ChatGPT complaint: ChatGPT charged me after failed free trial cancellation, refund refused

# Complaint Against OpenAI / ChatGPT – Unexpected Subscription Charge and Refusal to Issue a Refund

I signed up for a free trial of ChatGPT Plus and attempted to cancel my subscription before the trial period expired.

Unfortunately, the cancellation apparently did not go through, and on November 2, 2026, I was charged for a paid subscription that I had never intended to continue.

**I contacted OpenAI Support immediately after discovering the charge and requested a full refund.**

However, my initial refund request was automatically rejected by an AI chatbot with the following response:

“Thank you for contacting us. Unfortunately, we are unable to issue a refund for this subscription. Our refund policies are subject to compliance with our Terms of Use.”

No specific explanation was provided, and I was unable to reach a human support representative through the chat.

I subsequently contacted OpenAI Support by email. The first response stated that my account could not be located or verified, even though I had signed into the Help Center using the same Google account associated with my ChatGPT subscription.

The support response also appeared directly in my existing support conversation, making the account verification issue particularly confusing.

After I pointed this out, another support representative acknowledged my concerns and apologized for the confusion. However, instead of investigating my failed cancellation attempt, I was simply informed that ChatGPT subscription fees are generally non-refundable under OpenAI’s Terms of Use.

**At no point was I given a clear explanation of whether my original cancellation attempt had actually been investigated.**

I find this particularly disappointing because I contacted OpenAI on the very day of the charge and repeatedly explained that I had already attempted to cancel the free trial.

Rather than receiving an individual assessment of my situation, I have repeatedly received generic responses referring to refund policies without addressing the actual problem.

For a company of OpenAI’s size, I find this level of customer support extremely disappointing.

**I am requesting the following:**

1. A full refund of the subscription charge made on November 2, 2026.
2. A proper investigation into why my attempt to cancel the free trial was unsuccessful.
3. A clear explanation of why my refund request was rejected without an apparent individual review.
4. Written confirmation that my subscription has been canceled and that no further charges will occur.

I believe customers who attempt to cancel a free trial before it expires should not be left paying for an unwanted subscription simply because the cancellation process did not work as expected.

**I urge OpenAI to take responsibility, properly investigate my complaint, and issue a full refund rather than continuing to respond with generic references to its Terms of Use.**