topic Re: arlo subscriptoin but no support in Arlo

arlo subscriptoin but no support

h31p — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 16:02:41 GMT

I've had an arlo subscription for many years. I have a paid subscription, but have just wasted more than an hour trying to get support: none exists! Although paying monthly, I cannot see a camera on my Android phone. This started a few weeks ago. I have a message to upgrade, but I've already chosen a plan. The chat bot is worthless and annoying.

Sometimes when I try to contact support, arlo defaults to a friends account who has shared cameras with me. Even if I then select what is supposed to be my feed (which I cannot even see now), it switches back to there feed. Obviously, the arlo web site server's software is screwed up.

With the complete lack of support even with a paid subscription, and no ability to see a camera at all, I'm considering doing a chargeback on my credit card for services charged for, but not provided.

As almost all the online community says, arlo has gone drastically downhill as a company. Usability of their software is horrendous, since not usable at all.

Re: arlo subscriptoin but no support

BrookeN — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 16:09:17 GMT

You do have a subscription for a single camera plan, which that camera has a critically low battery. I am unsure if that is the one you are unable to see? Can you tell me more which camera you are not able to see on the account? There is no way for the app to switch between a friends account feed and your feed are both the same. They show whatever the main owners feed shows.

Re: arlo subscriptoin but no support

h31p — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 17:07:58 GMT

"There is no way for the app to switch between a friends account feed and your feed are both the same." Actually, feeds can be switched on the web portal and in the android app; one selects the feed to be viewed. You are incorrect, and the software is indeed messed up. I switched feeds in both the web site and my android app today; but I cannot see my feed--all I get is a message to upgrade that cannot be made to go away--clearly a software error.

I can see no camera in my feed. The camera I want to see in my feed is my doorbell camera. Yes, I have three cameras whose batteries need charging, but I want to see my wired doorbell camera in my feed. I'm Paying for a subscription. Until recently, I could see all cameras in my feed when batteries were charged, but arlo made changes without informing me. The only thing I see when I try to see my feed is an upgrade notice that cannot be made to go away.

Also, why can I never get phone support? Your chatbot told me that I was not "entitled" to live support. I spent over an hour trying to get support--time worth more than a few years of an arlo subscription.

Re: arlo subscriptoin but no support

BrookeN — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 17:12:39 GMT

Are you the primary user or the authorized user? Do you see library or feed at the bottom of the app? Can you uninstall the app and reinstall it please. Also, can you send a screenshot of what you are seeing.

Re: arlo subscriptoin but no support

h31p — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 18:22:09 GMT

I updated the Android app this morning, but it didn't change anything. I am the primary user of my home cameras. I'm authorized to see my friend's feed. Feed switching menu shows at the top.

Attached is a screenshot of where one switches feeds in Android. It's partly grayed out, but it's hard to get a screenshot because it's difficult to get a screenshot of making a change in that menu--it jumps out when trying.

Also attached is a screenshot of my home feed which tells me to upgrade. Going into the upgrade menu does not help.

By the way, I have an engineering doctorate in the specialty of Usability. The standard for the measurement of usability measures three things: efficiency (how long does take to do something), effectiveness (is the task accomplished), user satisfaction (how satisfied is the user). A look at reddit or other social media provides data for all three; arlo is at the bottom of all three usability measures. We can measure them scientifically with tests, too.

Re: arlo subscriptoin but no support

BrookeN — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 18:50:01 GMT

Click on that calendar and choose a few days before todays date. And let me know if you see anything in feed.

Re: arlo subscriptoin but no support

h31p — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 19:25:49 GMT

If I click on the calendar of my Home feed, everything is grayed out because the app is telling me to upgrade; no date can be selected. If I select my friend's feed, I can click on the camera and see videos. I never made any changes. Arlo's software is buggy.

Re: arlo subscriptoin but no support

BrookeN — Tue, 25 Nov 2025 15:25:58 GMT

Can you send me what you have set up under routines please?

Re: arlo subscriptoin but no support

h31p — Tue, 25 Nov 2025 21:53:18 GMT

Please bear in mind that when I bought arlo cameras for myself and my friend, the subscription was $3/month for five cameras with a base station. We added doorbell cameras later. I have not made any changes since then, but arlo obviously has; arlo has not been forthcoming with messages about changes to our accounts over the years. I'm being billed for a subscription, but still cannot see any camera in my home in my feed. I don't have a feed for my home. The Upgrade message has blocked me from my home feed or accessing the calendar.

I have made no changes to my routines since shortly after I bought the cameras. Attached is a screenshot taken from the arlo web interface. This is indicative of settings in other modes too.

Re: arlo subscriptoin but no support

h31p — Tue, 25 Nov 2025 22:00:59 GMT

I replied. Another item: I would like a refund for the money I spent on a service I did not receive, i.e. being charged for a subscription but not being able to see anything in my home feed.

Re: arlo subscriptoin but no support

BrookeN — Tue, 25 Nov 2025 22:55:37 GMT

Log out of your account and then log back in please. Are you using an iOS or Android?

Re: arlo subscriptoin but no support

h31p — Wed, 26 Nov 2025 15:14:12 GMT

Android, as I keep mentioning in this thread. Are you a bot that ran out of context? I logged out and back in. Still no home feed, just like on your web site.

Re: arlo subscriptoin but no support

h31p — Fri, 28 Nov 2025 18:56:12 GMT

Still no support even though I'm a paid subscriber whose feed is not working at all.

Re: arlo subscriptoin but no support

jguerdat — Sat, 29 Nov 2025 13:54:02 GMT

At the top of any page (Devices, Feed, etc.) can you click on Home and see more than one Home? That occurs when you have been shared someone else's cameras or when you have multiple locations. If so, try the other Home.

Re: arlo subscriptoin but no support

h31p — Sun, 30 Nov 2025 01:59:28 GMT

This is a long thread by now where suggestions/discussions are being repeated. Please read the thread before asking about what was already discussed. A friend shares a feed, and I can see their feed. But I cannot see my feed even when I select it; it is blocked by a upgrade notice. It seems that Arlo management has failed to provide adequate support and has messed up the software and alienated many customers. I'm paying for a service and not getting it (no Home feed), yet when I asked for a refund for the time when no service was rendered my question was ignored. I have sold my Arlo stock and would like to write a letter to the Board of Directors. Somebody is failing to manage this company. As a paying customer, I cannot even get support to get a problem fixed and have wasted a lot of time trying.

Re: arlo subscriptoin but no support

BrookeN — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 16:30:22 GMT

Please send me a dm with a good callback number as well as a good time to call. You send a dm by clicking on the envelope icon on the top right of the forum page.If you don't see it, then go into your profile settings and select preferences, then "Private Messenger." Then select "Turn on private messages" if it is turned off.

Re: arlo subscriptoin but no support

h31p — Thu, 11 Dec 2025 03:30:10 GMT

Due to frustration with a call to support, I set this issue aside, but now see you have asked for a contact number. I will provide one. Thank you for asking. That said, here's a brief summary of my experience with the problem of having a paid account but for several weeks not seeing one of my cameras in my feed.

First I tried the help bot, which incorrectly told me I was not authorized to get support (several tries). I tried to get a number to call, but the support number was greyed out for me for weeks: I saw it on the Arlo site, but it was not clickable. I tried this forum, but went around in circles with no real help.

On 12/1 the support number (inexplicably) was available to me on the Arlo site. I called. I spent 57 minutes and 45 seconds on the phone, talking to three people in series. The first person asked me to go wave in front of a camera, which is silly. All my hardware works fine. I was then transferred to another person. That person put me on hold twice, the first time for about 20 minutes, the second time for about ten minutes. I suspect that person was not really working when I was on hold, but rather pretending to work to fool Arlo so he could do whatever he wanted while pretending to work by having a busy phone. He transferred me to a third person, who asked me to wave in front of a camera again. I explained that I'd already been through that almost an hour ago. He said someone would call me. I noticed today that yesterday Arlo left a message on my phone. I listened to it today.

I've wasted hours trying to get information from Arlo about what is going on.

Sunday night, my friend told me that she could see a camera on my feed. I looked and was surprised to see that I could now see a camera on my feed. Obviously, this was due to a change on Arlo's servers, not a change locally at my house. Also note that on the call with tech support I WAS TOLD THAT ALL MY CAMERAS SHOULD HAVE FREE 7-DAY RECORDING TO SHOW UP ON MY FEED.

I received an email from Arlo on 7/15 saying my plan was canceled, then another saying it was not.

I checked all my emails from Arlo and your company has never informed me of what is going on, yet I've been charged for several weeks when your system was not giving me the camera feed I paid for.

Arlo cameras are great, the solar panels are wonderful, the software used to be good. Now, the software is unpredictable, and customer service has told me conflicting information about what my plan covers.

I asked Google AI about this tonight. Here's what it said:

Arlo's customer service is widely criticized for being poor due to frustrating support loops with AI bots, difficulty reaching human agents (especially without paid plans), agents being unhelpful or rude, closed tickets before resolution, and issues with billing/refunds, making customers feel ignored and trapped in endless troubleshooting or billing cycles, often forcing them to give up.

Common Complaints:

Endless Bot/Chat Loops: Customers get stuck with AI bots that don't understand complex issues, leading to repetitive, circular conversations.
Lack of Human Access: It's often impossible to speak to a person, especially for non-subscribers, forcing users into online portals where they can't get real help.
Unresolved Issues: Tickets are often closed prematurely (e.g., after 7 days), even if the problem isn't fixed, forcing customers to restart the process.
Unhelpful Agents: When humans are reached, they may be poorly trained, unable to resolve issues, hang up on customers, or provide generic, unhelpful advice (like constant factory resets).
Billing & Subscription Frustration: Issues with unexpected price hikes, difficulty canceling, or getting promised discounts/refunds are common.
Poor Communication: Customers report being unable to reply to case emails or get updates, creating more confusion.

Why It's Perceived This Way (Company Practices):

Focus on Subscriptions: The business model seems to prioritize paid plans, gatekeeping support behind subscriptions and pushing users to upgrade.
Cost-Cutting: The reliance on bots and potentially outsourced, under-trained support suggests a focus on minimizing support costs over customer satisfaction.
Intentional Obstacles: Many users feel Arlo intentionally creates roadblocks and hoops to jump through, hoping they'll eventually give up.

In essence, users feel Arlo's support system is designed to frustrate and wear them down, rather than genuinely solve problems, leading to significant customer dissatisfaction and a poor reputation for support.

It would be nice to be able to continue using our Arlo cameras. I was thinking of adding them to another house. But if we cannot get clear information from the company, replacing all the hardware with another brand may be the best option. I looked into programming a system using these cameras myself, but the Arlo base station doesn't have an open API.

Jeff Dawson

Re: arlo subscriptoin but no support

BrookeN — Fri, 12 Dec 2025 14:32:31 GMT

Thank you for providing that information, I did receive your message as well. I have reached out to support, they will be contacting you as soon as possible.