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:04/15/2023

  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.

  On September 13th, 2022, a purchase was made of $90.79. After making what I thought was progress in French, I have now learned from my French wife that I am speaking nonesense and it's offensive. I've since started fact checking most of what is being taught and have come to learn that the majority is direct translations as if using google instead of being reviewed by someone like my wife who has spoken the language all of their life. Next, after making the purchase, the path of learning seemed clear, and then on November 13th, 2022, I was given a new learning path. After a quick internet search it seems that anyone who pays and consistently works towards learning, has their education path changed in the same way. The course goes from being educational to being remedial and much longer. All the progress I made was taken from me and I had to repeat several lessons. As if that was bad enough, no, instead the learning app turned into a game. A scam to keep users playing instead of learning. I would be told that I was wrong for things the lessons never taught me, failing to move to the next course. When I would study for more than 20 minutes, consistently, the app would tell me "something went wrong." I would try to open the course and eventually have to close and reopen and wait for the app to load. Everything went from education to waiting to learn something new, but I have to pass all the remedial cycles of repetition for the same information in a dozen classes in the course ranging of 10 questions each that struggled to load when I was trying to be serious about earning my education. Most of the reason is because the bloat of messages duolingo feels necessary to send to say, don't give up, keep learning, mistakes happen. The only mistakes being made are those forced upon the user to continue buying into the scam. The give a little to get away with a lot. In the screenshots provided you can see the demand for information not taught, and incorrect translations.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/17/2023

  Hello,

  We're sorry you are not enjoying the new path that was introduced last year. We have submitted your feedback to the appropriate teams!

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/09/2023

  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.

  The Duolingo Android App offered a free 2 weeks trial period. When I decided to use it, it also stated, that they will send an email notification 3 days before they're going to charge my Play Account. When I wanted to cancel the trial, I realized that Duolingo has actually charged a full year of subscription $89.55 at the time of the start of the trial. I find this deceptive and malicious practice and I want a full refund.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/10/2023

  Hello,
  We're sorry your free trial didn't work properly. We are investigating the issue to make sure this doesn't happen to users in the future.
  I have issued a refund for your subscription. It should be available as soon as your bank processes it on their end. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/10/2023

  
  
  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:04/06/2023

  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 purchased, what I thought was a monthly subscription for Duolingo. It is very misleading....they make it appear that your account will be charged monthly, when in fact they charge you for the whole year. I have attempted to get a refund through Duolingo but they have said they do not refund on subscriptions. If a company is going to charge you a "monthly" fee, (as they state it) for their services, then actually charge you for the whole 12 months upfront it should be explicitly apparent BEFORE you make the purchase. If they are not going to offer a refund, why aren't they calling this a yearly subscription that cannot be refunded? Who is going to pay for something upfront, that cannot be refunded, if they know it before the purchase....no one. It's bad business and in my opinion, very misleading to the consumer.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/06/2023

  Hello,
  We offer both a monthly and annual subscription. The annual subscription is billed as one payment, which is outlined on the purchase confirmation page. So sorry if that wasn't clear.
  There is no subscription associated with the account using *****************. There is also no record of you contacting our support team with this request. If you can provide the correct account information, we are happy to assist further!

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/27/2023

  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.

  Good day,
  I opened an account with Duolingo in March 2022. I don[t want to continue the subscription. I don't remember what Debit card I used. I have nee trying to get in touch with them for two weeks. I don't get a response from the emails. They don't have a phone number. They are headquartered in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, called the City of Bridges. I open my account and it lets you hit cancel account but in smaller print it tells you this will not cancel the account. You must use the same method you used to open the account. I used the we,. I follow the directions but it doe not give me the option to cancel the account, I am at my wits end. I will not use this service again. o be that inaccessible to your customers is bad business. I would like to be contacted by the business and a refund if necessary and close my account.
  
  Please advise. Thank you.
  
  
  ******** ********

  Business Response

  Date: 04/07/2023

  Hello,

  I'm sorry you are having trouble canceling your subscription. I took a look at your account, and there is no subscription associated with the account using ****************. I also see your previous emails that were sent to our support team for the Duolingo English Test. This is an English proficiency test for international students to use for college acceptance. That team is unable to assist with subscription related issues. I also see a transcript of a live chat with the Duolingo English Test support team. They asked some questions to help, but you didn't provide the information they asked for, so they were unable to give us the details of your request.
  If you can provide the username or email address for your subscribed account, we will be happy to help!

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/21/2023

  Hello ********,
  
  I sent a screen shot, in the previous email, that proves I joined Duolingo March 2022. I have been trying to go through my accounts because I do not remember which card I used to join.
  
  When I go into this account it acts as if I am still a member and wants to know where I want to resume. I tried to call but it was too late. I'll try and call tomorow before 330 PM. Have a good day tomorrow.
  
  Thank you.
  
  
  ******** ********

  Business Response

  Date: 04/25/2023

  Hello,

  The account using **************** has not purchased a Super Duolingo subscription. Do you have another account using a different email address?

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/27/2023

  Hi ********,
  
  **************** is the email. I've been trying to cancel since March so if the charged anything please let them know I would appreciate a refund. I am thankful for your help, also.
  
  Have a productive day tomorrow.
  
  
  ********

  Business Response

  Date: 04/27/2023

  Hi ********,

  The account using **************** has not subscribed to Super Duolingo. If you have a subscription, it would be on an account using a different email address. If you can provide the correct account information, we will be happy to help!

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/28/2023

  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.
  
  
  
  He ********,
  
  The only other email would be ****************** ****. Even though it says "the anniversary of your subscription" it did not cost? I thought I paid about $70.00 because a co worker and I did it around the same time and he said he thought it was that amount.
  
  But if they have no record maybe it didn't go through. When you ask them about the other email address the public doesn't have to see that address I hope.
  
  Thank you. I'll wait for the net response. If I don't here from you tomorrow, have a lovely weekend.
  
  
  ********
  
  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/28/2023

  Hello,

  I believe these messages are private and can only be viewed by you, the BBB, and Duolingo. There is no account using **********************. If you have a receipt of a transaction, we may be able to locate the account. If not, it sounds like you may not have purchased a subscription. If anything changes, you can contact us directly at **************************.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/02/2023

  
  
  
  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. 

  Thank you and BBB for being so thorough. I never did get a receipt for initiating that transaction so maybe it didn't go through. This March when I got the message saying it was my anniversary I was glad because I was going to try and narrow down when I started the prescription last year.
  
  Because of your inquiries hopefully they checked also.
  
  I am satisfied, glad you guys are in place for this sort of business. Unless I run across any receipts, I guess business is complete.
  
  Thank you again, really!
  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  ******** ********

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/15/2023

  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.

  3/15/23
  $128.84
  The amount is more than i initially thought the subscription was. I have followed the directions found on their website to request a refund but have not had any luck with making much progress. The directions states to request a refund through Google play but when I did that Google play didn't give me an option to select that purchase. I have tried calling Duolingo but there isn't a person that I can speak too. I have attempted to call Google Play as well but it was the same.
  i have unsubscribed from Duolingo and sent them an email hoping i can hear from them. This has caused me much grief since i now only have $20 to my name after the money was taken. How can a communication application not have open communication?

  Business Response

  Date: 03/29/2023

  Hello,
  We received your email on March 15 and I can confirm that your message was responded to and you were issued a refund less than an hour after sending that email.

  The response we sent you on March 15 in case you missed it:

  Thank you so much for contacting us here at Super Duolingo. My name is Brett and I'm happy to help you with this today.
   
  I'm sorry to hear you want to cancel your Super Duolingo subscription! I took a look in our system and was able to see a cancel for your subscription and refund for your most recent payment. The refund should take 5-10 business days to reflect back on your original payment method, but it will go through automatically at this point.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/13/2023

  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.

  (Not receiving services I have paid for)
  Glitch in system has resulted in me not receiving unlimited access that I have paid for. It has been a few weeks and I have tried reaching out in multiple ways and there is no response.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/29/2023

  Hello,

  We've looked at your account and see that your subscription has been shared with another account (************). This can happen if multiple people share one Google Play account. In this case, when ****** signs in, Google recognizes that the subscription purchased on the Google Play account is not reflected in Duolingo, so the subscription transfers to that account automatically. If the two of you share a google play account, we recommend using separate accounts to prevent your subscription from being transferred between them.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/13/2023

  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.

  I am unable to request a refund from the google play store or get in contact with the developer in order to get a refund for a product i have not used. I was charged for a year subscription and i do not need this service i should be able to cancel it within two days of the purchase.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/29/2023

  Hello,

  We're sorry to hear Google was not helpful with your request. Can you please provide the email address associated with your Duolingo account? No account exists using *******************. Thank you!

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/30/2023

  My duolingo account is under the email **************** thank you so much for the help!

  Business Response

  Date: 03/30/2023

  Thanks! We've issued a refund for your subscription. You've already cancelled the subscription, so you will no longer be billed automatically. The refund should arrive in your bank account within 5-10 business days!

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/31/2023

  
  
  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.  Thanks for settling this so quickly!
  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  ******* ******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/12/2023

  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 billed my credit card:
  
  DUOLINGO PLUS 12 MONTH
  +*********** PA
  Foreign Currency Transaction $116.44
  
  I do not have an account with Duolingo and have not authorized this transaction nor have I signed up for an account with Duolingo. My bank has reported this charge as fraude and cancelled my credit card. I now have to advise all my creditors of my new credit card number. How do I stop this from happening again and how did they get my credit card number??

  Business Response

  Date: 03/28/2023

  Hello,

  I'm sorry to hear that someone used your credit card without your knowledge. We cannot provide guidance for your credit card security. I recommend you contact your bank for advice about protecting your banking information to prevent others from using your card fraudulently.

  There is an account using **********@gmail.com that was created in January 2021, but there is no subscription attached to that account. We're happy to help you resolve this, though we will need additional information to locate the transaction. If you have received a receipt from this transaction, please provide the transaction number. If you have not, we may be able to locate the charge using the last 4 digits of the credit card that was used to make the purchase.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/07/2023

  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 agreed to a 2-week free trial of an upgraded Duolingo service. When the 2 weeks was up, I went to my ApplePay subscription page and cancelled the subscription. As soon as I cancelled the subscription, I saw a charge for $89.87 on my credit card for the Duolingo subscription. I contacted Duolingo, ApplePay, and my credit card to get a refund, with no success so far.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/28/2023

  Hello,

  Apple's terms and conditions of subscription purchases require you to cancel 24 hours prior to the subscription's renewal. Since you canceled after that time, Apple has charged you accordingly. I see your subscription has since been refunded and terminated by Apple. If you have any other questions, please reach out to our support team!

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/06/2023

  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.

  On January 25, my familly subscribed to Duolingo Plus for families. This entitled us to 5 family members to have access to the app. My daughter invited me to the subscription and within a few days she was locked out of the account and couldn't invite anyone else. This isn't a forgotten password issue; it seems to be a bug on the platform. She can't change her password or do anything else. We have emailed customer service three times and filed a ticket for tech support through the Duolingo website and have not received any response from them. We paid $65 for 12 months of access to the platform and have now missed out on more than a month of that access. I don't know what else to do. They won't respond to my emails, there isn't a customer service phone number, and I'm at a loss for how to either get access to the platform (which we would prefer) or get my money back. Thank you very much for your help. Yours truly, *****

  Business Response

  Date: 03/21/2023

  Hello,

  I'm sorry you're having trouble with your accounts. I cannot locate an account using the email address provided (***********@*****.com) or with the username ********. Your daughter is having trouble signing in because she is entering a username that is not associated with her account. If you can provide the correct account information, I'm happy to take a look and help you both access your accounts!

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/21/2023

  Hello Ms. ******,

  Thank you for your continued assistance. The email address tied to the account is *********@******.com. The "********" username is also the correct username tied to the account.

  I am attaching the receipt for our subscription as well in the attachments above.

  Please let me know if there are any other materials you need. 

  Thank you, again,

  *****

  Business Response

  Date: 03/29/2023

  Hi *****,

  I double checked today and can confirm there is no account with the username "********." The account using *********@******.com was just created on March 21, 2023. While it is the email address you use for your Apple ID to purchase the subscription, it is not the email address associated with the Duolingo account you are having issues with. Can you please provide the Duolingo account information of the Family Manager?

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/31/2023

  Hello,

  ***** is the family manager. The only other email address she has is *********@*****.com. 
  

  *****

  Business Response

  Date: 04/04/2023

  Hi *****,

  Thanks for that info. Unfortunately, there are no accounts that use any of the email addresses provided. Can you please ask ***** create an account using one of her email addresses. Then from the settings menu in the Duolingo app, she can tap on "restore purchases." This should transfer the subscription to the new account and I will be able to see the previous account it was linked to and finally get this settled for you and your family!

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/05/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  Hello, thank you for all of your help. This did fix our problem but we have been locked out of our account for over two months. I would like to request that Duolingo add two additional months to our subscription. Extending the expiration date from January 24, 2024 to March 24, 2024.
  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  ***** ****

  Business Response

  Date: 04/06/2023

  Hi *****,

  
  Thank you for following those steps. I was able to locate the original account that subscribed. It looks like *****'s original account was requested to be deleted on January 23. Due to this, her account was deleted and she was unable to access the account since then. I recommend ***** continue to use the newly created account.
  

  I can also confirm that your account using **********@*****.com has had access to the subscription since January. With a recent streak of 43 days between January 28 and March 25, the subscription was actively used throughout this time and cannot be extended.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/06/2023

  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 would like to stress that the business didn't respond to repeated contact via their contact channels through their website and customer service email for weeks. It was only upon contact with the BBB that they responded to our concern and even then it took months to resolve. My daughter did not at any point delete her account. She needed it to study for her French class. She would not have done that. Yes, I had access but frankly I've been a Duolingo free user for years with no need for a paid account. That was expressly for my daughter's study needs for French class. I will also add, that we subscribed to the family plan so that we could invite the rest of the family, which we couldn't do because she was the owner of the account. The fix for this was so simple, it would suggest that you intentionally prefer users be locked out of the app rather than give them the simple solution. 

  I've cancelled our family subscription renewal and we'll be shopping for another language learning app. I'm deeply disappointed. We've been loyal users for years and to have this experience as soon as we leveled up to a paid subscription is outrageous. You could have had a long term paid customer. It's really unfortunate.

  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  ***** ****