I think OptinMonster uses their software to screen their own main website's visitors as well. After reading all of these negative reviews, I constantly find myself struggling to visit Optinmonster's pages: "Error: Forbidden. Your client does not have permission to get URL /pricing/ from this server."
Apparently, they don't want me as a customer, tainted with bad reviews as they see a storm coming ;-)
Response from OptinMonsterNov 4, 2022
Hi Bas,
Thanks for letting us know what's happening; that is strange behavior! While we do use our own software to show messages as various popups on our site, it does not affect your ability to view our pages.
We'd certainly love to chat with you more about using OptinMonster, so could you write to our support team at [email protected]? Then, we can dig into this more together.
We'll see you over there!
FR
Freeman
Auto-upgrade is just unfair!
Everything about this plug-in is perfect and working amazingly, the only issue is when you sign up to test they will charge you $192 without your consent or any notice, and they put your account to auto upgrade by default.. this is just too unfair and should be illegal. I requested a refund at the moment and I will get back to update this review after I see how it will go with their support!
Response from OptinMonsterNov 4, 2022
Hi Freeman,
Thanks for sharing this feedback with us and apologies for the unexpected charge. It certainly wasn't our intent!
All our plans, including the free plan, require a credit card in order to start, and have specific pageview limits and features available to them.
It’s kind of like how you might be billed for internet service or a phone plan. Depending on the phone or internet package you choose, you might get more lines, gigs of data, or other additional features. If/when you near the limit of your selected package, they let you know they’ll be charging you if you go over.
We take this same approach and send out 2 email notifications when you near the limits of your selected OptinMonster plan. Here’s a copy of what one of the emails says – https://a.supportally.com/i/JqE1xU
We also give you full control of what happens to your account if you do near those limits (shown in the email linked above). If you do not wish to have your service continue when you reach the account’s limits, you can simply set your pageview and upgrade preferences to “Suspend campaigns until pageviews reset at the beginning of the next month.”
You can read more about those settings here – https://optinmonster.com/docs/pageview-and-upgrade-preferences/.
And if needed, you can also take advantage of our 14-day unconditional money-back guarantee. If you are automatically upgraded, or you’re not 100% happy with OptinMonster, we offer a 14-day unconditional money-back guarantee.
I do not see your email in the inbox yet, so if you haven't already kindly send it to [email protected] using your registered email address and I will have our billing team look in to that first thing as they come online.
CS
Cristian S.
Marketing emails titled "Payment Received"
They are sending marketing emails with the title "Payment Received" to increase CTR and link people to their blog so they make a sale.
Response from OptinMonsterJul 6, 2022
Hi Cristian,
You're right; we sent our subscribers an email marketing message with the subject line, "Payment Received."
This subject line was in relation to the content of the email itself: https://a.supportally.com/GV7VWB... an encouragement to utilize email marketing in your own business as a catalyst for getting more "Payment Received" notifications in your own inbox.
The email also included a link to our Guide to Email Newsletters, which you can find here: https://optinmonster.com/how-to-make-money-with-email-newsletters/.
Email marketing returns on average $38 for every $1 spent. We wanted to make sure that our subscribers knew the path to making more sales in their business (i.e., more payments) runs straight through email marketing.
I can see, though, how that subject line might have been more alarming than intended, and we're so sorry for the confusion! On behalf of OptinMonster, I apologize for that, and we'll make sure it doesn't happen again.
DJ
DKhoon “Jake T.
I didn't want to get purchase but it…
I didn't want to get purchase but it worked.
I don't know how to use it accurately but suddenly I saw the email about purchased.
It wasn't my plan. Just they did it and automatically purchased.
I sent them email and asked to get refund but their reply is just update your information and complete your info to use optinmonster.
I think it's real monster for me. I felt terrible and try to get refund, so Now I sent them refund request 3 times.
I hope to get refund quickly.
Response from OptinMonsterJul 5, 2022
Hi DKhoon,
I apologize for the confusion regarding your upgrade and our billing practice. I know how frustrating it can be not to get an answer right away, so I'd like to help clarify our billing structure.
OptinMonster charges an annual fee based on the number of pageviews and features the plan you choose provides.
You originally signed up for the Free Plan with us, which offers 300 pageviews/month, 1 site, and 3 campaigns: https://a.supportally.com/JMpVhi.
We never want to punish you for doing well – so we will never turn off your campaigns should you go over the number of pageviews on your plan. Instead, we'll upgrade you to the next tier to keep your account in good standing as per our Terms of Service. which you agree to when you sign up for OptinMonster. (https://optinmonster.com/terms/).
While our default billing practice is to automatically upgrade the account to the next tier should you exceed your pageview limits, we never want you to worry about unexpected changes.
To give you complete control of your account, we give you 3 options for handling pageview overages - you can:
1. Upgrade to the plan that corresponds with the number of pageviews your account is receiving.
2. Add pageview block(s) to cover the overage. Pageview blocks are $29/month and include 100K additional pageviews.
3. Allow suspension of your campaigns until the first of the following month.
You can read more about those settings here – https://optinmonster.com/docs/pageview-and-upgrade-preferences/.
You can also take advantage of our 14-day unconditional money-back guarantee if you are charged. I see you took advantage of this guarantee, and our team has refunded your account.
We're glad we were able to straighten this out and we wish you luck in your future endeavors!
NP
Ndumiso P.
Don't Install Their Plugin Cause These…
Don't Install Their Plugin Cause These guys will auto-upgrade your account and Charge You without your consent, now I understand why they wanted my payment details before using their plugin saying it's a way to prevent spam meanwhile it's a way for them to auto upgrade my account, shady plugin company on WordPress.
Response from OptinMonsterJun 20, 2022
Hi Ndumiso,
I apologize for the confusion regarding your upgrade. I know how frustrating it can be to get an unexpected charge, so I'd like to help clarify our billing structure.
OptinMonster charges an annual fee based on the number of pageviews and features the plan you choose provides.
You originally signed up for the Free Plan with us, which offers 300 pageviews/month, 1 site, and 3 campaigns: https://a.supportally.com/JMpVhi.
We never want to punish you for doing well – so we will never turn off your campaigns should you go over the number of pageviews on your plan. Instead, we'll upgrade you to the next tier to keep your account in good standing as per our Terms of Service, which you agree to when you sign up for OptinMonster: https://optinmonster.com/terms.
While our default billing practice is to automatically upgrade the account to the next tier should you exceed your pageview limits, you have full control of what happens to your account.
We give you 3 options for handling pageview overages - you can:
1. Upgrade to the plan that corresponds with the number of pageviews your account is receiving.
2. Add pageview block(s) to cover the overage. Pageview blocks are $29/month and include 100K additional pageviews.
3. Allow suspension of your campaigns until the first of the following month.
You can read more about those settings here – https://optinmonster.com/docs/pageview-and-upgrade-preferences/.
Since you weren't expecting this upgrade, you can also take advantage of our 14-day unconditional money-back guarantee: https://optinmonster.com/docs/how-to-request-a-refund/.
If you haven't already, please write to our support team; we'd be glad to straighten this out.
AW
Aaron W.
Charged me without permission or entering card information
I intended to purchase their service, but they charged me $168 without my permission. The basic plan (which they gave me) was $108 annually. So not only did they charge me without my permission or providing any card information (they charged me through WordPress, I guess), they did so while charging me more than what their plan says it costs on the website.
I have no doubt they are most likely pulling this scam with others as well. So I wanted to leave a review to try and help others. Although I intended to use their service and purchase annually, there's no way I will now.
So far it's been 8 hours or so since I requested a refund and I have not heard back.
Response from OptinMonsterJun 6, 2022
Hi Aaron,
I apologize for the confusion regarding your upgrade and our support hours. Our support hours are Monday- Friday, 9 am-5 pm ET, so our team wasn't online when you initially requested a refund.
I know how frustrating it can be not to get an answer right away, so I'll look into why our normal auto-response wasn't delivered.
In the meantime, I'd like to help clarify our billing structure.
OptinMonster charges an annual fee based on the number of pageviews and features the plan you choose provides.
You originally signed up for the Free Plan with us, which offers 300 pageviews/month, 1 site, and 3 campaigns: https://a.supportally.com/JMpVhi.
We never want to punish you for doing well – so we will never turn off your campaigns should you go over the number of pageviews on your plan. Instead, we'll upgrade you to the next tier to keep your account in good standing as per our Terms of Service. which you agree to when you sign up for OptinMonster. (https://optinmonster.com/terms/).
While our default billing practice is to automatically upgrade the account to the next tier should you exceed your pageview limits, we never want you to worry about unexpected changes.
To give you complete control of your account, we give you 3 options for handling pageview overages - you can:
1. Upgrade to the plan that corresponds with the number of pageviews your account is receiving.
2. Add pageview block(s) to cover the overage. Pageview blocks are $29/month and include 100K additional pageviews.
3. Allow suspension of your campaigns until the first of the following month.
You can read more about those settings here – https://optinmonster.com/docs/pageview-and-upgrade-preferences/.
You can also take advantage of our 14-day unconditional money-back guarantee if you are charged. I see you took advantage of this guarantee, and you're all set on the annual Basic plan.
We're glad we were able to straighten this out, and you've made the wise decision to grow your email list, get more leads and increase sales with the #1 most powerful conversion optimization toolkit in the world.
We can't wait to see what you do next and look forward to helping you in every way we can!
YG
Yash G.
They will auto-renew your plan even if…
Update*** Got a quick reply and confirmation that they are initiating refund. Did not expect such a quick resolution, will update once I get a refund.
They will auto-renew your plan even if you don't use their tools just on basis of the traffic on your website. To even build such a feature in billing is nothing but them trying to scam people. After digging the internet it seems they do this to everyone that comes their way. Helping small businesses (lose money).
Response from OptinMonsterApr 18, 2022
Thanks for letting us know about your billing situation, Yash. I looked into your experience more and see you're from India. I completely understand how frustrating any auto-renewal charge would be since the RBI e-mandate rule doesn't allow this billing structure.
While we typically have a strict 14-day money back, we honestly do want small businesses to succeed, so we've refunded your account in full.
Thanks again for taking the time to talk to us! We always appreciate feedback, and we wish you luck in your future endeavors.
JN
Jason N.
DON’T GIVE THESE DISHONEST PEOPLE YOUR MONEY!
Crafty Buggers!!!
i purchased a lifetime licence
then after a couple of years, I got an email to say its no longer a lifetime deal
and would have to pay monthly or yearly to continue using their service
So I’ve just paid them AGAIN a years subscription to get access to my account
be careful giving these folks your moohlah!
they don’t honour their word