Complaints
This profile includes complaints for RealDefense LLC's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see
Customer Complaints Summary
- 168 total complaints in the last 3 years.
- 47 complaints closed in the last 12 months.
If you've experienced an issue
Submit a ComplaintThe 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:10/18/2022
Type: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.
date of transaction 8-31-2022 We asked for refund couple days after that. They said refund would be coming in 7 to 10 business days. It has been alot longer than 10 business days for sure and we still have not received our refund. They assigned an employee to work with us and he wanted to go into our computer so we did that and he put system mechanics on our computer but it did not work. In fact our computer went crazy and would not work well either after that. So we cancelled system mechanics a day or two after that well within the required number of days. We have used system mechanics for many years and liked it but since its redesign it did not work at all well for us. All we want is our $39.95 refunded to us and it would be nice to get an apology for their lack of professionalism. Thanks, *******************
Business Response
Date: 01/13/2023
Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/10/19) */ I have forwarded your case for immediate escalation of your refund. Sorry for the inconvenience. Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2022/10/31) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) We are getting the run around with this business. They said the same thing as stated in our complaint, but we have seen no action. All we want is our refund of $39.95 which they say they are going to refund but they do not. Business Response /* (4000, 11, 2022/12/22) */ Hello, Apologize for the delay but I will have your refund completed ASAP!Initial Complaint
Date:10/14/2022
Type: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 09/22/22 I was charged an automatic renewal fee of $21.19 pos transaction ****** That same day I was charged another $21.19 pos transaction *****. I called their customer service number and asked why I was charged twice and was unable to get a valid reason. I asked that my money be returned and the subscription canceled. The customer service representative proceeded to give me the runaround and in fact, keep telling me he was going to transfer my subscription to another product I did not want. I had to keep telling this gentleman to just cancel my subscription and return my money. After what I thought was a reasonable time and nothing had been returned I sent an email to their listed customer service address on 9/23 and 9/28 and again nothing.Business Response
Date: 11/04/2022
Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/10/19) */ Mr. ****, I will contact our customer care organization and expedite your refund request. Sorry for the inconvenience!Initial Complaint
Date:09/29/2022
Type: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 have paid ***** for a year renewal and i never bought anything after that but they have been charging me different amount every single month. These charges are not not approved by me. ***** at 4/11/22 ***** at 5/11/22. $***** at 6/11/22. $21.55 at 7/10/22. $21.55 at 9/18/22 and $21.55 at 8/18/22. there is a total of $124.50 unauthorized charges which I will dispute on my card but it takes long time. this company has done that before and I had reported them to district attorney and ****************************** before and they are doing it again. Their customer service was rude and says these are monthly charges. but the amount are not even the same each month and different time of the month. These are scam charges and I want $124.50 back ASAP.Business Response
Date: 12/22/2022
Hello!
Sorry for the delay. I have sent to our customer care department for immediate refund.Customer Answer
Date: 01/04/2023
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
There is no response. This business is a scam. If they have sent it to customer service then where is my refund? all I want is $124.50 charges that i do not approve. when that money is back to my card or check come to my mail then we are done. ThanksBusiness Response
Date: 01/10/2023
Hi ****,
I will check on this for you. I apologize for the inconvenience but no there is no scam here.Customer Answer
Date: 01/20/2023
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Please attach the document for refunded money back to my card here please or at least confirm the refund. ThanksBusiness Response
Date: 01/29/2023
Hello, the refund has been processed. Customer should have gotten a confirmation from our customer support department, thank you.Customer Answer
Date: 02/01/2023
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
That is the partial refund. They still owe me $59.85. 3X19.95= $59.85
They have refunded only 3 of charges not all 6. Thank youBusiness Response
Date: 07/25/2023
Hello! Sorry for any delay. I have sent to our call center for a refund asap.Initial Complaint
Date:09/20/2022
Type: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.
Subscribed to computer antivirus program. No acsess to the program after purchasing. No way to logon to create account and customer service failed to help. Called again and spoke to representative to cancel subscription. Was assured multiple times that they canceled it. Six months later I realize I'm still getting billed.Business Response
Date: 10/26/2022
Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/10/05) */ We will look into your cancellation ASAP.Initial Complaint
Date:09/14/2022
Type: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.
System Mechanic negatively affects my ability to access icloud, outlook and zoom. I asked for a refund as they required on the website via a chat. She had technical assistance call me. I don't want technical assistance. I want a refund.Business Response
Date: 01/27/2023
Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/09/30) */ We will looking into your refund ASAP. Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2022/10/06) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) It was a vague commitment. Looking into and giving me a refund are two different matters. The only response I will accept is a refund. Business Response /* (4000, 11, 2022/12/22) */ Hello! Sorry for the delay. I have sent to our customer care department for immediate refund. Consumer Response /* (4200, 13, 2023/01/02) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) Saying you are going to do something is not the same as doing something.Initial Complaint
Date:09/10/2022
Type: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 bought a piece of software from this company online, called System Mechanic. Apparently the license includes a $19.99 a month subscription fee for a service I do not want. I tried calling their support line to cancel this service but could not get through and was directed to instant chat. I asked over and over again to cancel this service but the person on the chat would not take no for an answer. I went as far as canceling the credit card the charge would be on. Today (9/10/22) they somehow managed to charge my new credit card for a service that I asked to cancel and will never use. I have deleted System Mechanic from my computer.Business Response
Date: 10/04/2022
Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/09/14) */ We will make sure your refund is processed ASAP, sorry for any inconvenience. ***Initial Complaint
Date:09/04/2022
Type: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 purchased ioio system mechanic ultimate defense today and the activation did not work the the serial key provided could not be found. I called the number and the agent was nice tried to activate via remote connection but was unsuccessful. He then downloaded software without my permission attempted to sell me the identity theft software without even fixing the issue I had to start with he was going to bill my cc for a service I don't want. I want my system mechanic up and running without having to call back and do the remote connection as I no longer trust this method. A new serial key can be generated and provided.Business Response
Date: 10/04/2022
Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/09/14) */ I will have someone contact you via email with your information and I apologize for any inconvenience.Initial Complaint
Date:08/30/2022
Type: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.
In response to an email notice that my subscription was expiring, I paid Iolo $27.75 on 8/8/2022. The process involved multiple screens and multiple product names. In the end I believed I had paid for another year of service on their new software. As of today I was told that I paid for an "upgrade" but the original subscription was still due to expire on 8/31/2022. They seem to believe that it is fine to collect $27.95 for three weeks of upgrade subscription. I believe they are pulling a "bait and switch" and have removed all of their software and will no longer use their services. They refuse to refund even though the charges are clearly out of line with what they offer.Business Response
Date: 10/03/2022
Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/09/14) */ Apologies for the inconvenience. I will make sure your refund is processed ASAP.Initial Complaint
Date:08/27/2022
Type: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 8/20/2022 I purchased iolo System Mechanic Standard and during setup was offered to upgrade to System Mechanic Ultimate Defense for $15. I accepted the offer and finished the installation. On 8/21/2022 I received a notification from PayPal that I had been charged $79.99 and a monthly recurring charge of $79.99 had been added to my account. At this time I contacted RealDefense, LLC and requested a refund of all products $14.99 for iolo System Mechanic Standard and the $79.99 I had been charged for System Mechanic Ultimate Defense and cancelation off my product license. I was told that a full refund would be issued but have not had refund issued, subscription removed, or any explanation as to why this has not yet happened.Business Response
Date: 10/03/2022
Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/09/14) */ We will look into the refund ASAP to make sure it has processed. Sorry for any inconcvenience.Initial Complaint
Date:08/25/2022
Type: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.
In order to cancel a recurring subscription, a link is provided to enter an email address to receive an email to log in to your account to cancel online. The email never arrives. I contacted the customer service email they provided for a company that handles online payments, who said they did not process my order, despite being directed there via email. I did not want that subscription to renew, and it did anyway. I then called their customer service number requesting to cancel an auto renewing subscription, and also requested to not have my yearly subscription renewed against next year and to not charge my credit card ever again and they said that was not possible and that it is in the terms and conditions that they can charge me again for the subscription when the annual fee is due again, despite me calling and requesting to turn off auto renewal, which they said they cannot do. I cannot see how a company can force you to pay an annual renewal fee if you request to opt out and to no longer charge a credit card.Business Response
Date: 01/09/2023
Business Response /* (1000, 12, 2022/12/22) */ Hello! Sorry for the delay. I have sent to our customer care department for immediate refund.
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