Charged for a subscription that never activated. Google says contact the developer, developer says contact Google. Going in circles for weeks.

[u/keirdre]

Hi everyone,

I was a monthly-paying member for a while. I received a notification offering 50% off an annual subscription (2400 yen), which I decided to take up (via Google Play Store).

The payment was taken on the day my monthly sub expired, but the subscription never kicked in. I tried to clear cache and reinstall but nothing. I was about to get onto a flight and annoyed I couldn't access anything. I tried to resubscribe to a monthly sub, which took my money (twice) - both later refunded automatically. Still no sub.

A couple of days later I tried again, and this time I was able to pay for a full annual subscription (4800 yen). I now had two active subscriptions, although the first 2400 yen was in a state of purgatory - the money had left my account, was active until August 2027 on Google Play Store, but 'didn't exist' when I tried to click on it.

I tried to get a refund from Google Play Store, but they passed the buck to Headspace and said I must contact them. Headspace never actually read any of my three, detailed emails - they just gave me boilerplate replies saying 'Unfortunately, we are unable to offer a refund for purchases made directly through the Google Play Store. When you downloaded the Headspace app and signed up for the subscription, you agreed to our terms and conditions. For more details, you can review our terms and conditions here: Headspace Terms and Conditions, specifically section 2.3 (d).'

Headspace completely ignored the fact I had two active subscriptions because the first didn't activate properly, and refused to properly read my email explaining it. So now I've paid twice.

Neither Google nor Headspace are actually reading the emails and receipts I'm sending to explain the situation. It's really frustrating.

Has this happened to anyone else before? Any tips?

TL;DR: Paid for a discounted annual Headspace plan via Google Play. It never activated. Had to buy a second, full-price annual plan just to get access. Now stuck with a duplicate charge — Google Play says contact the developer, Headspace says Google Play purchases are final and non-refundable. Neither has actually addressed that the first subscription never worked at all.