Couldn't Cancel Bitdefender Automatic Payment

[ShermanF]

Recently, I canceled my Bitdefender subscription. This did not cancel automatic payments. There is no way I can find on their website to cancel automatic payments. I sent them a request for a refund and now, they're not offering me a full refund. What should I do?

[aisle9]

If:

1. You are in the United States,
2. You paid with an electronic form of payment and
3. You explicitly cancelled your Bitdefender subscription and have documentation of that

Report the payment to your credit card/debit card provider as unauthorized and file a dispute. If you explicitly cancelled the subscription, it does not matter that auto-payments were enabled originally. Once you cancelled, you revoked their right to automatically charge you.

[ShermanF]

I'm using PayPal's support option for requesting refunds for subscriptions I've cancelled. I'm getting this form (attached below). I don't have a date or a cancellation number. Where can I go from here?

If I don't hear back, I'll use PayPal's "I want to report an issue that's not mentioned" feature and just provide as much information as I can.

I've also replied to Bitdefender's "Retention & Loyalty Specialist" asking for a full refund in stronger terms just in case I can get it resolved that way.

[Akolyte]

3 hours ago, ShermanF said:

Recently, I canceled my Bitdefender subscription. This did not cancel automatic payments. There is no way I can find on their website to cancel automatic payments. I sent them a request for a refund and now, they're not offering me a full refund. What should I do?

 

 

This is very common with antivirus vendors.   The most scammiest companies are the ones that provide consumer security software. 

 

Follow what was stated in the above comment, and make sure you use PayPal for any future purchases.  Alternatively, you can purchase antivirus keys, and not have to directly pay for a subscription. 

 

Windows Security has improved thouroughly and has quite good security against APTs, for example they now have the ability to: 

• Isolate processes from each other reducing the attack surface a malicious application has once run on your machine
• Run cloud processing and analytics on millions of files and websites
• Use enterprise exploit mitigation techniques used previously in Microsoft's EMET software. 
• Be able to run your browser in a total sandbox, meaning any zero-click malware won't be persistent on your system if you happen to download any while browsing

Microsoft also has much better signatures - they are improving every day as they embrace cloud more and more.  Antivirus companies have become more stingey because it's harder for them to gain any market share now.  

 

And companies like Bitdefender aren't going to be used by those huge enterprises, it's more companies like Symantec, Trend Micro, CrowdStrike, etc.   I would buy from those companies if you want antivirus. 

 

Just my two cents on potential future decisions. 

[ShermanF]

Yeah, I cancelled the subscription before the free trial period ran out. I just want to know if I'm doing the right things to get my money back.

[ShermanF]

Bitdefender support caved when I pressured them. I've got my money back. Thanks for the help