async.comReviews of async.com

I signed up for a 7-day free trial with Podcastle on Sept 30, 2025, expecting to test their Pro tools before deciding whether to subscribe. There was no clear disclosure that the trial was tied to a yearly plan or that I’d be billed $287.90. None of their emails or reminders mentioned any plan type, renewal date, or amount — only that “your Pro plan will activate automatically.” I canceled by email on Oct 7, before the Oct 8 billing date, yet they charged me anyway. Their support lead, Sara, later admitted users are auto-enrolled in annual plans by default, which means no valid consent was obtained. When I asked for proof, she sent a generic 2024 example screenshot that wasn’t from my account and admitted they don’t keep signup logs. This is a textbook example of dark-pattern billing — hidden terms, default annual subscriptions, and refusal to honor timely cancellations. I filed a bank dispute and reported Podcastle to the FTC and State Attorney General for unauthorized and deceptive billing. After I posted my review, Podcastle replied publicly claiming they wanted to solve the issue, but their follow-up simply repeated the same excuses without offering a refund or legitimate proof of my consent. Many other users have reported the same experience — hidden annual renewals, denied refunds, and vague responses. If so many customers are reporting identical problems, why is this company still allowed to operate? ⚠️ Avoid Podcastle. Their billing practices are deceptive, their customer service dismissive, and their business model unethical.

I was mischarged for a yearly subscription yesterday (10/7/25) after activating a free trial on 9/30/25. After reaching the data limit on the free trial, I was prompted to buy a monthly subscription, which I did. I finished the project I had been working it (FYI my manager did not like it due to the low quality AI), and deactivated it on 10/2/25. Aside from the low quality product, this "free subscription" seems more like a business strategy rather than a way to show off the features to unsuspecting customers. I don't buy that "their system" automatically charges the yearly subscription and in conjuction with their "refund policies," this seems like a clear a tactic to clutch on to any revenue they receive within the struggling AI sector. After taking at a look at Pitchbook (investor data website) to see who their investors are (all venture capital firms), I found that they are in an late venture growth stage currently. This company is clearly operating on a predatory business model, I'd recommend to stay far far away and avoid giving them your credit card information. ------------- EDIT: 10/9/25 I’d like to clarify a few important points, as your public statement misrepresents my actual experience. First, I did not intentionally create two workspaces. I only signed up for a personal account. When I selected “work” as the purpose of use, your system automatically created a secondary “team” workspace without making it clear that this would trigger a separate, billable subscription. This confusing setup has clearly affected many users, as reflected in numerous reviews describing similar experiences. Second, your claim that your support team “offered a partial refund” is false. No such "partial refund" offer was ever mentioned in any private correspondence. In fact, Lisa mentioned that your management team would make an exception for this case and process a refund, never mentioning the word "partial". It’s concerning that this was stated publicly when it was never communicated directly. If another customer is frustrated enough to consider reporting a ROSCA violation, that alone should speak volumes about how unclear and misleading this subscription process has become. Customers should never have to feel tricked or misled just to use a service. I stand by my request for a full refund of the unauthorized annual Team subscription. I hope the Podcastle team and their investors take this feedback seriously and addresses the recurring confusion and lack of transparency in its billing process. This experience has unfortunately tainted my view of the Podcastle management team and ruined what could have been a valuable business service.

I've been using Podcastle for both hosting and editing my podcast and YouTube videos, and overall, it's been a fantastic experience. The platform is intuitive, making it easy to upload, edit, and manage my content without a steep learning curve. It’s a one-stop solution for all my audio and video needs, and I love how streamlined everything is. One of the standout features for me has been their Customer Support. Every time I’ve encountered an issue, they’ve been quick to respond and always go the extra mile to help resolve any problem. It’s clear they care about their users, and that makes a huge difference. As much as I adore the platform, I do have one little frustration – I can’t use the AI Magic Dust feature. This feature is supposed to make my podcast sound professional quality with just one click, but I’ve encountered a technical glitch that makes my audio sound like “alien interference.” Despite reaching out to support for assistance, the issue is still unresolved, and it's a bummer because I know it would take my podcast to the next level. That said, the overall experience with Podcastle has still been solid. Even without Magic Dust, the editing tools and ease of use make it worth the price. I am holding out hope the issue can one day be fixed, so I can fully leverage all the features. If you're looking for a comprehensive, user-friendly podcasting platform, I definitely recommend Podcastle!

I am really impressed and greatful for the quick responses I received when I reached out with questions. I was treated on a very personal and humane level while communicating with the customer care team from podcastle. No generic email offering assistance or a guide to the help page, what I received was indiviuals who were ready and willing to get to the bottom of my requests and answer all questions. Thank you Sara and George from podcastle. I totally recommend

Great online Tool, very simple to share podcasts episodes Engagement and motivated people

At WisdomWorx 2.0 we use Podcastle to host all of our shows. Podcastle is the Ultimate tool for making your podcast project "POP"! More than just the cool Magic Dust tool, the ability to organize projects, Schedule Streams, produce custom voiceovers and videos, it my one stop shop!

Accidentally let the trial run over into a subscription and was charged nearly £300. They completely refuse to refund that. If the customer makes a mistake and has not used the product - a decent company should offer to refund it as a gesture of goodwill - rather than charging for a full year of a product that won't be used. Take the money from people that use your service, not from people that accidentally signed up.. Just nasty business practice. If this happens to you - check your local laws eg. The 14 day cooling off period. You may have some protection.

I used Podcastle.ai to transcribe interviews for my academic research, and it worked extremely well — I even completed a scientific paper with its help. The transcription quality was accurate and saved me a lot of time. I initially had an issue with the trial cancellation and billing, but after contacting support they provided me with an 11-month refund while keeping one month charged. I feel this was a fair solution and appreciate the professionalism of the team. Overall, Podcastle.ai is an excellent tool for researchers, creators, and professionals who need reliable transcription. I would definitely recommend it!