[elliekelly]

I signed up for a one month “free” trial of Scribd. I noticed they charged my card but I (wrongly) assumed it was a pre-authorization that would fall off before it ever actually hit my account. I liked Scribd okay but I felt I hadn’t really given it a fair shake during my trial month and figured I’d pay for this month, too and then decide whether I’d keep it. Woke up yesterday and checked my card statement for the month only to find out Scribd charged me for my “free” trial. Since I didn’t notice until my free month was up they charged me for this month, too. I cancelled this morning and had to go through one “special offer” page (for “Scribd Lite” @ $4.99/month IIRC).

I’m SOL on this month’s charges but you’d better believe I disputed the original charge with Amex. Scribd even sent me a “receipt” for my “free” trial showing a total of $0.00 at the exact time they charged me $9.99.

It’s just bad business. I should have heeded the many warnings about Scribd’s deceptive billing and now they’ve added yet another unhappy customer who will complain about their shady business practices at every opportunity I get.