I signed up for a free trial of a digital service and only used it once to evaluate its features. After that, I completely forgot about it due to the lack of clear reminders or notifications regarding the trial's end and the automatic transition to a paid subscription. I was shocked to discover a charge of PHP 710.59 on my card on 12/11/2025. Upon receiving the first payment notification, I quickly accessed my account and cancelled the subscription. I haven’t utilized the service since that initial test. I reached out to the support team to request a refund, detailing that: I used the service only once, I did not receive any notification about the trial ending, I cancelled immediately after seeing the first charge. However, their responses were repetitive and merely directed me back to their Terms and Conditions concerning auto-renewal. There was no consideration for my situation, no goodwill gesture, and no flexibility, despite my clear intention not to maintain a long-term subscription and my minimal usage. For a digital service, I anticipated at least a reminder about the trial's conclusion and a more empathetic response from support, especially regarding the first charge following a trial. Instead, I was left with an unintended charge for a service I barely used. As a result of this experience, I had to dispute the transaction with my bank and file a complaint with the relevant authorities to address such practices. I’m sharing this to inform others: Be cautious with free trials, Don’t expect a reminder when it’s about to end, and Don’t anticipate much flexibility from support if you forget to cancel in time. Personally, I will not use this service again or recommend it to others.
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