ComplaintsforAmerican Greetings Corporation

Greeting Card Manufacturers

HeadquartersMulti Location Business

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Initial Complaint
10/10/2024
Complaint Type:
Billing Issues
Status:
Answered
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Company Auto Charged my ****** account for the last several years without my knowledge. I was just charge 10/6th. There was no place to request a refund for this current charge on their website. I'm just asking for 29.99 refunded to me. Other years would be my fault. Invoice: ********* AmericanGreetings account number: **********
Business response
10/11/2024
Hello *******,

Thank you for contacting American Greetings Customer Support.

We are sorry if your membership renewal has caused you any inconvenience. Our memberships are designed to automatically renew so that you can enjoy continuous, uninterrupted service as was described in our Terms of Service when you ordered our service.

Your AmericanGreetings.com membership has been closed and a refund of your membership fee has been issued to your credit card. This should appear on your next credit card statement. Your confirmation number is *********.

We hope you will reconsider using our great services and membership benefits in the future.

Thank you,

Shyla *****

Customer Experience Senior Supervisor
One American Boulevard
Westlake, OH 44145
Initial Complaint
10/08/2024
Complaint Type:
Billing Issues
Status:
Resolved
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
I signed up for what was advertised to be a 7-day "Free Trial" during which my credit card would NOT be charged. I did have to supply a credit card in order to sign up for the "Free Trial". I signed up and received an email telling me that my "Free Trial" had begun and, again, that my credit card would NOT be charged until the "Free Trial" ended - unless I cancelled before the end of the "Free Trial." I sent out 3 online greeting cards the same hour that my "Free Trial" began. The next day, I saw on my credit card site that I had been charged $6.99 for a month's membership. I tried calling the American Greetings customer service number, but it said that their offices were closed for a "computer upgrade." I completed a "Contact Us" message on the American Greetings website, asking why I was being charged and requesting a refund. I got NO answer from them for 3 days. Then, they said that they could not find "my account." I cut and pasted the email language that had been sent to me confirming my "Free Trial" again asking for a refund. I received no reply. Then, a day AFTER the "Free Trial" was to end, I got an email saying that while I was sending my first greeting card, "on the third of four screens" I had clicked a button that said "start my membership now." This appears to be an obvious "bait and switch" tactic, if not outright false advertising. I was attempting to send my first e-card on a new site and did not know that what I was clicking would END my "Free Trial" and begin a regular membership. After the "Free Trial" end date, I received an email saying that their policy is NOT to refund memberships. Again, it seems quite unethical, if not illegal, to charge for a service that was NOT wanted or received, when something "Free" had been advertised. It may only be a $6.99 charge, but I believe that it is a matter of principle that people not be led into traps like this. I seek a refund of my $6.99. Thank you!
Business response
10/09/2024
Hello June,

We apologize for any misunderstanding regarding your membership. Members are required to cancel trial memberships during the trial period. Since we did not receive any communication from you before the trial period ended, your account was billed.

As a courtesy, your ********************* membership has been closed and a refund of your membership fee has been issued to your credit card. This should appear on your next credit card statement.

Your confirmation number is *********.

We hope you will reconsider using our great services and membership benefits in the future.

If you have further questions or concerns, don't hesitate to contact us.

Thank you,
*****
Your Customer Support Representative
American Greetings
Customer response
10/09/2024
[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

Better Business Bureau:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that once I see the refund of the $6.99 charge to my card, I will end this dispute.
I await the option of seeing that refund before closing this issue

Regards,

**** *****
Initial Complaint
07/29/2024
Complaint Type:
Billing Issues
Status:
Answered
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
so in june I purchased an ecard to send to a relative who was having a birthday the card was sent I was charged 6.99 for the birthday card However nxt month they hit me with the 6.99 charge again I tried to call them no answer on phone tried for several days I was now being charged every month for the one card that I bought from them they said everybody who buys a card according to the rude woman on the phone is buying a subscription for a years worth of cards I said No take me off subscription she said no do it yourself I said I dont know how to do it and why am I on the subscription list anyhow ? she hung up onn me I called my bank I called ****** also as thats how they were paid by me but for a one time birthday card NOT A YEARS WORTH OF CARDS !
Business response
07/31/2024
Hello ****,

Thank you for contacting American Greetings Customer Support.

We are sorry if your membership renewal has caused you any inconvenience and for the terrible phone experience you endured. We will be reviewing this call and providing our employees with additional coaching and feedback.

Our memberships are designed to automatically renew so that you can enjoy continuous, uninterrupted service as was described in our Terms of Service when you ordered our service. **** ********************* membership has been closed and a refund of your membership fee has been issued to your credit card. This should appear on your next credit card statement. We hope you will reconsider using our great services and membership benefits in the future.

If you have further questions or concerns, don't hesitate to contact us.

Thank you,

Shyla J.

Customer Experience Senior Supervisor
Initial Complaint
07/03/2024
Complaint Type:
Billing Issues
Status:
Answered
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
They automatically renew memberships, but refuse to refund memberships for unused portions of the plan, like say if you didn’t want the service. I asked days after an annual renewal to cancel. They didn’t return unearned memberships and have it in fine print that this is what they do. I think it’s bad business practice and somewhat theft.
Business response
07/03/2024
Hello,
Thank you for contacting American Greetings Customer Support.
We are sorry for any trouble with payments made via Apple Pay.
Please use the following link to view more information regarding your subscription billed through Apple:
****************************************
If you have further questions or concerns, don't hesitate to contact us.
Thank you,
Shyla
Your Customer Support Representative American Greetings
Initial Complaint
06/19/2024
Complaint Type:
Billing Issues
Status:
Answered
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
American Greetings has fraudulently misused my credit card without my consent. I have reported this before and also to my credit card company.
Business response
06/20/2024
Hello ,
Thank you for contacting American Greetings Customer Support.
We are sorry if your membership renewal has caused you any inconvenience.
Our memberships are designed to automatically renew so that you can enjoy continuous, uninterrupted service as was described in our Terms of Service when you ordered our service.
Your AmericanGreetings.com membership has been closed and a refund of your membership fee has been issued to the payment on file. This should appear on the next banking statement. The confirmation number is *********.
If you have further questions or concerns, don't hesitate to contact us. Thank you,
Shyla Your Customer Support Supervisor
American Greetings
Initial Complaint
05/16/2024
Complaint Type:
Billing Issues
Status:
Resolved
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
I cancelled my annual subscription auto-renewal on 5/15/2024 once I received notice from my Citi credit card charge of $29.99 that occurred on 5/14/2024. During that 24 hours I did not use the service. Common courtesy dictates that ************.com would refund the $29.99 charge, but they refused to do so. Additionally, I had been auto-charged $29.99 six times since 2019 even though the auto-renew feature on my account was "Expired" (see attached screenshots). Essentially, I had been charged $180 over six years and only used the service one time to send one eCard (electronic greeting card).
Business response
05/17/2024
Hello ******,
Thank you for contacting American Greetings Customer Support.
We are sorry if your membership renewal has caused you any inconvenience. Our memberships are designed to automatically renew so that you can enjoy continuous, uninterrupted service as was described in our Terms of Service when you ordered our service.
As a courtesy, we have refunded your recent yearly membership fee of $29.99. Your AmericanGreetings.com membership has been closed and the refund has been issued to your credit card. This should appear on your next credit card statement. Your confirmation number is *********.
We hope you will reconsider using our great services and membership benefits in the future.
If you have any further questions or concerns regarding your membership, please call Customer Support at 1-800-711-4474. We are open Monday through Friday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm EST.
Thank you,
Shyla Your Customer Support Representative American Greetings
Customer response
05/17/2024
[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

Better Business Bureau:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

Regards,

****** *******
Initial Complaint
04/30/2024
Complaint Type:
Billing Issues
Status:
Answered
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
I subscribed to American Greetings ecard membership for one year. I did not receive any notification that my subscription was up for renewal. Without notice, they charged me for another year. I immediately requested a refund but they refused to give it to me.
Business response
05/02/2024
Hello,

Thank you for contacting American Greetings Customer Support.

We are sorry if your membership renewal has caused you any inconvenience. Our memberships are designed to automatically renew so that you can enjoy continuous, uninterrupted service as was described in our Terms of Service when you ordered our service.

Your membership has been cancelled and refunded in the amount of $29.99. Please allow 3-5 business days for this transaction to appear on your account.

If you have any further questions or concerns regarding your membership, please call Customer Support at 1-800-711-4474. We are open Monday through Friday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm EST.

Thank you,

Shyla *****

Customer Experience Senior Supervisor
One American Boulevard
Westlake, OH 44145
Office: (216) 252-7300
Initial Complaint
12/31/2023
Complaint Type:
Billing Issues
Status:
Answered
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
This concern has been billing me at $6.99/month since February 2021. I have no purchase history with this concern. Moreover, the billing continued even though the credit card used had expired over a year before today's date. I do not know why this charge went unnoticed.
Business response
01/02/2024
Hello ******,

Thank you for contacting American Greetings Customer Support.

We are sorry if your membership renewal has caused you any inconvenience. Our memberships are designed to automatically renew so that you can enjoy continuous, uninterrupted service as was described in our Terms of Service when you ordered our service.

Members are required to cancel trial memberships during the trial period. Since we did not receive any communication from you before the trial period ended, your account was billed $6.99 monthly. Consequently, your membership is no longer refundable per the Terms of Service when you joined. If you would like to view our Terms of Service, please review *****************************************

Your membership will expire on 1/30/2024.

We hope you will reconsider using our great services and membership benefits in the future.

If you have further questions or concerns, don't hesitate to contact us.

Thank you,

Shyla J.
Your Customer Support Representative
American Greetings



Customer response
01/02/2024
Better Business Bureau:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below. The so called offer consists of nothing except an excuse.

I do not believe I EVER signed up for a trial offer. I'm not sure how this operation obtained my name, let alone a credit card number. I should have noticed this reoccurring charge sooner, but I failed to do so. In reviewing this operation's website, I found NO history of ordering anything from them. That's in THEIR OWN DOCUMENTATION! It's even worse that this scam operation was able to continue billing this card for over a year past its expiration date.
After reviewing this scam operation's complaint history, it appears that they routinely start these "trial offers" without people's knowledge and then people get nonsense replies like this from "Shyla."
They are saying I took some sort of "trial offer." I DID NOT. Show me any documentation of such! There's none. There's no email from this scam company prior to the current lying nonsense.
No, you aren't going to get away with lying about a "trial offer" that I never accepted. I want the full amount refunded.

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.]

Regards,

****** ********

Business response
01/03/2024
Hello,
Thank you for contacting American Greetings Customer Support.
Your AmericanGreetings.com membership has been closed. As a courtesy, we have refunded 6 month's worth of charges totaling $41.94. This should appear on your next credit card statement.

Your confirmation number is ************.
If you have further questions or concerns, don't hesitate to contact us.

Thank you,

Shyla J.
Your Customer Support Representative
American Greetings



Customer response
01/05/2024
Better Business Bureau:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
This business has now said that they will refund six months of a membership that I never opened, when they have been billing for ALMOST 3 YEARS!
There is NO indication that I ever opened any such "trial membership" and I have no idea how they got my credit card number. It appears that this is a pattern with this scam operation. I want ALL of the fees refunded. That is $245.XX. They have been following the same pattern that's well documented in BBB's complaint history. i refuse to let them keep my money.
[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.]

Regards,

****** ********
Initial Complaint
12/08/2023
Complaint Type:
Delivery Issues
Status:
Answered
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
A good friend gifted me with an ********* ****** ********.I activated it, but was unable to download it. Apparently this company has no usable phone where I can talk with a person and get this resolved.This same thing happened last year.I never received the calendar. My friend is out her money- twice.Apparently , the company has a "pissed off consumer " website, but I don't just want to vent. I want my calendar, and I want to warn others to beware lack of service. i am not alone. Their ratings are very low- about 2 out of 5.
Business response
12/11/2023
Hello ***,

Many apologies.

We're sorry for any troubles.

We want to help, but we were unable to locate your account in our database under the email address of ***************.

There are a number of reasons that this might occur:
1. You used a different email address when you originally purchased your membership.
2. You may have entered the email address incorrectly when joining.
3. You are not currently a paid member of our website.

If you used a different email address when you purchased your membership, sign in with the original email address. If you do not remember the email address you originally used, or feel the address may have been entered incorrectly, please respond to this message with the information below.

1. Any additional email addresses that may have been used to register your account.
2. The customer number you received when you joined.

We assure you that we will resolve this problem as quickly as possible once we receive your information. You can contact us via live chat or email at **********************.

Best wishes,
Shyla J.
**********************
Initial Complaint
11/03/2023
Complaint Type:
Billing Issues
Status:
Answered
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Deceitful billing practices. I didn’t even know I had a membership with them until I get an email saying they billed me and it was non refundable. I logged in by requesting a password reset to see they have been billing me for 3 years and I’ve never used the service.
Business response
11/21/2023

Hello ****,

Thank you for contacting American Greetings Customer Support.

We are sorry if your membership renewal has caused you any inconvenience. Our memberships are designed to automatically renew so that you can enjoy continuous, uninterrupted service as was described in our Terms of Service when you ordered our service.

We want to help, but we were unable to locate your account in our database under the email address of ***************************

There are a number of reasons that this might occur:
1. You used a different email address when you originally purchased your membership.
2. You may have entered the email address incorrectly when joining.
3. You are not currently a paid member of our website.

If you used a different email address when you purchased your membership, sign in with the original email address. If you do not remember the email address you originally used, or feel the address may have been entered incorrectly, please respond to this message with the information below.
1. Any additional email addresses that may have been used to register your account.
2. The customer number you received when you joined.
3. Your full name and mailing address including zip code.
4. The date, dollar amount, and payment type (Visa, AmEx, Discover, etc.) for the most recent charge. Please DO NOT provide any digits of your cards' payment information.
5. The Invoice ID number that may be associated with our charge on your billing statement.

We assure you that we will resolve this problem as quickly as possible once we receive your information.

If you have further questions or concerns, don't hesitate to contact us.

Thank you,

Shyla J.
Your Customer Support Representative
American Greetings

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