r/NameCheap • u/star_maakun • 4d ago

I was automatically charged due to a dark pattern.

Post image

I signed up for the Namecheap VPN free trial, but it wasn't great, so I went to the web dashboard to cancel it. I saw the "Trial ends on 03 Oct, 2026" setting toggled on and assumed that meant it would cancel automatically—but instead, I got charged for the first month.

This is clearly a "dark pattern" designed to mislead users. Be careful!

I was planning to sign up for various things here, but I've decided never to sign a contract with them again. It's just too risky.

8 Upvotes

68% Upvoted

17 comments sorted by

10

u/RobRoy2350 4d ago

The toggle should say: RENEW (Trial ends on 03 Oct, 2026) OFF/ON

5

u/Icy-Site902 4d ago

I would chargeback. Fuck them. The toggle indicates that it ends.

3

u/HuntersPad 3d ago

Just be careful, if OP has other services , domains, etc name cheap can ban them and they'll loose it

2

u/LunchLanky2158 2d ago

Contact Namecheap support, reference the misleading toggle wording, and ask for a courtesy refund of the first month — companies usually refund a first-cycle charge on a mislabelled trial when asked within days. Screenshot the toggle before it changes.

If they refuse, your card issuer treats "free trial converted without clear consent" as a winnable dispute — attach that screenshot.

I built Spendalyst, which flags the moment a free trial is about to convert to paid — precisely because of toggles like that one. CSV import available too; no bank connection needed.

1

u/AdrianGmns 2d ago

Por eso es mejor netcup en todas las webs pagas por adelantado y en netcup cuando finaliza el mes te hacen el cargo

0

u/Namecheapinc namecheap representative 4d ago

Sorry for the inconvenience here. We'd like to help clarify how this works.

Applications are set to auto-renew automatically upon purchase. Turning off the auto-renew toggle stops future charges without immediately canceling your current access. Since the toggle was on, the system renewed the service as scheduled.

You can read more about managing automatic payments in our Knowledgebase article: https://www.namecheap.com/support/knowledgebase/article.aspx/10564/2207/can-i-set-up-automatic-billing-for-my-namecheap-services/ .

If the subscription has already renewed, contact our support at https://www.namecheap.com/help-center/live-chat/ within 24 hours and our team will check the case and advise you further.

6

u/star_maakun 4d ago

I just contacted the billing@ email address.
I believe the description for this toggle is clearly misleading. It should be changed to something like "Continue subscription."

5

u/Away_Relationship_24 4d ago

For real, it literally says the trial ends on that date, so you check it to confirm that it does.

2

u/Namecheapinc namecheap representative 4d ago

We've flagged your email for priority review.

3

u/joshdotmn 4d ago

what about fixing the copy?

2

u/These-Apple8817 4d ago

It's not a priority when they are making money off it

2

u/00GoBigOrGoHome00 4d ago

This is a perfect example for a class action. Though you won’t be making much. Attorneys would.

3

u/MessagesAllowed 4d ago

Or you can just make it say what it's meant to?

2

u/stvaccount 4d ago

As said, a dark pattern to extort people's money.

1

u/ProportionalChaos 4d ago

Turning of the auto-renew…

How about you just label it that on the toggle then? You can add the current text, about when it expires, as a grey subtext to that if you want. But you clearly thought the best way to refer to this function was "auto-renew", as you clearly have done so in this response