Shaw Academy

They charge me 69,9 USD for a course that I don't request and after many emails requesting a refund they refuse repeatedly.
I signed up for a free trial course in Shaw Academy but I never take not even on lesson. After a while I see a charge of 69,9 USD in my bank account and inmediatly I send an email to them to request a refund. They refuse and say that the refund it's not possible because even if don't do not even one lessons the content was available.

Shaw Academy processed an unauthorized charge on my paypal and refused to refund it although I did never purchased their services.
there is a free time to use it and after that I tried to cancel it but the cancelation button is not active so I could not. it is not fair and also, It is not a professional company style. they charge me $69.99.

Signed up for free online course trial and charged $39.95 for non-chosen 'diploma'. Will not refund, and outrageous process to cancel account.
Signed up for free 30 day promotional digital marketing course, looked like decent content. Immediately started receiving a barrage of emails, text notifications re: everything from class reminders to further add-ons and promotions to take advantage of. This was incessant since sign-up - never have I received so much unnecessary communication from an online service. You should see my email inbox - it's unreal! At some point within the 2nd module/class time, a charge showed up on my CC for a $39.95 "E-Certificate for Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing" - a product I never wanted nor approved purchase of other than trying to advance to a next module. Submitted a help desk request to get this refunded/removed, but their response was to tell me that it was helpful for me as a student to have, and then proceeded to offer me the Toolkit for the course (which was more certificates) that I could obtain by clicking on a "Get E-Certificate" button to activate. Fool me once, shame on you - fool me twice, shame on me! Not happening. I responded saying this was not what I requested (additional add-ons), and to please refund this charge so that I can then cancel my account. Reply back was saying no refund is possible, but they want to help me by now increasing my trial period to 3 months.
The emails followed a fairly clear escalating script to try and soften the hidden charge. I couldn't get anywhere with a refund, so proceeded to cancel my account. The cancellation process was an outrageous number of screens to click through saying the same thing over and over of how they want to help students succeed, are you sure, we'll extend this, offer you that. I get trying to retain students, I'm a college professor myself. But this was being stuck in an echo chamber of needing to repeat what you want so many times that you nearly give up on the process because of the hassle of it all.
Finally got to the final screen of cancelling my account, and it then says I need to actually call and talk to a representative to authorize that (guidance manager it said, who turned out to be an automated computer voice on the phone). The call was nearly 10 minutes of the same messages of "are you sure?" being repeated over and please select option "2" at the end of the message.

I wasn't impressed enough by the course content (digital marketing) to override the hassle of hidden charges and jumping thru the hoops of canceling my account. I get that everyone's trying to keep people loyal with their product but the product should do that work rather than make the process laborious to this extent. People should know that their signing up WILL cost them in time and expense charges, even with 'free' trial periods.

My parents signed up for me. I am not interested, I have tried several times to cancel my account and can not speak to a real person to cancel.
Free trial 6/22/2020 attempted to cancel 6/23 and 6/24 with just a loop recording, no option to cancel.

Shaw Academy made an unauthorized charge to my bank account. I tried calling to get a refund and to cancel but the number I was given was fake.
A month ago I given a free trail to Shaw Academy, before the trail end I tired to cancel the account. I was given no cancelation link or a phone number to call. On 6/19/2020 I logged back into the account to cancel, and finally saw a link to cancel my subscription. At this point there were no charges to my bank account and most importantly I never use any services on that website.

When I clicked on the cancellation link, I was sent through many web pages offering free services until I was given a phone number to call, XXX-XXX-XXXX. When I called the number the same thing happened again. I was sent through many different phone line options until automatic voice machine told me that my account was canceled and I should see a change in my account within a couple of hours.*Without me putting any account information in

On 6/23/2020 my bank account was charged $69.99 after canceling the account. And I have not heard anything back from them.

The company employs an onerous cancellation process - first online (5 separate screens) then via phone (nearly 3 min, multiple voice prompts)
In order to cancel my subscription after the trial period, I first had to log in to my account and then go through 5 separate screens, clicking "confirm cancellation" on each one. On the final screen I was then directed that I must call the phone number (XXX XXX XXXX) and speak with a student guidance manager. Upon calling the number, no person or representative option was available, even though I phoned during their posted business hours. I was kept in an IVR system for nearly 3 minutes, listening to sales pitches and having to confirm my cancellation multiple times.

I understand providing consumers a "last chance" before cancelling to ensure they don't cancel in error. However, I don't believe that as a consumer, I should be required to jump through so many hoops via two different communication systems (web and phone) in order to cancel my subscription. It's an underhanded consumer practice designed to frustrate consumers into not completing their cancellation.

Thank you in advance for your attention to this matter. Should you require anything further, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Name on Account: *** (I use for privacy reasons, so I don't get contacted on LinkedIn by sales people)
Email assoc with account: ***@yahoo.com
Acct # XXXXX
Signed up: 5/22/20
Cancelled: 6/24/20
Paid via AMEX (name ***)

I have been charged for services that I never received. I contacted customer support and have been charged again after canceling. Requiring a refund.
I signed up for a free course through Shaw Academy in April, it also included a complimentary tool kit to help with the courses. The day I decided to begin the course I was immediately charged for the toolkit. I emailed customer support requesting a refund and removal from the program in May. I removed my banking information from their website. Shaw Academy responded with a credit of $200 worth of classes when I was requesting a refund of $39.95 and they refused to reimburse. I have not once used any of their services and was once again charged but this time for $69.99 on June 1st. This company continues to steal my money after I requested a refund, reiterated that I wanted nothing to do with their company and have not used any of their services. I am still receiving emails telling me that I am almost done with my course and should take advantage and purchase a certificate from them. I am simply requesting a full refund for those 2 charges and to cease any further charges.

Hi. I've been wanting to cancel my membership since May 30. Now, I've been billed php 500. Didn't avail any services. PH Contact Number is not working
Hi. I've been wanting to cancel my membership since May 30. Now, I've been billed. I haven't used any of your services, and I don't have plans to ever use them anymore. Can you please reverse the Php 500 fee that was charged to my credit card? I tried calling +XX XX XXX XXXX but the number is not in service. Please help me cancel this.

My Shaw Academy account was charged $45.99 for an E-Certificate that I was never asked to buy.
On May 25, 2020, I signed up to a free trial on Shaw Academy. Then on June 19, 2020, I checked my billing and saw that I received a charge of $45.99. It was because of an E-Certificate. I was never asked to buy the E-Certificate, and I never clicked anything else. On June 22, 2020, I canceled my Shaw Academy account, but wasn't given any help regarding my refunding issues. I've seen many complaints like mine before. Please refund me as soon as possible.

Shaw Academy offers free trials that lead to unauthorized charges which they refuse to reimburse.
I signed up for a free trial with Shaw Academy and within minutes of signing up a withdrawal was made from my account: $0.50. I thought this was strange but figured it was the company's way of making sure the bank account was valid, and I assumed the $0.50 would be reimbursed with in a few hours. Only two minutes after receiving this charge I was scrolling through the Shaw academy website on my phone when a window popped up claiming that I would be charged $39.95 for a tool kit. I discovered that there are "one-click purchase" links that can easily be accidentally tapped just scrolling through. I did not know what this was, nor was I interested in investing any money in this business before I tried out the free trial.

Immediately, I emailed Shaw academy with my PayPal receipt (attachment) to get a refund for this charge, and to opt out of the free trial, as it seemed like a scam.

The email I received in return asked me for my bank statement, which seemed unnecessary, as my PayPal receipt was included in the first email and the reason for PayPal is so bank information is not necessary. I sent a blacked out screenshot of my Account charge for Shaw academy. I later received an email stating that the purchase I made was non refundable. This was very upsetting to me, as I had not intended to make any purchase, whatsoever.

I left a review for Shaw academy on trustpilot.com to which they responded "do not click on purchase if you don't intend to buy". I reiterated again, as I had in my emails and my review, that there was no intention to click on a "Purchase" button - I hadn't even seen it! Shaw academy has not responded. I am out $39.95 but Shaw academy still hasn't cancelled my free trial as I had requested. They say it is very easy to cancel, but I've searched the website and cannot find anything. I emailed about cancelling and they offer more "free" things - they won't cancel my account. (See email attached). I have read reviews upon reviews that say that people are charged after the free trial for not cancelling and I am worried that this is going to happen to me because they will not allow me to cancel.

I have found that my experience is not unique, there are reviews and complaints that mimic mine on trustpilot, Reddit, google, and Facebook (there are even groups for people who have been scammed by Shaw Academy).

Signed up for a free 4 week trial and received a $40 charge on day 2.
I signed up for free 4-week trial and when my teenage daughter went online to try to check out the program, she was asked whether she wanted to continue learning and when she selected yes, without any request for confirmation or notification that there would be a payment involved, our account was charged almost $40. Promptly called their contact number multiple times and was never able to speak with anyone. Was on the line for 20+ minutes 4 different times and never was spoke with a human. Each time I sat on hold until the call just ended abruptly. Finally email their support staff requesting a refund of fraudulent charge, and after having provided them all the requested details of the charge, this is what they said:

Parnel (Shaw Academy)

Jun 12, 2020, 8:44:42

"Hi _____,
Thank you for contacting us.
I see that you have purchased the Toolkit shown in your member's area, course page, pop-up banner and email by clicking on the "Buy Now" option. Account: ***@gmail.com. Your Toolkit includes Webinar Slides for every lesson, Summary Notes for every lesson and Bonus videos. You can download these materials and save them on your device for future reference even after your access period expires. You can access the toolkit resources under the "Resources" tab on your course page through your student login area (http://www.shawacademy.com/login.php) using a web browser. Once the Toolkit is activated in your account, it is made available to you immediately for download hence it cannot be disabled or the access cannot be revoked. Hence, we will not be able to process the refund as per our terms and conditions."

However, that we clicked on any banner or anything that stated "buy now" is absolutely false. There was nothing we ever read on the web-page that said anything about spending money or buying anything. The only link that was selected was one that said "continue learning," which immediately charged our card without even telling us or confirming that we were purchasing something. The whole reason we signed up for this is because it was supposed to be a free trial for four weeks. This is a very deceptive practice on the part of their business and is a fraudulent charge.

Shaw Aacademy refuses to refund me my money.
I signed up for a 4 week free trial with Shaw academy. After 4 weeks I tried to cancel before my trial ended but there is no way to do that on their website. They charged me $69 on my credit card, for a full month on April 27 and May 25.When I asked for a refund they refused. They offered me free courses for a year, so I signed up for graphic design. I was promised it was free but they charged me $39 on June 9 for a module toolkit. When I asked for a refund for that too they refused.. I looked on my subscription on the website and I am scheduled for another payment on June 25 for another $69 and it says that I am scheduled for monthly recurring payments until December. What is frustrating is there is no way to cancel that I can find. When you go to the help section on their website thy show you how to cancel. but when I go to that section on their website it is impossible to cancel. What I want is my $187 back and I ask that they permanently delete my credit information off their website before I am charged on June 25. I have emailed several representatives and they continue to refuse to refund my money. They mention policies etc. but their is no clear way to cancel on their website.So I am stuck with a disreputable company having my credit card info.I have received emails from Ken, Vaughun, Megan and I think the supervisors name is John.

This company exploits you and tries to get as much money out of you as possible. Here is my experience with them, in detail.

As many know, companies such as Amazon, Adobe, and others, will automatically refund your payment if you cancel your subscription within a week (sometimes more) of payment. I signed up for a free trial, and the day after it ended (the MOMENT I was charged) I canceled. Here is what the cancelation process is like:

I had to click through pages of guilt tripping, confusing text to finally get to a page which told me that I needed to CALL to cancel, which is bizarre. I called and again had to listen to at least 15 minutes of guilt tripping and begging before I could finally cancel. I had to keep pressing specific keys to move forward. I cannot express just how unprofessional and exploitive this practice is. They said things such as "if you want to waste this opportunity and give up on your education, press 2" over and over again. Had I been someone less technologically adept, or someone who does not speak English well, it may have been impossible for me to cancel at all.
Next, since I was worried about getting my 70 dollars back, I emailed support with this message:

I signed up for a free trial and completed it. Upon being charged the day that my free trial ended, I cancelled my subscription. I was charged $69.99 and have not used anything that I payed for since I immediately canceled the subscription. Due to the current situation with Covid-19, I am in a difficult financial situation and this charge impacts my life. I would like to make sure that I will recieve a refund. Thank you for your time, ***.

Here is the email I recieved in response:

Hi ***,

Thank you for reaching out to us. I have personally reviewed your account and found the following details:
The subscription has been initiated as a 4-week free trial.
It was not cancelled during the trial period, so the payment was processed.
These terms are stated and accepted before account creation.T&C please see sections 4 and 5.
We are unable to process subscription refunds unfortunately after the trial expiry, as per the terms and conditions.

Sure it's legal, and sure if I had been more careful I could have avoided the payments, but their practice is extremely unprofessional and exploitive. I stronly reccomend another online course website. There are many which are much more reputable.

This company had dishonest advertising, and refused to cancel my free trial when I requested, then charged me afterwards, and are refusing a refund.
In May, I signed up for a free trial with Shaw Academy. The terms and conditions stated that I could cancel at any time. When I realized these classes weren't for me, I tried to cancel through the website. It was not easy, and I continued to receive texts and was then billed for $69.99, after having attempted to cancel. They did not send the promised reminder email before charging and even though I "cancelled" I was still a member. At the end of May, I wrote an email asking for a full refund. I have since tried asking multiple times, but they will only offer to extend my membership free of charge, which I do not want. They vaguely state that it's impossible to refund me, since I've already been charged, and indicate that they are being very generous to offer me an extended, free membership, which I keep making clear I do not want. Furthermore, when I googled the site, I found multiple other complaints and warnings about being scammed by Shaw Academy. They are a dishonest site, and have taken advantage of many people, and I believe I am fully within my rights to insist on a refund.

Unwilling to refund. Deceptive practices.
I signed up for a Digital Marketing Course, June 19, 2020 with a 1 month free trial. I then mistakenly clicked for a toolkit which I didn't know cost money due to a deceptive layout. To cancel there are many screens with many clicks. Then I think I got an message telling me to phone someone the next day with a code. Then, I had to email someone else with another code. Then, I think I had to email back again I think. At one point, I got a message saying I had to wait for a support call sometime between 11:30 PM - 8:30 AM Eastern Time (despite the fact that the company is from New Hampshire). I was then told via email that I could not cancel as I was past the 1 month trial period even though I contacted them the next day. My support reference number for Shaw is XXXXXXX and my student number is XXXXX.

Here are the screens needed to cancel: https://help.shawacademy.com/hc/en-us/articles/XXXXXXXXXXXX-Where-do-I-cancel-my...⇄ />
Attached is the email history:

Money was taken out of my account after getting consistently getting harassed through phone and mail despite my continuity of declination for payment.
According to Shaw Academy terms and conditions, students can have a free trial period before subscribing to paid membership. Cancelling the free trial before the period is over will mean no charges will be incurred. Accordingly I cancelled my free trial days before the trial period was over. I was not happy with the initial content trialled, I was appalled at their harassment - by phone, email and whatsapp, and I discovered terrible feedback and similarly troubling experiences with their service from other unsuspecting students. I received an email from Shaw confirming my cancellation informing me I had THREE days left of the trial period and encouraging me to continue with the membership. I declined and complaining that the number they gave to confirm and complete cancellation was not being answered and that I was certain I did want to cancel and thus did not expect to be charged. Then on June 19,2020, I received an invoice confirming they had taken payment of 69.99 CAD after all of my attempts to cancel via their website, and via calls, AND their own email about my cancellation. Repeated attempts to contact them regarding the issue have proved fruitless. Their phone numbers are either invalid or never answered and their responses to emails repeatedly ignore my actual request and consist of automated marketing content to continue with their courses.

Signed up for a free-trial, tried to cancel and was given an offer to extend. Tried to cancel again and was given an offer to extend. Was charged.
I signed up for a free trial March 31st in the Nutrition course. After not being able to attend a single class (which you can see on my file), I tried to cancel my membership. I was offered an extension for my free trial of another month. I tried to cancel again and was offered an extension of 2 months for my free trial. Granted, the way Shaw offers memberships and free trials is VERY confusing and not user friendly at all. I was signed up all of May and didn't attend a single class because I am in full-time school. I was laid off so I currently do not have much money. I then went to cancel, and after being directed to 4 separate pages prompting me to stick with the program, I was directed to a phone number to explain why I wanted to cancel. I explained my situation to the rep. Carlos and after 20 minutes of trying to force me into staying in the program, I was able to cancel. I go to check my credit card and I was charged the membership fee.

Shaw made it incredibly confusing and complicated to cancel, then lead me to believe I was staying in a 2-month extension because I hadn't attended a single class, and then took my money and is refusing to refund me.

I've been corresponding via email and they have now stopped responding to my emails.

The reviews of this company all over the Internet say that it is a scam.

I want my refund as I did not enrol in a single class once I signed up for the course, as I was not and still am unable to take the class. I am unhappy with the service and now that they have taken my money, they are forcing me to keep this service for free for a year but I will not use it all as I cannot and now completely disinterested in doing so.

Also, after I cancelled my account, they kept me enrolled and the next day I received alerts that my class was about to start.

Wrongfully charged after cancellation with free trial period
I started a free trial with Shaw academy. I cancelled this free trial prior to the cut off date of when it ended. They promised no charges would be made if the subscription was cancelled before the free trial ended. A charge of $69.99 was made to my account a month after My cancellation. I contacted Shaw academy trying to resolve this issue. They told me they would refund me if I sent a screenshot of their email to me of my cancellation confirmation. I did so and that email proves I cancelled my free trial on May 8th. The free trial was a 4 week trial that began when I opened my account on April 15th, therefor would have ended May 13th.
After I sent proof of my early cancellation they would not respond about my refund and will not contact me further on the issue.

I HAVE BEEN CHARGED $69.99 FOR A SUBSCRIPTION I HAD CANCELLED.
Shaw academy has charged my account, without my permission, AFTER I had cancelled my subscription. I demand a refund immediately. $70 is a lot of money, especially for someone who relies on that to eat for 2 weeks. I am extremely upset and demand my money back.

I signed up for a free 4 week trial. They charged $70 to my Paypal the next day. They will not refund my money and have made it difficult to cancel.

I signed up for a free 4 week trial through a Facebook ad with Shaw Academy and 1 day later, before I had even seen my first class they charged my Paypal $70 for a monthly subscription and module. It also had made this a reoccurring monthly payment on PayPal. I tried to cancel my membership and after several pages to click cancel it won't let me and has directed me to a phone number to cancel that is not toll-free and with limited hours. My request for a refund has been ignored by the Shaw Academy staff and PayPal will not refund my money as they say I signed up for this. It says nothing about a fee for the FREE trial when you sign up. There are HUNDREDS of people complaining about being scammed by Shaw Academy online so I know this isn't just something that accidentally happened.