Charged for someone elses subscription when I was only an additional account user.

[StealthMicro]

So I asked a friend how she liked her Arlo cameras.  This was about a year ago.  She said "Hey I can add you as an additional user on my account so you can look at my cameras"  I thought wow that is cool thank you so she did.

That was over a year ago!  So a earlier this week I purchased a set of Arlo Pro 2 cameras for my house.  I set them up and joined the trial subscription that would be 9.99 a month.

All of a sudden there is a 29.99 charge on my credit card.  I was thinking weird but maybe they authorize 29.99 to your credit card just to make sure it is valid.

Then a couple days later I see that charge fully posts to my credit card account.

I call support and they can't understand what is going on.  I tell them hey I was an add on user on my friends account over a year ago that would not have anything to do with it right?  They asked for her information so I gave it to them.  They come back and said yes that charge was for a year subscription on her account.  I said WHAT?

So in short I was charged 29.99 for someones account I was only added to as a add on user so I could check out the cameras.  This was over a year ago and on someone elses account how in the heck is this possible?

Is it just my outrage or do others agree this is extremely bad practice?

For people who would like to see the support transcript...  I reformatted the conversation to make it clear who was talking when but the conversation is EXACTLY as it was.

Chat started at 8:36 AM
Dear Robert, Welcome!
Thank you for contacting ARLO. I'm Neil, how may I assist you today?

Me: I just signed up for a smart plan and am on the trial and for some reason my credit card was charged 29.99 from Arlo. Not just a hold it actually was a full charge.
8:37 AM

 

Arlo Support: I am sorry to hear that you are experiencing difficulties with it.
8:38 AM
To ensure account security, may I have the email address and your phone number you have registered for your ARLO account?
8:38 AM

Me: xxxxxxx@xxxxxx.com 555-555-5555
8:39 AM

Arlo Support:  Can you send a screenshot of the subscription page of your Arlo account.
File Transfer Requested

 

Me: Where is that?
8:40 AM

 

Arlo Support:  Please log in your Arlo account at my.arlo.com on your computer then go to settings> subscription
8:41 AM

 

Me: When I log in to that page it takes me right back to the Login screen and does not take me to the logged in site
8:42 AM

Arlo Support: How about on the Arlo app
8:43 AM

 

Me: How do I send you a screen shot from my phone when we are chatting from the computer?
8:45 AM
IMG_6271.PNG
239.3 kb
File Transfer Succeeded

 

Me: But also why can't I log in to the site? I tried with Chrome AND Microsoft Edge
8:47 AM

Arlo Support: By the way, I tried to check on our system you only have the free trial on your account. Can you send a screenshot of the charge from Arlo.
8:48 AM
Did you get an error message when trying to log in on the Arlo web portal?
8:49 AM

 

Me: Yes on the portal and can you setup another file transfer so I can send you the charge image
8:51 AM
File Transfer Requested
IMG_6272.jpg
141.8 kb
File Transfer Succeeded
If you setup another file transfer I can send you the login attempt.
File Transfer Requested
It is a gif so you might have to save it and view it.
arlo login attempt.mp4
256.8 kb
File Transfer Succeeded
Nevermind it saved as a mp4
I did not make the screen area quite large enough to see the button so if you need that I can send another one.
File Transfer Requested
Weird thing is after I try to login and it takes me back to that same page if I try it from Edge it gives me a warning on the chrome page that still shows the login screen and tells me I logged in from another device warning at the top but still sits at the login screen.

Arlo Support: Do you have a antivirus on your computer?

Me: So I am logged in at least partially but it does not take me to the right screen.
Yes.
Your an idiot if you don't have a Antivirus on a computer in this day and age.
But you are right it was the antivirus. I paused it and it worked.
Any solution for that?

 

Arlo Support: I suggest that you add the Arlo web portal on the exemption on the antivirus

 

Me: Okay ill work on that.

Arlo Support: Can you send a screenshot of the subscription page using your computer
File Transfer Canceled
File Transfer Requested

 

Me: arlo subscription.png
93.0 kb
File Transfer Succeeded

Arlo Support: Thank you. I suggest that you cancel the subscription and you will receive a pro rated refund.
9:03 AM

 

Me: That makes no sense. First off where did this magic number of 29.99 come from? The plan is 9.99 a month so why would cancelling it do anything?
9:04 AM
I was an additional user on a friends account so I could see if I liked the cameras. Is there anyway you guys charged me for something on that? I can't see why an additional user though would get charged for someone elses stuff?

 

Arlo Support: Supposedly, you should not charge since you currently have the free trial

 

Me: yyyyyyy@gmail.com
9:05 AM
444-444-4444

 

Arlo Support: I tried to check that email and I believe this is the charge came from
9:07 AM
You were charge $29.99 for the Arlo smart 1 year subsription plan

 

Me: Okay then refund it please. I was just an additional user on that account. Why in the world would you charge my card for someone elses account?!?!?!?
Why do I not have that 29.99 annual option on my account?
9:08 AM
Or can you transfer that subscription to my account?
I am fine with the 29.99 if it goes to me and not someone else.
9:09 AM
She was just letting me view her cameras to test drive them and see if I liked the Arlo cameras.
9:10 AM

 

Arlo Support: Unfortunately, you can't transfer the subscription to different account. The annual subscription is a legacy plan and is no longer available.

 

Me: Okay then refund me please.

Arlo Support: Did she log in on your phone?
9:10 AM

 

Me: I have no idea. But even if she had logged in with my phone that still does not give your company the right to associate one account with another? If she had it may have been to setup my account like a year ago. But you guys still can't just charge different people for different accounts. That is absolutely crazy.
9:12 AM
Can you refund the 29.99 to my card then please?
9:12 AM

Arlo Support: If she is using a grant access account, you should not be charge for the subscription unless she used the your credit card credentials and subscribe under her account. For your to cancel and get a pro rated refund, you need to log in on her account and cancel the subscription\
9:16 AM

 

Arlo Support: Um no. I can't simply login to someone elses account. Besides being highly illegal it is immoral.
9:17 AM
You need to do what you need to do to refund my card and cancel it your way.
Plus I don't have her password.

Arlo Support: Apologies for the difficulties however, there is on option on our end to cancel the subscription.

 

Me: Okay that is on her end. I have not talked to her in like 6 months.
9:18 AM
I need you to do it on your end.

Arlo Support: I do really apologize, however cancelling the subscription can only be done by the consumer.
9:20 AM

 

Me: So it just HAPPENED to charge my card on the day I subscribed to your service.
Okay then escalate my chat please.
You can and will do it on your end.
9:20 AM
You guys illegally charged my credit card. That is fraud and I need YOUR COMPANY to take care of this.
9:22 AM

Arlo Support: We do apologize for that, what I can do on my end is escalate this case to the appropriate team. May I have your preferred contact number, preferred callback time and timezone?
9:25 AM

 

Me: 555-555-5555 ANYTIME Pacific Timezone
Is this actually going to happen or is this one of those I will tell the customer that to get him off my back?
9:26 AM
How can I contact the appropriate team? Phone number? Extension?
9:27 AM

Arlo Support: They will review the case first. They don't have an extenstion number. Don't worry Robert, I will endorse this case and update you for the status of your case.
9:30 AM

 

Me: Okay thank you. I find this practice really troubling though. But I appreciate you sending this to the appropriate people.
9:31 AM

 

Arlo Support: By the way, for other online support options, you may visit our website @ support.arlo.com and community.arlo.com. Here is your Case ID: XXXXXXXXX.
9:32 AM
Is there anything else I may be able to assist you with today?
9:32 AM

 

Me: No I just hope this gets resolved.

[michaelkenward]

---

@StealthMicro wrote:

So I asked a friend how she liked her Arlo cameras.  This was about a year ago.  She said "Hey I can add you as an additional user on my account so you can look at my cameras"  I thought wow that is cool thank you so she did.

That was over a year ago!  So a earlier this week I purchased a set of Arlo Pro 2 cameras for my house.  I set them up and joined the trial subscription that would be 9.99 a month.

All of a sudden there is a 29.99 charge on my credit card.  I was thinking weird but maybe they authorize 29.99 to your credit card just to make sure it is valid.

Then a couple days later I see that charge fully posts to my credit card account.

I call support and they can't understand what is going on.  I tell them hey I was an add on user on my friends account over a year ago that would not have anything to do with it right?  They asked for her information so I gave it to them.  They come back and said yes that charge was for a year subscription on her account.  I said WHAT?

I'm confused about what is going on there. So forgive me if I get the wrong end of the stick.

Adding you to a friend's account so that you can see their cameras has nothing to do with setting up an account so that you can watch your own cameras. That needs it own account with a subscription.

Did you set up your account for the new system with the same email access and password as the Arlo account you use to access your friend's system? That would seem to be the only way in which you get charged for their cameras. Or are you being charged for their cameras?

The "share access" thing is there so that you can watch their cameras, not your own. That costs  nothing. They pay for the subscription for their cameras.

You cannot install your own Arlo system and hitch a ride on their subscription to watch your cameras.

However, with Pro 2 cameras, you do not need a subscription to retain seven days of recordings.

But this community is really a user to user group for technical stuff. You will have to get one of Arlo's moderators to work out what is going on.

Like I say, I don't follow what is going on. Good luck. Sounds messy.