This following email thread shows how I used the Better Business Bureau to receive a refund from LeetCode. Everyone was polite, and it was a worthwhile exercise in assertive communication.

The unrelated image is a picture of the bike stand I am building.

On April 14th, I registered for LeedCode premium. My intent was to try premium for a month. LeetCode requires a recurring subscription; so I cancelled my account on May 14th. That was too late. LeetCode billed me for a second month.

That's when I politely reached out to LeetCode support:

May 14th

Hi there,

I meant only to have a one month use of premium services. LeetCode automatically billed me for a second month. Could you please refund that second month. I would appreciate that, and I would be more likely to speak positively with colleagues about LeetCode.

My username is shaunluttin. My email address is [email protected].

Best,
Shaun Luttin

May 14th

Hi shaunluttin,

Thank you for reaching out to LeetCode Technical Support!

You can cancel your current Premium subscription in your Manage Subscription page by following the instruction in this Support Article. You must cancel your subscription before your renewal date to avoid the next billing.

Per our refund policy(leetcode.com/terms/), after cancellation, your subscription will remain active until the end of the current billing period and you will have continued access to your subscription for the remainder of that period (unless your access is suspended or terminated as set forth below) and we are unable to provide a refund for your monthly subscription.

Best,

LeetCode Support Team

May 14th

Hi XXX,

Thank you for responding.

You can issue the refund via the VISA I used for the purchase.

Per my policy as a consumer, if I ask for a refund for unused services, and if you do not refund my money within the next business day, I will open a complaint at the Better Business Bureau (https://www.bbb.org/).

Best,
Shaun

May 14th

Hello Shaun,

Per our User Agreement and Terms of Service, the users explicitly agree to subscription-based service provided by LeetCode and our Refund Policy unfortunately prohibits me from issuing refunds for an active subscription.

Best,

XXX

May 14th

Thank you for letting me know. I will follow up with the Better Business Bureau and send you the complaint ID today.

Best,
Shaun

May 14th

I composed a complaint with the BBB (Complaint ID#: 789962). The BBB contacted LeetCode on my behalf. Here is my complaint:

I signed up for  LeetCode Premium on April 14 2020, with the intent to use it for one  month. On May 14 2020, LeetCode billed me for a second month. That same  day, I cancelled my subscription and contacted LeetCode to request a  refund for the second month. LeetCode refused to issue a refund. To be  clear: I am being charged for one month of services that start today,  May 14 2020, even though I do not want those services.

May 15th

Hi shaunluttin​,

My name is YYY and I am the head of Customer Support at LeetCode. I am so sorry for the previous response by our customer support client. It's regrettably not according to our high standard of ensuring customer happiness and satisfaction using our product.

I take full responsibility for this and have processed the $35 refund to you immediately. You should notice the $35 credited back to your account within 3-5 business days. As a token of apology, I have also credited your account with 5,000 LeetCoins and you can use them to redeem a free monthly subscription anytime you want.

I am sorry again for any inconvenience we have caused you previously, and I hope this will make it right for you as one of our loyal customers. We appreciate your support, and please do not hesitate to let me know if you have any questions.

Have a nice day!

Best,
YYY

May 18th

Hi YYY,

Thank you for agreeing to the refund. When my VISA account shows the refund, which might be as late as Fri 22 May, I will update the complaint with the Better Business Bureau.

Until then,
Shaun

May 22nd

Hi YYY,

I checked my VISA today and did not see the refund posted. The last email from you on Fri 15 May said that the refund would take 3-5 business days. If I understand correctly, it should have arrived by now, because we have had Fri, Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, and Fri (today) to process the refund, which amounts to six business days.

What do you suggest as my next step? I would rather not contact VISA and the Better Business Bureau another time but I will if that is what it takes.

Shaun

May 22nd

Hi shaunluttin​,

Thank you for reaching out to us. I am so so sorry about this inconvenience. Upon checking our third-party payment system record, I found an issue that prevented the processing refund to go out. I've just resolved that issue and your refund should be arriving at your card in no time. Can you please check and see if it's showing on your Visa card account record?

Again, I deeply apologize for the inconvenience you've experienced. Please let me know if there is anything else I can help you with.

Thank you,
YYY

May 22nd

Hi YYY,

Thank you for following up and apology accepted. You are doing the best you can, and I appreciate that. Could you please let me know what the issue was that prevented processing the refund?

I will check my VISA in 5 business days to ensure that the refund arrived. The BBB complaint is attached as a PDF, which shows a record of our email communication to date.

Shaun

May 28th

Hi shaunluttin​,

Thank you for your update. I am so sorry about the delay in response. Have you checked in with your bank to see if your account has received a refund of $35 yet?

We appreciate your time and support! If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to let us know.

Best,
YYY

May 31st

Hi YYY,

The refund arrived. I appreciate that.

Best,
Shaun