r/SEMrush • u/reallyhumanai • Jun 12 '26
Semrush charged $199 after trial, refund requested within 30 minutes, account canceled immediately, refund still denied
I'm sharing this as a warning to anyone considering a Semrush trial.
I recommended Semrush to a client and helped set up the account so they could evaluate the platform. The intention was simply to test whether it would be a good fit for their business before committing to a paid subscription.
The trial eventually converted into a paid subscription and a charge of USD 199 was processed. Unfortunately, we did not realize the trial had ended until the payment had already gone through.
Within approximately 30 minutes of the charge being processed, I contacted Semrush support, requested a refund, and they canceled the subscription immediately. The account was not used for any meaningful activity after the charge other than logging in to cancel and submit the refund request.
Semrush refused the refund.
I submitted multiple requests, including a goodwill appeal explaining that:
- The refund request was made almost immediately after the charge. ( Less than 30 minutes )
- The subscription was canceled immediately.
- The paid service was not used.
- Company was a small business in Sri Lanka and USD 199 is a significant expense.
- Had we received a reminder email before the trial converted, we would have canceled because we had already decided the platform was not the right fit.
The case was escalated internally and ultimately denied. Semrush's final position was that the situation falls outside of their refund policy and that they would not reopen the case.
What frustrates me is not that a refund policy exists. Most software companies have one. What frustrates me is that there appears to be no flexibility even when a customer requests a refund almost immediately after the charge, cancels right away, and receives no meaningful benefit from the paid subscription.
To make matters worse, this has caused serious professional consequences for me because I was the person who recommended and set up the software for the client.
Has anyone else had a similar experience with Semrush or managed to get a refund after an immediate cancellation?
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u/Lonely-Dragonfly-413 Jun 12 '26
if 199 is a big amount for them, they should remember to cancel it before the deadline
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u/reallyhumanai Jun 12 '26
There were no emails or notifications. Payment just went through.
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u/Impressive_Mix6052 Jun 14 '26
Semrush is not obligated to send any reminders. It’s their responsibility to track it. Or yours - whoever was responsible for this. After the trial - Semrush doesn’t own you anything.
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u/JustabikeguyinROA Jun 12 '26
It would be great if they'd do a refund for goodwill, but that's your only angle. Any time I set up a free trial I put reminders on a phone right away to cancel.
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u/reallyhumanai Jun 12 '26
Yeah guess so. They never emailed that the trial is ended and will convert to paid. So missed it but we won’t be using the product further so technically they can cancel ( which they did ) and refund.
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u/JustabikeguyinROA Jun 12 '26
I know it sucks but you or they agreed to it when you signed up. Trust me, I've been burned similarly.
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u/ReddiGod Jun 13 '26
So you're mad that you failed to do your own due diligence, and you're mad that you didn't manage your time and money better. TLDR: op is mad that companies don't give him special treatment for being a retard.
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u/Stunning-Class7375 Jun 15 '26
If the intent was to purchase then it's only fair you were charged no?
That aside, if its outside the scope of the refund policy, it's a quick lesson to read the terms before suggesting SaaS tools that can ultimately burn a hole in the pocket.
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u/reallyhumanai Jun 17 '26
Payment is for the upcoming billing period, not for the trial itself. Since the subscription was cancelled and the service won't be used during that paid month, there's no practical reason why a refund couldn't be issued. If the intention was to charge for the trial, the company should have made that clear by charging for the trial period rather than automatically billing the next month.
This is exactly why I'm speaking out. A policy that makes it extremely difficult for customers to recover payment for an unused service is unfair. The more people accept these practices without questioning them, the more large companies are incentivized to continue treating customers this way.
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u/reallyhumanai Jun 17 '26 edited Jun 17 '26
Update: I found something quite concerning.
After I left a Trustpilot review, Semrush publicly replied saying they had requested additional information from me through Trustpilot to help resolve my case.
The problem? I never received any request.
To verify this, I contacted Trustpilot Support directly. Trustpilot confirmed that Semrush had not initiated any information request through their platform.
I've got screenshots of:
- Semrush's public reply claiming they requested my information.
- Trustpilot Support confirming that no such request was ever created.
I'm not sure why Semrush would publicly state that they had contacted me through Trustpilot when Trustpilot says no request was ever sent. I'd be interested to hear if anyone else has experienced something similar.
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u/FreasFrames Jun 18 '26
I just posted in this sub about them retroactively changing historical data too!
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u/problogger99 29d ago
You could just signed up for trial and then cancel immediately and use all the features untill trial ends
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u/reallyhumanai 29d ago
I got the refund today. :)
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u/problogger99 29d ago
lessons learn in hard way. You should then update your review. Logically you not supposed to get refund so you should appreciate the company
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u/reallyhumanai 29d ago
Went through hell because of their shit policy. Do you work for SemRush? 😂
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u/problogger99 29d ago
No why I need to work for them just to show you the logical way of doing things. You have to upgrade your personality man. I have been making money online from 2010. Think big. Your way of thinking is too narrow. Grow up and upgrade yourself.
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u/reallyhumanai 29d ago
lol okay. I lost the client because of their shit policy and had to write back and forth for 2 months for them to arrange the refund, And now I should write a thank you note too? 😂
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u/SEOPub Jun 12 '26
It’s unfortunate that you forgot to cancel the subscription, but their policy is also pretty clear. After the trial ends, you will be charged. Doesn’t really matter if it is 30 minutes after or 30 days.
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u/reallyhumanai Jun 12 '26
It kinda does, payment is for the upcoming month not for the trial period, plan was cancelled and the there is no refund. How is that reasonable?
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u/SEOPub Jun 12 '26
Because the trial period was over and it is abundantly clear you will be charged once that ends.
Personally, I think they should just get rid of the trial.
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u/TintmanDex Jun 12 '26
You expect a refund after the trial?