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SEMRush charged me $211 using deceptive dark patterns to prevent trial cancellation. Be warned!
Posted by on April 3, 2026 at 9:56 pmI signed up for the SEMRush 7 day free trial and went to cancel before it ended. Completed the cancellation on their website, saw what looked like a finished process, and moved on with my life.
What I didn't know is that they also send a confirmation email you have to click to actually finalize the cancellation. If you miss that email or assume the website step was sufficient like any reasonable person would, congratulations, you just bought a $211 monthly subscription to a service you didn't even want.
I contacted support immediately after the charge notification. Their response: we don't refund montxhly memberships. No exceptions.
Let that sink in. They build a cancellation process that requires two separate steps across two separate platforms, bank on you missing the second one, charge you $211, and then refuse to give it back. That's not a policy. That's a monetization strategy built on user confusion.
I've already told them directly that this is deceptive and unacceptable. They didn't care. So now I'm filing complaints with the Bureau of Consumer Protection, the FTC, and anywhere else that will listen. I don't care about the money at this point. I care about the principle.
If you're considering their trial: cancel early, obsessively check your email afterward, and screenshot everything. Better yet, use a virtual card with a spending limit.
Anyone else get burned by this?
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1 Reply
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No, but a chargeback is the solution, obviously scammy tactics to prevent cancellations.
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Did you reach out to their support? Normally they are responsive.
If not, chargeback and do yourself a favor and sign up with a “throwaway” card.
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u/semrush
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Yeah, there have been a lot of stories like this for a while now.
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Semrush is a joke at this point.
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Classic SEMrush. Predatory company.
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Wow third party vanity metrics is shady?
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me too
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Wow, another one. Contact ya bank and do a charge back.
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Shame on Semrush!
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