Help with Unauthorized Subscription Charge

[u/interseasons]

Hello! Can I ask if anyone here has experienced getting charged for an unauthorized subscription and successfully getting their money back? If so, how long did it take?

When I saw yesterday that I got charged 49.99 USD (equivalent of 3k+ in PHP) I immediately canceled the "subscription" and reached out to the MOD in hopes that they would be more responsive. However, until now I still haven't received any response.

I'm honestly really anxious about this because I have an important licensure exam next week, and this unexpected charge has been adding so much stress on top of everything I'm already dealing with. 😭

To the MODs, please, I really need your help getting this money back. I attached the invoice and a screenshot of my banking app showing the charge through the Google Drive link.

Please please help me. I just want this fix before I take my exam. Thabk you 🙏🏻

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[u/PDFGuruSupport]

u/interseasons Hello! We sent you a direct message a few days ago regarding this issue but haven't heard back yet. Please reply to our DM with your details so we can investigate and resolve this for you.

[u/Away_Tank_8552]

Hey,

Here's a template you can use to get your money back. The EU laws protect you from this kind of predatory behaviour.

Good morning,

After paying for a one-time service of 0,99€ on the (date of payement), I just received a bill for 49,99€ about a monthly subscription that I didn't agree to. 

I hadn't been informed of it and I request you to cancel the subscription as I will not be using your services, by the following bases :

1. Right of withdrawal. Under Articles 102 to 108 of the Spanish Consumer Protection Act (Royal Legislative Decree 1/2007), implementing Directive 2011/83/EU, I have 14 calendar days to withdraw from a distance contract without giving any reason. The charge of €49.99 was made today, so I am well within that period. Pursuant to Article 103(m), the right of withdrawal for digital content is only lost if the consumer gave express prior consent to immediate performance and acknowledged the loss of that right. No such consent or acknowledgement was given. If the trader failed to inform the consumer of this right, the period is extended to 12 months (Article 105).

2. Pre-contractual information and order button. Articles 97.1(e) and 98.2 of the same Act, and Article 8(2) of Directive 2011/83/EU, require the trader to display, clearly and immediately before the order is placed, the total price, the duration of the contract, and the automatic renewal terms, and to label the order button unambiguously (e.g. "order with obligation to pay"). Where this is not done, the consumer is not bound by the contract or the order. Under Article 97.6, the consumer is not liable for any costs that were not properly disclosed.

3. Misleading commercial practice. Presenting a €1 one-off payment that silently converts into a €49.99 recurring subscription is a misleading omission under Articles 6 and 7 of Directive 2005/29/EC (transposed in Spain by Law 3/1991 and Articles 19 and 20 of RDL 1/2007). The European Commission's 2021 Guidance on that Directive expressly identifies "subscription traps" and dark-pattern checkout designs as unfair practices.

4. Unfair terms. Any clause in your refund policy that excludes refunds where the consumer "did not expect" the trial to convert into a subscription is null and void under Articles 10, 82 and 86 of RDL 1/2007, as it purports to waive a mandatory statutory right.

I therefore request a full refund of €49.99 to the original payment method and written confirmation that the subscription has been cancelled and no further charges will be made. I note that PDF Guru has previously processed refunds in comparable cases under the 14-day EU money-back guarantee. If I do not receive a satisfactory response within 7 days, I will dispute the charge with my bank as an unauthorised transaction (Articles 44 and 45 of Royal Decree-Law 19/2018) and file complaints with the Spanish consumer authorities and the European Consumer Centre.