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:03/04/2025

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore 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.

  Hello,I have repeatedly reached out to the company over issues with the app, and there has been no response to assist me and I need that to get fixed ASAP. I hope you can assist me.Thanks. Sincerely,**** *********

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/03/2025

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore 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.

  Purchased a subscription to Duolingo Super on May 30, 2024. This promised an upgraded experience including not having to wait for a refresh to continue practicing and the ability to earn badges and participate in competitions and rankings. The app was very glitch, where it was not possible to get things we had earned by playing. The app froze, didn't give badges, points, and status/rankings, and often made us repeat play for progress. You cannot contact ANYONE at Duolingo -- just submit bug reports, to which there is no recourse or fix. I tried thru ******* Advocacy to contact their higher-**** but all emails I could find were bad and bounced back. The company has a LOT of poor reviews and comments on their social media as well, so this complaint isn't the first, I am sure. I tried getting a refund thru ******, but their said I had to contact the developer. My credit card company said the same. No one in our family group is really using it anymore because of the issues. We cancelled the recurring subscription and are hoping for a refund of the full fee, as they absolutely DID NOT provide us with the experience promised. As well as not being responsive or available to fix any problems. This company is NOT a good consumer respondent.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/28/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore 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 a max subscription and they canceled for no reason completely unacceptable

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/25/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore 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 February 21, 2025, I paid 70 USD for the Duolingo English Proficiency Exam and took the exam on the same day. Instead of my exam result, I was notified 2 days later that my exam was rejected and invalidated on the grounds that I used a pen or pencil or paper during the exam. I objected to this and said that I did not use any pen or paper during the exam and that I was recorded by two cameras and that they had to prove this. Despite this, my request was rejected and no evidence was sent to me in any way, although I insistently asked them for evidence. My exam was unfairly not read and my money is not being refunded. I demand that I be provided with evidence or, if not, that my money be refunded.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/24/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore 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.

  Someone is using my email address to create an account on **********************, the online language learning service. I sent emails to complain about it many times, but the company doesn't do anything. First of all, it should be illegal to let users use the service without verifying the email address. I checked the account (because I can change the password and log in using my own email address) and it says the email address has not been verified YET, but this person has been using the app for a long time without any problems. It's really creepy that I keep getting emails from the company saying how I made progress on the app etc.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/18/2025

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore 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 does not have any customer support. Their social media, Reddit, and other locations are flooded with complaints about not being able to cancel a subscription, or the app not working with no resolution. They do not respond to paying customer support request emails, and do not have a phone number.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/14/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore 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 paid for a subscription to Super Duolingo. I have contacted them through their support email address 3 or 4 times because the practice function where I should be able to hear vocabulary words spoken for practice does not, and has not worked since I first contacted them during my free trial. I still get an error message every time I try it. I have deleted my cache, reinstalled the app, restarted my phone and tried all other suggestions on their site. Nothing works. I thought it would be addressed. After all, this is a very important feature when learning a new language. All I get is automated emails saying thank for reporting a bug...nothing is resolved and their policy is no refunds for any reason. I just want the functionality I already paid for in my one year subscription. And if they can't or won't provide that, I want my money back.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/14/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore 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 Duolingo English Test on January 21 and started my test on January 27. During the test, I experienced multiple disruptions, including a power outage and two instances of someone entering the room, despite a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door. At one point, I even spoke to the person, which is a clear violation of Duolingos test rules.According to Duolingos policies, such violations should result in an invalid test score, allowing me to use one of my three allowed attempts. Understanding this, I stopped answering questions after the conversation, assuming my test would be invalidated.However, to my shock and frustration, Duolingo verified my score despite these obvious violations and forced me to pay for another test instead of allowing me a retake. When I reached out to their support team for clarification, they refused to provide any explanation and simply told me to purchase a new test.After researching similar cases, I found numerous complaints on Reddit and other forums about Duolingos unfair and inconsistent handling of test results. Many test-takers report that:If you perform well, Duolingo may invalidate your test using vague or baseless reasons, using up all your retake attempts to force you to repurchase the test.If, like in my case, your test clearly should be invalidated, Duolingo verifies it anyway, knowing that you will have no choice but to buy another test.This manipulative business practice appears designed to maximize profit rather than ensure fair testing. Given Duolingos dominance in the online English testing market, they are exploiting test-takers who rely on their certification for school applications and job opportunities.I feel completely misled and taken advantage of, and I believe Duolingo is operating in bad faith. Their policies are inconsistently applied, and their support team refuses to offer any real assistance. I am filing this complaint because their unfair and deceptive business practices must be addressed.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/12/2025

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore 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.

  2/12/25 was charged by Duolingo for a annual subscription of their super duo plan. I originally signed up for a free trial. The app stated it would notify me two days before the trial was up and they didn't. They charged me without warning. They also charge me for the full year, even though the payment plan showed monthly payments. They provide no customer service. There is no number to call and they provide no assistance in requesting refunds or asking for cancellations.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/10/2025

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore 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 received a 3 month trial subscription that started in Sep 2024 and set it not to renew. It renewed anyway on 12-10-2024 for $89.03. Submitted a ticket to them (Duolingo REF # ********) requesting assistance in resolving. As of 02-10-2025 I have received no direct response to my requests only automated emails saying they've received my requests (see below)sent emails to Duolingo asking for resolution on the following dates:12-16-2024 12-20-2024 01-03-2025 01-30-2025