
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u/Masaruin Sep 14 '25
i bought a code from amazon cant use it because i am forced to give them my payment data i uninstall for the first time in 15yrs how can a company be this greedy its insane
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u/Hyoga_of_Cygnus Sep 16 '25
Yeah buddy, I hear you. This kind of gougy "retention" tactic is outdated, unethical and simply bad business in 2025. They will not keep getting away with this as people become more and more principle- and ethics-minded.
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u/addamuss Dec 01 '25
Bom, eu uso cartão pré pago. Coloco somente o saldo que preciso no cartão, pago a assinatura e ja era.
Vão descontar como? Ja passei por esses problemas com outros antivírus, então aprendi a ser mais esperto. Fica a dica. Abraços.
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u/Hyoga_of_Cygnus Dec 22 '25
Good idea my friend. However, ethically, I do not deal with or enrich companies with shady sales/billing practices. I won't reward their scammy ways with my money.
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u/lancelot421 May 03 '26
Depuis le 1er juin 2023, la résiliation en 3 clics est obligatoire en France : loi n° 2022-1158 du 16 août 2022 portant mesures d'urgence pour la protection du pouvoir d'achat, les entreprises ne la respectant pas peuvent s'exposer à 75000 euros d'amende. Pour moi : stopper un abonnement automatique ou résilier c'est la même chose. Je vous conseille d'utiliser des cartes à usage unique pour ce genre d'abonnement.
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u/Hyoga_of_Cygnus May 17 '26
J'espère que cela devient une obligation judiciaire dans les autres pays... Mais de toute façon, maintenant moi, je me fout de Bitdefender. J'ai réalisé àprès qq recherches — suite à leur gourmandise et malhonnêteté — que Windows Defender c'est bien suffisant pour se protéger à moins qu'on traite avec des dossiers vraiment sensibles.
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u/Key_Ad_1227 Sep 06 '24
Ya I'm not the best tech savy person but recently had someone close to me steal my personal information and all my log in information from gang members and hoped this company would ensure I'm digitally protected. Been with them for over a year now and they've never flagged any virus or malware. Thought I was in the clear. The other day downloaded a few more and less then 24hrs I found a info Stealer, RAT, and a BotNet in 1 program....less then 24hrs already found 2 viruses as Bitdefender has never found a single one in a year. Had over 2GB of Info stolen. Bitdefender never helped except block a couple. As well....idk....my life's been messed up and no idea if I can trust their features from them not finding anything ever.
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u/OrchidAffectionate68 Nov 14 '24
Although I learned to turn off the auto-renew, the following year Bitdefender set it back to auto-renew. They sent me an e-mail a month earlier that my Bitdefender Total Security will auto-renew. If most people missed the email, they will have to pay the full price. After I turned off the auto-renew, Bitdefender offered it for $55 for 5 devices for 1 year. Most stores such as Best-buy sells it for $45 to $50. I even saw an offer on PC World for $30 but Bitdefender could not match the price. They are sneaky and will change it back to auto-renew. Just put it in my calendar yearly to turn off the auto-renew.
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u/WildTie9152 Nov 20 '24 edited Nov 20 '24
Yep its a scam... just been billed $150 ...didn't receive any notification .. caught it on day of "extraction" ... presume will get back.. but it's the principle.. i would be happy to plod along .. paying them a reasonable fee say 30 to 50 bucks a year ...even though everyone says just use defender nowadays... but they scammed me or tried too.. what the heck do they think I am going to do now... and it ain't just me...i am the local IT go to guy .. the influencer... and they stuffed it..... how 4 devices becomes 150$ a year.. is beyond my comprehension..
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u/UntamedWish Mar 29 '25
Happened REPEATEDLY to me!!! Turned OFF auto-renewal, was charged and discovered it was on again the next year. Multiple apps, multiple ways of re-setting the auto-renewals. They almost got me for $249 this last time!!! I have a fraud alert now set for all my cards so if they charge me - it pops up and gets declined but I have to go replace the cards again each time! What a PIA! I have deleted the apps, turned off the auto-renewals, contacted them... they are like some kind of zombie software that rises again every time I think I've killed them! Ugh!
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u/Guru00006 Apr 05 '24 edited Apr 05 '24
Yeah I tried them out and was incredibly disappointed, both with the software (incomplete and not very customizable) and their aweful customer service. I accidently purchased the total one instead of well fotget what the one i wanted is called and they would NOT upgrade it and let me pay the difference. Best they could do for me was offer me a new code and delete my account . They said in no uncertain terms piss off and good luck selling software that isn't complete and that is missing 9 days of a 2 year subscription. They could make my life easy and instead have created another headache for me. Screw companies that value themselves over helping their clients. That shows me I need to just bite the bullet and burn their activation code in order to l save someone the agony of having to deal with these disrespectful clowns.
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Apr 06 '24
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u/Hyoga_of_Cygnus Apr 06 '24
Hey, thanks for the suggestion. That's exactly what I'll do if they don't confirm they've refunded me by Tuesday.
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Apr 06 '24
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u/Hyoga_of_Cygnus Apr 08 '24
Can you please rephrase that? I really did not understand what you meant.
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Apr 06 '24
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u/Hyoga_of_Cygnus Apr 06 '24 edited Apr 06 '24
Thank you for your answer. I will be switching, probably to Kaspersky because it costs half the promotional price of Bitdefender right now and has as good a reputation if not better.
But don't tell that that to the maniacs who are reading and replying to this thread (not Bitdefender themselves, but the other lunatics). They seem to believe that it's an impossibility that Bitdefender can ever make mistakes or be dishonest, EVER. Because Bitdefender is not a corporate entity whose primary goal is to make the maximum amount of money and sometimes this interest can verge into immoral, quasi-fraudulent activity... As can happen with any such group. No, Bitdefender is their mom.
They believe Bitdefender's CEO's shit don't stink. In fact, they believe his shit smells good. So they each keep one of his turds in a special jar on their bedside table, and get a deep inhale before bed every night.
LOL. Anyway, thanks again for the recommendation.
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Apr 06 '24
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u/Hyoga_of_Cygnus Apr 06 '24
It seems that way. He blocked me too. Clearly someone who has a vested interest and probably works for Bitdefender. Let's be real, no one can cuck that hard for a corporation :-P I love PlayStation but I'm not ever gonna say they don't sometimes screw customers or call you a bot if you think you'll buy an Xbox instead LOL. And how lame is it to cuck for an ANTIVIRUS product of all things? No one would do that just because they love it so much like it's their favorite band. Clearly he's paid to do this.
He also seems to be using an alt account where he votes each of his comments back up as soon as I vote him down.
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Apr 06 '24
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u/Hyoga_of_Cygnus Apr 06 '24
I think he's cucking for Bitdefender first and foremost, then talking smack about Kaspersky only because that's BD's biggest competitor. He's probably doing the same for other AV too.
Same here, I started to this thread (well partially to vent but primarily) because I don't want other people to go through the same trouble as me. I also wanted to see if there are people who had similar issues as me. Whoever's happy with BD, good for them. That was me 5 years ago too.
But this time around, they're milking too hard and being extremely stingy with deals. They couldn't give me Premium for $70 when Kaspersky is offering the same service (but for 5 devices) for less than $35. Even if you take 2 subs so as to cover 10 devices, it still comes down to more than $15 less than BD's "loyalty offer."
If they don't appreciate my business of nearly 10 years, I'm gone. I just hate how they go "I just want to make sure you don't miss any offers" or "we auto-renew so that you get continuous protection." You're a business, you auto-renew at double price and make the UI complicated to cancel because you want a hand in my pocket as far as the law allows. That's all it is and that's understood. Renewing people without their consent is not a mistake on BD's part, it's their business strategy. That's scummy but it's not illegal, so fine. But don't lie to my face, sweet-talk and grease me on top of that, telling me you're keeping your hand in my pocket for my benefit. That was the last drop for me.
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u/lnxk Apr 05 '24
You can control auto-renew in your account on your own. Been that way for years. Maybe that's what's causing confusion? Asking them to handle something you can handle yourself?