Humble Bundle just charged me $132 for a yearly subscription...with no warning or message

If I didn't have email alerts setup I would never have known until it was too late.
This is totally unacceptable to say the least
I have been on the month-to-month subscription
I have NEVER been on an annual plan

As a precaution I canceled my subscription to make sure the November monthly was removed and I don't have any new keys
UPDATE: I've opened a case with both Humble Bundle and Paypal

Thanks everyone for your comments and suggestions, I will let you know how it turns out

NEW UPDATE: Quite a condescending reply from Humble Bundle: https://imgur.com/a/JjnB2xK

FINAL UPDATE: Paypal denied my case because the transaction was part of a 'billing agreement'. This decision was made because this transaction was not unauthorized.

So please follow the path of UltraMaster as I do now, and immediately cancel any active autopayments once the transaction is completed

6 years ago*

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Just write support and get it handled. I'm sure they will rectify the situation. 👍
They have always treated me nicely.

6 years ago
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I don't have 3 business days to wait while they twiddle their thumbs. Paypal says the charge already went through, now I have to dispute

6 years ago
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Personally I do not understand why initiate a dispute instead of contacting the seller. In most cases, a refund can be/will be issued without any issues, while a dispute can take even longer than the initial reply from the vendor and the actual refund process, of course it might take a few days, but thats it.
If the seller (in this case HB, with their autocharge) refuse to grant a refund, then fill a dispute, but thats another topic.

P.S. My opinion might be biased, as I work in a company which sells very specific software and sometimes I have to handle Paypal disputes. Our official refund policy states 14 days no questions asked refund, but instead of contacting us (we have phone support, free Livechat (usual wait time is ~1-3 minutes) and email), some customers simply do not contact us and instead fill a dispute (with their bank or Paypal)...... How I handle such disputes, is a different story.

6 years ago
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I understand, but Humble bundle has no phone and no live chat...you can only submit tickets

6 years ago
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6 years ago
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Happy cake day from the stalker

6 years ago
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Stalking approved xD

TyTy

6 years ago
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Word of advice: always disable the autopayments here. If not, you're trusting the vendors to play fair with your money.

6 years ago
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This is great info, thank you.

6 years ago
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You're welcome.

6 years ago
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Thanks!

6 years ago
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You're welcome. Many are not aware that cancelling their subscription on HB, or anywhere else for that matter, doesn't mean they can't charge you if they want, or by "mistake". The only way to be sure is doing it on PayPal's side.

6 years ago
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Do you still have access to the Trove if you do that, though?

6 years ago
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I don't see why not, since you're technically still subscribed until the next time they attempt charging you. You'll probably get a payment failure email the next time they attempt charging you. Just resubscribe again whenever you want and you're set. This way you're the one dictating the rules, not the other way around.

6 years ago
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I don't see why not

I assumed Paypal somehow notified HB that the payment authorization was revoked... But yeah, anyhow it sucks how HB forces us to set up recurring payments, I was tempted to gift the subscription to myself in order to avoid this

6 years ago
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Even so, you already paid for the entire month and you're still subscribed for the current month so you should still have full access to everything until the new recurring charge is due.

6 years ago
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In the past, Monthly benefits end immediately when you cancel. Even if the month you paid for has just started. At that time, Humble support told me this was working as intended.

If you pause, the benefits remain until the next month starts. EDIT: I don't actually know. Likely not.

6 years ago*
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That's interesting. After cancelling, I remember getting a message saying I'll enjoy the monthly benefits until the period I paid for ends, which is very normal in my opinion.

6 years ago
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Thank you for the advice, I've tried it on a few services. For example on one E-selling site. What should I do if I wanted to automate the process again so I can make another purchase? Seems to me on that page, there's the option to opt out but not opt back in. I went and check on the E-Seller and under payment options, i see no details.

I'll make another purchase within this month though. So when paying I'll just use Paypal and the process will be automated again? If you're not sure its alright. I havent done it for Humble though. I've stopped automate for Steam, E-Seller and Google, somehow google asked for my payment details. I cant remember what I did for that.
Sincere Regards and Cheers, Cruse~

6 years ago
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Seems to me on that page, there's the option to opt out but not opt back in.

That's the entire point of that page. To opt back in you have to go to the vendor's side and resubscribe, aka redo the same process you did last time when you got subscribed.

I'll make another purchase within this month though. So when paying I'll just use Paypal and the process will be automated again?

That should probably do it. It varies from vendor to vendor but, if last time you bought from them you got a subscription, this time should work as well.

6 years ago
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Thank you for the reply, I guess the subscription here is basically making a payment. I still don't get why google has an automated payment from me. Not like I purchase more options on google mail or anything. Regards and Cheers, Cruse~

6 years ago
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You're welcome.

There are different types of payments. The risky type is the one requiring an upfront agreement that the vendor can have direct access to your payment source, meaning you agree they can charge whatever they want for upcoming payments without your input. Usually they are required to clearly specify that somewhere on their payment page. If they don't, PayPal still shows you it's a payment agreement not a one-time payment and asks you if you agree. If you do and forget about it, that's on you and some vendors will be delighted to have active subscriptions at one-click distance.

The point is not many are reading the details or the fine print, even though these things are specified at least one time during the whole payment process. At the end of the day this is based on trust and you have complete control over who deserves your trust and who doesn't.

6 years ago
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In the past, Monthly benefits end immediately when you cancel. Even if the month you paid for has just started. At that time, Humble support told me this was working as intended.

Wait.. WHAT?! oO
I am cancelling my subscription to the end of my subscription, so that my subscription does not get renewed. But until my subscription ends (and I already paid for that period), I have access to the service I paid for and am subscribed to. At least that is how things run here in the EU. If IGN does anything else, it is against EU law.

6 years ago
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I went and looked. It was way back at the beginning of the year. (I don't know how it works now.)

I said:

So if I do nothing, I get the discount from my January purchase until the date for February.
But if I decide I'm not interested in February and pause my subscription, I lose the discount right away?
Is this a recent change? It seems like before it lasted until the next month either way.

They said:

All of that is correct. This isn't anything new, but it's something in the monthly system that we're looking into making improvements on. as it can be a bit confusing. Sorry again, let me know if you have any more questions!

6 years ago
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Thanks, I removed all others before except Humble bundle and Netflix...cleared everything out now

6 years ago
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It's become second nature to me that no matter who it is or how trustable the provider is, be it GoDaddy, Oracle, HB or anyone else, I always cancel the agreements on the PayPal's side. The reason is simple enough: I've had way too many "mistakes" happen to me, to the degree I no longer believe in "mistakes". So, better safe than sorry.

6 years ago
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If you are at GoDaddy, it might be smart to put domain names on autorenewal though.
Otherwise you run the risk of losing it.

6 years ago
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Autorenewal is useful for those not keeping track of their stuff or forgetting about having to renew. By renewing manually, I'm actually saving a few hundred bucks a year, because autorenewal does it at the list price while I make use of the discounts available at the time of renewal.

6 years ago
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Thanks, I apparently had 2 I did not know about.
Though I don't have humblebundle since I always check new bundle every month, if I want I let it go through if I don't I pause it for a month.

6 years ago
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Monitoring that page is very beneficial on the long term so I recommend you visit it regularly, especially if you subscribe to various things from time to time. Some providers require an active no questions asked charging agreement giving them full access to your payment source.

6 years ago
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That's for certain.

Basically, I had Crunchyroll and Naruto Online.
And I'm pretty certain I never agreed for either of them to be there.

Edit bookmark your comment as a permalink so I can always return to this page in future.
Thanks again.

6 years ago*
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thanks, I had lots of things there!

6 years ago
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Thank you, this information was a godsend.
Never knew this was a thing until now.

6 years ago
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Thanks a million, I always wondered if there was a place in PP page where those auto payments are listed. I found some very fishy merchants in that list and still even HB, although I haven't been on any subscription for 2 years... Highly suggest everyone to check these settings

6 years ago
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I find the idea of autopayments to be an alien concept. If anyone is going to get money out of me, it is going to be with my express permission. That, or me being unconscious.

On the other hand, I don't mind people automatically giving me money. It's nice to have my paychecks direct-deposited. )

6 years ago
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The idea itself is not a bad one, the problem is that lots of vendors keep making "mistakes" and people end up being charged or overcharged without knowing. And trust is a very fragile and volatile thing so if you end up being mistakenly charged several times by different vendors you tend to take precautions against such "mistakes".

6 years ago
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it really depends - autopayments can be helpful for stuff you know you gotta pay anyway every month for example - I have them set up for my phone, internet, electricity, rent and other bills like that - I gotta pay them anyway each and every month, happened opnce or twice in the past that I forgot and had to pay more because of being late, not to mention having your internet disabled for 2 weeks because you were late 3 days with your payment is not so fun ;p

So yeah - I actually like the idea of autopayments, I just don't like idea of vendors offering subscriptions, especially the ones where you can only get subscription without an option to just buy a single month/year etc, in this case it is especially designed in hope that you forget and get billed extra time.

6 years ago
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That was sort of the point I was trying to make. My "control" of my wallet is more important to me than making sure my bills get paid if I forget. (I make it a point to remember, of course.) I suppose the fact that I am on a shoe-string budget, and therefore have to scrimp and save in order to pay my bills, may have something to do with it.

6 years ago
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6 years ago
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This might be simply a mistake by Humble, I'm sure you can cancel this subscription. ;)
Please let us know how this turned out.

6 years ago
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Humble support is really helpful. I've refunded a game a year after buying it even.

You'll get your money back.

6 years ago
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Just curious, how did that happen, and why?

6 years ago
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Prey. The game never worked right and I had controller issues. I begged them for a refund, acknowledging that I was way outside of the refund period but I hadn't put in more than 2 hours due to the technical issues. I really didn't think I would get my money back but they gave it to me.

Couldn't put it back on my credit card, so they gave me humble wallet credit instead which is just as good imo.

6 years ago
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Well, Humble Bundle just charged me $12 for one month, but the point is that I've canceled my subscription months ago.

6 years ago
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I removed my credit cart info right after buying my monthly subscription :o

6 years ago
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6 years ago
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did you forgot that you get automatically charged after your subscription expires? it written there all over it.

6 years ago
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I am on a month-to-month...didn't you read that
Humble bundle switched me to a yearly subscription and then billed my instantly

6 years ago*
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Speaking of fraud is defamation, in my opinion.
Contact the support, be polite, and they will certainly refund you.

6 years ago
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That's not how defamation works.

6 years ago
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Humble bundle switched me to a yearly subscription and then billed my instantly
It wasn't there this morning at around 3:00 AM...then 6:42 AM...bam I get billed

I'm sorry...but its hard to be polite

6 years ago*
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I understand it but as long as you are on the right side it's better to stay there, right? Terms violations and fraud are different things ;)
Every time I bought something by mistake (or I regretted the purchase) they have issued a refund, don't worry.

6 years ago
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Thanks

6 years ago
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Dont be polite to those jackals. Humble was nice place before ign, now they are revoking keys because of their price bugs, charging people for deactive subscription etc.

6 years ago
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Humble was nice place before ign

Lol

Also, happy cake day!

6 years ago
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Just contact their support. I bought a 60 euro game from them which was simply so badly optimized that even on an OP pc it was lagging like some kind of 80's robot dance.
Agreed with them to remove the game from steam and they refunded me all 60 euro, the money arrived 7 days later in my bank account.

6 years ago
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Check that the game keys are untouched (if you received any after this payment). This might be someone hacking your account to get some keys and resell them.

6 years ago
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i got an email 2-3 months ago about automatic renewal of my subscription on a certain date
i think you deleted that email

6 years ago
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I'd like to chime in with a different view.
Make sure your HB account is not hacked. Do you have 2 factor on?
Please change your password and contact the support, and explain the situation. HB support is quite good.

I have a feeling that somebody had an unauthorised access to your account and they enabled the yearly plan. I'm monthly sub from almost 1.5 years and if you are on month to month, it should never just become a yearly sub.

Please check this angle and stay safe.

6 years ago
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Here is a Reddit thread with 10+ different users reporting that they were charged on Friday even though they paused this month. One user in that thread is also reporting that they were switched to an annual plan last month without their knowledge, much like the OP of this thread.

Threads about Humble charging people that have paused or canceled subscriptions have been popping up on here and on Reddit every single month for some time now. It is always wise not to assume malice when something can be explained by stupidity, but at this point, it is clear that one or the other is at play over at Humble.

6 years ago
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I also didn't like their response and have posted the link above. It's almost like they were doing me a favor.
Now I wait again for 7-10 days, lets see how that goes

6 years ago
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Just checked the thread to see if there was any development and saw your latest update... really rude... if you were clearly on a monthly plan and the website auto-subbed you to yearly, they should have been apologizing, not threatening not to ever refund you in the future again...

tbh, even the stories of auto-renewals while paused made me delete my cc/paypal info from the website every time I paused... I'm kind of unwilling to buy anything from them when I see all these support emails insulting customers for a while now. And I've been their customer since HiB#1.

6 years ago
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That sounds like a class action lawsuit waiting to happen.

6 years ago
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That reply from them is pretty screwed up. They could have at least taken an extra minute with a personalized reply rather than use a canned reply that they seem to use on everyone else. I think I'm done with Humble Bundle now. Between their revoked keys lately and this rudeness I'll take what few game transactions that I make elsewhere.

6 years ago
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Their automatic email already says they are issuing the refund.
I doubt that they subbed you without you signing up for that renewal period somehow.

6 years ago
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The only thing I did not do was pause this month because I wanted MGS, exactly what I did last month. Also this did not happen last year...makes me wonder

6 years ago
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Check your email. Maybe you got a "thanks for subbing to the yearly sub" or something.

6 years ago
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6 years ago
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I'm glad they fixed it!

6 years ago
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Crystal sounds like she used to work at Steam Support. ;)

6 years ago
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Thanks to this thread I discovered that Humble has charged me for the December bundle despite me having put my Monthly on pause two weeks ago already. Sigh, I guess it's my turn to see if they'll make this "one-time exception" for me.

6 years ago
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Hello,

Thank you for contacting us here at Humble Bundle Support!

As per our Terms of Service, all payments on the Monthly Bundles are final. In this case, I did make a one time exception for the current month > and have issued a refund of $12. Please note that it may take 7-10 business days to receive the funds back. (This exception means we won't be > able to consider refunds on future Monthly bundles)
In addition to the refund, I have ensured that your subscription has been canceled, so you won’t be charged again in the future.

Well, I am glad that I've got my money back.

6 years ago
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Note that they will not process any refund request regarding Monthly after this one time, regardless of whose error it is, and it sucks big time.

6 years ago
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the answer is copy paste sent to people who didn't realize they had to unsubscribe from the one month sub plan to not get charged the next month. so not that condescending all things considered, just business as usual.
just happens that this time the fuckup was larger because of their abusive unwarranted month to year auto-change. that's wrong of them, but they did refund you in the end.

6 years ago
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Closed 6 years ago by magicmase.