GetResponse at GetResponse.com is one of the most incredibly deceptive companies I’ve seen online in a long long time. These guys use crooked tactics and tricks in order to use your newsletter list to make money, and prevent paid members from canceling by providing no…that’s correct NO way to cancel without contacting them via chat, or phone.

When you sign up with this company for either a trial or fully paid membership they automatically offer your users “sponsored” newsletters. The company sells this service to others so these are advertisements. So they by default display ads on your paid service, hide the opt out box, and profit from your users without consent. (maybe it’s in there TOS) but comon this is shady everyone will agree.

If that wasn’t bad enough they totally disallow the user (you the paid customer) the ability to cancel your account online. Yes that is right…they don’t allow you to cancel your subscription!!! Only they have the privilege to cancel your subscription. So you must call and wait in que, or wait in que in chat in order to cancel. Don’t believe me? Read Chat Log…

Once you finally go through all the trouble of canceling your subscription they have yet another deceptive trick up their sleeve. If you log back in you see a message that attempts to confuse you to re-sign up using confusing font’s color, and layout. This is what you will see…by default the “I accept that my credit card will be auto re-billed” is checked. but it looks like you are simply confirming your cancellation, but in stead you are being confused with the hopes that you will sign back up.

GetResponse Deception

Melissa Myrick:   Support Operator
Melissa Myrick:   Hello Joe Blow:   . How may I help you?
Joe Blow:    Need help canceling my account
Melissa Myrick:    Ok may I ask what has lead to this decision today?
Joe Blow:    no
just need help
it seems to be “hidden”
Melissa Myrick:   I can cancel the account for you, I was just wondering why you no longer wish to use our service
Joe Blow:    where is the option on the web interface
Melissa Myrick:   You stop the renewal on your account in the billing section
You will continue to have access to the account until your billing period has ended
Joe Blow:    i see upgrade of course but not cancel
what wording does it use?
Melissa Myrick:   I apologize, that option is not available on your side, only we can cancel the accounts.
We just request that you contact us within 2 business days prior to your next payment will be deducted
Joe Blow:    so only you…can cancel the account… the customer must contact the company directly?
Melissa Myrick:   Correct.
Joe Blow:    Wow thats some poor practice
do i at least get a confirmation?
Melissa Myrick:   Yes you receive an email confirmation within 2 days of the cancellation request.
Joe Blow:    ok cancel my account then
Melissa Myrick:   Would you like me to cancel the account
May I have your loggin please
Joe Blow:    jblow
Melissa Myrick:   ###-###-#### is this a number where you can be reached?
Joe Blow:    yea
are you telling me you have to call me an confirm?
Melissa Myrick:   I have stopped the billing effective today. The request has been submitted to cancellations and you will continue to have access to the account until the current billing period has ended. You will receive a confirmation email in 1-2 business days.

In summation GetResponse is incredibly incredibly deceptive in their practices, and while the company has a decent product their secondary practices or “schemes” to get every penny they can from the customer with no regard to common practices and standard marketing procedures is despicable.

Hours later… i get another email from them this is what they says i need to further confirm that I want to cancel again, otherwise they may re-instate my account.

Where you are a valued client we would like
to offer you one month free of service!

However, if you still wish to cancel, please
let me know and I will have our billing
department process your request as soon
as possible. The renewal of your account
has been stopped and the account stays
open until the end of the paid subscription
period. Please note if the number of contacts
for which you originally paid is exceeded
at that time, the list extension fee will be
charged.

So in laymen s terms, if i do not clear out my contact list on their site they will re-instate my account and further charge me.

To their credit GetResponse has called me and said that they have discussed offering the standard cancellation options that other companies employ. They also stated that other such companies offer some sort of “sponsored” listing options whereby other companies can promote their newsletters withing other users newsletters, although we don’t know if this is by default or without compensation. Not sure. Software does work well, they just need to clean up their act a little bit.