• SmileBox

SmileBox

Overview

SmileBox has a rating of 3 stars from 2,310 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. Reviewers complaining about SmileBox most frequently mention credit card, customer service, and free trial problems. SmileBox ranks 3rd among Greeting Cards sites.

  • Service
    289
  • Value
    318
  • Shipping
    122
  • Returns
    124
  • Quality
    293

This company does not typically respond to reviews

Positive reviews (last 12 months): 0%
Positive
0
Neutral
0
Negative
2
112
See all photos

What reviewers want you to know

Positive highlights

  • When I don't have a card to send is always the (smile box) at my finger tip.
  • Very nice for putting together a wedding slide show, and easy scrap booking tools available.

Critical highlights

  • They charged my account $59.99 and they have NO customer service number to get in contact with a live person!
  • BAD BAD BAD They automatically bill your credit card each year unless you cancel in advance.
How would you rate SmileBox?
Top Positive Review

“Create Easily”

Binita K.
9/30/21

SmileBox helps to create a greeting cards easily. It is in customize form, we can add our own text, music, photos. Etc. Most of the templates are available for free and many paid.

Top Critical Review

“Use Canva!”

san e.
12/23/23

Loyal Smilebox customer for 15 years. Great for digital sends, but that's it. Printing at home function very cumbersome when it does work and seems to not communicate well with my printer as it keeps changing my print parameters. I was a premium member which allows me to print at home. However, the print function is hidden and is not accessed in the way their help section describes. When I finally found the hidden "print button," it was spinning (along with the download button) and continued to spin for hours despite several computer reboots. The program is sluggish and runs very slowly. My computer is 3 months old and is a Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 and is lightning fast with every other program and application. Contacted customer service via e-mail and phone. Got a text message that they don't offer phone support. Received e-mail that basically sent me back to their help section. I indicated that I found the button, but the print and download functions were not available to me as they kept spinning. Never heard back from them, despite me saying that my project was time-sensitive and I needed a swifty resolution. Cancelled my subscription and used Canva's free trial to do in 12 minutes what Smilebox couldn't do in 30 hours. Canva will have my business from this day forward.

Reviews (2,310)

Rating

Timeframe

Other

Reviews that mention popular keywords

smile box (108) customer service (43) credit card (44) slide show (77) christmas cards (35) greeting cards (31) share photos (27) phone number (10)
Thumbnail of user sane8
2 reviews
1 helpful vote
December 23rd, 2023

Loyal Smilebox customer for 15 years. Great for digital sends, but that's it. Printing at home function very cumbersome when it does work and seems to not communicate well with my printer as it keeps changing my print parameters. I was a premium member which allows me to print at home. However, the print function is hidden and is not accessed in the way their help section describes. When I finally found the hidden "print button," it was spinning (along with the download button) and continued to spin for hours despite several computer reboots. The program is sluggish and runs very slowly. My computer is 3 months old and is a Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 and is lightning fast with every other program and application. Contacted customer service via e-mail and phone. Got a text message that they don't offer phone support. Received e-mail that basically sent me back to their help section. I indicated that I found the button, but the print and download functions were not available to me as they kept spinning. Never heard back from them, despite me saying that my project was time-sensitive and I needed a swifty resolution. Cancelled my subscription and used Canva's free trial to do in 12 minutes what Smilebox couldn't do in 30 hours. Canva will have my business from this day forward.

Products used:
digital service

Service
Value
Quality
Thumbnail of user marthab1323
1 review
1 helpful vote
December 2nd, 2023

Smilebox charged my card with out an active account or my permission. No customer service. Smilebox makes it difficult to cancel since I do not have an account to cancel.
Theft for services not provided.
Better Business gives Smilebox a ONE star.

Products used:
None did not have an account and they charged my card.

Service
Value
Quality
Thumbnail of user joachims29
1 review
2 helpful votes
November 3rd, 2022

They show $4.99/month and a "50% OFF", but there is no option to pay month by month. Only year by year, so if you want to use this software you immediately have to pay either $59.88 (premium) or $139.99 (Pro)

The free account only lets you create, not distribute in any way.
Horrible!

Tip for consumers:
STAY AWAY!

Products used:
Smilebox Basic

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user baileyk59
1 review
2 helpful votes
February 18th, 2022

I used smilebox one time last year to make a slide show about my brother who passed away. No where did it say they signed me up for a yearly subscription. They pulled money out of my account that I do not have. What they offer for the price that they originally charged is a joke. Hardly get any features and then wants you to pay more to add on what I think is basic items and should already be included in the original price. Will never use again or recommend to anyone I know

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user amyv393
1 review
9 helpful votes
March 8th, 2021
Verified purchase

I have had the same experience as so many reviewers here. They charged me for a year of upgrade, and then my project wouldn't save. It was a slideshow for my mother's memorial. I wrote and told them that, thinking someone would get that adding a monetary rip-off scam to someone's grief is a really bad thing to do. But that's what they do, apparently. No refunds, no matter what. They suck. Don't use.

Tip for consumers:
DON'T pay them anything.

Products used:
NONE.

Service
Value
Returns
Thumbnail of user elizabethr1657
1 review
2 helpful votes
December 6th, 2021
Verified purchase

I bought, and paid the professional membership, for the old Smilebox desktop. When it was no longer supported, I upgraded to the online version and paid $50.94 in March of 2021 (for what I believed to be an annual account). I logged into today to use it and can't do anything but create, and my account is listed as 'Free Account". Of course, Smilebox no longer offers phone support, so I'm currently looking for an alternative. They had an amazing product, but it's suffered greatly with the online platform.

Thumbnail of user wieg
1 review
3 helpful votes
February 19th, 2021
Verified purchase

Their desktop version no longer works yet they auto-renew and charge you for it. Since you can't get into the account you can't change the auto-renew option. Also, all the days and weeks spent creating Smileboxes are all for nothing as they can't be retrieved any longer. I had weddings and memories of people who no longer live not here! Extremely disappointed.

Service
Value
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user richm374
1 review
12 helpful votes
December 22nd, 2020

I mistakenly signed up and cancelled in under 3 min. That was Nov 25th. I have sent 3 emails to demand a full refund. So far they have refused as recently as today, Dec 22,2020. No early cancelations. Thats why they have earned an F with the Better Business Bureau of NY. Dozens of complaints. Any stats you see about happy users are lies.

Thumbnail of user patriciam239
1 review
0 helpful votes
November 26th, 2017

I have been using Smilebox for years and I am disappointed that you can't just pay for a one month membership as before. It was so nice to send Christmas Cards or sign up for a month to send Birthday cards. Now you have to sign up for the year and that becomes a bit expensive for pensioners.

Thumbnail of user sarahm1233
1 review
15 helpful votes
April 5th, 2020

So I've just signed up and wanted to pay a $5 monthly fee. I could see that it was deliberately confusing and obviously trying to get you to check the box for the annual fee so I looked at it closely to make sure only $5 would be taken out of my account. I've just checked and $9.99 has been taken. Not a great start and certainly doesn't inspire confidence that this is a company I can trust.

Thumbnail of user eannar
7 reviews
1 helpful vote
September 30th, 2021

This is an amazing site that helped me... Thank you for your online service. I have tried other alternative services but none of them even come close to yours

Thumbnail of user dawnd574
1 review
1 helpful vote
December 2nd, 2021
Verified purchase

I have been a member of Smilebox for several (4+) years, and since the company was bought out, it is terrible. The annual membership has doubled, and you can't save the images without paying an exorbitant amount, plus the printing that it allows you to do at home, is inferior to what I can do on my own saved images. Just a money pit... buyer beware.

Thumbnail of user binitak5
11 reviews
1 helpful vote
September 30th, 2021

SmileBox helps to create a greeting cards easily. It is in customize form, we can add our own text, music, photos. Etc. Most of the templates are available for free and many paid.

Thumbnail of user margaretj596
1 review
3 helpful votes
September 9th, 2021

Many years ago I used Smilebox to create a few items. I had a very basic subscription and cancelled it. Suddenly its 2021 and I was billed $47.88 on a brand new credit card for Smilebox. I have no access to the old Smilebox account or the email it was associated with. I'm trusting AmEX will go after them. Check out the complaints on BBB and several other platforms about Smilebox. Apparently they bill folks all of the time! FRAUD!

Thumbnail of user erinp209
1 review
12 helpful votes
November 20th, 2020

FYI: Smilebox won't let you purchase a monthly subscription, forces you into a year, saying you can always cancel early, and then to find out you won't refund the remaining subscription (It's hidden in their terms and conditions, is what I was told when I wrote to inquire about the status of my refund). That's bad business! Shame on you, Smilebox. I'd recommend you look somewhere else for this service.

Thumbnail of user georgetteg5
2 reviews
17 helpful votes
March 9th, 2021
Verified purchase

Go Pro button is located in edit mode right next to save button. 1 accidental click will get you charged $139.99. They wont refund your money. They do not ask you to confirm. And the button sits like an editing button. Beware. 1 click. No refund, no confirmation of request.

Tip for consumers:
Beware of the Go Pro Button. 1 click charges $139. No refund, no confirmation of charge before your money is gone.

Thumbnail of user nicholasb437
1 review
2 helpful votes
March 16th, 2021

They debited my account $190 for an annual fee, apparently in the fine print you have to notify them if you don't want them to do this. I contacted them and they said bad luck so angry. So every customer they would be doing this too. Imagine the revenue the are receiving by deception from unsuspecting customers. The product is not worth the money either

Thumbnail of user margieg12
1 review
0 helpful votes
February 12th, 2018

First time using this site and loved the ease in creating an invitation and sending it out to a group! Cute options - free and premium - and simple to personalize. I am a happy customer!

Thumbnail of user jacquis26
1 review
8 helpful votes
December 22nd, 2020

Smilebox won't let you purchase a monthly subscription, but they don't make that clear when you're checking out. They show the "monthly" cost and make it seem like it's a month-by-month renewal subscription. I reached out for help the minute I got charged $59.99 (I thought I was just paying $5) and they responded by saying they don't do refunds. I've reached out a few times since and have never gotten a reply. Such a scam! Really disappointed that they don't offer good customer service.

Thumbnail of user sophiad21
1 review
0 helpful votes
January 26th, 2018

Love the way this site allows me to be creative! I am definitely going to continue to use it and recommend it to friends and family!

Thumbnail of user rosemaryt63
1 review
4 helpful votes
January 21st, 2021

DO NOT use this company. I tried to create a collage for my family. The collages did not open correctly on cell phones: pictures moved and the text moved out of the text box. Also, the message I added on the bottom did not get delivered. Additionally, they make you take a years subscription, before you realize what a lousy product it is.

Tip for consumers:
DONT USE IT

Products used:
Collage

Service
Value
Quality
Thumbnail of user johnr3208
1 review
4 helpful votes
January 30th, 2021
Verified purchase

Smilebox may seem like an attractive option to send elaborate cards to loved ones, particularly during a pandemic. However, their site is misleading, as they emphasize only their monthly rate, which makes it seem like you can pay for only a month to try it. I figured I would be able to confirm this during the purchasing process, but no. Instead of a final "here's what you're buying screen" to confirm, all-of-a-sudden they had charged my card for a full year. They refuse to refund money and take several days to respond to support inquiries. They simply offer extensions of their service to try to passify irate customers, which are next to worthless, since we don't want the service anyway. This is not a great company and will likely not be around long. Even if the service you get is OK - which I'm not certain that it is - you should know that you're paying for an entire year of a service you can't even test out. I would not recommend them at all.

Tip for consumers:
Do not use Smilebox.

Products used:
Card creation and sending

Service
Value
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user lindab3585
1 review
0 helpful votes
November 4th, 2021
Verified purchase

This was a good product but with the changes the frustration of the program not working. Losing what you have already produced, no help from company to get you through glitches, no communication, and rising cost for less product, leaves me with nothing to say other than save yourself some headaches. This is not worth your effort just to lose you time, money and product. Get a clue Smilebox, you have the product, do what the customer ask for, without changing you will only have your customers for a short while. People talk, you will be out of business soon if you don't change. This is my 3rd try with Smilebox and this last time I did it by the month. For a months work I got 1 slideshow that took, the rest they deleted or would not save.

Thumbnail of user heatherw917
0 reviews
1 helpful vote
January 13th, 2022

They will keep attacking your account. There is no way to end the contract. You can not get a person to talk to on a phone to help. They want you to go by your email to cancel then state that they have no contract with anyone with that email. Used them once for a funeral video. We are on 4 years. They just stole the last $47.88 they will ever get.The bank cannot return because they say they have an account so its a legal grab. I am changing all bank cards and blocking them thru the bank. Not getting my money back do not make the mistake I made and trust them to be a reputable company.

Thumbnail of user loganm113
1 review
10 helpful votes
June 7th, 2020

Wife purchased premium account for purpose of creating graduation presentation. After loading the photos and music plays very inconsistently. Cover takes 1:45 minutes. You cannot set times for individual slides. At the first paid tier you cannot display full screen or download. Viewing the code of a shared linked it had profile details including creator's gender/dob not very private. Turned out to be a massive waste of tine for our purpose. Back to powerpoint.

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From the business

Smilebox enables people to tell the stories of their lives, big and small; in fun, simple and creative ways with custom eCards, slideshows, invitations and more.

Company Representative

Thumbnail of user samanthat11
Samantha T.
Customer Service Representative
Typically does not respond to reviews

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3.0
2,310 reviews
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