Shaw Academy

A payment has been taken from me for a product I was given access to for free during a free trial's extension. The company is not giving me a refund.

Following an ad on social media, I joined Shaw Academy's 4 weeks free trial on 3 May 2020.
I was not able to attend the classes and therefore wished to cancel on 13 May 2020. I called up and spoke to their Student Guidance Manager who convinced me to carry on at my own time by giving me FREE access to their 'Toolkit' and an extension of my trial.
I agreed and received an email from her right after our phone call, which explicitly says that the Toolkit will be added to my profile for FREE and that I am credited another 30 days FREE access to the course. This email is attached to this form.

Then on 31 May 2020 I noticed a payment taken from my Paypal of £49.99 and my account had been updated to Premium, as opposed to Trial.
I sent ShawAcademy an email straight away and their billing department got back to me that same evening with a very long email trying to convince me to stay, but very importantly stating that as the Toolkit was now available in my profile, they would not be able to process any refund.
I never intended to extend the trial to a premium account and never purchased the toolkit.
This payment is a breach of the contract I entered with them when I signed up and it violates consumer rights.
I got back to them straight away requesting a refund again and explaining that this was given to me for free, mentioning the email from their Guidance Manager which was part of the same thread of emails.
I requested the issue to be resolved on Monday 1 June and told them I would log this complaint via the Revdex.com if I didn't hear form them.
I have not heard from them since.
I sent them an email today to tell them I would push this forward and will keep pushing with other bodies until it is fully resolved.

I would not be taking this so seriously if I hadn't read the huge amount of dreadful reviews and complaints already logged against this business.
Either they are absolutely incompetent or they are running a scam/fraud. Either way they violate consumers rights.

I am requesting the following:
1. refund of £49.99 to my paypal account immediately - they have my details already.
2. cancellation of my account immediately with no further charges
3. my data to then be fully erased off their database under GDPR regulations, by the end of this week - profile, marketing, banking details - and no contact to be ever made with me again once this is settled.
4. a written confirmation of those 3 steps having been processed by the end of this week.

Due to the amount of complaints already logged against this company, here is a non exhaustive list of the actions I will take.
They have been reported for fraud to both Paypal and my bank.
The complaint has been logged via the Revdex.com.
Should the 4 steps previously mentioned not be processed in full, I will take the following action:
I will report for scam to Trading Standards, Citizens Advice, Scam Action Service and Scam Action Fraud.
I will escalate the matter to my local MP Jeremy C., as well as the MP of your English registered address Steve B..
I will escalate the matter to all four of the Dublin Bay South TDs: Eamon R., Eoghan M., *** O., Chris A..
I will report to the ICO if they breach GDPR regulations once my account has been fully deleted.
I will contact the media including newspapers and consumer tv shows.
I will make sure to pass *** the contact details I've gathered of their manageemnt teseam and Director whom I cc-ed in my last email to them.

I will not let go.
I will be monitoring my account extremely closely.

Signed up for a four week free trial course, gave credit card info, trying to cancel and avoid getting charged without my consent.
I signed up for a four week free trial course for Shaw Academy. They assured me I wouldn't be charged if I canceled, I signed up for the course and gave my credit card information on Friday, May 29. I attended a couple courses, decided it wasn't for me and on Monday June 1, I reached out and asked to cancel, they gave misleading instructions which went nowhere. they said they had no record of that email on file, I have proof that I have received emails from Shaw Academy to that exact email, they keep responding with that same answer. I'm trying to avoid having my credit card charged without my consent. What should I do? Attached are pictures which are proof that they have received emails from the email I provided and prove they are obviously lying about not seeing my email account on file.

I signed up for a free trail and cancelled 3 times using the app then called the number provided to complete however this company has charged me !
June 1st 2020 $69.99

Lied about letting you know before charging your card and also lied about needing your card info.
I signed up for the free trial around April 20th. While signing up it stated (and I have a screenshot of this): "no card details required". Sure enough you needed your card. I decided to put it in because it clearly stated, "we will not charge your card until we notify you that your trail period is up". I have looked through my emails countless times and there is not one email stating my trial was up and my Card would be charged. You contact customer service and they just pretty much tell you to have a great day. This is not okay. They are complete liars and I would never give a cent to this company ever again. Not to mention, to cancel your account you have to listen to a 10 minute automation pretty much begging you to stay before you can cancel..

I cancelled the free trial after never attending any classes since the first. But they are refusing my refund.
Shortly after the COVID-19 quarantine began I signed up for a free trial but by the time of the first class I realized I couldn't attend when my work hours were changing so I cancelled the free trial after around the 2nd week of the class before the end of the free trial. But on 06/01/2020 I received a charge. So I reached out to request a refund and make sure it was cancelled properly. They cancelled the subscription but refused to refund. I am unable to attend classes at this time and have no intention to use their site again. They are willing to give me my 69.99 back but are willing to offer $399 worth of services. That sounds backwards. I do not want a y further services from them they have no classes that I am any longer interested in. I just want my 69.99 back and we can part ways for good.

I cancelled before the trial period and Shaw Academy still charged my card. They also signed me up for additional months that were never authorized.
I signed up on 4/21/2020 for their Nutrition 30 day program only. Their system requires that you input your card number to register. I cancelled 4 days later. The system acknowledged my cancellation on 4/25/2020. I emailed them on 4/27/2020 to make sure it was clear I was cancelling and for them not to cancel my card. The follow up confirmation email I received asked for documentation of the charge. There was no charge at that time (in April) since it was long before the 5/21/2020 deadline; I thought I was done since I received the confirmation. However, they still charged my card on 5/21/2020 for $69.99; that was an authorized charge. When I contacted them and sent them a copy of the unauthorized charge they refused to refund my money and I have been emailing customer service ever since to get my money back. Instead of honoring their policy they have enrolled me into an automatic billing cycle until November. I did not authorize this. See attached.

I was charged for a full amount of classes after the free trial that I do not wish to partake in.
After emailing customer service to let them know I am seeking a refund of the amount I was charged after the free trial the day I was charged, in which you have to input my card information to take advantage of the "free trial" I was told they can don't do so because I did not cancel before the payment hit. It was a honest mistake that I did not remember the last day to cancel. I am currently unemployed due to covid-19 and I am in need of the funds to pay off bills. I was offered $900 worth of classes but I am not interested in pursuing and just want my money back. Please!

Shaw Academy charged my card unauthorized. I cancelled my membership with a representative and he swore I wouldn't be charged. They refused a refund.
I called Shaw Academy on Thursday, May 28 to cancel my free trial. I was prompted to do so after attempting to cancel it online, because the courses were not what I was expecting. I spoke to a representative who was very pushy about continuing my membership. While I don't have his name, he had a strong Australian accent. I continually said no to his pressure to keep my membership active, and finally he agreed that my membership would be terminated and no charge would be made. I asked several times after this for assurance: "My debit card will not be charged, correct?", and was promised with certainty by this representative that my membership was fully cancelled and no fees would incur. I went online afterwards and verified that my membership had been terminated.

This morning, Monday, June 1, I woke up to a $69.99 fraudulent charge on my account from Shaw Academy. I have reached out to customer service through phone, and was hung up on both times. I also sent in an email this morning and received a response saying they would not offer me a refund even though this is the first day of the month. I let them know I would be contacting the Revdex.com and received no response. I am in awe of the lack of professionalism Shaw Academy is showing, and feel people may need to be warned of their fraudulent ways.

I signed up on a free trial and cancelled same day. They confirmed cancellation in email but still charged my card a month later. Fighting for refund.
I signed up for the 2 week free trial of their services and had to provide card details to sign up. I regret this and learned my lesson but the company had appeared legitimate. I cancelled the same day I signed up. In order to cancel the account, I had to click through 6 pages convincing me to stay. Then at the end they force you to call a number to cancel. I did this and then I followed up with an email to confirm cancellation. I saved these emails and ID numbers. I emailed them April 21, 2020 and they replied same day to confirm my account was closed. May 27,2020 they charged my card $70 for services I'm not using and canceled. Now that I'm having issues with them, I see various other people complaining about being fraudulently charged, emails unanswered and never provided a refund. Shaw Academy is a scam service.

I called and cancelled a trial subscription and was told I was cancelled and would not be billed. I was billed.
I signed up for a trial subscription to Shaw Academy with the intent to take a photography course. I never signed up or participated in any course so called and requested my account be cancelled. I was told it was cancelled and I would not be billed past my trial. Lo and behold I was charged Sunday May 31st at 5:38 pm. I got online Monday, June 1 to find a written way to follow up since contacting them was clearly not helpful. I found the cancellation part after much digging and did so but then got to the end of it to be told I had to call to cancel. I was not going to do this again I wanted it in writing, so I emailed a support email I found outlining I'd contacted them and still got charge. Outlined I have since cancelled online but was told I had to call to complete it. I got a response back that they are unable to cancel it because the trial expired and that's what I agreed to. Unable to do a refund is a blatant lie, but the response clearly ignored where I communicated I did call previously and they didn't do it. I was also told I would be given 6 months free access to make things right when it does not at all. I was also told I was no cancelled, which my status right now still shows active. This clearly is a dishonest company and a scam. I wish I'd read other complaints before signing up but I'd never imagined following their process would still land me here. I can see where they force you to call, then they can play dumb about cancelling and charge you anyways.

They have charged my credit card several times even though my membership was cancelled
I am writing to you with regards to the charges received from your company. I have requested several times for a refund, but I never received any answer.
I signed up for a Digital marketing course back in March, soon after the course started I cancelled it due to the impossibility of using your website. I mentioned it to customer services several times,(I was not able to open the videos), however, customer services never helped me. I the main time, accidentally clicked on one of your adds for certificate and you charged me £29 and a membership of £24.99 since April.
I cancelled the free trial, removed my card from the system, pause the membership and even cancel the account, but I still receive charges.
I have e-mailed several times as well requesting a refund but I never received any answer.
This is against any consumer law.

I signed up for trial offer of 30 days on 4/28. I took one class and decided the courses weren't for me. I cancelled subscription on 05/01.
I cancelled my trial subscription within the time frame. I was charged 69.99 on 06/01 after I cancelled in a timely manner. They provide you with a number which I received and called but the automated system never asks you for the reference number to cancel. I never logged back in to the academy until 6/01 when I was charged for a service I did not use. I requested a refund immediately and again called the number provided and the system loops you around and does not ask you for the reference number they provide to cancel. I did NOT utilize the service from 05/01 and they will not refund my money. I cancelled in a timely manner. The reference number that was provided on 05/01 is XXXXX. I did not attend any class after 4 days of having the service. I will request proof of my log ins and/or interactions with Shaw academy.

Manipulative sales tactics
School advertised as free requested credit card for trail period. School website listed additional resources. When clicking on school resource to find out what it is, link automatically purchases the item.

Shaw Academy online billed twice for the Month of May 2020 although I did not take any course.
Shaw Academy billed twice on May 1 and May 29, 2020. I did not enroll in any of their courses. I tried the free trial for a week at the most on 1st week of April and no longer logged on after that. I had screenshots showing courses' still on the 1st module last April 2020 when I made my account.

I cancelled my membership with you and you, shaw academy, today on my birthday of all days have charged me £49.95. I want my money refunded instantly
I have been wrongfully charged I cancelled my nutrition course with you on April 15th and you have wrongfully charged me for membership I am furious by this. Below is a screenshot of the payment

I canceled my membership well within cancellation period for free trial and they still charged my card for a month's membership.
I started a trial as a part of their 30 day run and canceled well before the allotted time period and never even used the terrible service they provide. I was just charged the $70 and now have to go through multiple avenues to dispute. They are claiming I did not cancel but not only did I do so via email, I asked that they delete all records of my information which they clearly did not. Right after I signed up for the free trial I started receiving spam texts and emails and I find the entire company very sketchy.

I canceled within my free trial (or at least I thought I did). It turns out that the cancellation process is multi-step, deceptive, and dishonest.
I signed up for a free trial class. After one class, I knew it was not what I was looking for and I canceled....or at least I thought I did. A few weeks later, I saw a charge from Shaw Academy. I logged in and realized that my account had not actually been canceled when I clicked Cancel Subscription. I then called the number provided and was required to listen to multiple lengthy sales pitches before finally being able to fully cancel. I did go to the site and click Cancel Subscription well within my trial period. I would like to be refunded the $69.99 that was debited from my account after I clearly attempted to cancel my membership and clearly did not wish to be charged.

I cancelled my account within 4 week free trial period and got charged anyway, now shaw academy are avoiding my emails
I signed up with Shaw academy on 7th April
Cancelled my account on 21st April ( within 4 weeks free trial)
I have attached the email confirmation From Shaw Academy of the cancellation of my membership. Thinking that this was all over..

On 20th May I get charged £49.99

From numerous emails to them all I got was a bot email saying they "personally" looked into my case and are offering 6month free membership.
All I want to do is escape this madness, not to continue getting involved. Currently no one is responding to my emails. So I better deal with the fact I got scammed..

Never got refund for a subscription cancelled before the beginning of the month.
I saw their ad for an online photography course free trial. I signed for a free month and provided my PayPal account as a backup payment. I immediately realized that this course is nothing but scam and cancelled the subscription. But in order to cancel completely, they require a phone call where for 20 minutes you listen to their robot which tries to keep you signed and have to press keys to confirm the cancellation and apparently I've pressed the wrong one. I've heard "Thank you for calling blah-blah-blah" but the subscription was not cancelled. On the 31st of May I was charged for a full month of June. On the same day I managed to cancel the subscription via the robo-phone but never received a refund. They do not have a valid phone number, they do not answer e-mails other then sending an automated reply where they say that did not recognize my account even though I forwarded them a receipt for the PayPal payment. I checked their review and figured out that I'm among hundreds of people who were deceived same way. I need help in recovering my money.

Canceling nightmare
All I wanted to do was cancel my subscription before the free trial ended because I saw so many complaints about being charged after canceling. This has happened too many times to me so I wanted to get ahead of it. First off, it is way too hard to cancel. There are like 10 screens you have to continuously press cancel and then you still have to call. I got on the phone with some man and he was extremely rude. If I am asking you to cancel you cannot refuse to let me cancel and take a hostile tone with me just because I won't answer your 100 questions. I asked is my account canceled? he responded "I will not cancel your account until you answer my question" I said I have answered why I am canceling now cancel it. He refused to cancel so I hung up and called back to get an automated voice that I had to listen to forever before they told me press 2 to cancel. This was utterly ridiculous. Save your time and use Skillshare or something because these people are NOT professional.