Accounts, Billing, & Orders

[Mick1313]

The way Roku charges people for “free trials” and turns around and says “no refunds” is completely insincere. You are not forthright when it comes to whether someone is eligible for a free trial or not, and you still allow your system to tell the customer that they’re getting a free trial all-the-while unbeknownst to them, they’re getting charged some ridiculous fee that you refuse to reimburse.

 I’ve done free trials with my PS4 and guess what? Sony does the right thing and tells you, “Hey, you’re not eligible for this free trial. If you proceed beyond this point then you’ll be charged X amount. Would you like to proceed?” But somehow, Roku can’t seem to implement that same technology into their system.

I don’t care what your terms of service says, it’s not forthright and it’s a scummy practice,  to say the least. Roku PURPOSEFULLY doesn’t tell people clearly, concisely, and upfront that they only get one free trial on their system. If I get a free trial for CBS, I can’t ever have a free trial from any other channel...this is something you don’t clearly outline, and you do it so that unsuspecting people are pulled into the allure of a free trial and then are refused their money back when it turns out to be a blatant lie. Just like Sony, Roku could code their system so that it gives a warning and choice to proceed if they’re not eligible for a free trial. However, Roku chooses not to implement such a thing specifically so they can collect fraudulent charges, and the customer is told that you conveniently “don’t issue refunds.” 

Your community forums are literally FILLED with people expressing the same frustration and discontentment, and yet it falls on deaf ears and the customer is further aggravated when you respond with some snide “read our policy” response. I sent a message to your customer service, got a response that I will not accept, I have posted here, and I am telling you I want this to go to the next level above you. I will not accept this fraudulent charge and I am ready and willing to go back and forth again and again until I am issued my refund. 

[Sardis]

I wanted to try the free month of CBS streaming that was being offered during the pandemic. I shoulda gone through Amazon but decide to do it on Roku. When the free month was over I was sure I cancelled as I always do so totally flabbergasted I've been charged for 3 months!!! Roku never sent an email or verification for the monthly charges, they just charged my credit card, who does that? I haven't watched anything on CBS Streaming since the date I cancelled not wanting any charges. 

Never again, Roku. Accessing my credit card and not telling me you're doing it. Shame on you!!! Shame!!!

[RokuDanny-R · Accepted solution]

@Sardis @Mick1313 

Thanks for the post.

We highly recommend reviewing the terms for any trial, prior to signing up. 

If you need further assistance with account or billing related issues, please reach out to our support team directly here for your 'Account or billing' issue, here: https://support.roku.com/contactus. They will be able further assist you.


Thanks,
Danny

[Frustrated100x]

Mick 1313... I totally agree with you... Same thing happened to me... They have the same cookie cutter response and just copy and paste it into their reply to everyone... They don't care... The only way to get around this is to dispute all charges with your credit card company and sell all your Roku devices on ebay and get rid of Roku altogether...  There are other streaming boxes out there just as good if not better.  Hope you get a decent response, but don't hold your breath.

[Mick1313]

I did dispute the charge with my bank and have gone back and forth with Roku. Finally got my refund though. 

[red4bluez]

blem. Tried to watch a show for a one time event, told me I had a free trial. It lasted 45 minutes. Then I see I have been getting charged for this channel for months. Such **bleep**. No refund? How you get away with that when I NEVER authorized the use of my card? This is why a company with real people is so much better. I can't believe they can get away with this, so I am going to fight it too.

[RokuDanny-R · Accepted solution]

@red4bluez 

Thanks for the post.

Did you cancel your subscription before the free trial ended? We highly recommend reviewing the terms for any trial, prior to signing up. 

For account and billing related issues, please reach out to our support team directly here for your 'Account or billing' issue, here: https://support.roku.com/contactus. They will be able further assist you.


Thanks,
Danny

[Iona-D]

Consider a different course of action.  Do business directly only with individual apps, not Roku itself.

I have only 1 app I pay out of my pocket.  CBS All Access.  I keep their Contact Phone # in my phone. I pay for their subscription directly on their own Website  Then my bank  text me back immediately of the transfer of funds to CBS itself.  The rest (freebies) I email them directly  The issues are always taken cared of within 24 hours.  .

Don't waste your valuable  time.  Deal direct with the app itself, rather than middlemen.

Especially with Free Trials.  They have a limited time frame that you can cancel without penalty.  So it's even more important you don't waste time waiting for someone to help- that might not be able to do anything.  Roku is responsible for their actual device, their OS, and their technology.  Apps usually are quite separate except for Roku sponsored ones like the Roku Channel.

[Gottin]

Exactly. It’s extremely deceiving. The same thing just happened to me. I was search random shows and came across one that I thought might work. It stated ”free 7 day trial” so I figured why not. The show was not what I expected and nothing of interest was available. I went through my emails a little later and saw I was actually charged! Luckily I realized the same day unlike some that have gone months.
The reply that looks automatically generated by Danny (Roku) makes it sound like everyone is just forgetting to cancel. I’m talking about offering a free trial when in fact one’s not eligible. Then charging! It’s a really sleazy practice. I’ve been a customer for 10 years or so, 6 devices. and I chose using roku over my smart TVs. I’m going to rethink that. I’m so annoyed. I feel scammed. Of course Roku makes it almost impossible to reach them and as another  stated, they have a strict no refund policy. It’s absurd. 

[smb1942]

I got an email today with this:

"Your free trial to Walter Presents on The Roku Channel ends in 2 days, and your account will be charged $5.99* per month for your subscription. We hope you continue to enjoy premium entertainment with Walter Presents on The Roku Channel.

If you want to make changes to your subscription, sign in to your account at Roku.com, or visit Roku Support for more information."

I never ordered Walter Presents (don't even know what it is) and certainly never agreed to be charged $5.99/mo for it.  What is going on?  Is this from Roku?  How do i prevent Roku from charging more than my basic bill?