SugarSync, Inc

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 7, 2015/10/02) */
Records show that the consumer, [redacted], signed up for a SugarSync account on July 22, 2014, with a 1 terabyte 3 user subscription plan for $550.00 per year and upon account activation the consumer was provided a one-time discounted annual...

rate of $137.50 for the first year only.
Neither the SugarSync sign up process nor the SugarSync customer agreement make any inferences that services will automatically terminate at the end of any service period nor would that invoices for services be sent.
The SugarSync customer agreement (https://www.sugarsync.com/terms.html), which the consumer accepted as a condition of activation of his SugarSync services, made clear to him when he signed up for the SugarSync account, via Section "Renewals and Cancellations" of the customer agreement, that all fees are non-refundable and accounts subject to subscription fees shall automatically renew for the same subscription period unless the consumer cancels the account by the end of the then-current subscription period and provides no provision for a rate reduction, waiver, or refund if the consumer elects not to use the service during any given time or closes the account prior to the end of the service term. .
As is standard with many online subscription services, SugarSync customer agreements are not physically signed by the consumer, but rather acknowledged upon activation of the service. It is the consumer's responsibility to read and understand the policies and procedures as detailed within any customer agreement prior to acknowledging to reading and accepting the terms as a condition of activating services. Ignorance of the customer agreement is not an excuse for the absence of the consumer's responsibility or relief from their legal obligations.
The SugarSync customer agreement for subscriptions are comparable to other online subscription services such as Netflix, Hulu, WWE Network and HBO Now, in which services are not automatically terminate at the end of any service period, no advance billing or renewal notices are sent, fees are billed in advance and completely non-refundable and there is no provision for refunds or credits if the service is not utilized during any given period or canceled prior to the end of the service term.
The consumer's account had remained active and accrued charges accordingly as data does not indicate the receipt of any cancellation requests from the consumer prior to September 9, 2015, when the consumer contacted SugarSync customer support requesting to cancel his account. The account was closed as requested, billing ceased and an e-mail confirmation, containing the cancellation number XXXXXX, was sent to the consumer.
While we understand the consumer's position, onus of responsibility lies with the consumer to be aware of the renewal dates of their account and to contact SugarSync support in a timely manner in order to initiate and complete proper cancellation procedures if they wish to avoid incurring charges for the next billing cycle.
Pursuant to the agreed, accepted and legally binding contract, a refund was found not to be applicable in this matter.
If desired the consumer can have his SugarSync account reactivated with a courtesy post-dated cancellation date; thereby, allowing the account to automatically close as the end of the paid term.
Conversely , if the consumer can provide any additional info, such as any case or reference ID numbers, the representatives spoken with, or e-mail address from which he may have contacted customer support that leads to the discovery of prior contacts with SugarSync customer support we will review the new data and reopen the case for further consideration.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 9, 2015/10/06) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
There is no point in continuing this complaint. The business seems to believe that it is acceptable customer service to automatically renew a contract with no prior notice and then to refuse to refund money for unused service. Their response indicates that this is a standard business practice for companies like Netflix, but those subscriptions are for only a month at a time so any loss of service would only be a few dollars, the SugarSync subscription is for a full year and my loss in this case was for more than $500; and that difference seems substantial. While I still believe that this is unacceptable practice designed to trap customers into an expensive contract, it is clear that SugarSync does not. The line in their response "...the onus of the responsibility lies with the customer..." says it all: "A couple of sentences buried in the middle of a multi-page agreement gives us the right to charge you without prior notice for services you do not wish to receive, so just pay."

Revdex.com:I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me at this time. Sincerely, [redacted]

We have again reviewed this matter and our response remains the same.  Nevertheless, as a courtesy and in the interest of a mutually satisfactory resolution, [redacted] has been issued a refund check of $[redacted], consisting of the last annual service fee.  Please allow 6-8 weeks for receipt.
 
In response to[redacted] concerns, the company would like to reiterate that the SugarSync customer agreement makes no guarantee to availability of the services and the company is under no obligation to provide the customer with maintenance, technical support or updates for the software or services.
 
Moreover, while we understand [redacted] position, some onus of responsibility must also lay with the customer; it would be reasonable to expect (as well as the responsibility of) the customer to regularly review their account status and standing and to contact any service provided in a timely manner in the event of any service discrepancies.
 
That said, in light of our courtesy refund and waiver of the agreed and accepted no-refund policy, the company believes this matter has been properly addressed and considers it closed.
 
We again apologize for the less than satisfactory experience and any inconvenience that it may have caused. Tell us why here...

We have again reviewed this matter and our response remains the same. 
 
In response to the consumer’s concerns, the company would like to reiterate that the SugarSync customer agreement (https://www.sugarsync.com/terms) makes clear that the account must be canceled before the end of the subscription period or else it will be automatically renewed and data shows no record of any contact from the consumer prior to the accounts renewal date of July 29, [redacted].
 
That said, in light of the provided courtesy refund and waiver of the standard cancellation procedures, the company believes this matter has been properly addressed in accordance with the policies and procedures to which the consumer had accepted and agreed and considers it closed.
 
We are pleased that the resolution was found to be satisfactory and thank the consumer for his patience and understanding, as well as for taking the time to report his experience so that we can investigate these matters and seek improvement.
 
We are taking the consumer's reported comments and feedback under advisement and will have it further reviewed by the appropriate departments to see that we take the necessary steps to improve the customer support process and experience.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 15, 2015/11/17) */
We apologize for the delayed response to this complaint and any difficulty it may have caused. This unfortunate postponement was the result of transitions within the department responsible for handling these matters.
Records show that the...

consumer, [redacted], signed up for a SugarSync account online on January 3, 2010, with an annual subscription plan.
The SugarSync customer agreement (https://www.sugarsync.com/terms), which the consumer accepted as a condition of activation of his SugarSync services, made clear to him when he signed up for the SugarSync account, via Sections "Subscription Period and Subscription Fees" and "Free Trials", that for paid account sign ups (sign ups in which credit card information is voluntarily entered by the consumer), in order to avoid incurring subscription fees for the next billing cycle / term the SugarSync services would need to be either downgraded (to a Free Account ) or canceled before the end of the trial period and that the company will charge the consumer's credit card the current fee for the type of account the consumer has chosen if services were not (downgraded or canceled).
The consumer was further made aware, via Sections "Subscription Period and Subscription Fees" and "Renewals and Cancellations" of the customer agreement, that all fees are non-refundable and that SugarSync(r) accounts subject to subscriptions fees would automatically renew for the same subscription period unless the consumer has either canceled or downgraded the account (to a Free Account) prior to the next service term.
The SugarSync sign up process prior to the account activation clearly reads "By continuing you agree to SugarSync's Terms of Service."
As is standard with many online subscription services, SugarSync customer agreements are not physically signed by the consumer, but rather acknowledged upon activation of the service. It is the consumer's responsibility to read and understand the customer agreement and policies and procedures as detailed within. Ignorance of the customer agreement is not an excuse for the absence of the consumer's responsibility or relief from their legal obligations
Customer contact data shows no receipt of any cancellation request from the consumer prior to September 24, 2015, when data shows that the consumer had contacted SugarSync support, via online contact form, requesting to cancel his account. Records show that an automated response was sent to the consumer advising him to contact the SugarSync cancellation department via chat.
Contact data shows the next record of contact occurred September 24, 2015, when data shows that the consumer had contacted the SugarSync cancellation department, via online chat, requesting to cancel his account. Records show that the consumer was provided the online cancellation link and data shows consumer initiating, following and completing proper cancellation procedures as provided.
The consumer's account had remained active and accrued charges accordingly as data does not indicate the consumer initiating, following and completing proper cancellation procedures as provided prior to the account's renewal.
While we understand the consumer's position, onus of responsibility lies with the consumer to be aware of the renewal dates of their account and to initiate and complete proper cancellation procedures as provided prior to the account's renewal if the wish to avoid incurring charges for the next billing cycle.
Pursuant to the agreed, accepted and legally binding contract, a refund was found not to be applicable in this matter; however, as a courtesy, the consumer's account had been closed and a refund of $74.99, consisting of the last annual service fee incurred, has been provided.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/12/15) */
Records show that the consumer, [redacted], signed up for a SugarSync Free account online on September 13, 2103, and activity for the account shows that it was upgraded on December 20, 2013, to a SugarSync paid account per the consumer's...

request, with annual subscription plan of $74.99 for 60 gigabyte.
Neither the SugarSync sign up or upgrade process nor the SugarSync customer agreement make any inferences that services will automatically terminate at the end of any trial period or service term nor would that invoices for services be sent.
The SugarSync customer agreement (https://www.sugarsync.com/terms), which the consumer accepted as a condition of activation of his SugarSync services, as well as his continued use, made clear to him when he signed up for the SugarSync account, via Sections "Subscription Period and Subscription Fees" and "Free Trials", that for paid account sign ups (sign ups in which credit card information is voluntarily entered by the consumer), in order to avoid incurring subscription fees for the next billing cycle / term the SugarSync services would need to be either downgraded (to a Free Account ) or canceled before the end of the trial period and that the company will charge the consumer's credit card the current fee for the type of account the consumer has chosen if services were not (downgraded or canceled); the applicable verbiage of the section of "Subscription Period and Subscription Fees" and "Free Trials" is provided in an offset text and presented in all caps in a clear and conspicuous manner.
The consumer was further made aware, via Sections "Subscription Period and Subscription Fees" and "Renewals and Cancellations" of the customer agreement, that all fees are non-refundable and that SugarSync accounts subject to subscriptions fees would automatically renew for the same subscription period unless the consumer has either canceled or downgraded the account (to a Free Account) prior to the next service term.
The SugarSync sign up process prior to the account activation clearly reads "By continuing you agree to SugarSync's Terms of Service."
As is standard with many online subscription services, SugarSync customer agreements are not physically signed by the consumer, but rather acknowledged upon activation of the service. It is the consumer's responsibility to read and understand the customer agreement and policies and procedures as detailed within. Ignorance of the customer agreement is not an excuse for the absence of the consumer's responsibility or relief from their legal obligations.
The SugarSync customer agreement for subscriptions are comparable to other online subscription services such as Netflix, Hulu, and WWE Network, in which services are not automatically terminate at the end of any trial period nor service term, no advance billing statements are sent, fees are billed in advance and completely non-refundable and there is no provision for refunds or credits if the service is not utilized during any given period or closed before the end of the service term.
Customer contact data shows no receipt of any cancellation request from the consumer prior to December 30, 2015, when data shows that the consumer had contacted SugarSync support, via online contact form, requesting to cancel his account. Records show that the consumer was provided, via e-mail, instructions on how to properly cancel services via online cancellation link and data shows. Data shows no further communication was received or sent with reference to this contact.
Contact data shows the next record of contact occurred on August 6, 2015, when data shows that the consumer had contacted SugarSync support, via online contact form, reporting difficulty with completing cancellation procedures online. A response was sent to the consumer informing him that the online cancellation procedure is required in order to close the SugarSync account, advising him that it is possible that the online is experiencing a high than normal volume and suggesting that he attempt again.
Contact data shows the next record of contact occurred on December 7, 2015, when data shows that the consumer had contacted SugarSync cancellation department via online chat and records show that the consumer had initiated and completed proper cancellation procedures as provided.
The consumer's SugarSync account had remained active and accrued charges accordingly as data does not indicate the consumer initiating, following and completing proper cancellation procedures prior to the account's renewal on December 20, 2014.
Data shows that there were no reported issues that would have affect the consumer's ability to reach online chat cancellation process while the consumer's account was active, and records show that other consumers were able to successfully cancel services with online chat during the same period.
While we understand the consumer's position, onus of responsibility lies with the consumer to be aware of the renewal dates of their account and to contact SugarSync support in a timely manner in order to initiate and complete proper cancellation procedures if they wish to avoid incurring charges for the next billing cycle.
The consumer's account has been schedule to automatically close on December 20, 2015, at the end of the current paid service term and in accordance with the cancellation procedures completed December 7, 2015.
We apologize for the consumer's less than satisfactory experience and any inconvenience that may have been encountered. SugarSync representatives followed proper company policy in this regard; nevertheless, we will have this matter reviewed further by the appropriate departments to see that we take the necessary steps to improve the customer support process.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/12/18) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
1. On January 7th, 2015 customer service agent Ariel wrote to me, "You can cancel your account anytime online. " This turned out to be false. As stated in my original complaint, SugarSync only allows cancellation during an inconvenient 4-hour window.
2. As stated in the original complaint and in repeated correspondence with SugarSync, the designated chat for cancellationthe *only* way to cancel a subscriptiontypically experiences high wait times. (Note they mention this in their reply.) This creates an unethical barrier to cancellation for the consumer. Case in point: it took me nearly a dozen attempts on different days before I was able to successfully contact an agent to cancel. When I *did* successfully contact an agent, it was only after being 7th in cue and taking more than 9 minutes total before I was able to cancel.
3. Some easy questions for SugarSync: (a) Why not allow customers to cancel 24/7 through account settings? (b) Why not alert customers with a courtesy notice of impending automatic renewal? (c) Why not refund unused portions of a yearly subscription? As one can see in SugarSync's reply to my complaint, their answer to these questions boils down to, "It's in the fine print!" and "Other businesses do it that way, too!" Which is why SugarSync's rating on Yelp is a unanimous 1-star.
Thus, as SugarSync has not removed the barriers between consumer and subscription cancellation, I do not accept their response.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2016/01/04) */
We have again reviewed this matter and our response remains the same. Nevertheless, as a courtesy and in the interest of a mutually satisfactory resolution, the consumer will be provided a refund of $74.99, consisting of the last annual service fee incurred, and the account has been closed.
In response to his concerns, we would like to reiterate that the SugarSync customer agreement (https://www.sugarsync.com/terms) makes clear that by creating a paid account, the customer agrees that SugarSync may charge the credit card on file for the amounts due for the customer's initial subscription period as well as for additional subscription periods until the customer's account is canceled or terminated. The customer agreement further explains that the account must be canceled before the end of the subscription period or else it will be automatically renewed, with the renewal verbiage appearing clearly and conspicuously, in offset text in all caps.
Upon account activation, customers are e-mailed welcome letters that provide a summary of account and its service features, as well as links to customer support and the SugarSync customer agreement. Moreover, SugarSync provides an easy-to-use online chat option for account cancellations. The consumer was able to use this feature without issue, save for the fact that his cancellation request came after the account's renewal date of December 20, 2015.
That said, in light of our courtesy refund and waiver of the standard cancellation procedures, we consider the matter closed. We thank the consumer for his patience and understanding, as well as for taking the time to report his experience so that we can investigate these matters and seek improvement.
Final Consumer Response /* (2000, 11, 2016/01/08) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
I am deeply gratified that SugarSync has agreed to offer a courtesy refund, although I dispute some of the details of their reply. (For instance, they say "The consumer was able to use this feature without issue," when in fact I encountered a great many difficult issues when attempting cancel. The burdensome cancellation method was precisely the heart of my original complaint.)
Still, I am pleased with SugarSync's gesture and will consider the matter resolved, pending confirmation of refund.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2016/01/21) */
Records show that the consumer, [redacted], signed up for a SugarSync Free account online on March 23, 2011, and activity for the account shows that it was upgraded to a SugarSync paid account per the consumer's request, with annual...

subscription rate plan, on July 24, 2011, and the annual subscription rate plan was again upgraded on December 10, 2013.
Customer contact data shows no receipt of any cancellation request from the consumer prior to January 4, 2016; when contact data shows that the consumer had contacted SugarSync support requesting to cancel his account and reporting to have previously canceled the account Records show that the consumer was advised that data did not indicate the receipt of any prior cancellation request, provided instructions on how to properly cancel services via online cancellation link and that the consumer had followed and completed proper cancellation procedures on January 4, 2016.
The consumer's SugarSync account had remained active and accrued charges accordingly as data does not indicate the receipt of any cancellation requests from the consumer prior to the account's renewal on December 10, 2015.
The SugarSync customer agreement (https://www.sugarsync.com/terms), which the consumer accepted as a condition of activation of his SugarSync services, made clear to him when he signed up for the SugarSync account, via Sections "Subscription Period and Subscription Fees" and "Free Trials", with all appropriate verbiage appearing clearly and conspicuously, in offset text in all caps, that for paid account sign ups (sign ups in which credit card information is voluntarily entered by the consumer), the consumer acknowledged that the account must be canceled before the end of the trial period in order to avoid incurring subscription fees after the trial period and that by creating a paid account, the consumer agrees that SugarSync may charge the credit card on file for the amounts due for the consumer's initial subscription period as well as for additional subscription periods until the customer's account is canceled or terminated for the next billing cycle / term the SugarSync services would need to be either downgraded (to a Free Account ) or canceled before the end of the trial period and that the company will charge the consumer's credit card the current fee for the type of account the consumer has chosen if services were not (downgraded or canceled).
The consumer was further made aware, via Sections "Subscription Period and Subscription Fees" and "Renewals and Cancellations" of the customer agreement, that all fees are non-refundable and that SugarSync accounts subject to subscriptions fees would automatically renew for the same subscription period unless the consumer has either canceled or downgraded the account (to a Free Account) prior to the next service term.
The SugarSync sign up process prior to the account activation clearly reads "By continuing you agree to SugarSync's Terms of Service."
As is standard with many online subscription services, SugarSync customer agreements are not physically signed by the consumer, but rather acknowledged upon activation of the service. The SugarSync sign up process prior to the account activation clearly reads "By continuing you agree to SugarSync's Terms of Service."
Pursuant to the agreed, accepted and legally binding contract, a refund was found not to be applicable in this matter; however, billing records show that the consumer has been provided a reimbursement of $74.99, consisting of the last annual fee incurred, through his credit card provider.