Important information
- Customer Complaint:BBB with the use of artificial intelligence, analyzed the complaints on 6/26/24
BBB shared the findings and recommendations with Constant Contact.
The findings appeared to show:
Difficulties obtaining refunds or exchanges
Billing discrepancies or unexpected charges
Service quality issues
Unsatisfactory customer service experiences
Constant Contact on 7/21/24 responded to BBB with:
Constant Contact has reviewed the findings, trends and recommendations and appreciates the learnings.
In addition to the above, the company would like to note the below responses that are consistent with our efforts to further enhance and improve the customer experience.
The Company sets forth its terms and conditions for the use of its SaaS platform services in its Terms of Service, which are publicly available on the Company’s website and in each customer’s account. Each customer must agree to the Terms of Service prior to using any Company services. In addition, the Company’s website includes additional disclosures with respect to its services and fees. The Company also provides extensive Knowledge Base resources on its website – a collection of articles, video tutorials and quickstart guides to help customers find answers to their questions. The documents and materials are reviewed regularly for potential changes and improvements. These measures are designed to ensure transparency and provide support in managing service expectations and billing questions. The Company will take into account the Findings and Trends as part of future updates to the Terms of Service, its website disclosures and information included in its knowledge base materials.
Prior to speaking with customers, our support agents must complete a rigorous multi-week training program designed to elevate the customer service experience, and the agent’s technical and communication skills. Agents must also pass a capstone exam and recertify their knowledge regularly. The Company will conduct a review of the training program, taking into account the Findings and Trends to determine whether changes should be made, especially concerning the handling of inquiries relating to billing and refund inquiries, customer satisfaction strategies and escalation procedures.
Over the last 12 months, the Company has taken several actions to improve the overall customer and product experience. The actions include, among many others:
Moving the Company’s Billing team under the Head of Customer Experience Operations to enhance the quality of services.
Hired a new Senior Manager to oversee the Billing Department and its operations.
In the past two months, the Company has hired an additional 18 new customer support agents in an effort to reduce call response and wait times for customers.
The Company continues to review its resourcing needs to ensure it maintains appropriate customer support and call wait times. As a result of these ongoing efforts, since the beginning of 2024, average Billing Department call times have been reduced significantly.
The Company has implemented an updated training curriculum to improve staff knowledge of the product and billing resolution best practices, and it regularly revamps existing curricula as needed to adapt to the ever-changing needs of our customers.
Thank you for these recommendations, and for the opportunity to express our commitment to delivering a
positive, impactful, and memorable experience for our customers. We believe that the recent actions we have taken, along with our ongoing efforts, will continue to result in improved strategies, an overall improvement in the customer experience, and a reduction in the number and severity of any complaints.
Complaints
This profile includes complaints for Constant Contact, Inc.'s headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see
Customer Complaints Summary
- 112 total complaints in the last 3 years.
- 58 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:01/17/2025
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 November 2024, I was searching for a new eblasting platform that would integrate with our POS system via API. I was assured by the sales representative that my POS system already had an existing API and integration and that it would be no problem. I was a returning customer so they gave me a discount and I paid for 6 months up front. When I went to onboard, I was quickly informed that the existing POS system integration was with another system with the same name. I attempted to contact support and did not get anywhere. I contacted billing to cancel my account and receive a refund and was met with sympathy that they had messed up, I was assured I could cancel and receive a refund, but that they wanted to be sure they contacted support first and asked for my patience. I was escalated to Tier II support, they sent me a form to fill out about my custom integration needs, and again, no response. I called billing in December in another attempt to get my money back and cancel my account because it was becoming apparent that the system was not compatible with what I originally signed up for. I was again met with sympathy and they downgraded my account until they could find out for sure from the engineers that they couldn't help me with my integration. I waited another two weeks and decided to call it quits. I called today and today was the first time I was told my account was non-refundable. I was NEVER informed of this, and would never have let my account continue for two months without adding a single contact, waiting to hear from support, still being charged, if I was ever under the impression it was non-refundable. I find this to be unacceptable. I paid for services after being mislead about its capabilities, was held active while they "figured it out", all to be told I couldn't get my money back. How can they justify doing business this way? That is a lot of money for a small business! To no fault of ours!Customer Answer
Date: 01/28/2025
I have not heard from the business in response to my complaint.
Business Response
Date: 03/19/2025
Hello *****, thank you for submitting a complaint with the BBB. I sincerely apologize for the delayed response, but I wanted to close the loop with your complaint. We have thoroughly reviewed the situation and have accepted liability for the chargeback, with a refund issued by your credit card company. Therefore, we cannot provide any additional refunds.
We apologize for your negative experience with Constant Contact and wish you and your business continued success.
Sincerely,
The Constant Contact teamInitial Complaint
Date:01/14/2025
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 December 2024, I attempted to contact the billing department using the number provided on my bank statement charge and using the Constant Contact (hereinafter referred to as CC) number listed on their website. Both numbers happened to be the same so I thought I was good to go. Wanted to cancel the marketing subscription. Made a total of 3 calls over a period of 2 days. Announcement stated wait time was 20 minutes...all 3 calls dropped after 11 minutes. Personally went into *************** on 3 occasions. First time, requested bank's assistance to configure the stop payment on all future debits. ** immediately changed the spelling and arrangement of their company name, and attempted to debit again. Went again to the bank questioning how is it they are still able to attempt the debit - it was then that the bank assistant said that they deliberately do a slight name change to hope it goes through. Went back to the bank yesterday because CC was able to debit the account for $141.70 (the amount for two months) on January 13, 2025 after changing name a third time. I had the card closed.Their actions are deliberate, devious and malicious. On my bank transaction for this most recent debit it lists the merchant info as ***********, MA - no phone number. Again deviousCustomer Answer
Date: 01/25/2025
I have not heard from the business in response to my complaint.Business Response
Date: 02/05/2025
Hello ****,
Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us regarding your attempt to contact our billing department. I really appreciate your patience as we looked into your issue!
Ive reviewed your account and noticed that in December, there was an outstanding balance of $70.85 for the month of November. Since we didnt hear from you at that time, the billing process continued. When we were able to process the payment, it covered a two-month period, hence the charge for $141.70. I see that you mentioned that you attempted to contact us, but we have no record of your call attempts when reviewing your account and were unable to reach you when we called to discuss your billing on 1/11/2025.
As mentioned in our Terms and Conditions, we operate as a non-refundable service. That said, we want to make things as convenient as possible for you! You can easily manage your account, including canceling, directly online without needing to call in the Account Settings found in the top right of your navigation bar. If you do prefer to call, the direct line for our billing team is ************. Just a quick note, your account hasnt been canceled yet, and you have until 2/11 to make any changes if you wish.
If theres anything else I can assist you with, please respond so that we can help.
The Constant Contact team.Initial Complaint
Date:01/06/2025
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 made the initial purchase by phone with **** *********. The terms were not entirely clear as I thought Constant Contact would be provide service and not just SaaS. I had consistent trouble logging in which made it difficult to access help. When I could log in, I had trouble getting the service to actually work. I called and asked for a refund and they denied me. I canceled and ended up getting charged even after cancelling.Customer Answer
Date: 01/17/2025
I have not received a full response from the business in response to my complaint. My credit card company secured a partial refund of $30. There are still two refunds Im waiting on: $110 x 2 and the business has not responded on the status of these two refunds.Business Response
Date: 03/19/2025
Thank you for reaching out to us and filing your complaint, ****. After reviewing the details regarding the setup of your account, we can confirm that our marketing consultant discussed the pricing during your initial conversation, which you acknowledged. As outlined in our terms and conditions, we operate under a non-refundable policy. We understand that this may be disappointing, and we sincerely apologize for any confusion that occurred during the setup of your account. We did, however, issue you a refund for the most recent charge that you mentioned as it was incorrectly billed. Please dont hesitate to reach out if you have any further questions or if we can be of help in the future.
Appreciatively,
The Constant Contact TeamCustomer Answer
Date: 03/20/2025
Better Business Bureau:I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ********. Please add your rejection comments below; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered.
The business response does not contain facts of said phone call. What was the name of the package the representative pitched to me on the phone? What details of the package were described? What agreement did I sign? Was agreement obtained by voice or signature?
Businesses and Customers should be civil, courteous and polite in their responses to complaints. It is important to remain professional and productive when participating in the BBB complaint process.
FAQ
Regards,****
Business Response
Date: 04/28/2025
Hello ****, thank you for your patience while we reviewed your response and re-reviewed your account. While our policy is non-refundable, as discussed during the initial purchase, we have issued a $60.00 courtesy refund for the two months of SMS and Inbox Preview add-ons.
We regret to hear that you experienced login issues and would have been glad to assist via our support team, but unfortunately our records show no support requests. Due to the policies and agreements outlined in our terms of service and this courtesy refund, no further refunds are possible.
If you have any additional questions, please let us know.
Wishing you continued success,The Constant Contact team
Initial Complaint
Date:01/06/2025
Type: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.
This business has charged our credit card repeatedly the last 2 years even though we do not use their services and have asked for refunds. They charge us immediately saying they cannot do anything about it even though they can see we have not used their service for the last 2 years. We are part of multiple subscription based services and the minute we say charges were done erronuously we get a refund. At this point this fraud as it's happening 2 years in a row and we get charged a tremendous amount. We do not want to do business with them. We want everyone to know that use their service this company has terrible customer service and they charge customers against their will. We want our money back . They should not be in business.Customer Answer
Date: 01/16/2025
I have not heard from the business in response to my complaint. This just shows you how much they do not care.Business Response
Date: 03/19/2025
Hello Cela, thank you for filing a complaint with the BBB. I apologize for our delayed response, but I wanted to close the loop on your account. We have thoroughly reviewed the situation and have accepted liability for the dispute with your credit card company, and they have offered you a refund. Therefore, there are no further actions we can take at this time.
We appreciate your patience and understanding. We wish you and your business success moving forward.
Sincerely,
The Constant Contact teamCustomer Answer
Date: 03/20/2025
[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
Better Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does satisfy my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint #********. I understand that by choosing to accept the business response that my complaint will be closed as resolved.
Regards,
**** ******Initial Complaint
Date:12/19/2024
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.
Constant Contact more than doubled my bill without any warning. I called them and was told that the *** couldnt do anything about it but that she would have a manager call me. They never did. I received an email from their customer service team 1 day before they were to charge me again. I ***lied that I wanted to find a resolution. They did not respond and then charged me again.Business Response
Date: 01/09/2025
Hello *******, thank you for documenting your experience with the BBB so that we can further assist. After further escalation of your situation by our support team, I believe you spoke with one of our support managers who provided an explanation and a resolution.
Constant Contact subscription charges are based on the number of contacts you have in your account. Because the number of contacts in your account significantly increased from one month to the next, your account moved into a new pricing tier based on the new number of contacts, which doubled your monthly charge.
Since the number of contacts remained the same after speaking with our team, you were charged the same higher amount in your latest monthly charge. We processed a refund for the last charge on your account and cancelled your Constant Contact account so that you are not charged any further.
Let us know if we can further assist with your Constant Contact account.
All the best,The Constant Contact team
Initial Complaint
Date:12/18/2024
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.
Order email service through constant contact. Had a lot of difficulty signing on requested help both times and was not given any help requested email and telephone services. Finally had to cancel the account because I couldnt use it upon cancellation. They informed me to take to fix the problem at this point too little too late. Spent $81 Per month for absolutely nothingCustomer Answer
Date: 12/29/2024
I have not heard from the business in response to my complaint. They never addressed it when I made it to them originally which is why I filed my complaint here.Business Response
Date: 03/19/2025
Hello ****, thank you for filling a complaint with the BBB so that we can further escalate your issue. I apologize for our extremely delayed response, but I wanted to close the loop on your complaint. After reviewing your account, our team found no record of any attempt by you to get in touch with our team via phone or email between March of 2020 and December of 2024 when you ended up canceling your account. As stated in our terms and conditions, our services are non-refundable as they are billed up front and you retain access to your account until the end of that 30 day period.
Your account was successfully canceled in December of last year. We wish you and your business continued success moving forward.
Sincerely,
The Constant Contact teamInitial Complaint
Date:12/17/2024
Type: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've been out on workers comp now for about 3-4 months. I've sent a few emails to cancel my subscription with this company to let them know that we did not want that. They told me they could not do it over email which I do have copies of that. I spoke with customer service representative ****** from your company and he said that you guys do not refund money even though we did not do absolutely nothing with your company for the past 2 months and you took our money from us and we're asking for a refund on the $90 that you guys have taken from us and no services in return from you guys. We're really looking forward to working this out and going from there. I would like better Business bureau to get involved and go from there. I do have the whole conversation recorded which I did advise them that they are being recorded. For future reference. I would like the business to contact me or contact better Business bureau and try to dispute this matterCustomer Answer
Date: 12/27/2024
I have not heard from the business in response to my complaint.Business Response
Date: 12/30/2024
Hello *****, thank you for taking the time to document your Constant Contact experience. Today were issuing a good-faith refund of $45, equivalent to the cost of 1-month of your Constant Contact subscription.
As part of your subscription, and as outlined in sections 8.4 and 12.2 of our Terms of Service, Constant Contact charges your monthly subscription fee in advance each month for access to our marketing platform tools. Therefore, we are a non-refundable service since you retain access to the platform through the end of the month even after cancelling your subscription.
Furthermore, you have the ability to cancel your Constant Contact account by phone or online at any time as is outlined in our Knowledge Base article here.
***************************************************************************************************************************************
It is the responsibility of the customer to cancel the account if desired, but weve refunded your last charge in good faith.
Thank you for bringing this to our attention and thank you for your understanding.
Regards,
The Constant Contact teamCustomer Answer
Date: 12/31/2024
[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
Better Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does satisfy my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint #********. I understand that by choosing to accept the business response that my complaint will be closed as resolved.
Regards,
***** ******Initial Complaint
Date:12/11/2024
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.
The business overcharged me, partially reimbursed me and then charged me the same amount again after I cancelled the service and continued to charge me again.Business Response
Date: 12/30/2024
Hello *****, thank you for documenting your Constant Contact experience with the BBB. While your desired resolution is a refund for $170, we are unable to refund you any more than the $150 refund we already processed.
In October, you requested to suspend your account instead of cancelling it, which allows your account to remain open without functional access for an Account Suspend Fee of $10 per month. Instead of being charged only $10 for that month, you were charged your full bill of $160. We proceeded to refund you $150, keeping $10 to cover the Account Suspend Fee for that month of October. Similarly, you were charged the $10 Account Suspend Fee for the month of November before cancelling the following day. Per our policies outlined in the Terms of Service, you agree to pay those fees at the start of your monthly cycle. Because we are a non-refundable service, we cannot offer a refund since you retain access to your suspended account through the end of that billing cycle.
Thank you for reaching out, we wish you and your business the best of luck in the new year.
Regards,
The Constant Contact teamInitial Complaint
Date:12/06/2024
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.
Constant Contact has been billing my credit card 5.40 every month. I have called them several times about these charges and each time they tell me a different story. I just spoke to another *** and they said they are suspended charge for an account I had opened using ********************* Ive asked them several times to close the account and stop charging me as I never use the account. I even try logging into that account using my ******************** and it says I dont have an account. Its like a runaround. They wont cancel the account and I cant even login to the account. I want them to credit the monthly charges back to my account. Its extortion in its finest form.Business Response
Date: 12/07/2024
Hello *******,
We are not finding an active, paid account under the email address provided. If you opened an account under a different username, please provide it to us. If you cannot think of any other email address or username you had associated with the account, please call our Billing team so they can look up the payment info being charged.
For Billing's direct lines and hours of operation: *************************************************************************
Initial Complaint
Date:12/05/2024
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 started an account with ********************, found it did not fit my needs so I cancelled the account within their advertised 30-day money-back guarantee and did not receive my money back. I've reached out via phone and email and still have yet to receive reimbursement.Business Response
Date: 12/30/2024
Hello ******* thank you for documenting your Constant Contact experience. I appreciate your patience in our response. Unfortunately, although you cancelled your account, you are ineligible for the 30-day money back guarantee because you did not attempt to utilize your Constant Contact account before cancelling. If you click through the see terms link in the screenshot you shared, you would see our 30-day Money-Back Guarantee terms and conditions.
While you can request a refund when you cancel within 30 days after your first payment. To qualify for a refund, you must have:
- Uploaded contacts
- Sent an email
- Abided by the Terms of Service and Acceptable Use Policy
- Have not suspended or paused your account before
You did not attempt to utilize your Constant Contact account, so your request for the 30-day money-back guarantee does not meet the requirements to qualify for a refund.
Thank you for your understanding, we wish you and your business continued growth in the new year.
Regards,
The Constant Contact team
Link to the money-back guarantee Terms and Conditions: *********************************************************************
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