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eMusic.com

eMusic.com review: Unauthorized billing! 86

T
Author of the review
12:00 am EST
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This review was chosen algorithmically as the most valued customer feedback.

Billed $9.99 to my visa that was not authorized and caused my account to run over and add an additional $64.00 in charges
now the company is refusing to even email me to fix the situation and i am out $73.99 and counting. There is no such thing as a free trial!

86 comments
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Cheryl James
Jun 26, 2008 2:37 pm EDT

I did call to stop any charges to my account which seems to have been totally ignored.

The last 8 digits of my debit card is [protected]. I would appreciate if you would stop charging my account. You owe me back $19.98. I also put in a dispute with my bank not to allow any more charges from your company.

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Monti
Jul 02, 2008 10:07 am EDT

I can't wait for Chase/sony to come after these people. I am so sick and tired of having to send an email to this dipstick to remove my name and credit card. I too am contacting the BBB to have them investigated.

This company better get a better grip on their accounting practices. Matter of fact, maybe the IRS would like to know what they are doing also!

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jackie gipson
Jul 05, 2008 8:03 pm EDT

I want my subscription canceled immediately. I already cancelled once and you are still takin money out of my account. Here are the last four of my card 8329. The amount should be credited to my account.

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Kenny
Jul 16, 2008 3:43 am EDT

FYI, you can find details of the actual steps to cancel your account online (their own FAQ is outdated and doesn't give the proper directions) as well as telephone numbers which other customers have successfully used to cancel their accounts.

http://www.essistme.com/2007/05/02/how-to-cancel-emusiccom-free-trial-subscription

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Kurt Kemmling
Aug 09, 2008 8:43 pm EDT

I was also SCAMMED by emuSICK! These people need to be STOPPED! I suggest we all complain to the Internet Crimes Complaint Center at http://www.ic3.gov/ and also the FBI Internet Fraud Center at http://www.fbi.gov/majcases/fraud/internetschemes.htm

If we do not let the government know we are serious, they will not take serious action against emusic!

Do it for the principle and to STOP THESE THEIVES from hurting others!

THEY CAN RUIN YOUR CREDIT if you allow them...

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robbie
Aug 13, 2008 3:09 am EDT

Similar story to everyone else. I took the eMusic free trial 4 years ago, downloaded the free quota then cancelled and forgot all about it. I tried to get another free trial in December but was told my credit card was already registered on the site and I could not use it for a free trial. I left it there, I'd done nothing to suggest I wished to re-register and received no notification from eMusic.

Four months later I noticed the eMusic charge on my CC bill and attempted to cancel the account. I couldn't, I emailed and explained there must have been a mistake, why were they charging me, I did not want to re-register etc. I was told I was not eligible to receive a refund under the eMusic terms and conditions but the account would be cancelled. The account was not cancelled and they continued to charge me for two more months. More emails of complaint and I finally had my account closed and they were able to refund the charges made to my account AFTER I had been to it was cancelled.

The thing that stings me the most is I never downloaded anything from them in that entire four month period. I never received an email confirming the activation of the account or the cancellation and attempting to cancel through the site seems like the most pointless exercise imaginable.

Worst company ever.

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SCOTT HOFSTRA
Sep 26, 2008 3:57 pm EDT

CANCEL MY SUBSCRIPTION TO EMUSIC THANKS

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Cerivs
Sep 29, 2008 9:40 pm EDT

EMusic automatically, and without authorization, renewed my subscription and charge a fee for their service upon logging into my OLD acct to see their catalog selection on 9/20, at the prompt of one of their numerous e-mails as I had a credit of over 150 songs from various affiliates/vendors.
Upon seeing this, I immediately cancelled the acct., noting it as the reason for canceling when the automated system asked "why I was cancelling?", however they still charged my CC acct based on info from my old account record which reflected an expired CC#. I attempted to have the ($11.99) subscription charge reversed on 9/29, when it appeared on my credit card charges.
I called and spoke to their billing & customer service, but their agent* refused to refund the funds, saying he would reactivate the acct so I "could take advantage of the membership as it was set to expire 10/20 since I had already been charged. I have referred this to my credit card company (AMEX) for deliberation of a refund unless I hear otherwise, since I feel that their procedures are poor business practice.
For info, the number I called for customer support was [protected] and I did speak to a real person*, but don't hold your breath getting help as they seem to be instructed to decline any and all refunds!

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Cerivs
Sep 29, 2008 9:43 pm EDT

EMusic automatically, and without authorization, renewed my subscription and charged a fee for their service upon logging into my OLD acct to see their catalog selection on 9/20, at the prompt of one of their numerous e-mails as I had a credit of over 150 songs from various affiliates/vendors.
Upon seeing this, I immediately cancelled the acct., noting it as the reason for canceling when the automated system asked "why I was cancelling?", however they still charged my CC acct based on info from my old account record which reflected an expired CC#. I attempted to have the ($11.99) subscription charge reversed on 9/29, when it appeared on my credit card charges.
I called and spoke to their billing & customer service, but their agent* refused to refund the funds, saying he would reactivate the acct so I "could take advantage of the membership as it was set to expire 10/20 since I had already been charged. I have referred this to my credit card company (AMEX) for deliberation of a refund unless I hear otherwise, since I feel that their procedures are poor business practice.
For info, the number I called for customer support was [protected] and I did speak to a real person*, but don't hold your breath getting help as they seem to be instructed to decline any and all refunds!

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Melody Walker
Oct 02, 2008 7:50 am EDT

When I realized that most of the music that was available was not by the original artists I canceled my account. They just keep billing you. Don't ever get mixed up with them. It is not worth the hassle.

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Joy Bradshaw
Oct 14, 2008 10:20 am EDT

I totally agree! There is no such website... and the phone number has message choices that is barely audible...When you are finally able to understand the option to contact them at: (cancelme@emusic.com) There is no such address! Aren't there laws for this kind of CROOKED BUSINESS! ?

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kelly noles
Nov 19, 2008 3:45 pm EST

i continue to be charged for this. i have never used it. please cancel my subscription immediately.

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alesha canfield
Oak Hill, US
Jan 15, 2009 8:24 am EST

billed befoe trial downloads i want it canceled

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scammedbyemusic
Beverly Hills, US
Jan 26, 2009 8:42 pm EST

Oh man...I sooo wish I read this before I did their "free" trial. They took my money as well. I sigend up, saw that it was junk, and canceled. They kept taking my money and I'm still trying to get it back. How can they get away with all this?

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Chris Graves
Georgetown, US
Feb 03, 2009 3:11 pm EST

Well, I just got charged $99 dollars, unauthorized, on Jan. 29, 09. They said it was from a free trial I signed up for on Jan 07. Freaking 2 years ago. Get this 1 song was download over 2 years. I did not authorize it or had even heard of the song downloaded. They won't refund the money. Now I have to wait for their CORP office to call me, what a SCAM!

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rsbuscemi
San Fraancisco, US
Feb 11, 2009 2:10 pm EST

I was duped by an email inviting me to 'check out a new offer' and one click later I was billed - it turns out that they had kept my billing information from a prior account which I had cancelled. When I called customer support to request a refund I was told that it was not the company's policy to provide refunds and that I should have known this from the terms of service. No terms of service were offered through the online sign up and there was no authorization for a charge that I assented to.

So I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau of New York (where emusic is now based) and with my Representative's office (Pelosi) as well as with my bank. This is a great opportunity to make an example of an online business that is engaging in shady business practices. When we cancel an account all of our information should be deleted from the companies records and servers.

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mellrocks
Cranston, US
Mar 20, 2009 8:08 pm EDT

YEARS back I had a free trial subscription to EMUSIC, and cancelled after the trial. Just last week, they send an email to my OLD account from back then, which I barely use now and am trying to do away with saying to come back. I go to click on it to be removed from the mailing list, and it automatically takes me to a page that says 'Thanks for signing up'. I didn't agree to that! How is that even legal!? First off, shouldn't you have to confirm signing up? And what if that was someone else's email address now? It's been at least 3 years! That means that someone could access all my info and I could possibly have my identity stolen! How dare this company do that!? I cancelled the minute after and wrote them a complaint. Basically, they said it was too bad, I clicked on the link and they were charging me for that month! I didn't download anything! I sent a dispute to my credit card company, but I think this company should get in trouble, especially for storing personal information after accounts have been cancelled for years, and allowing personal information to be easily accessible! I'd be willing to file a suit; any lawyers interested, please contact me. This practice by them needs to be stopped before identities get stolen!

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blah
Nottingham, GB
Apr 08, 2009 7:53 am EDT

my story is exactly the same as rsbuscemi's above. although it happened to me about 6 months ago.

i received an email inviting to rejoin emusic with 75 free mp3s, 2 clicks later i had been billed for 1 month. they still had my credit card details on file 6 months after i had cancelled a free trial.

i emailed emusic and they basically said tough, we dont do refunds as per t's and c's section blah blah.
i emailed them the link to this thread saying what a bunch of scammers they were.

i did complain to i think the better business bureau but didnt hear anything, i put it off to bad experience and made sure i opted out of all emails from them.

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FiOS-Dave
Valley Stream, US
Apr 23, 2009 11:05 pm EDT

Yes, another dissatisfied customer!
I tried their "free trial" and attempted to download several tracks.
Each track was terminated improperly. I tried cancelling online but couldn't
find where to do it. so I e-mailed them on the next business day, which was now one day past the trial limit.
You guessed it... they billed me the $11.99 and refuse to credit it back.
So now I have six unplayable tracks, a bill for $11.99 and an extremely sour taste in my mouth...

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Maribel Reyes
Hartford, US
May 14, 2009 5:48 pm EDT

this is the second time ive been charge for my acct i cancelled this acct 2 months ago and im still getting charged please make sure u know what you are doing make sure that the cancellayion went thru because every month im getting overdraft money because of you guys and i dont think its fare

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gchs
US
Jun 17, 2009 6:30 pm EDT

I will also be contacting agencies that have been noted on here to help consumers. I have never had such a run around in my life. Is there any law that protects "minors" from "free trials?" My son was allowed to join and they do not ask if the customer is of legal age! I know I am responsible for my child's actions but, it is impossible to get them to be held responsible for ethical practices!

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fiteprogram
Tacoma, US
Jul 15, 2009 6:39 pm EDT

So I see that I'm not the only one that was scammed by eMusic. My complaint is similar to other's experience in that I entered my debit bank card cc information into the membership form, but never hit the submit button. I instead hit the back button and then never worried about a transaction completing. I did sign back on later and used a different (pra paid) cc to sign up for a year membership at $99 a pop (which I haven't been able to download one song properly, but anywho - BUYER BEWARE.)

I discovered that eMusic was charging my bank debit card 11.99 each month. They initially agreed to refund 2 of the 3 charges which I agreed to just to be done with the whole deal. They issued me a cancelation number and I'll be d***ed if they didn't charge my card again that night for membership services they hoped to render over the next 30 days, which resulted in a negative bank balance fee.

I don't normally live that close to the edge of my budget, but did so as a result of a move. In this economy, I notice that people are literally stealing dimes to make sure they don't go under. In the case of eMusic, the dimes are adding up and I'm sure that this fraudulent behavior is keeping their business afloat. I used the customer toll free number listed on my banking transaction record to contact a rep in person. During one of those conversation exchanges I was hung up on at one point for calmly disagreeing with the customer service reps claims that they do not issue refunds.

I sent in my last set of complaints via email requesting that eMusic refund the last 11.99 charged after my pseudo membership was canceled along with the $35 banking fee.

While I'm grateful to recover the direct bill charges for a service that I did not complete an online transaction for, I'm PISSED about not recovering the banking fees. eMusic does harm to it's customers with their business practices and are not ashamed of it. How can consumers band together to keep them from getting away with this any longer?

My thought goes to the reputable web vendors that take VERY good care of their customers (Overstock.com is one of these) and wonder what law binds them that eMusic blatantly disregards, while the customer is unaware that the law is in existence? eMusic's practices flies under the radar in that they have the fine print and customer service staff available and are willing to midly take responsibility for their unscrupulous actions, but this doesn't nullify the fact that their business practices are such that they cause financial damages to consumers that they are not willing ot repair. This is probably the best and most thorough thread and documentation that I've seen in regards to eMusic's irresponsibility and will print it along with my documentation to request damage repairs in writing. Now if I can just find out where to send all of this...LOL

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anxiety25
Saint Charles, US
Jul 27, 2009 4:56 am EDT

After reading all of these responses, I am glad I went straight to the BBB rather than trying to fight with them. I was charged for my first trial downloads-$2.50 each! That started at the beginning of this month. Then, I just looked at my balance on my card, and I've got one payment they took out of it for $20.78, and another pending already within a 2 week period.

How can they get away with this with so many complaints against them? I will let you all know how it goes.

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dlynne2
Hamlin, US
Jul 28, 2009 6:41 pm EDT

I was not aware that the e-music was a trial. I don't recall ever getting an e-mail stating that a charge of $9.99 would be applied. I typed in the website information that I got from the 800 number and nowhere did I find THEIR website. Every website that came up was a form to file a complaint...what does THAT tell you?!

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David Mason
Powell, US
Aug 31, 2009 10:32 am EDT

I signed up to receive free downloads during a free trial. I didn't download anything, but still goy charged twice. I am very displeased with emusic. If I don't credited for the charges on my credit card, then emusic is nothing but a scam & rip-off.

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David Mason
Powell, US
Aug 31, 2009 10:32 am EDT

Please cancel my entire account.

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spudsoldier
N. Rustico, CA
Sep 08, 2009 7:34 pm EDT

EMusic has no integrity or ethics. They continue to charge my bank card without my knowledge up to now - I just cancelled my credit card but know i will never get a refund from them.
It is amazing how they can lead you around in circles if you try to cancel and get away with it. I wish I had the financial resourses to go after the ###.

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JMWelke
Puerto Real, US
Oct 21, 2009 12:58 pm EDT
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Without a doubt the worst music sight. The downloads are near impossible to find. The only accurate thing is their billing, they bill promptly, remorselessly, and mercilously

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rocioleon
US
Dec 28, 2009 11:43 am EST

call
[protected]

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rocioleon
US
Dec 28, 2009 11:45 am EST

Please pass this number to all other people who can't cancel their subscription!
Thank God I was finally able to cancel mine!

[protected]

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husker80
Omaha, US
Jan 04, 2010 9:31 am EST

I had sampled emusic twice and had cancelled both times after the trial. I found out too late that they had reactivated my account and had been charging me for seven months. When I called to express my outrage, I was told that I had never cancelled and it was not their responsibility to keep me informed that I still had an active account with them. I demanded a refund, saying I had been charged for services I had never requested nor received, but was refused. The rep ultimately refused to talk to me. I called back, got another rep, and the best she would offer me was a free month. I agreed to that and almost immediately started receiving regular email from eMusic again! Why didn't I receive these when I thought I wasn't subscribing to them? I'm calling them back - if I can't get my refund, I'm contacting the BBB and my state's attorney general's office and filing fraud charges against them.

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J.Lamb
Cape May, US
Jan 11, 2010 2:12 pm EST

Wow! This is insane to see literally the same complaint from everyone on here over and over again!

I just figured out myself that I have been getting charged for the past five months for $11.99 per month after signing up in Aug of '09 for a "free trial." Called emusic to cancel and recoup, and C.S.R. Erica told me I will not be getting any money from them, but she'll be more than happy to cancel my account. I informed her that her company had fraudulently used my card and that they would be hearing from the BBB and Bank of America dispute dept. I've processed my complaints and I'll post the results.

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sigdip
Gainesville, US
Jan 30, 2010 12:55 pm EST

To everyone dupped by eMusic:

Try to report the company to the BBB, after searching for hours, the most reliable address and ph number seems to be:

eMussic
100 Park Avenue
New York, NY [protected]

[protected]

Good luck!

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sschmidt-docsys
Gaithersburg, US
Feb 08, 2010 10:31 am EST

Here's a new twist - I, like many people have more than one email account. Apparently I signed up for a trial account using the same credit card I used on an account I had used a year or so before. I actually used that account for a while but canceled because of eMusic's limited selection. I upgraded to the 19.99 account for the trial, and when I canceled it, they seem to have reactivated the old account. I just realized that they were charging me for the past 6 months (I don't read my credit card statements, do you? Guess I need to start.) Trying to get a refund. They said their corporate office would get back to me in 24-48 hours. I told them I would write reviews for the next 24 - 48 hours.

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Chuck Turner
Sandy, US
Jun 10, 2010 9:37 pm EDT

"I was duped by an email inviting me to 'check out a new offer' and one click later I was billed - it turns out that they had kept my billing information from a prior account which I had cancelled. "

They did the same to me - my experience with the prior account was fine and it was quite clear that you have to cancel before the free trial ends or be charged. I did this and no problems there, was not charged.

But a few months later I got an email offering 75 free downloads if I rejoin and when I clicked more info to check it out, one click later I had been billed - without even logging in or re-entering card details! Very deceptive. I liked emusic and was thinking about rejoining anyway but after this trick I will NEVER use them again.

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AlexMuck2332
US
Aug 19, 2010 2:53 pm EDT

Signed up for the free trial, got billed for the entire month. Customer support claimed that they don't even have a free trial. I send them images of the screen and no reply. DO NOT USE!

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Jake.Innis
Drexel Hill, US
Oct 04, 2010 12:21 pm EDT
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Just filed a request to get the $107.91 back that eMusic has stolen from me. PLEASE, DO NOT USE EMUSIC UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.

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will9
dallas, US
Nov 04, 2010 5:48 pm EDT
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

emusic is a fraudulent company. They are not legit.

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Rolando S. Caguioa
FM
Jan 13, 2011 1:42 pm EST

I Rolando Caguioa, From Guam still charging emusic comp. bills to my credit card visa card. This is an Authorized charging pls. do something about it. Pls review my accounts from excessive charging. tel nu.[protected] cell phone. hus no [protected]

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michelledixon
Peoria, US
Feb 07, 2011 4:00 pm EST
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I have been trying to cancle my account all day and cant seem to do it they charged last month and did not ask if i wanted it they just did it

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