Jessica Alba’s Honest Company Makes Cancelling Almost Impossible, Consumers Allege

Jessica Alba’s Honest Company Makes Cancelling Almost Impossible, Consumers Allege

If you subscribe to a service online you should be able to cancel that service online, right? Well, according to consumer complaints filed with the US Federal Trade Commission, Jessica Alba’s Honest Company not only makes it virtually impossible to cancel subscriptions, the company sometimes signs you up for recurring payments without even telling you.

Image: AP

Gizmodo has obtained over 120 consumer complaints filed with the FTC against the Honest Company — makers of baby, beauty, and housecleaning products, some of which can be purchased through a subscription service. There are plenty of complaints about Honest’s “natural” products being not-so-natural, numerous complaints about its dishwashing detergent leaving terrible stains and still other complaints about the fact that its sunscreen simply doesn’t work.

But the most common complaint by far is about its subscription nappy service.

According to dozens of complaints filed with the FTC since 2014, people have been signed up for an Honest nappy subscription service with recurring payments under misleading conditions. And after they discovered they were being charged, trying to cancel was an absolute nightmare.

Some people who tried the Honest Company’s “free trial” allege that they weren’t even told that they were signing up for a subscription in the first place.

Some of the complaints are pretty heartbreaking, with tales of expectant mothers unable to buy groceries because Honest Company charged their accounts without their knowledge. One woman got hit with overdraft fees that left her absolutely devastated.

“This should have never been charged to me and now I am eight months pregnant and $US200 ($264) in the hole,” one expectant mother writes. “I earn $US4.55 ($6) an hour as a delivery driver, I can not afford this loss and no one at the Honest Company cares. That doesn’t sound too honest to me.”

Even for those consumers who knew they were signing up for a subscription service, it sounds like cancelling was incredibly hard. According to the complaints, there’s no way to cancel online, and even if they got through to someone on the phone (which many people found difficult in itself) they were given strange excuses by the company for why they couldn’t cancel yet. And don’t even think about a full refund, despite the fact that some of the complaints allege the nappies gave their babies terrible rashes and were leaky.

So I asked Honest Company why they make people cancel over the phone.

“By requesting that our customers call us directly, it allows us to have an open and honest conversation regarding the subscription process and product offerings,” a spokesperson for Honest Company told me over email. Curiously, I had provided my phone number, but the company seemed to prefer sending their statement over email.

Honest Company seems to have improved their transparency about what you’re signing up for lately, at least when you order a subscription directly from their website. But you still need to call to cancel sometime between 5am and 5pm. So I gave the number a call at 7:41am to see how long it would take to speak with a human.

The first thing I heard was a recorded apology: “We are currently assisting other members. Thank you for your patience.”

By about the third minute I was already going crazy listening to annoying music and having a robotic voice interrupt every 50 seconds with, “We are sorry it’s taking so long. Please continue to hold for the next Honest Support specialist.”

By about minute eight I started recording the call so that I could capture just how torturous the hold music was. You can listen to it here.

At the 15-minute mark I started to wonder if anyone would ever answer. After 20 minutes of waiting on hold I was pretty certain that this could last all day. The recording of the woman saying “We are sorry it’s taking so long,” which interrupted every 50 seconds or so was starting to sound sarcastic.

After over 29 minutes someone finally answered the phone. They asked what they could help with and I asked how long their average wait time was. “As of recently, unfortunately this is like the average. We are just very understaffed and we have been for a couple of months so I apologise about that. What can I help you out with?”

I explained that there was nothing that they could help me with and that I was a reporter just seeing how long it would take to talk with a human. It turns out the answer was half an hour.

The complaints were provided to Gizmodo by the FTC after a Freedom of Information Act request and were redacted in order to protect the identity of the people making the complaints. This makes it impossible for us to reach out to the consumers and independently check on the veracity of each claim. But, as always when it comes to anonymous complaints, Gizmodo is publishing representative samples that fit a pattern we see pop up repeatedly in the documents.

When Gizmodo reached out to the Honest Company for comment they provided us with this statement, which you can read in full:

At The Honest Company, transparency and customer service are critical to the mission and purpose of the company. We comply with FTC requirements by providing clear and conspicuous disclosures about our free trial and subscription offerings throughout our website and in numerous emails that our customers receive following their orders.
 
By requesting that our customers call us directly, it allows us to have an open and honest conversation regarding the subscription process and product offerings. With thousands of direct customer touch points a day, our customers help inform a variety of our decisions from product development to website flow to retail locations and product assortment.
 
We remain committed to our mission of helping people live happy, healthy lives and providing products that families everywhere can trust.

Below we’ve published just a handful of the complaints that have been filed with the FTC in the past few years.

Jessica Alba’s Honest Company Makes Cancelling Almost Impossible, Consumers Allege
(Photo by Mat Hayward/Getty Images for Nordstrom)

(Photo by Mat Hayward/Getty Images for Nordstrom)

“They told me that I have to cancel over the phone, but they will not answer the phone!!!”

I have been trying to cancel this membership with this company since June 23, 2014. I have called countless times and been on hold for over 30 minutes and I have never been able to speak to anyone because they do not answer the phone. I do not have any more valuable time and phone minutes to waste! I have sent several emails requesting that my membership be cancelled and they have refused. I looked on their website and there is nowhere there to cancel. I tried to remove my credit card information, but I was unable to do that as well. This company engages in some pretty shady practices to try and sell their products. Would that really be necessary if their products are so great?
 
I DO NOT WANT ANY OF THEIR PRODUCTS, but unless I remember to go on their site and change the delivery date each month, they will be sending me products I don’t want or need every month and charging my credit card for $US35.95! I received an email telling me my bundle was getting ready to ship AFTER I had advised them of my desire to cancel. I am subjected to this stupidity because I made the mistake of trying a sample of their products.
 
That is one of the biggest mistakes I have ever made because they will not allow you to cancel. In one of the emails, where I distinctly told them to cancel, they told me that I have to cancel over the phone, but they will not answer the phone!!! Next I will be contacting the Attorney General of the state of Alabama. Maybe they can help them understand what ‘cancel’ means.

“Trying to cancel membership for over two months…”

Have been trying to cancel membership for over two months, company continues to send product and bill despite phone calls and emails to cancel service Honest company received responded to my first cancellation request on March 10th. It is now June and I have still not received a return shipping label for the last shipment I need to send back, nor credit for any of the returned product I have sent back (all of which arrived post-cancellation.)

“I’m out $US245 ($323).85 ($324) and I’ve wasted countless hours dealing with this issue.”

Signed up for ‘free trial’. Attempted to cancel numerous times. Was still billed for products that were never shipped. Company refuses to refund money I received a ‘free sample’ from the Honest Company. I was told I had to cancel the subscription or I would continue to receive products monthly and get billed to my credit card. I sent the company an email stating that I wished to cancel the subscription. I got a reply from the company stating that I had to call to cancel(even though that was not expressly stated previously).
 
So I called the toll free number and was stuck waiting for an operator for over an hour. I attempted to call multiple times and was always unable to speak to a representative. So I emailed the company again stating these issues. I also explained in the email that I did not authorise them to bill my card and I did want to cancel services. I did not get a reply to this email. This process all took place before the cancellation deadline. A few days later, I noticed my debit card had been charged $US35.95, $US39.95 and $US79.95 by the honest company (totalling $US155.85).
 
These 3 unauthorised debits also caused my checking account to become overdrawn 3 times and therefore cost me 3penalties of $US30 per debit (totalling $US90).I then chose to tweet to the honest company publicly about how dissatisfied the service was. I was then finally contacted by the company saying someone would be contacting me. I received a call from Traci. She said she would stop shipment and refund my money. She stopped the shipment. She did NOT refund my money. I now have no product and no money. I’m out $US245.85 and I’ve wasted countless hours dealing with this issue. I would like $US245.85 credited to my checking account within the next week or I will consider seeking legal council in this matter.

“This ad should be removed for false/misleading advertising”

Honest.com has an advertisement on Google for”Free Diapers for a week! Protect your baby with safe and stylish diapers. Super absorbent. Free 7 day trial (only $US5.95 ($8) S&H)!” when it is actually only 7 free diapers. You have to enrol in their monthly program to get your free trial of diapers, and it never tells you that it is only 7 diapers until after you finish signing up. 7 diapers is less than one day’s worth of diapers, and they know this because your monthly subscription is for 6 jumbo bags of diapers/month with about 29 diapers each bag.
 
After I realised I was paying $US0.85/diaper for “free” diapers I called and cancelled my order. At first, my customer service representative wouldn’t let me cancel my subscription until after I received my “free” diapers, but I told her I did not want the “free” trial and I didn’t want to pay for it because I saw an ad for a week’s worth of diapers, not 7 diapers and she cancelled my order, so I didn’t end up paying anything. I think this ad should be removed for false/misleading advertising.

“There was no indication in the initial order that this would be an automatic enrolment…”

I was recently given a “Free trial” offer with The Honest Company – at the time I entered the order, the website asked for a credit card number to bill shipping and handling to. This was a $US5.95 fee, so I put a card in. The email I received is below. As you can see they are planning to charge me $US35.95 a month. There was no indication in the initial order that this would be an automatic enrolment.
 
So, I emailed immediately to cancel both the “free trial” as well as the enrolment. I have emailed twice and am currently waiting on hold – going on 10 min. to try to cancel this enrolment. I also tried to log on to the website to cancel my enrolment, but there is no information as to how I can do this online. I find this to be deceptive and extremely predatory behaviour. Coupled with the fact that I am not having success cancelling this enrolment, I believe this company should be contacted and this behaviour hold be addressed.
 
Dear Michelle, Thanks for taking the Honest leap! To start your Honest Company experience, you will be receiving a free trial that includes Essential Family Products developed by people with a passion for creating a better world (that’s us!). Your first full month Bundle will ship 7 days after you receive your trial. If you need more time or would like to edit your Bundle, simply login to your account to make changes.
 
We’ll charge your credit card $US35.95 monthly for the Essentials Bundle plus $US5.95 shipping & handling. If you aren’t satisfied for any reason whatsoever, you can cancel within 7 days of receiving your trial – but we hope you won’t!(Please call 1-888-862-8818 with any issues – we want to hear from you!) Regardless, we’ll remind you that you can cancel your membership before we ship the month supply. Have a delightful day, The Honest Team

“Nothing in the fine print about this…”

Not in the fine print but you are signed up for a service by requesting a free sample. Its hard to cancel this subscription service and no opt out. I requested a free diaper sample from the website. They charge for shipping so I gave them credit card info. After my first confirmation email I received a second email saying I am now signed up for a subscription service and my credit card will be charged $US130+ in the next seven days. All contact information leads no where or busy signals. There is no opt out, nothing in the fine print about this and I’m not the only one with this issue. I can’t even delete my personal information from their website! I want all my information removed and the subscription I didn’t want cancelled. Bad business practices!

“Now I haven’t had any money for groceries.”

I was charged and $US70 for the 2 over draft fees. I have sent them proof from my bank of the charges and fees that I incurred. I had to deposit $US245 just to cover my car insurance for the month. Now I haven’t had any money for groceries. I shouldn’t have to go hungry because they messed up. When I spoke with Fed Ex they said that a lot of Honest Companies packages had been being refused in the last few weeks, so it sounds to me like I am not the only person they have done this to. I am not asking for anything crazy, just my hard earned money back.

“I could not remove my credit card information or delete the future order.”

Inability to cancel orders, edit account information to remove credit card # and/or delete account. I ordered a trial set of products on 2/23/2016, order [redacted] and it was shipped on 2/26. When ordering atrial of their products you are automatically set up to receive a future bundle of full size products. You have 7 days(a very short period of time) to cancel the automatic shipment of full size products.
 
When I went online to cancel the automatic order there is no way to cancel the order. I could not remove my credit card information or delete the future order. They require you to call their 1-800# in order to cancel the order. It feels like you are trapped into the order. My automatic order shipped because I was trying to fix the issue on my own online. I was unable to call during regular business hours. They do not have any returns information on the website, their returns policy isn’t available online as well. For a company who’s name is ‘The Honest Company’ it is inappropriate for them not to have the freedom for their customers to edit their orders, cancel orders, and remove or delete my account.

“I have spent 4 weeks on the phone trying to reach someone at the company…”

Inability to reach any customer service representative after multiple attempts I have tried to reach the company by phone, email, and feedback form, and never had success at reaching anyone. I have spent 4 weeks on the phone trying to reach someone at the company, and no one ever answered the phone. I would spend 45 minutes on hold waiting for someone to pick up, but no one ever did. When I would try to call back, I would receive a busy signal for over 4 hours.
 
I was never successful at reaching anyone at the company. I signed up for the trial only, and not the auto-ship. The company claims that there is no need to commit, and they automatically signed me up for the autoship without my consent. I ordered the trial on May 6, 2014, and I was sent and charged for a full bundle on May 23, 2014. They are now trying to send mean other bundle on June 19, 2014. They will not listen to me or respond to my emails, feedback forms, or answer my calls. This company is not dealing with its customers or potential customers in an honest and professional manner.They also do not provide an easy or effective way to contact the company. Any company who does not make it possible to contact them, or cancel their unauthorised accounts online, should not be in business.

“…it is amazing they are still in business.”

Company will not cancel or stop service. I signed up for the free trial and was automatically charged and shipped monthly bundles. I have tried numerous times to cancel the bundles, but they just keep charging me and sending the bundles. I have clearly expressed in writing and over the phone that I do not want to receive their products anymore. Yet today I received an email that the for the 3rd time an order has been shipped. This company refuses to cancel memberships and it is amazing they are still in business. Horrible customer service.

“It makes no sense and has greatly upset a good friend of mine…”

I purchased a gift card for a friend of mine and this company demanded she give them her credit card information even though I paid for all of it. On May 18, 2015 I purchased a $US205.95 ($271), six month subscription ‘bundle’ for a friend of mine who was about to have a baby. The purchase was made on my credit card and my Amazon account was charged for this subscription. We didn’t hear anything for several months and when we inquired on July 9, 2015 as to why nothing had been sent (Order #: [redacted]), we were told that an email should have been sent with instructions on how my friend could redeem her gift (she has no record of ever receiving this email).
 
Tanya from customer support was super helpful but upon attempting to redeem the gift thatI had already purchased for her, The Honest Company would not let my friend collect unless she gave them HER credit card information. Again- PLEASE NOTE: This subscription was FULLY (taxes, shipping, EVERYTHING) paid for by myself. She did not feel comfortable giving them this private information and explained this many times to customer support. I also voiced my concern over this because it was a gift and my friend shouldn’t have to pay ANYTHING (besides, they had my credit card information on file already). I looked online and could find no mention of this policy in the ‘Terms and Conditions’ portion of their website.
 
The Honest Company refused to budge on this and greatly upset my friend (who is now at home taking care of her newborn daughter). She finally gave them her credit card information out of frustration and because she felt bad about all the time I too was putting into this inquiry. I’ve been pleading with The Honest Company to remove her credit card information since they don’t really need it (and it would make her feel a lot better knowing it was not on file). If anything, its a placeholder on a form that they could easily manually override(I was told this could be done by a representative via Facebook and I have that conversation documented too).
 
The HonestCompany did refund my Amazon account $US20 for ‘my trouble’ but I didn’t even ask for this. If anything, it looks more like a payment for the unnecessary surrendering of credit card information. TheHonest Company got TWO credit card holder information for one purchase! I just want my friend’s credit card information removed from their system and I think they should have to explain this absurd policy on their ‘Terms and Conditions’ page. New parents/families are often financially strapped and adding this potential threat for a unlawful charge makes things more stressful for them. It makes no sense and has greatly upset a good friend of mine who should not be stressing out over something like this.

“This aptly named ‘Honest Company’…”

When sign-up for a $US5.95 trial package happens they automatically sign you up for a monthly package without express consent to When sign-up for a $US5.95 trial package happens they automatically sign you up for a monthly package without express consent to charge over $US150. On July 10th I signed up for a $US5.95 trial package from this company. They sent me a congratulatory email to confirm. I do not have much sent to my email so I logged out not knowing that 5-10 minutes later they sent an email confirming without my consent to send a monthly package. ONE.
 
They ended up charging me for two in the amounts of $116.66 CAD and $56.07 CAD on the same day. I contacted my bank a day or two later to talk about unauthorised charges and they have released the money back to me. I simply do not want to be charged for the return shipping of the products that I do not intend to open and I do not want to get re-charged should I not return them at my cost. This aptly named ‘Honest Company’ charged me an international surcharge of $19.99 USD without confirming it with me for their package. I do not want the product unless I will not be charged for it and I do not feel it is necessary for me to have to pay to ship it back and the company will not authorise me to send it C.O.D.

“I think they shouldn’t be allowed to subscribe people without some sort of consent.”

1) The Honest Company advertised free sample 2) credit card shipping charge 3) Automatically subscribe you to monthly product 4) Very hard to cancel. I saw an advertisement for the Honest Company doing free samples on Facebook. So, I signed up for a free sample and paid the $US5.95 shipping charge with my credit card. I got the free sample and had no indication from the company that there was anything further in my relation to them or my credit card. Then I got a shipping notification that they had sent me my ‘subscription’ package by email. I didn’t subscribe to anything, though, so I was confused.
 
I went to the Honest Company site and saw an account set up with my email and credit card AND a monthly subscription for a box of products at $US44 a month. There is absolutley NO way to cancel this online. I tried everything and it is impossible. Then I emailed them and they emailed back four days later that you have to call between the hours of 7am and 5pm Pacific time to cancel and that’s the only possible way to cancel. So I called to cancel and it was busy for a solid five minutes and then I was on hold for another fifteen minutes.
 
All during business hours on my end 10am to 10:20. I told them this was all pretty shady and that most businesses don’t set up accounts and subscriptions without at least notifying the customer. Also, it is also just good practice for a business to allow a customer to cancel a subscription in their account online or at least via email. It was an ordeal and all because I just tried a free sample. I think they shouldn’t be allowed to subscribe people without some sort of consent. Also, it should be easier to cancel. I use a debit card and this is an inconvenience to me. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

“Asked them to please send me my diapers and delete my account.”

While redeeming a gift card, they asked me for my credit card number to pay tax and then unknowingly signed me up for an auto-shipment of diapers. 9/13/14: Received gift card for 1 month supply of diapers. 9/14/14: Try to order the diapers online. There is no place to enter the coupon code. 9/15/14: Call to place order. They tell me that I need to create an account to place my order. 9/16/14: Log on to my account and do not see my order. Call the company.
 
They tell me the order did not process because I need to pay tax on my order and they take my credit card info. Then she says since this is my 2nd phone call and 3rd attempt to place my order, they will waive the tax. 9/23/14: No diapers. Log on to account, order hasn’t shipped.While I am looking at my account, I see that I am signed up to receive another month’s worth of diapers in a few weeks. I never signed up for this nor did I authorise them to use my credit card to send me another bundle of diapers. Call the company. Ask where my diapers are. They said the order got lost. They will send it tomorrow.
 
I ask why I am signed up for another shipment of diapers and they tell me when I order a bundle I am automatically signed up for a monthly shipment. Tell them I only have gave them my credit card number to pay the tax.Asked them to please send me my diapers and delete my account.

“Now I am 8 months pregnant and $US200 in the hole.”

They charged me when I had already told them I did not want their products. They incurred me 2 overdraft fees in total of $US175. They will not refund. I was charged for products that I did not want. I told them that I did not want their products and 2 months after I ordered their samples they charged me $US115 totalling $US174 with overdraft fees. They will not give me a refund. They shipped it to a house I no longer live at so someone else got the package.
 
I tried to refuse it via fed ex but I guess they didn’t refuse it since it was delivered. They are telling me now that they will give me a refund once they get their products back. I moved from this address on 4/15/14. I never received this package and I want a refund. This should have never been charged to me and now I am 8 months pregnant and $US200 in the hole. I earn $US4.55 an hour as a delivery driver, I can not afford this loss and no one at the Honest company cares. That doesn’t sound too honest to me.

“It’s absurd that I can create an account online but only cancel it by calling a phone number.”

Business enrols you in automated monthly program after ordering samples but offers no clear way to cancel and no way at all to remove your cc info. On April 9 I ordered three samples from Honest Beauty.This action automatically enrol see you in a monthly bundle program through which they send you three products for $US50 each month. They claim you can cancel anytime. I wanted to cancel on April 19 and discovered there is no easy way to do so.
 
You cannot cancel on the Internet through their website or your personal online account despite the fact that is how you are initially enrolled. After much searching, the only place on the site that even indicates HOW to cancel is at the very bottom of their FAQ page. And the method is that you must call a phone number between 5am and 5pm PST Monday through Friday. I work those days during most of those hours. It’s absurd that I can create an account online but only cancel it by calling a phone number. Prior to finding this well-hidden way of cancelling, I sent an email on April 19 asking for my account to be cancelled and my credit card info removed from their server and company files. They have not responded to either request. I sent a follow up email today.
 
In addition to all of this, there is no way for me to remove my credit card information from my online account. For security reasons, I do not want my CC info stored on their servers. It’s insane that they have made it impossible for me to manage my own private information. Finally, I even tried to stop into the actual storefront at the Grove in West Hollywood today to take care of this, and they refused to help me. They reiterated that my only option is to take time away from my work Monday through Friday to phone.

“So not only did they screw up and not cancel my account, they double billed me!!”

I was duped into a membership, then charged, cancelled and the next month I was charged twice! $US151. Talk about a bait and switch. In October 2014 I signed up for their Facebook posted ‘Trial’ that was supposed to send me 2 sample kits, at least that is what they are advertising on their Facebook post and photo. They sent me one. So I called to notify them that they only sent me one. Their response was ‘well we did send you 2 samples, 1 of diapers and 1 of lotion/soaps’. What?? Your image depicts 15 diapers and the lotions… First Bait & Switch. November 19th rolls around and guess what… billed again for $US79.95…
 
I think, OK this could just be a billing glitch in their systems so I call and the gentleman that helps me says ‘I have gone ahead and cancelled your membership and refunded you the charge.’ OK great, deal closed right? NOPE! December 19th, I check my email and ‘Your Order #:[redacted] has shipped for $US151 ($199).85’!!! So not only did they screw up and not cancel my account, they double billed me!! It gets better… I look outside and see a large box, guess who from…So not only do they need to refund me the money, now they need to send an RMA to get this box that I didn’t ask for nor want.

“Every time I call the company they never answer…”

I want to cancel my account. Every time I call the company they never answer and I call them with in the business hours. The diapers leak and gave my daughter a bad rash. not only that they don’t stay closed. All I want is an account cancellation and a refund.

“I have 7 children and these diapers aren’t the cheapest…”

The Honest company has now twice taken Money from my bank account without prior authorisation. Back in November I had a issue where the company pulled money from my account without my permission and they said they saw the mistake and it was a fluke… they over drew my bank account and refunded me but it took a few days for it to hit my bank I never even received a apology let alone a offer to refund my overdraft fee’s..After all that was said and done they admitted it was a weird fluke on the computers side of their company and reassured me this would never happen again..
 
I love their diapers and wanted to continue using them so I decided to try again at this point a supervisor assured me she was going to watch my account personally and made sure I would receive the proper emails with warnings of when they would betaking funds out see the time before this I never received any emails except the one stating that your Bundle is on it’s way.. she said that was a weird fluke and asked if it went to my junk mail.
 
At that point I added the name of the company to my contacts just to make sure i received the emails but now it has happened again luckily this time I have money in my account so I didn’t have to worry about getting overdraft fee’s. I have 7 children and these diapers aren’t the cheapest I use them because I like them and both my younger children liked them as well so I can not afford for them to just take money when they feel like it I have to account for every penny I spend and when this occurs it puts me in a tough spot… I had the company close my account entirely because even though I really like the diapers the whole situation has left a real bad impression on me…
 
And I’m not sure I even want to deal with it I want others to be aware that they may do this and blame it on a fluke it can’t be just my account that is not being sent verification emails before hand stating that they are processing or shipping… people need to be aware of the situation so that they can monitor their accounts.

“It seemed strange that I can sign up and pay online but they refuse to cancel via either online or written communication.”

The Honest Company sells diaper subscriptions via an online website. I received the service for approx. a year. I went online to cancel and there is no way to cancel online. I used the contact info via the website and they responded that the only way I could cancel was by calling them. It seemed strange that I can sign up and pay online but they refuse to cancel via either online or written communication.
 
i researched and there are thousands of complaints about this company’s refusal to cancel subscriptions. the company also refuses to delete credit card information. i have exchanges three emails with the company and they still refuse to cancel my subscription — despite my notifying them in writing that I no longer authorise them to charge my credit card – my subscription. They have notoriously long wait times if you call so they are essentially holding parents hostage with their shady subscription practice.

“It’s absolutely ridiculous and unethical and they should not be allowed to run a business that way.”

Signed up for a ‘trial’ with this Company. Tried to cancel but was told it was too late. Told to send product back for full refund.Been 2 days. I signed up for a ‘free trial’ which apparently signs you up for auto ship without your consent. I understand you have 7 days to cancel from when you receive your products. I received my package on Friday, 12/19 when I got home from work. Their Customer Service Center was already closed and is also closed on the weekends.
 
I called the following Monday, December 22nd. I got a busy signal. Tried again on my lunch break, again got a busy signal.Tried on my way home, got the recording that they are closed. Tried again the following day, December 23rd. Again, got a busy signal. Called on my lunch break, held for 26 minutes, had to go back to work. Tried the following day,December 24th, they were closed. Received an email on December 25th that my package would ship on or around December 29th. Tried to call them that day,they were closed. Called them again on December 26th, held for 19 minutes,finally hung up and sent an email trying to cancel my subscription. Received an email Saturday evening, December 27th from Dena with Honest Support, that I could not cancel via email and that I had to cancel over the phone but that they would give me an extra week to cancel and were going to ship on January 7th.
 
I called them again December 30th since I knew they would be closed for New Years Eve & New Years Day. Again, held for over 15 minutes. Called again on the 2nd and got a recording. I’m not sure if they were open or not or maybe just short staffed that day. At this point, I was in the middle of a move and 9 months pregnant, and totally forgot to call again. The charges hit my account on the 8th and I called that morning, held for 9 minutes, FINALLY talked to an Erika Gutierrez and asked to cancel the shipment AND the subscription. She told me I couldn’t cancel the shipment because it was too late in the process, even though she also told me it had not been shipped yet.I explained to her that I had moved and they were shipping it to my old address, and she said I had to go there and pick it up and send it back to them.
 
She ended up refunded 30% of the charges up front and said as soon as they received the shipment back, I would receive my refund. I tried to call OnTrac to see if I could refuse the package but they don’t offer that and they said The Honest Company had to be the ones to call them to come pick it up, not me. I tracked the package, drove to my old house to pick it up, drove to the FedEx shipping store and used the FedEx label she sent to return the box on Monday, January 12th.
 
I checked on the tracking Tuesday, January 13th and it indicated they would receive the shipment the next morning, the 14th which was yesterday. As of 11am today, I still have not received my refund. I have sent 3 emails to Erika since yesterday afternoon inquiring about the refund. I stated in the email that if I did not receive the refund by this afternoon that I would be filing a complaint with the BBB and disputing the charges with my bank. This has been a huge, unnecessary, time consuming hassle that should have never happened in the first place.
 
I never signed up for an auto shipment, I never checked any boxes authorising them to automatically charge my account and then it was absolutely IMPOSSIBLE to reach them to cancel. They do not let you cancel by email for a reason, because it is too easy. I was charged over $US150 for something I can’t even use yet since I am STILL PREGNANT and wasted hours trying to reach someone just to say I don’t want their subscription. It’s absolutely ridiculous and unethical and they should not be allowed to run a business that way.

“…but then the phone just rang and rang.”

Unable to cancel subscription service I signed up for the ‘free trial’ of diapers and wipes. I did receive my package and tested the product. I found it to be poor quality and wanted to cancel my service before being charged for a full order. They are only ‘open’ for phone calls M-F5AM-5PM PT. I saw there was a client inquiry form and it listed cancel subscription as an option. I sent in an inquire as it was the weekend.
 
I got an email back saying that I have to call to cancel. I called the number they listed and heard the automated message that confirmed it was Honest Company,but then the phone just rang and rang. I waited 10 minutes for it to tell me I was on hold or for someone to answer. I am finding that this is a scam. I am unable to cancel the subscription online, or remove my billing information, but no one answers the phone for you to be able to cancel. I am scheduled to get billed on Jan 22nd.

“I had $US50 in my account for gas and food which I no longer have because of this company.”

Called in July to cancel my order, I was then charged on 1/21/2015 for the same thing I cancelled I saw my bank account had been overdrawn by The Honest Company. I called and spoke with Debbie who then told me they could only give me 30% of my money back AFTER I return the package(which was supposedly shipped a few minutes prior to my calling). I then requested to speak with a manager, a woman named Stacey then told me they could issue me a refund AFTER I send the package back.
 
This unauthorised charge caused me to overdraw my bank account. I am a single mum and don’t get paid until Friday NEXT WEEK, I had $US50 in my account for gas and food which I no longer have because of this company. Stacey kept telling me to call my bank, my bank will not issue the refund… Your company has to! I need my money back now, I just received the email about the order processing yesterday (while I was at work and unable to call) so I called this morning and supposedly the order shipped this morning. I need my money back NOW! I need to buy food and gas, this is unacceptable behaviour from a company that’s supposed to be a’family’ company.
 
To make things worse, the diapers are size 2, my daughter is 16 months old, she is in a size 5! Had I known this was going to happen I would have called a long time ago.


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