Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/10/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  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.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I help run ******************, a Gastroenterology Practice located in ******* ********. We had used eFax (previously MyFax) for about a decade for our office's online faxing needs. We never had issues with them in terms of functionality, customer service, pricing, etc. Almost a year ago I was approached by **** who told me that in order for our faxes to stay HIPPA Compliant, we needed to move to one of their new Platforms named "Consensus". So we moved our 2 fax #s over to the Consensus platform. I signed an agreement based on 10 years of fax usage for $150/month. After a few months of service, my bills started to go over $315, auto charged to my credit card, with 0 explanation. I spent over 2 months trying to get a hold of my account contact. I finally received a call from an account manager who was going to look into the situation. *********************** was his name and he never called me back and never responded to my dozens of emails. Finally, in December 2022 I worked with a new company Amplify to try to port the 2 existing fax #s and signed a 2 year contract with them. We submitted all of the paperwork and Consensus still has not released the fax #s. This is now putting patients at risk and it has become extremely disruptive and expensive for our solo medical practice. My Consensus Info is:- Corporate ID: ****** - Customer #: ******

  Business Response

  Date: 02/02/2023

  ************** Account quotes advise prospective customers that if their usage exceeds the agreed upon use for 3 months out of any 12 month period that they would be changed to the appropriate tier for their use.
  
  The ************** customer agreement (***************************************************************************************) also makes clear via section 2.2 (PAYMENT FOR CORPORATE SERVICE) that the company reserved the right to change prices or institute new charges for access to or use of ********* Services at any time upon not less than thirty (30) days' notice to Customer.
  
  Activity records for *******************'s ************** show that the usage had exceeded their plan's transaction limit for at least 3 billing cycles and as a result the account had been transitioned to the appropriate tier for their use the following billing cycle.
  
  An e-mail notice informing ******************* of the change in tier for the billing cycle was sent to them on September 2, 2023 at ****************** and records show no additional communications were received in response to the message.
  
  We have investigated and reviewed the matter concerning the porting with the appropriate departments and determined that a request has already been received and processed for the numbers in question and that they are no longer hitting the Consensus' systems, indicating that the port out was successful.
  
  We apologize for any less than satisfactory experience and any misunderstanding and inconvenience encountered.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/02/2023

  (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
  Consensus takes no accountability that there was never any follow-up from ************************* on the # of fax pages increasing our account. And there was no accountability for the fact that our 2 fax #s were requested to be ported to another company for over two months before anything was completed. The company 'only' ported the two fax #s after receiving this BBB complaint, creating an undue charge to my credit card of 2 months of fees ($624.90). I demand a refund of $624.90 plus a letter from Consensus confirming that our account with them is closed and we will never ever be charged from them again. I sent 3 emails to their billing department over the past 10 days and have received 0 response.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/25/2024

  We apologize for the delayed response to this matter and any difficulty it *** have caused.  This unfortunate postponement was the result of an oversight within the department responsible for handling such matters.
  

  Consensus Office of the President investigated and reviewed the matter with the appropriate departments and based on the merits of this matter, Chicago Gastro, LLCs outstanding balance of $624.90 has been waived and no further attempts to collect will be made.
  

  A review of records show that a request to port out the number in question was received on or around December 26, 2022, but that due to an anomaly the process was not completed in a timely manner within our normal processing terms and resulted in the Chicago Gastro, LLC eFax Corporate account unnecessarily remaining active for an additional two monthly billing  cycles.
  

  The company has since retroactively applied the date December 31, 2022, as the intended closure date for the Chicago Gastro, LLC eFax Corporate account and all additional charges accrued after this date have been credited or waived.  

  Billing records for Chicago Gastro, LLC eFax Corporate account show that the last successfully collected charge occurred on January 17, 2023, for the billing cycle of December 2022; all attempts to collect any additional charges for January 2023 and February 2023 have been declined by the affected credit; as such no refund is found applicable in this matter. 
  

  We apologize for any less than satisfactory experience and any inconvenience that *** have been caused, as well as thank **************** for her patience and understanding.
  

  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/25/2024

   
  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. Please make SURE your ******************* removes my account as I have been contacted by them several times over the past month.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/30/2022

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  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.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I requested to cancel service and was still charged. I want my money back and service canceled.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/10/2023

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2023/01/06) */
  ***** ******** signed up for a ******* account online on September 26, 2022.
  
  The ******* customer agreement ******************************************** makes clear, via Section 5 (Termination or Suspension) of the customer agreement, the cancellation process for the ******* services; pursuant to those terms a customer may cancel services at any time by contacting ******* customer support either via online chat (available at ******************* and If the chat link does not appear in a few seconds to please email ******* support to cancel 24/7 at ****************
  
  Ms. ******** ******* account had remained active and accrued charges accordingly as data shows no record of Ms. ******** submitting a cancellation request through the above-provided channels and completing the company's cancellation and verification procedures while her account was active.
  
  Customer contact records do show that as a courtesy and in this case only, ******* support had accepted Ms. ********'s improperly submitted cancellation request received via email on December 30, 2022, at ************************ the account was closed as requested, billing ceased immediately, and an e-mail confirmation, containing the reference number XXXXXXXX, was sent to her the same day.
  
  The ******* customer agreement also make makes clear, via Section 11 (Charges) of the customer agreement, that all activation fees (also referred to as a sign-up fee), monthly service fees, usage fees, and/or storage fees are completely non-refundable, with the "COMPLETELY NON-REFUNDABLE" verbiage appearing clearly and conspicuously presented in offset text in all caps.
  
  While we appreciate Ms. ********'s position, ******* policies and procedures were made clear to her when she signed up for the ******* account online.
  
  As is standard with many online subscription services, ******* customer agreements are not physically signed by the customer, but rather acknowledged upon activation of the service. As a mandatory step in the sign up process, prospective customers are presented with the ******* customer agreement and must confirm that they have read and agreed by "checking" the "I have read and agree to the above terms and the Customer Agreement" box before the account can be activated. The ******* sign up process is configured to automatically prevent account activations that do not have the contract acknowledgement checkbox field checked. It is the customer's responsibility to read and understand the policies and procedures as detailed within any customer agreement prior to acknowledging to reading and accepting the terms as a condition of activating services. Ignorance of the customer agreement is not an excuse for the absence of the customer's responsibility or relief from their legal obligations and the company cannot be responsible for the negligence of the customer.
  
  And although a refund was found not to be applicable in this matter; as an additional courtesy and in the interest of a mutually satisfactory resolution, a refund of $23.98, consisting of all charges incurred, has been issued to the affected credit card. The transaction number for the reimbursement is ************ and the reflection of the funds onto Ms. ********'s account is dependent on the credit card provider. We may suggest that Ms. ******** follow up with her credit card provider in this regard.
  
  
  Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2023/01/06) */
  (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
  This is a lie. I attempted to cancel through the website but had issues with the link so I couldn't cancel online. I clearly stated that in my original complaint. I read that if I had issues cancelling online then I could send an email which is what I did. I know how to read. It was not an "improper" cancellation because the website said that I could cancel by email. My money was refunded which is what I wanted but I don't appreciate the insinuation that I didn't read the terms. I definitely read the terms and the instructions to cancel. I see they like to send the same response to every complaint so I'm assuming they don't like to take accountability for being a ******* company. I'll never use this service again and at this point we can cease communication. I received my refund. Below, I attached proof that their website says that I CAN cancel via email.
  
  
  Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2023/01/06) */
  We have again reviewed this matter and our response remains the same.
  
  In response to Ms. ********'s concerns, the company reiterates as per the online cancel instruction (available at ******************* that if the chat link does not appear in a few seconds the customer may email ******* support to cancel 24/7 at ****************
  
  As explained, contact records show that Ms. ******** had submitted her email request for cancellation to ************************ thus Ms. ******** request was improperly submitted as it was not sent to *************** as per the online instructions.
  
  That said, in light of our previously issued courtesy refund, the company believes this matter has been properly addressed in accordance with the policies and procedures to which Ms. Ms. ******** had accepted and agreed and considers it closed.
  
  
  Consumer Response /* (4200, 11, 2023/01/10) */
  (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
  This still a lie. The only email I was able to find for them******************** which is the email stated on the cancellation policy. I thoroughly read it and I know what I'm talking about. My initial email was sent DIRECTLY to *************** as no other email was shown on the cancellation policy which is presented on an attachment as evidence in my previous response. The company even admitted in a previous response that they received the email. At this point I'm upset that they keep lying instead of admitting that they made a mistake. It's ok to make mistakes sometimes but don't lie about it. This matter will not be closed until I receive an apology for lies. I have already forgiven them for the charges but continuing to lie about it is unacceptable and I won't stop responding until I receive an apology.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/20/2022

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  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.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I sent one fax through EFax in November 2022 and paid ******* I cancelled the service immediately after the one fax went through. I am still being charged ****** in December 2022 which means my billing information is still on file. Efforts to verify the canceled subscription and obtain a refund were ****** and *********** Live Chat was suggested as an option to resolve the issue but is not functioning on the company website. I am requesting a refund of ****** for December 2022 and removal of my billing information from the company's records.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/12/2023

  Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2023/01/11) */
  ******* ***** signed up for an eFax account online on November 1, 2022, with a monthly subscription rate of ****** and a 14 Day Free Trial period that ended on November 15, 2022, when billing for monthly service fees commenced.
  
  The eFax customer agreement ************************************** makes clear, via Section 10 (Termination) of the customer agreement, the cancellation process for the eFax services; pursuant to those terms cancellation requests are handled only by contacting eFax customer support either via telephone, online chat or the "Cancel My Account" link (available via the customer's eFax web portal); explaining that a **************** representative will assist the customer with canceling the account in accordance with the company's verification procedures and that upon cancellation an e-mail confirming that the account had been canceled would be sent and that the account would not be deemed canceled unless and until the e-mail is received.
  
  Data shows that there were no reported issues that would have affected the cancellation process while Ms. *****'s eFax account was active; including the cancellation e-mail system and customer contact records show instance of any cancellation confirmation e-mail being sent to Ms. ***** during the trial period. Considering data shows no record of any cancellation confirmation e-mail being sent to Ms. ***** reasoning would dictate that she was (or should have been) aware that her eFax account was still active.
  
  eFax provides easy-to-use telephone and online options for account cancellations that are all available 24 hours a day 7 days a week; eFax customer support representatives are available via telephone at XXX-XXX-XXXX and XXX-XXX-XXXX and the eFax site *********************** and online "Contact" page ****************************** have the telephone numbers posted, while online eFax chat representatives are available online at *************************** and an online "Cancel My Account" link that is available to subscriber accounts in current billing standing and located via the customer's eFax web portal found on the "Billing" tab of the "Account Details" section from the top navigation; thereby providing customers the ability and opportunity to cancel services at any time during the day or night.
  
  Ms. *****'s eFax account had remained active and accrued charges accordingly as data shows no record of Ms. ***** submitting a cancellation request through the above-provided channels and completing the company's cancellation and verification procedures while the account was active.
  
  As a courtesy, the company's verification procedures have been waived and Ms. *****'s eFax account has been closed pursuant this BBB matter; billing has ceased and an e-mail confirmation, containing a cancellation number, will be sent to her (at the contact e-mail address on file for the account) within 24 hours of the account closure.
  
  The eFax customer agreement also makes clear, via Section 16 (Charges) of the customer agreement, that all services fees are payable in advance and completely non-refundable, with the "COMPLETELY NON-REFUNDABLE" verbiage appearing clearly and conspicuously presented in offset text in all caps; explaining that upon the expiration of a free trial period fees would be immediately charged to the customer's credit or debit card, without further authorization from the customer unless and until the customer has provided the company prior notice, in accordance with the company's verification procedures, of their desire to discontinue the authorization or service, and that such notice would not affect charges submitted before the company reasonably could act on such notice.
  
  While we appreciate Ms. *****'s position, eFax policies and procedures were made clear to her when she signed up for an eFax account online.
  
  As is standard with many online subscription services, eFax customer agreements are not physically signed by the consumer, but rather acknowledged upon activation of the service. As a mandatory step in the sign up process, prospective customers are presented with the eFax customer agreement and must confirm that they have read and agreed by "checking" the "I agree to the automatic renewal terms above, including the ****** recurring monthly charge which will be billed to my chosen method of payment. I agree to the Cancellation Policy and understand my subscription charge will continue until I cancel." box before the account can be activated. The eFax sign up process is configured to automatically prevent account activations that do not have the contract acknowledgement checkbox field checked. It is the customer's responsibility to read and understand the policies and procedures as detailed within any customer agreement prior to acknowledging to reading and accepting the terms as a condition of activating services. ********* of the customer agreement is not an excuse for the absence of the *********** responsibility or relief from their legal *********** and the company cannot be responsible for the ********** of the customer.
  
  A refund was found not applicable in this matter; ************* as a courtesy and in the interest of a mutually satisfactory and speedy resolution, a refund of ****** (consisting of all charges incurred) has been issued to the affected credit card. The collection number for the reimbursement is XXXXXXXXX and the reflection of the funds onto Ms. *****'s account is dependent on the credit card provider. We may suggest that she follow up with her credit card provider in this regard.
  
  
  Consumer Response /* (2000, 10, 2023/01/11) */
  (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
  I accept the refund, and the funds are back in my account. The company did not own up to mishandling the cancellation and instead blames the customer, but this response is good enough for my purposes.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/07/2022

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  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.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On December 5, 2022, I attempted to send a fax consisting of ** pages to fax number (XXX) XXX-XXXX. Please note this is the fax number indicated on the cover letter to the *** document that I was sending. I received an error message from Efax (sent to my email: ************************* that the fax was unsuccessful. Therefore, I tried to resend the fax to the same number and received the same error message. This led me to believe that perhaps I had an incorrect fax number. I obtained a different fax number for the recipient and resent the fax to (XXX) XXX-XXXX. Again, I received an unsuccessful send message, so I resent a second time which also failed. I continued my due diligence to find a different fax number since this was a legal document that needed to be sent, and I was under the impression that the recipient's number was the issue. I resent the document to (XXX) XXX-XXXX which failed. After resending, it finally transmitted. After the second fax transmitted, I received a delayed message that the first fax to (XXX) XXX-XXXX was successful. As a result, this pushed me over the allotted *** page limit because in addition to being charged for durational billing which caused the ** pages to turn into ** pages, I was also charged for both successful transmissions. My position is I would have never sent the SECOND fax which is the exact same document to the exact same number were it not for the fact that I received an unsuccessful message. Efax's system or server was ostensibly experiencing some technical issues (overlap or delay in sending the transmission messages calibrated against the actual final transmission of the document). Of note, I recently experienced technical issues with logging in. If I were only charged for the one successful transmission, then even with the ********** ******* (which I also take issue with under the *************** then I would have not exceeded the monthly page limit ******* me to ***** an ******* ******* I relied on transmission messages.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/30/2023

  Business Response /* (1000, 14, 2023/01/06) */
  Data shows that there were no reported issues that would have affected ****** *****'s eFax account or her ability to send faxes and data indicates that her eFax account is fully functional and working properly.
  
  Please note the transmission time and success of outbound faxes can be affected by any of the following factors:
  
  1. Fax Quality. Faxes sent in "Fine" are better quality transmission but are slower. Faxes sent in "Standard" are faster transmission but lower quality.
  2. Line noise. Stray signals on the recipient's fax line can interrupt & delay a fax transmission.
  3. Low recipient baud rate. eFax normally sends outbound faxes at XXXXX bps. However, if the receiving fax machine operates at a lower baud rate, the transmission time is limited to the slower rate. For example, if the machine receives at 7200 bps, the usual transmission time will be doubled.
  4. Large fax size. The transmission time is directly proportional to the size of the file you are sending. Note that files containing graphics are usually much larger than simple text faxes.
  
  Please be aware that the above factors apply to outbound faxing in general, and are not limited to faxes sent through eFax. In other words, a fax sent through eFax will have approximately the same transmission time as one sent through a traditional fax machine at the very same moment. Also, be aware that the transmission time may vary significantly even when the same fax is sent multiple times to the same destination.
  
  The eFax customer agreement ************************************** makes clear, via Section 2(b) Service Usage Terms: Definition of Fax Page and Associated Terms of the customer agreement, that for each transmission, the number of pages sent or received is calculated based on the greater of the actual number of pages or the number of full and partial 60-second increments of transmission or connection time, whether or not the transmission occurs or is completed and that the number of outbound fax pages included in the tiers of eFax service, is administered by applying a monthly outbound usage credit to the customer's account and assumes that each outbound page is sent to a destination with an applicable per page rate of $0.10 (or the local currency equivalent).
  
  Please keep in mind Consensus is not a telecommunications but rather the customer of telecommunications carrier. As such, Consensus as well is assessed a charge from the carrier for all transmissions whether completed or not.
  
  The eFax customer agreement also makes clear, via Section 16 (Charges) of the customer agreement, that additional charges apply when the customer has exceeded the number of inbound or outbound fax pages included in their service tier and that usage fees are payable in advance at a fixed amount as set by the company (currently U.S. $10.00) and that the usage prepay amount will be immediately and automatically charged to the customer's credit or debit card without further authorization from customer upon incurring usage in excess of the number of inbound or outbound fax pages included in the eFax service tier and that the usage prepay amount will thereafter be reduced based upon the customer incurring usage fees, and each time the usage prepay amount is depleted to a certain level (currently U.S. $2.00 or the approximate equivalent in local currency), another fixed usage prepay amount in the same amount as the prior usage prepay amount will be immediately charged to the customer's credit or debit card, without further authorization from or notice to the customer.
  
  The outbound activity logs for Ms. *****'s eFax account show that the equivalent of 187 billable fax pages were sent or attempted from her account during the billing cycle between November 9, 2022 through December 9, 2022; the cumulative total of the outbound fax pages was in excess of her plan included 150 fax page allotment and as such a prepay charge of $10.00 was collected accordingly for the overages; leaving any remaining prepay balance on the account for later use.
  
  And although a refund was found not be applicable in this matter, as a courtesy and in the interest of a mutually satisfactory resolution, billing records for Ms. *****'s eFax account show that a refund of $10.00 has been issued to the affected credit card as of December 13, 2022. The collection number for the reimbursement was XXXXXXXXX and the reflection of the funds onto Ms. *****'s account is dependent on the credit card provider. We may suggest that Ms. ***** follow up with her credit card provider in this regard.
  
  
  Consumer Response /* (3000, 16, 2023/01/06) */
  (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
  The company completely avoided the issue as to why the durational billing of 187 pages occurred. The issue is not whether durational billing and excess charges is in their terms and conditions. Rather, the issue is how the company unscrupulously pushes durational billing through fraudulent tactics such as sending unsuccessful transmission reports causing multiple transmissions of the fax. This is exactly occurred in my case. Did the company look into or respond as to why they sent multiple unsuccessful transmission messages when in fact the fax was successfully sent? The company pushed an overage of faxes and documents to create the durational billing and excess charges. The company only repeated facts of what I stated occurred with no technical reason as to how these errors occurred. I've reported the company to the FTC and FCC. Other fax and communications companies have spoken about this company's sleazy business tactics. An ethical company would have acknowledged the error messages and undertook an inquiry or investigation and would have been transparent about it instead of avoiding accountability. This is a GRIMY company and they know it.
  
  
  Business Response /* (4000, 18, 2023/01/17) */
  We have reviewed this matter again.
  
  In response the company reiterates records show no issues that would have affected Ms. *****'s eFax account.
  
  Activity records for her eFax account show that the unsuccessfully sent faxes were due to a communication error. Typically failures of these types are can be attributed to either excessive line noise, stray or static signals, low recipient baud rate, or poor line quality. In some instances of a communication error it is possible for the recipient to receive partial or in some cases complete fax transmission depending on where during the transmission the communication error occurred. Unfortunately, MyFax would be unable to provide any more of a comprehensive diagnosis as the call data logs for the transmissions are no longer available to assist with further investigating the matter.
  
  Again, please keep in mind that the above factor also applys to outbound faxing in general, and are not limited to faxes sent through eFax.
  
  We apologize for any less than satisfactory experience and any inconvenience encountered, as well as thank Ms. ***** for her patience and understanding.
  
  That said, we believe this matter to have been properly addressed and consider is closed.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/06/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  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.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  For over 5 years, I have had an account with Metrofax which charged $79.50 per annum for a fax account..In August 2022 Metrofax wrongfully suspended my account and made it inactive because "I sent a fax to *******". This fax did not create any overages or violate any terms of service and Metrofax failed to notify me of my suspension. I discovered the suspension in late November 2022 trying to send a fax. Any faxes I would have received from August until December 1st (the date they canceled me) would have failed. I will never know what didn't reach me during this period.In late Novermber, upon discovery that my Metrofax account was disabled, I emailed metrofax. No rep could un-suspend or reactivate my account. The rep said I had to send the request to ****************************************** except that is a non-working email, so I couldn't reach the credit department (see Mailer Daemon screenshot attached).As further frustration, in mid October 2022, Metrofax had renewed my annual subscription despite the inactive suspended status. On November 28th, I emailed them the following statement "Since my account has been inactive since august, please just refund my October annual fee and I will no longer use metro fax. "Metrofax interpreted this as a cancelation request, and canceled my account WITHOUT REFUND.Metrofax has not provided the services for several months, were unable to reactivate my account, and they had no right to invoke the "cancelation" penalty of "no refund" policy for a suspended account that employees were unable to reactivate when I needed an urgent fax sent. I ask the BBB step in to assist in mediating their dispute and ask for a refund of the $79.50.I have been unable to resolve this by email, chat box does not work, and there is no phone support for this company.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/19/2022

  We sincerely apologize for any less than satisfactory experience and misunderstanding as well as any inconvenience caused and thank *************************** for her patience and understanding.
  
  Consensus' Office of the President investigated and reviewed the matter and based on its merits, refunds of $79.50 and $22.04 (totaling $101.54 and consisting of 1 $79.50 annual fee plus $12.72 of prorated annual fee and $9.32 of prepaid usage balance) have been issued to the affected credit card; the collection numbers for the reimbursement are ********* ($79.50) and ********* ($22.04) and the reflection of the funds onto ********************** account is dependent on the credit card provider. We may suggest that ****************** follow up with her credit card provider in this regard.
  
  We are taking ********************** reported experience and comments under advisement and will have it reviewed by the appropriate departments to see that we take the necessary steps to improve the customer support experience.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/19/2022

  (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/19/2022

  the business provided my first and last name in their response., I would like their response edited so I am **************** I do want my first and last name published publicly in their response. I feel this is a fair request in terms of privacy and much appreciate BBB making that change, or hiding their response from public view.
  
  Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/01/2022

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  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.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On or about 04/24/2001 I used this service ro send a single EFax. I forgot to cancel the service and recalled after several months it was still charging my account. I tried to cancel; I could not recall my fax number - I sent emails they went unanswered. My email would not unlock my account as the system told me my email did not exist.I tried rime after ri.r to log into there system unsuccessfully. I finally found a phone number called and had the customer service rep * ***** * cancel my account. I asked for a copy of the cancelation to be emailed to me ******* lied and said he had sent a copy. I then asked hi who to reach out to, for a refund his reply, you can not have a refund. This company is a joke and I want my funds back!

  Business Response

  Date: 12/21/2022

  ***************************** signed up for an eFax account online on April 6, 2021, with a monthly service rate of $16.95 and a 14 Day Free Trial period that ended on April 20, 2021, when billing for monthly service fees commenced.
  
  The eFax customer agreement (******************************************************) makes clear, via Section 10 (Termination) of the customer agreement, the cancellation process for the eFax services; pursuant to those terms cancellation requests are handled only by contacting eFax customer support either via telephone, online chat or the "Cancel My Account" link (available via the customer's ******************** web portal); explaining that a customer service representative will assist the customer with canceling the account in accordance with the company's verification procedures and that upon cancellation an e-mail confirming that the account had been canceled would be sent and that the account would not be deemed canceled unless and until the e-mail is received.
  
  The eFax customer agreement also makes clear, via Section 16 (Charges) of the customer agreement, that upon the expiration of a free trial period fees would be immediately charged to the customer's credit or debit card, without further authorization from the customer unless and until the customer has provided the company prior notice, in accordance with the company's verification procedures, of their desire to discontinue the authorization or service; explaining that all services fees are payable in advance and completely non-refundable, with the "COMPLETELY NON-REFUNDABLE" verbiage appearing clearly and conspicuously presented in offset text in all caps.
  
  Section 16 (Charges) of the customer agreement further makes clear that failure to use the account would not be deemed a basis for refusing to pay any charges; the eFax customer agreement provides no provision for a rate reduction, credit, waiver, or refund if the customer elects not to use the service during any given time or if an account is closed prior to the end of the service term. Regardless of usage eFax subscription fees are still applicable as the assigned eFax number and services are being provided while the account is active. Much like cell-phone, cable, satellite, or internet streaming media subscription fees, eFax service fees are not predicated on use but rather the availability of the services and are regularly payable, regardless of the customer's usage of the service, until the company has been notified of the customer's desire to cancel the account. While the eFax services may not have been utilized during any given time, they were available while the account was active.
  
  eFax provides easy-to-use telephone and online options for account cancellations that are available 24 hours a day 7 days a week; eFax customer support representatives are available via telephone at ************ and ************ and the eFax site (*************************************) and online "Contact" page (**********************************************) have the telephone numbers posted, while online eFax chat representatives are available online at *************************************cancel and for monthly subscription eFax users an online "Cancel My Account" link that is available via the customer's ******************** web portal found on the "Billing" tab of the "Account Details" section from the top navigation; thereby providing customers the ability and opportunity to cancel services at any time during the day or night.
  
  ****************** eFax account had remained active and accrued charges accordingly as data shows no record of ************** submitting a cancellation request through the above-provided channels and completing the company's cancellation prior to December 1, 2022, when contact data shows that she had contacted eFax support, via telephone, requesting to cancel her account. The account was closed as requested, billing ceased immediately, and a confirmation e-mail, containing the eFax Account Cancellation ref:_59121202, was sent to her the same day and an additional e-mail confirmation, containing the cancellation number *********, was sent to her (at the contact e-mail address on file for the account) the next day on December 2, 2022.
  
  While we appreciate ****************** position, eFax policies and procedures were made clear to her when she signed up for an eFax account online.
  
  As is standard with many online subscription services, eFax customer agreements are not physically signed by the consumer, but rather acknowledged upon activation of the service. As a mandatory step in the sign up process, prospective customers are presented with the eFax customer agreement and must confirm that they have read and agreed by "checking" the "I agree to the automatic renewal terms above, including the $16.95 monthly charge. By clicking "Activate Account", I agree to the Customer Agreement and Privacy Policy." box before the account can be activated. The eFax sign up process is configured to automatically prevent account activations that do not have the contract acknowledgement checkbox field checked. It is the customer's responsibility to read and understand the policies and procedures as detailed within any customer agreement prior to acknowledging to reading and accepting the terms as a condition of activating services. Ignorance of the customer agreement is not an excuse for the absence of the customer's responsibility or relief from their legal obligations and the company cannot be responsible for the negligence of the customer.
  
  Onus of responsibility lies with the customer to be aware of, follow and complete proper cancellation procedures as set forth within the customer agreement and to contact ******************** support in a timely manner during any paid service term if they wish to discontinue services and avoid incurring charges for the next billing cycle.
  
  Please also keep in mind that given the length of time from the date of the eFax account activation to the date of the account closure, it would be reasonable that ************** had adequate time to contact her financial institution in order to institute any fee dispute reversals (or chargebacks) of any charges incurred and discontinue billing rather than allow charges for services to ensue.
  
  A refund was found not applicable in this matter; nevertheless, as a courtesy and in the interest of a mutually satisfactory and speedy resolution, a refund of $101.70, consisting of 6 monthly service fees, has been issued to the affected credit card. The collection number for the reimbursement is ********* and the reflection of the funds onto ****************** account is dependent on her credit card provider. We may suggest that ************** follow up with her credit card provider in this regard.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/27/2022

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  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.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I signed up for metrofax and got a trial period. I canceled before the trial period ended as it didn't fit my needs. There is a phone number to call but it says they no longer do phone calls. I have canceled my account during trial period and for the past 3 months since I've signed up I'm still being charged $17 a month from them. I have emailed them numerous times regarding this issue and still haven't heard back.
  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/15/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/11/29) */
  Records show that ****** ********* signed up for a Metrofax account online on August 12, 2022, with a with a monthly subscription rate of $11.95 and a 14 Day Free Trial period with a trial period that ended August 26, 2022, when billing for monthly service fees commenced.
  
  The Metrofax customer agreement ******************************************* makes clear, via Section 9 (Termination) of the customer agreement, the cancellation process for the Metrofax services; pursuant to those terms cancellation requests are handled only by contacting Metrofax customer support either via online chat or the "Cancel My Account" link (available via the customer's Metrofax web portal); explaining that a customer service representative will assist the customer with canceling the account in accordance with the company's verification procedures and that upon cancellation an e-mail confirming that the account had been canceled would be sent and that the account would not be deemed canceled unless and until the e-mail is received.
  
  Data shows that there were no reported issues that would have affected the cancellation process while Ms. *********'s Metrofax account was active; including the cancellation e-mail system and customer contact records show instance of any cancellation confirmation e-mail being sent to Ms. ********* during the trial period. Considering data shows no record of any cancellation confirmation e-mail being sent to Ms. ********* reasoning would dictate that she was (or should have been) aware that her Metrofax account was still active.
  
  Please note that while Metrofax services does not provide any telephone support, Metrofax does provide easy-to-use online options for account cancellations that are available 24 hours a day 7 days a week; for subscriber accounts in current billing a "Cancel My Account" link is available via the customer's Metrofax web portal found on the "Billing" tab of the "Account Details" section from the top navigation, while Metrofax online chat representatives are available at https://www.metrofax.com/cancel for subscribers with annual plans, multiple fax numbers or an outstanding balance.
  
  Ms. *********'s Metrofax account had remained active and accrued charges accordingly as data shows no record of Ms. ********* submitting a cancellation request through the above-provided channels and completing the company's cancellation and verification procedures while the account was active.
  
  As a courtesy, the company's verification procedures have been waived and Ms. *********'s Metrofax account has been closed pursuant this BBB matter; billing has ceased and an e-mail confirmation, containing a cancellation confirmation number, will be sent to her at the contact e-mail address on file for the account within 24 hours of the account closure.
  
  The Metrofax customer agreement also makes clear, via Section 15 (Charges) of the customer agreement, that all services fees are payable in advance and completely non-refundable, with the "COMPLETELY NON-REFUNDABLE" verbiage appearing clearly and conspicuously presented in offset text in all caps; explaining that upon the expiration of a free trial period fees would be immediately charged to the customer's credit or debit card, without further authorization from the customer and that the company may submit charges for monthly service fee each month without further authorization from the customer unless and until the customer has provided the company prior notice, in accordance with the company's verification procedures, of their desire to discontinue the authorization or service and that such notice will not affect charges submitted before the company reasonably could act on such notice.
  
  A refund was found not to be applicable in this matter, nevertheless as an additional courtesy and in the interest of a mutually satisfactory resolution, a refund of $47.80, consisting of all charges incurred, has been issued to the affected credit card. The collection number for the reimbursements is XXXXXXXXX and the reflection of the funds onto the account is dependent on the credit card provider. We may suggest that Ms. ********* follow up with the credit card provider in this regard.
  
  
  Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2022/11/29) */
  (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
  I have numerous times went online to cancel my account and nothing happens. I have emailed the customer service as well have tried the chat and it doesn't work and I'm still awaing a response from the email I sent requesting cancelation. $16.95 gets taken from my account every month since I've opened it. That doesn't make sense. I can provide my first email and necessary documents proving I have tried to reach out and have heard nothing back.
  
  
  Business Response /* (4000, 10, 2022/12/01) */
  We have again reviewed this matter and our response remains the same.
  
  In response to Ms. *********'s concerns, the company reiterates that records show no instance of Ms. ********* submitting any cancellation request through proper channels, by either contacting Metrofax support via online chat or using the online "Cancel My Account" link, while the account was active; moreover data shows that there were no reported issues that would have affected the use of the online "Cancel My Account" link or the ability to reach a live Metrofax Customer Support Representative via online chat while the was active and other Metrofax subscribers have been able to successfully reach Metrofax support via online chat and / or use the "Cancel My Account" link online and during the same time.
  
  Again records show that Ms. *********'s signed up for a Metrofax account with a monthly subscription rate of ****** and a review of the billing records for her Metrofax account show no instances of any charges for ****** being incurred at any time while the account was active (see attached); once again a refund of ******* consisting of all charges incurred, has been issued to the affected credit card.
  
  While we appreciate Ms. *********'s position, Metrofax policies and procedures were made clear to her when she signed up for the eFax account online.
  
  As is standard with many online subscription services, the Metrofax customer agreement is not physically signed by the customer, but rather acknowledged upon activation of the service. As a mandatory step in the sign up process, prospective customers are presented with the eFax customer agreement and must confirm that they have read and agreed by "checking" the "I agree to the Customer Agreement and Privacy Policy." and "I agree to the automatic renewal terms above, including the $11.95 recurring monthly charge which will be billed to my chosen method of payment. I agree to the Cancellation Policy and understand my subscription charge will continue until I cancel." boxes before the account can be activated. The Metrofax sign up process is configured to automatically prevent account activations that do not have the contract acknowledgement checkbox field checked. It is the customer's responsibility to read and understand the policies and procedures as detailed within any customer agreement prior to acknowledging to reading and accepting the terms as a condition of activating services. Ignorance of the customer agreement is not an excuse for the absence of the customer's responsibility or relief from their legal obligations and the company is not responsible for the negligence of the customer.
  
  That said, in light of our previously issued courtesy refund and waiver of the company's verification and cancellation procedures and the agreed and accepted no-refund policy, the company believes this matter has been properly addressed in accordance with the policies and procedures to which Ms. ********* had accepted and agreed and considers it closed.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/24/2022

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  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.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On or about February 22nd, 2022 (furthest date back that I documented) I started to have challenges with getting eFax to cancel my membership. This request was made via a phone call where a customer service representative reassured me that my account was successfully canceled & occurred after I made several attempts previously by following their directives on how to cancel in their websites help page. Screenshots of my account reflect that per their directives to follow a series of steps, go to billing, select "next payment" & to select a button "cancel my account " is fictitious steps to send people attempting to cancel in circles as you can see by the screenshots on this page that this option does not exist. When I spoke on the call phone to the representative I was gaslighted & misinformed that this is only not an an available option for customers who are behind on their payment. I know because after this representative did not cancel my account as committerd I was charged once again and the next time being charged I attempted to cancel reflected "current". After this call I took steps to go into my account to verify that this representative correctly canceled my account, there was a note under billing that made note to my account being canceled & was no longer be active after a date that was a few weeks following the February's phone conversation. Efax continues to charge my account since this time and has has also resulted in overdrafting my account more than once where each occurrence I was charged an additional $29 by my bank and each month I go back & forth with their false pretenses of recectifying this matter. I have yet to receive any reimbursement for these unauthorized charges that date back prior to on or about February 22, 2022. I am seeking assistance with getting this company to stop making unauthorized charges to my card & would like a complete refund for every month this company has charged me without my authorization dating back to Feb 2022

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/28/2022

  ***Document Attached***
  Made another attempt to rectify this matter directly with the company and was redirected to submit an online inquiry (screenshot attached). At which point I received the same type of automated email redirecting me back to their "contact us" page on their website (screenshot of email attached). Once again, their "contact us" page resumes the cycle of having their customers go in circles attempting to cancel. I also have included a screenshot of another email sent to me today from the company notifying me that my payment on this account is late. It's been a neverending battle.
  See Attachment/File: Screenshot_20221128-184344_Edge

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/14/2022

  ***Document Attached***
  Additional information for claim in screenshot picture attachment reflects that this company (eFax ) is continuing to withdraw money from my account (withdrew $21.90 on or about December 2nd) going on almost a year since requesting this account be canceled.
  See Attachment/File: Screenshot_20221214_091039_Gallery.jpg

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/14/2022

  ***Document Attached***
  Since my initial documented record attempt to cancel my account with Efax this company continued to charge me for the 9 months following, totaling
  $167.40 in unauthoized monies withdrawn from my account. Screenshots from my bank account reflecting these events. This does not include any overdraft fees or any other monetary values lost associated with these unauthorized transactions.
  See Attachment/File: **********

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/21/2022

  ***Document Attached***
  Today I received the following email from efax customer service and although I have not had any solid communication from this company this email reflects it is requesting that I complete a customer feedback questionnaire.
  See Attachment/File: Screenshot_20221221_134938_Outlook.jpg

  Business Response

  Date: 12/21/2022

  The eFax customer agreement (******************************************************) makes clear via Section 10 (Termination) of the customer agreement, the cancellation process for the eFax services; pursuant to those terms cancellation requests are handled only by contacting eFax customer support either via telephone, online chat or the "Cancel My Account" link (available via the customer's ******************** web portal); explaining that a customer service representative will assist the customer with canceling the account in accordance with the company's verification procedures and that upon cancellation an e-mail confirming that the account had been canceled would be sent and that the account would not be deemed canceled unless and until the e-mail is received.
  
  Data shows that there were no reported issues that would have affected the cancellation process while ******************** eFax account was active; including the cancellation e-mail system and customer contact records show instance of any cancellation confirmation e-mail being sent to ****************. Considering data shows no record of any cancellation confirmation e-mail being sent to **************** reasoning would dictate that she was (or should have been) aware that her eFax account was still active.
  
  eFax provides easy-to-use telephone and online options for account cancellations that are all available 24 hours a day 7 days a week; eFax customer support representatives are available via telephone at ************ and ************ and the eFax site (*************************************) and online "Contact" page (**********************************************) have the telephone numbers posted, while online eFax chat representatives are available online at *************************************cancel and an online "Cancel My Account" link that is available to subscriber accounts in current billing standing and located via the customer's ******************** web portal found on the "Billing" tab of the "Account Details" section from the top navigation; thereby providing customers the ability and opportunity to cancel services at any time during the day or night.
  
  ******************** eFax account had remained active and accrued charges accordingly as data shows no record of **************** submitting a cancellation request through the above-provided channels and completing the company's cancellation and verification procedures while the account was active.
  
  As a courtesy, the company's verification procedures have been waived and ******************** eFax account has been closed pursuant this BBB matter; billing has ceased and an e-mail confirmation, containing a cancellation number, will be sent to her (at the contact e-mail address on file for the account) within 24 hours of the account closure.
  
  The eFax customer agreement also makes clear, via Section 16 (Charges) of the customer agreement, that all services fees are payable in advance and completely non-refundable, with the "COMPLETELY NON-REFUNDABLE" verbiage appearing clearly and conspicuously presented in offset text in all caps; explaining that the fees would be charged to the customer's credit or debit card, without further authorization from the customer unless and until the customer has provided the company prior notice, in accordance with the company's verification procedures, of their desire to discontinue the authorization or service.
  
  Section 16 (Charges) of the customer agreement further makes clear that each time full payment of the outstanding balance is not received by the payment due date a late fee of U.S. $4.95 may be charged to the account without further authorization or notice to the customer and that the customer agreed that the company may (at its option) accumulate services fees incurred during their monthly billing cycle and submit them as one or more aggregate charges during or at the end of each cycle and that such notice will not affect charges submitted before the company reasonably could act on such notice.
  
  Moreover, a review of the outbound activity logs for ******************** eFax account show records of outbound faxes being sent from her account in May, August and October 2022. Please keep in mind that active outbound usage for the eFax account in months following February 2022, indicates that customer was (or should have been) aware that the eFax account was still active. Furthermore, reasoning would dictate that the eFax account would display no record of any outbound usage after February 22, 2022, if services were no longer needed or wanted, as asserted.
  
  A refund was found not applicable in this matter; nevertheless, as a courtesy and in the interest of a mutually satisfactory and speedy resolution, a refund of $62.79 (consisting of 3 monthly service fees and 2 late fees and all charges incurred after the date of last recorded outbound usage for her account) has been issued to the affected credit card. The collection number for the reimbursement is ********* and the reflection of the funds onto ******************** account is dependent on her credit card provider. We may suggest that **************** follow up with her credit card provider in this regard.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/06/2022

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  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.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I subscribed to a trial fax service in march of 2022 After two weeks of not using the service I decided to cancel. My trial was up on march 20, 2022. I canceled the service online, however I was still billed. I did everything in my power stop My fax from billing me. It finally ended in August 2022, but not before that managed yo take $60 in total, from me.
  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/09/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/11/21) */
  ************** signed up for an****** account online on March 7, 2022, with a monthly subscription rate of $10.00 and a 14 Day Free Trial period that ended on March 21, 2022, when billing for monthly service fees commenced.
  
  The ***** customer agreement (*********************************) makes clear, via Section 9 (Termination) of the customer agreement, the cancellation process for the ***** services; pursuant to those terms a customer may cancel anytime by providing the company notice by contacting ***** customer support either via telephone or online chat or through the online "Cancel My Account" link (available via the customer's ***** web portal found); explaining that a customer service representative will assist the customer with canceling the account in accordance with the company's verification procedures and that upon cancellation an e-mail confirming that the account had been canceled would be sent and that the account would not be deemed canceled unless and until the e-mail is received.
  
  Data shows that there were no reported issues that would have affected the cancellation process while Ms. ********* ***** account was active; including the cancellation e-mail system and customer contact records show instance of any cancellation confirmation e-mail being sent to Ms.******** during the trial period (or prior to August 29, 2022). Considering data shows no record of any cancellation confirmation e-mail being sent to Ms.******** reasoning would dictate that she was (or should have been) aware that her ***** account was still active.
  
  ***** provides easy-to-use telephone and online options for account cancellations that are available 24 hours a day 7 days a week; ***** customer support representatives are available via telephone at ********************************************************* and the ***** site and online "Support" page have the telephone numbers posted, while online ***** chat representatives are available online at **************************** and an online "Cancel My Account" link that is available via the customer's ***** web portal found on the "Billing" tab of the "Account Details" section from the top navigation; thereby providing customers the ability and opportunity to cancel services at any time during the day or night.
  
  The ***** customer agreement also makes clear makes clear, via Section 15 (Charges) of the customer agreement, that upon the expiration of a free trial period fees would be immediately charged to the customer's credit or debit card, without further authorization from the customer unless and until the customer has provided the company prior notice, in accordance with the company's verification procedures, of their desire to discontinue the authorization or service, and that such notice would not affect charges submitted before the company reasonably could act on such notice; explaining that all services fees are payable in advance and completely non-refundable, with the "COMPLETELY NON-REFUNDABLE" verbiage appearing clearly and conspicuously presented in offset text in all caps
  
  While we appreciate Ms. ********* position, ***** policies and procedures were made clear to her when she signed up for the ***** account online.
  
  As is standard with many online subscription services, ***** customer agreement are not physically signed by the customer, but rather acknowledged upon activation of the service. As a mandatory step in the sign up process, prospective customers are presented with the ***** customer agreement and must confirm that they have read and agreed by "checking" the "I agree to the automatic renewal terms above, including the $10.00 monthly charge. By clicking "Start Trial", I agree to the Customer Agreement and Privacy Policy." box before the account can be activated. The ***** sign up process is configured to automatically prevent account activations that do not have the contract acknowledgement checkbox field checked. It is the customer's responsibility to read and understand the policies and procedures as detailed within any customer agreement prior to acknowledging to reading and accepting the terms as a condition of activating services. Ignorance of the customer agreement is not an excuse for the absence of the customer's responsibility or relief from their legal obligations and the company cannot be held responsible for the negligence of the customer.
  
  Ms. ********* ***** account had remained active and accrued charges accordingly as data shows no record of Ms.******** submitting a cancellation request through the above-provided channels and completing the company's cancellation and verification procedures prior to August 28, 2022, when data shows that as a courtesy and in this case only, ***** support had accepted Ms. ********* improperly submitted cancellation request via e-mail; the account was closed as requested, billing ceased immediately, and an e-mail confirmation, containing the cancellation number ********* was sent to her (at the contact e-mail address on file for the account) on August 29, 2022.
  
  Please also keep in mind that Ms.******** was (or should have been) alerted to charges for ***** services through credit card account billing statements as provided by her credit card provider and it would be reasonable to expect (as well as the responsibility of) the customer to regularly review their statements and to contact either their financial institution, or merchant, in a timely manner in the event of any billing discrepancies rather than allowing charges for services to ensue. Consequently, reasoning would dictate that Ms.******** was (or should have been) aware of charges for ***** services and that her ***** account was still active.
  
  A refund was found not applicable in this matter; nevertheless, as a courtesy and in the interest of a mutually satisfactory and speedy resolution, Ms.******** has been issued a refund of $60.00, consisting of all charges incurred. The collection number for the reimbursement is ********* and the reflection of the funds onto Ms. ********* account is dependent on her credit card provider. We may suggest that Ms.******** follow up with her credit card provider in this regard.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/04/2022

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  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.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I signed up for a Metrofax trial in August and cancelled immediately after. Reviewing my credit card statements, I see that I have been charged for the previous two months despite not using the services and the aforementioned cancellations. I have tried cancelling online again, but get a notification that I am unable to cancel online and to reach out to them. When I reach out I receive an automated email stating that I need to cancel online. I would like a refund and an apology from this company.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/09/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/11/09) */
  Records show that *** ******** signed up for a Metrofax account online on August 5, 2022, with a with a monthly subscription rate of $11.95 and a 14 Day Free Trial period with a trial period that ended August 19, 2022, when billing for monthly service fees commenced.
  
  The Metrofax customer agreement ******************************************* makes clear, via Section 9 (Termination) of the customer agreement, the cancellation process for the Metrofax services; pursuant to those terms cancellation requests are handled only by contacting Metrofax customer support either via online chat or the "Cancel My Account" link (available via the customer's Metrofax web portal); explaining that a customer service representative will assist the customer with canceling the account in accordance with the company's verification procedures and that upon cancellation an e-mail confirming that the account had been canceled would be sent and that the account would not be deemed canceled unless and until the e-mail is received.
  
  Data shows that there were no reported issues that would have affected the cancellation process while **. ********'s Metrofax account was active; including the cancellation e-mail system and customer contact records show instance of any cancellation confirmation e-mail being sent to **. ******** during the trial period (or prior to November 7, 2022). Considering data shows no record of any cancellation confirmation e-mail being sent to **. ******** reasoning would dictate that she was (or should have been) aware that her Metrofax account was still active.
  
  Please note that while Metrofax services does not provide any telephone support, Metrofax does provide easy-to-use online options for account cancellations that are available 24 hours a day 7 days a week; for subscriber accounts in current billing a "Cancel My Account" link is available via the customer's Metrofax web portal found on the "Billing" tab of the "Account Details" section from the top navigation, while Metrofax online chat representatives are available at https://www.metrofax.com/cancel for subscribers with annual plans, multiple fax numbers or an outstanding balance.
  
  **. ********'s Metrofax account had remained active and accrued charges accordingly as data shows no record of **. ******** submitting a cancellation request through the above-provided channels and completing the company's cancellation and verification procedures while the account was active.
  
  As a courtesy, the company's verification procedures have been waived and **. ********'s Metrofax account has been closed pursuant this BBB matter; billing has ceased and an e-mail confirmation, containing the cancellation number XXXXXXXXX, has been sent to her.
  
  The Metrofax customer agreement also makes clear, via Section 15 (Charges) of the customer agreement, that all services fees are payable in advance and completely non-refundable, with the "COMPLETELY NON-REFUNDABLE" verbiage appearing clearly and conspicuously presented in offset text in all caps; explaining that upon the expiration of a free trial period fees would be immediately charged to the customer's credit or debit card, without further authorization from the customer and that the company may submit charges for monthly service fee each month without further authorization from the customer unless and until the customer has provided the company prior notice, in accordance with the company's verification procedures, of their desire to discontinue the authorization or service and that such notice will not affect charges submitted before the company reasonably could act on such notice.
  
  Section 15 (Charges) of the customer agreement additionally makes clear that failure to use the account would not be deemed a basis for refusing to pay any charges; the Metrofax customer agreement provides no provision for a rate reduction, credit, waiver, or refund if the customer elects not to use the service during any given time or if an account is closed prior to the end of the service term. Regardless of usage Metrofax subscription fees are still applicable as the assigned Metrofax number and services are being provided while the account is active. Much like cell-phone, cable, satellite, or internet streaming media subscription fees, Metrofax service fees are not predicated on use but rather the availability of the services and are regularly payable, regardless of the customer's usage of the service, until the company has been notified of the customer's desire to cancel the account. While the Metrofax services may not have been utilized during any given time, they were available while the account was active.
  
  A a refund was found not to be applicable in this matter, nevertheless as an additional courtesy and in the interest of a mutually satisfactory resolution, refunds of ****** and ******* consisting of all charges incurred, has been issued to the affected credit card. The collection numbers for the reimbursements are ********* ******** and ********* ******** and the reflection of the funds onto the account is dependent on the credit card provider. We may suggest that **. ******** follow up with the credit card provider in this regard.