Couchsurfing International
Reviews and Complaints

Unfortunately, my experience with Couchsurfing has been extremely negative. They withdrew $60 from my account without my consent or any warning. I was simply trying to explore the lifetime guarantee option and accidentally clicked the button, after which the money was taken automatically. I'm very disappointed with this approach to users. Please refund my money!

On September 6, 2024, $60 was charged from my account during the verification process on your website. However, it was not clearly stated that there would be a fee for the verification. I was under the impression that the verification would be free.

I kindly request a refund of the $60, as I was not properly informed about the charge. If the verification is a paid feature, please remove the payment verification option from my account.

I hope for your understanding and prompt resolution of this matter.

I wanted to get verification for my CS account. I tried the "bank card verification" and it wasn't explained that they may take me money ! Eventually they took 56$ from my card without any expression of consent from myself. They refuse to refund me and they closed the conversation we had online ...

I ask for refund !

CouchSurfinh tells new members they can get added benefits by “verifying” their profiles. Verifying your identity is done using credit card. CS forgets to clearly mention it actually costs. CS just grabs your money every year from then on, if you ended on having an annual plan.

I have done this because I thought it was just an ID verification without any costs added, as it doesn't say anywhere that it will cost me 56€! This is fraud!

I am wanting to complain about when i opened a new account with couchsurfers I was asked to verify my account after signing up with the minimum terms of £2.51. I noticed soon after that I had £51 removed from my account. I have requested my money back but was refused. I have requested on numerous times for access to the complaints procedure and have been refused access to it.

Less than 24 hours ago they charged me $60 without my consent.

They asked me to verify my card. I did and was later charged $60. They didn’t say I would be charged that much nor did they say it was non refundable.

They are not helping in customer service, and it’s outside my bank hours so I will follow up with bank Monday. They stole $60 from me without my consent or knowledge.

On Sunday 13th August 2023 at 21.10 hrs IST - I was asked to pay a life time fee of INR 87 to verify my account on couchsurfing but after entering my card details i have been charged an amount of INR 4500. Please reverse these charges.at the earliest. I am not accepting this verification fee and do not want to verify my account . https://couchsurfing.page.link/7127vuawJtbb7pJq7

To Couchsurfing International, Inc., Attn: Legal Department, 548 Market St, PMB 86600, San Francisco, Califronia, [protected] US:

I hereby give notice that I withdraw from my contract of sale for the provision of the following service,

Couchsurfing Lifetime Verification

elena.[protected]@gmail.com

57.51€

Ordered on 6.08.2023

Name of consumer:

Olena Vitkovska

Address of consumer:

Eva-Maria-Mazzucco Platz 4 Top 55

8.08.2023

The transaction did not occur in accordance with EU regulations that require all online transactions above 30€ a two-step verification.

https://europa.eu/youreurope/business/finance-funding/making-receiving-payments/electronic-cash-payments/index\_en.htm).

Since your support team has not been cooperative, I am ready to take a legal action to defend my consumer rights unless you return me the money.

Yours sincerely,

Olena Vitkovska

I got charged without knowing. I did not see anywhere that stated it would take $60. I was under the assumption that they would take my card info like apple store just to verify it's a valid credit card. I did not know they would take money from me! Sent a email back to ask for refund, declined by couchsurfing

European Laws demands companies to provide the option for a refund within the first 14 days of the purchase.

Do not download the Couch Surfing app or sign up for this app. They are total scammers. Once you have your account set up they will ask if you want to verify your account. They will offer you two options. With two buttons. One is verified through Facebook and the other one says verify with credit card. Being that the Facebook verification would be free I assumed that they would only verify my Couchsurfing account using my credit card information, free of charge. It was not transparent that they would charge $60 once I hit that button. I asked for Couchsurfing to reimburse that and they denied my request. I am having to dispute it through my credit card now. This apparently is a very common problem because I see it all over the internet. I think couch surfing started out as a reputable app and it has turned into a greedy money grab.

Lack of transparency

I had more than 200 positive references and 0 negative references. I've contributed a lot to CS, organizing events, hosting lot of people and growing up the community here I currently live, because when i arrived it was totally dead. Many people through me join CS and I've done so many strong connections with many good people.

I become ambassador and I was starting to host many people, I did had a issue with one couchsurfer and when I did send the evidences they didn't believe because they were telling that the screenshots were raising lots of doubts. I had more proves and they didn't take actions. I did organizing one event and one guy from Bulgaria didn't even know me and wrote them about the couchsurfer and after that they removed the negative reference through a third party. I felt hurt because they wouldn't reinstate my title of ambassador and they told me to wait 6 months for reconsideration.. While I was frustrated with all the situation and false statements that the couchsurfer did about me, I did respect and move forward.

2 days ago suddenly, they cancel all my events that I had for my upcoming trips and I couldn't access to the platform, and when I contacted them, they reply: Your profile was been removed due to terms of violation.

I've asked them again and the same answer. Telling that was a very serious violation when I did nothing wrong..

No more explanation, as simple as that.

I've been a very active member that built a big community and now they don't want to welcome me anymore in the app, when they are many couchsurfers who are being toxic and disrespectful with many other members inside the app.

Everything I build by myself was destroyed and they don't recognise my efforts, values and dedications inside the platform. CS should not be like this. I even don't deserve another chance which is unfair.

Rumours from a friend that one ambassador got his profile reported and got removed due to a violation regarding sexual harassment. After they give him back the profile and the ambassador title.. But no ones talks about it, and so many stories regarding the person who is in the safe and trust headquarters providing services who is using multiples names as Gigi, Renne and so on.

Also we are paying contributions for having this type of service where we have lack of transparency and having the same all replies without a clear explanation? They don't want to listen what we have to say. If someone report you because they don't like you, how they will know if they are not lying to screw up your reputation?

They are multiples cases of people suffering with the same situation and couchsurfer is losing millions of users these nowadays.

The contributions are going to where? Maybe to a certain person who is travelling with our payments...

This is what you get when you are good member and they want to stop you to keep doing your good work..

You send emails and they try to avoid answering, people that you consider friends they care about you and they don't even help. They just care about themselves.

They took me everything, it's hurting me a lot but Karma someday will solve everything.

Hope that Couchsurfing someday have some drastical changes for everyone have a better organization, humble, ready to listen and provide more support. I'm feeling very disappointed with everything that is happening in couchsurfing.

Telling this, please be aware of such things.

That's why Cs is literally loosing a lot of people so quickly, when they removed them for the app without giving explanation and don't even give another chance ...

Nothing more to relate.

Hello. Today is Sat, the 1st of July, 2023. I made a PayPal Identity Verification for COUCHSURFING but I didn't know that I have to pay for it! There was nothing that indicated that! I need my money back! I can't afford this at all! I really need it! Sorry for the misunderstanding! Thank you in advance! Best Wishes Heidi Christina Thiesgen PS: Transaktionscode 6E405495D4506770T Transaktionsdatum 01.07.2023 15:29:10 MESZ Händler CouchSurfing International, Inc. [protected]@couchsurfing.com [protected]

Same as under complaints under Verification payment/subscription.

I want the refund for this. Please help me too! Already talk to their customer service, but seems it didnt want to help to refund. Without mentioning the cost for the lifetime subscription, then simply charged my credit card. is it the California law can be use to me? Im outside USA.

Today (may 29th 2023) i wanted to buy a monthly subscription for couchsurfing, and i clicked on the MONTHLY one but you charged me for a early subscription, so instead of 1250 tenge (which is about $3) i got charged 27400 tenge (which is around $60). Also the transaction was not completed through 2 factor authentication, meaning that i did not recieve any codes to my phone number to complete it. The money got charged immediately. I want to get a full refund

Hi I’d like to ask full refund of €56 back to my bank account immediately. I made it by mistake. This is a big mistake. I only wanted to pay €2,99. It’s a big mistake. Please give me full refund back to my account immediately.
Receipt from Couchsurfing International, Inc
Receipt #[protected]
AMOUNT PAID
€56.00
DATE PAID
Apr 19, 2023, 5:28:34 PM
PAYMENT METHOD
Mastercard - 4846
SUMMARY
Couchsurfing Lifetime Verification [protected]@gmail.com €56.00
Amount charged €56.00

I thought it was a simple
Verification of account without having to pay. It didn’t tell me or inform me that I need to pay it just right away ask for my payment information I was so confused why I got charged and I want my money back. I have sent an email on April 19,2023 and nobody get back with me. It’s like my case was just ignored. I didn’t feel heard. Ths is so frustrating for me. (#1822195) One of the many cases that were already created. I was in Madrid Spain for holiday when I installed the app for the first time and now I just got back in Denmark

I logged onto Couchsurfing after a number of inactive years, as I was looking for some accommodation. The site informed me that I now had to pay for the service, and I thought this was reasonable, so I signed up for their monthly subscription. I was then asked if I wanted to verify my account. It was not made at all clear that this would cost me £51! I would never have agreed to that if it had been clear. I would like a refund.

I am one of the very old users. Didnt use the account past 3 years but now logged in again. I was fine to pay 3.30 euro per month to host people.

But surprise.

They took down 69 euro from my account without my consent. Big time scammers and very sad to someone who used to love the community and met amazing people on the way.

R.I.P. couch surfing.

I was randomly surfing and found this website Couchsurfing website which simply said to create an account and in that process debited an amount of 4.8k Indian Rupees. I wrote to them that I'm least interested in the website and I do not want to use their service as it's not of any use to me they simply did not bother responding and closed the tickets

Ticket : https://support.couchsurfing.org/hc/en-us/requests/1754715

account link : https://www.couchsurfing.com/people/saravana-kumar-53

@

I was mislead by the complicated yet smooth verification process. I am from a developing country and those 60 USD were half my monthly salary. I need the money I never thought verification would cost money. I would have never downloaded the app innthe first place if I knew I would be that scam. i thought entering my paypal account would be for any further payments for later not for a direct payment. It was not mentioned any where! Please refund my money I am desperate and need it.

Couchsurving credit 56euros from my bank account without asking permission.

I've sent them an email for refund and they answered that they do not refund.

The problem is that there was no notification that the verification cost 56euros!

There was just a question "Would you like to verify your account" I clicked "yes" 1 day after I found out they took 56euros thank to my banc account app.