Apple and Speechify Insist I Pay $150 for Nothing

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Level 1

12 points

Apple and Speechify Insist I Pay $150 for Nothing

I signed up for Free trial for Speechify. I canceled it before the end of the free trial - on 9/3. For the last few weeks I've been getting alerts from my bank asking if it's fraud or is it me trying to pay Apple $149.99. I can't download even free apps. I contacted both A and S and Speechify said they can't do anything because billing is through Apple, and Apple said they can't even see the charge because I have to pay it first. Anytime I request a refund from Apple it's rejected. I do not have $150 to gamble with - hoping they'll refund it, knowing they likely won't. I'm a single mom on disability and can't just dish out $150 for no reason. Right in my subscriptions in the Speechify one, it said that it ended 9/3, but there was still the option for me to cancel my subscription today 9/24! I don't understand that but I know I didn't use the subscription and thought it was canceled. And now two companies insist I pay $150 for it. Any advice is appreciated.

Posted on Sep 24, 2025 1:32 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Jeff Donald

Level 8

41,778 points

Sep 24, 2025 3:44 PM in response to Lisa-Dio

This is not an Apple Pay issue, but rather an Apple Account issue. I’ll explain the best I can and then ask the moderators to move this post to Apple Account community.

Subscriptions must be cancelled a full day before, or at the bare minimum 24 hours. Not knowing the exact 24 hours creates confusion, but they are the terms and conditions you agreed to. Another possibility is that you had previously used the free trial and therefore were not eligible and were billed for the subscription according. Only Apple Support (and you) can see the exact details of the subscription and determine eligibility for a refund. You’ll need to call Apple Support and talk with a representative about your situation.

you’re in the US please call 1-800-MY-APPLE or outside the US, consult the support articles below. In Canada call 1-800-263-3394

Contact Apple for support and service - Apple Support

Official Apple Support

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Answer 2

Limnos

Level 10

424,511 points

Sep 24, 2025 8:05 PM in response to Lisa-Dio

Review the information in this support article by clicking on the link to learn how to cancel a subscription from Apple. ➔ If you want to cancel a subscription from Apple - Apple Support

If you subscribed to this directly with a third party, see: About purchases not billed through the App Store or the App Store’s In-App Purchase system - Apple Support instead. You need to work directly with the vendor, not Apple.

Notes:

• "If you signed up [which involves very intentional steps by you or a user of your device] for a free or discounted trial subscription and you don't want to renew it, cancel it at least 24 hours before the trial ends." Note that by using an app like this you are automatically agreeing (always read the fine print) to this happening, are responsible for reading if this will happen, and canceling the subscription before the trial ends.

• Deleting an app does not cancel a subscription.

You are in a contractual agreement with Apple. Unfortunately you may have missed the fine print, but that the way it is. Your only way out is to pay the money you owe. You can request a refund but they are not guaranteed so it's a chance you have to take. Until you pay, Apple won't let you purchase, update or re-download apps, not even free ones. You only other option would be to create a new account and abandon everything done with the old one.

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Answer 3

Lisa-Dio Author

Level 1

12 points

Sep 25, 2025 3:10 AM in response to Jeff Donald

Thank you for your reply. I talked with both Speechify and Apple. Speechify said billing was through Apple so they could do nothing. Apple said they can't see the charge yet because it hasn't been paid yet. I was hoping to avoid paying $150 for an app and subscription I tried for a few days then thought I canceled, as it says it ended September 3rd. No one could answer my question of why if it says it ended September 3rd did I still have the option to cancel yesterday 9/24... I'm just so disappointed that it seems like I'll have to fork $150 over to another company. And I'm not at all confident that Apple will issue a refund. It's a shame, when they can plainly see that it says the subscription ended September 3rd. Why should I have to pay for the last month when I didn't even think I had a subscription.

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