CDS Bureau recently found out that HBO Max is charging its subscribers with the auto renewal of its subscription even if the service is cancelled on the last day of the subscription period. HBO Max (WarnerMedia Direct, LLC) auto renews a subscription one or two day before the expiry of subscription and a subscriber can not get that charged money refunded even if she cancels the subscription before the expiry of current subscription but after the service renewal. HBO Max does not refund money after the renewal even if the subscriber cancelled it before the expiry of current subscription period. HBO Max carefully crafted the language so it becomes legally hard for the customer to get a refund. Here are the two screen shots from the HBO Max site.
This image says that subscription will auto-renew until you cancel, but it auto-renews even if you cancel on the last day.
This image from HBO Max site says that they don’t provide any refund or prorate a cancelled service. And this applies to auto-renewal of a cancelled service. So, even if a consumer cancels the service, but if the HBO Max charged the credit card before the cancellation, the consumer would never get that money refunded.
CDS Bureau finds this practice highly fraudulent because based on a user agreement a company can not charge for a service that was cancelled the day before it was up for renewal. Most of the subscribers don’t read the user agreement and end-up losing money to HBO Max or similar subscription services.
CDS Bureau highly recommends that when you sign-up for any subscription service, please find-out the following:
- Find about all cancellation charges and fees.
- Find about cancellation policy to avoid unnecessary charges.
- Find what you’ll get and what you’ll not
- Find the user risks
A consumer can dispute the charge with the Credit Card, complain to FTC, and file a complaint with NY attorney general. A complaint with the NY Attorney General can help you get your money back. Your complaint will raise an individual subscriber’s voice and create awareness across various government agencies to force WarnerMedia Direct, LLC to change its malpractice of charging a cancelled service for an additional month. This will push such companies to curb the fraudulent practice and uncover their hide-out behind the legal language.
If you have been a victim of HBO Max subscription service scam, feel free to comment below.
This is happening to me right now.
I’ve been getting charges from the HBO Max and I’m not supposed to be getting charged due to the fact that it’s free for me through my cable provider.
This is the second time that it’s done this once before I have to go to the bank, fill out paperwork for fraud and then I had to order another card this is my new card and I got another charge I don’t understand.
Can you please give me some kind of advise, or sort of direction. I just can’t keep filling fraud every time this happens.