Roomster Complaint - Roomster deliberately misleading about services - Roomate finder

Roomate finder - Complaint

Review by maggiegwynn on 2010-05-17

Roomster.com/Roomster.net uses misleading business tactics to part people from their money. You have to upgrade your subscription in order to read a message that was sent to you by a supposed member. Unfortunately I was careless and didn't read the fine print that says that if you don't cancel your three day 'trial' subscription (interesting that they only refer to it as a trial subscription in the Terms of Use but not anywhere else) it will automatically be renewed for $29.95 each month.

Roomster has a rating of F with the Better Business Bureau and something like 62 complaints filed against it. If you search online you will find that many many other consumers have the same complaints about being mislead, and in many cases, have actually had money taken from their account by Roomster even after they canceled their account. I attempted to cancel my account before I even realized that they would continue to charge me each month, and could not find how to. Since I didn't know they were still charging me I didn't think it was a big deal, especially after I got an email from them saying my account was disabled due to inactivity--why should they keep charging me if my account is disabled?

When I first realized that they had charged me I sent them a message via their helpdesk. They responded with a standardized message with links to the screenshots of when I agreed to their Terms of Use. However, in order to view these screenshots I would have needed to re-register with Roomster and agree to their Terms of Use, which I obviously don't want to do again because I don't agree with them!

I also have tried to contact them by telephone. My bank supplied me with one number which was invalid and the other I got from the BBB's website. It is a recorded message system which only refers you back to their website.

I am writing this because I am frustrated with the way that Roomster conducts business and is able to get away with it. I believe that a legitimate business would be interested in helping their customers, and Roomster obviously is not. They are deliberately misleading and it is sad and disappointing that they are willing to take advantage of people in this way.