Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Duolingo's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  Duolingo

  5900 Penn Ave Pittsburgh, PA 15206-3817

• 

  Duolingo

  5545 Walnut Street Pittsburg, PA 15232

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:06/27/2023

  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 had previously tried the free trial super duolingo and canceled. The app kept asking me to try a free trial so I thought I’d try it again. I went through the prompts within the app each of which says I’m signing up for a free 14 day trial and I’ll be notified 2 days before the end of the free trial. When I clicked start free trial I was immediately charged for the full year. I canceled immediately, and requested a refund through Apple following the instructions within duolingo. Apple thinks I’m ineligible for a refund, which I’ve appealed. I even have screen shots at the top of which day I was charged for a full year and at the bottom of the same page they’ll let me know when my trial is about to end. If there was ever an indication that this was not a free trial I would not have went through with it. I just wanted a refund, considering this was misleading at best and also considering I immediately canceled as well.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/11/2023

  Hello,

  We're sorry this happened! We offer a maximum of 2 free trials per user. Since you've already begun and cancelled 2 separate free trials this year, you were billed immediately upon subscribing your third time. I have shared this case with our team, as I can see from the screenshots you've provided that the app was displaying trial information when that shouldn't have been offered to you a third time. I can see that Apple has already issued a refund for this transaction yesterday, so your funds should be returned as soon as your bank processes the refund on their end!

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/12/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  
  
   
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  ****** ********

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/26/2023

  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.

  Over a year ago, my family had issues signing up for family membership on the web during a free trial. So we signed up via Apple instead with no issue.
  
  However, because we were never notified about our trial ending - the billing kicked in on our free trial AND apple and - unbeknownst to us until recently - we we're charged $119.99 TWICE (once through the web, and once through apple).
  
  We are having a hard time financially, so we decided to cancel (via Apple) before our renewal date this year. We were not even aware that our web account was still active - and therefore we were surprised to find out that we were STILL charged. After some digging, we discovered that we DID pay twice last year, and that we were still charged this year for the account we didn't even know was still active.
  
  We were never notified ahead of time about the charge, and even if we had been - we would have assumed that cancelling through apple would have avoided it - since we were unaware that we had TWO active accounts.
  
  We have reached out to "customer support", which really just seems to be a non-existent email that nobody answers.
  
  It is my belief that Duolingo PURPOSEFULLY makes it difficult to get out of the free trial by promising contact, which is never followed-through on.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/27/2023

  Hello,

  We can assure you nothing is done purposefully to prevent you from cancelling your subscription. You even acknowledged that you forgot about having multiple accounts and multiple subscriptions. We are happy to help our users manage their subscriptions, but we cannot be held accountable for things like forgetting to cancel a subscription, or beginning multiple subscription trials on multiple accounts. Stripe sends reminder emails about upcoming payments. You would have received a message from Stripe (not Duolingo) prior to your subscription's renewal. Furthermore, both subscriptions were cancelled and reactivated during the free trial period. Had they not been reactivated, the subscriptions would have expired at the end of their trial periods.

  We have issued two refunds, which you should receive confirmation of from Stripe. One refund of $119.99 from June 23, 2022. The second refund is from June 23, 2023. The funds should arrive in 5-10 business days. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/11/2023

  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 was essentially railroaded into accepting a free trail of Super DuoLingo with a promise of notice before it ended. I recieved no notice and was billed $89.87 without notice.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/12/2023

  Hello,

  Before activating your free two week trial of Super Duolingo, a timeline is shown, detailing when the trial ends and when you can expect to be charged. I can confirm a trial reminder was sent on June 9. If you do not have notifications enabled, you would not have seen that reminder.
  We're sorry you feel like you were coerced into subscribing. We certainly never force anyone into purchasing a subscription. You must tap a series of buttons and pass a checkout screen, so it is almost impossible to unwillingly purchase a subscription. Regardless, I can see that Google has already issued a refund, and your subscription is no longer active.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/07/2023

  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.

  This company give a two weeks free days and ask for my credit card that they weren't going to charge until they notify me before the weeks were over. The charged me before the 2 weeks were over and without notice me.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/07/2023

  Hello. Since you did not cancel your subscription during the free trial period, it has renewed automatically, as you've agreed to upon subscribing. You were not billed before the end of the trial period. Your trial began on May 22, and you were billed 14 days later on June 5.

  We have issued a refund and have terminated your subscription.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/07/2023

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/31/2023

  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.

  Duolingo has charged my credit card $89 without my permission or authorization.
  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/07/2023

  You subscribed to a free trial of Super Duolingo on May 9. Since you did not cancel during the trial period, the subscription renewed automatically as you have agreed to upon subscribing. I see you already spoke to one of our support agents, Shelby. She replied with accurate information instructing you to cancel your subscription and request a refund from Apple. If you need that information again, I've pasted it below:
   
  I'm sorry to see you want to cancel your Super Duolingo subscription! I took a look in our system and I see that you're subscribed through Apple. Apple handles the payment directly on their end, so we're not able to cancel or refund through our system. I'm so sorry about that! Not to worry, though, I have the exact links you need to contact Apple and get this taken care of.
   
  Here's more detailed information (with screenshots) on how to cancel your subscription on iTunes: https://********************************. You can also cancel your subscription in the Duolingo app.
  Click the Profile tab > Settings (top-right) > 'Manage Subscription' > 'Change Plan' > 'Cancel Subscription' > confirm cancellation via Apple dashboard.
   
  Once you've canceled, you can go to this link: https://************************* and follow the instructions here to be refunded: https://****************************************. If you experience any issues with these steps, please reach out to Apple directly at ************************.com. 
  Again, I apologize that I can't do this for you, but Apple should be able to handle things. Please let me know if you have any difficulty with this process or have any other questions. We always want to help! I hope you're having a great day so far.
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/01/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  UnresolvedMore 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 am learning French with Duolingo for Work. On 04/29/2023, I spent 4.5 hours completing unit 5 in section 7 of the French course, including the difficult legendary challenges. I tested out of the end of the unit, skipping the final practice, the unit review, and the final story, intending to go back and make those legendary after completing the test. I passed the test and was told that the next unit was unlocked. However, I found unit 5 relocked as though none of the work had been done.
  
  I received an automated reply from Support stating that they would likely not respond but thanking me for making the app better for everyone. To that end, I re-tested out of the level, but I still have to re-complete the legendary challenges.
  
  In addition to this, the courses are not fully screen reader accessible. Some of the questions depend on knowing what’s on the image on the screen to answer them correctly. I have also found that the tips are not always available to me, and apparently, there are hints along the way, and I’m not able to find those either. The app complimented me once on not using them though, which is how I found out that they exist.
  
  The only reason that I am successful with Duolingo is because I’m working with a language with which I am already familiar. Given these access barriers, I doubt that I could use Duolingo to learn a brand new language.
  
  Duolingo Max shows some promise because the AI apparently gives you extended explanations when you get something wrong, but I would argue that it shouldn’t be necessary for me to pay for that just because Duolingo doesn’t make their content fully screen reader accessible to begin with.
  
  I would like my path fixed so that section 7 unit 5 is legendary through level 7, and I feel that I should receive a Duolingo Max subscription at the Super learner price due to lack of accessibility of key course content. In the long term, I would like to see the curriculum become fully screen reader accessible on all platforms.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/01/2023

  Hello,

  I'm sorry your legendary levels weren't saved properly. We have no record of legendary levels being completed for unit 5. I've checked your account, and unit 6 is unlocked and ready for you to continue learning, so nothing is preventing you from beginning new lessons.

  Tips are available in most units. They can be accessed by tapping on the notebook icon next to the unit titles. I also checked your account to make sure this is working properly, and they are accessible for you just like everyone else!

  We cannot provide you with free or discounted subscriptions. Please keep in mind we receive tens of thousands of reports every day, which is why we are transparent with users when we say we cannot personally respond to all users messages.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/01/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  
  
  Regarding the legendary levels, I guess I will have no choice but to complete them again.

   

  Regarding the matter of accessibility, it is clear that the representative looked at my account, but they did not read my complaint carefully. When speaking of course content accessibility I am not talking about access to features on my account. I'm talking about access to the apps and the website itself using a screen reader, such as JAWS for Windows, TalkBack for Android, and VoiceOver for iOS. The fact is that questions that require you to look at an image for an answer are completely inaccessible because no verbal or textual descriptions of the images are offered. Moreover, since Duolingo switched from the tree to the learning path, the course on the website is not at all manageable with a screen reader. I can't even bring the lesson I want into focus to even start it and have had to abandon using the website completely.

   

  If Duolingo is making there courses available to "everyone", "everyone" should include people with disabilities. As such, their courses, whether via the web or via an app, should be compliant with Section 508. They are not.

   

  If you wish to access Duolingo the way I do, take an iPhone and ask Siri to turn on VoiceOver. Then, tap the screen three times with three fingers to turn on the screen curtain. Now, you can swipe left or right among items or drag your finger around the screen to explore it. VoiceOver will announce the item that is in focus. When you find the item you wish to activate, double-tap the screen with one finger.

   

  Try to complete a Duolingo lesson in this manner, and you will see that you have quite a different experience.

   

  I'd like to hear from you once you have completed a lesson in Duolingo with VoiceOver on and screen curtain enabled.

   

   

  
  Regards,
  
  
  ****** **********

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/25/2023

  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.

  My son signed up for a free 2-week trial of the Duolingo app. The Duolingo sign up page promised to email him when his free trial was almost up.
  
  There were no emails from Duolingo, and they automatically charged my PayPal account for one year, which is highly misleading and predatory. My son had no idea that he would be automatically charged because he has no account that could be charged. The charge was made because his phone is on my cell plan.
  
  He cancelled the subscription as soon as he learned he was billed, but a complaint to PayPal went nowhere. After seeing the number of Duolingo complaints on the BBB site, I decided to file a complaint and not bother with the documented unresponsive customer service at Duolingo. I am also hoping that others will find this info and decide not to sign up for this app.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/26/2023

  Hello,

  Our system uses push notifications to alert users that their free trial is about to expire. We do not send emails, nor do we state that an email will be sent. If your son did not have notifications enabled for Duolingo, he wouldn't have received that notification.

  While I could not locate an account using the email you've provided, I see from the attached screenshot that he subscribed through Apple. Apple handles the payment directly on their end, so we're not able to cancel or refund through our system. I'm so sorry about that! Not to worry, though, I have the exact links you need to contact Apple and get this taken care of.
  
  Here's more detailed information (with screenshots) on how to cancel your subscription on iTunes: https:**********************************. You can also cancel your subscription in the Duolingo app.
  Click the Profile tab > Settings (top-right) > 'Manage Subscription' > 'Change Plan' > 'Cancel Subscription' > confirm cancellation via Apple dashboard.
  
  Once you've canceled, you can go to this link: https:/************************** and follow the instructions here to be refunded: https:******************************************. If you experience any issues with these steps, please reach out to Apple directly at ****************************.
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/25/2023

  Type:Product 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 need customer support. My progress keeps resetting. Many times when I complete a lesson, it does not register that I completed it and resets my progress so I have to do the same lesson again. I am so tired of receiving zero support from Duolingo and I am about to stop paying for this. You don’t deserve my money or anyone’s money if this is how we are going to be treated. Zero support, zero accountability, and zero disclosure. That’s what we get from this company. Please fix this. I want my progress to be saved and I would kindly like to get what I pay for every month.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/26/2023

  Hello,

  We're sorry you haven't heard back from our support team. Aside from the email you sent us yesterday, I see no record of you contacting us for assistance since April 2021. We're happy to help, but cannot assist users unless they contact us. Can you please provide more information about the issue you're experiencing? Your account shows that you've completed around 10 lessons each day for the past week. If you can include screenshots of the lessons that you are completing that are not being saved properly, that will be helpful!

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/26/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  The reason I didn’t contact customer service further is because you people never reply. You make it too hard for customers to get technical support. Every time I send an email, I never get a reply. I cannot believe you people are getting away with charging $13/mo. for an app that doesn’t save my progress. If you must know, the last two levels before the end of unit 9 would not save my progress. I would be further ahead if it had saved my progress which is extremely frustrating. 
  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  ****** ******

  Business Response

  Date: 04/26/2023

  You are currently on unit 51, so your progress on unit 9 must have saved properly to allow you to advance to unit 10 quite some time ago. If you are still experiencing issues with unit 9, please let us know.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/01/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  When I was on unit 9, it kept resetting my progress when I would complete a lesson, which set me back allowing you to collect more monthly money from me. Go figure. Regardless, I have cancelled my subscription and I am frankly done with you people. However, when I try to unsubscribe from emails, I get an error that says I must go to account settings to do so. I do not see any option in account settings to stop emails from Duolingo. Stop sending me emails as I have reported you to Google as spam. 
  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  ****** ******

  Business Response

  Date: 05/04/2023

  To unsubscribe from emails, visit the settings page in the app or on duolingo.com. There is a section titled "Notifications." You can edit your email preferences there.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/05/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  
  I have already tried these steps and it did not work. 
  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  ****** ******

  Business Response

  Date: 05/16/2023

  I've accessed your account and turned off email notifications. They were all enabled, which is why you have been receiving emails.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/20/2023

  Type:Product 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 am now locked out of my account of Duolingo . My username is ******. This all started when I used the maths app . Now I cannot access my account . For months I have been receiving 100xp instead of 200xp. I have complained but no response from support . Please do something and retain my 1218 streak . Also you have pushed back all my languages which were finished . No response from support . Do something

  Business Response

  Date: 04/25/2023

  Hello,

  An account erasure request was made on April 12. Since this request was made, you no longer have access to your account.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/25/2023

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/17/2023

  Type:Product 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 subscribe to a Family Plan where I am supposed to be able to invite others to join. One family member was able to join but two other family members have not been able to use the link to connect with repeated tries. I cannot find any way to contact Duolingo about this.
  
  I have also had other issues with the app such as losing 'gems' which I earn by playing to redeem other features within the app. I've had random gem loss and when I've attempted to contact Duolingo I recieve no response.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/18/2023

  Hello,

  We're sorry your invite link isn't working. A contact option is provided upon subscribing, so you should have a direct link to write to us from your welcome email. What are the usernames of the users you would like to add to your family plan? We're happy to help!