In 2019 Dropbox advertised an "unlimited' storage plan, I reached out to confirm it was unlimited because as an artist and photographer, I have a large amount of data. At the time I had 3TB and was storing it on Google Drive. In a bid to win over Google customers, Dropbox falsely advertised unlimited storage. When I reached out to confirm if it was truly unlimited and if that would ever change, they said it would never change. I asked again and they confirmed. At that time I made the decision to take on the time consuming task of migrating my 3 Terabytes of data to Dropbox and purchasing their unlimited plan for $75USD a month. More than 6 times what I was paying Google, but the unlimited advertisement induced my decision as I knew I would be creating a lot more in the coming years. I paid this amount every month until they started taking more out without any advanced notice (as required by recurring payment laws). I reached out and they stated they overlooked it and apologized. Then, I received a notice that they would no longer offer unlimited and all customers they falsely advertised to and baited to switch from Google were now subject to incredible increases. For me, I have 14.3 TB. They said after 15, I'd have to buy increments of 5. When I reached out to complaint about the unethical business practices and breach of contract, they ignored my requests and simply copied and pasted the plan changes.
This illegal and false advertisement induced my purchase, had I known there was a possibility they would change their plan, I NEVER would have migrated my files and data to them. Now not only can I not afford to continue my storage, I have to seek another solution, pay for that which may cost thousands if I have to move to a server, and spend the time replacing all of my file links for tens of thousands of pieces of data. Dropbox knew when it advertised to potential consumers about an unlimited plan that it was unsustainable. Dropbox willfully induced thousands of US consumers to switch to their company promising an unsustainable plan it never intended to offer forever, but instead, promised, in writing, to do so. Dropbox harmed so many consumers who have been complaining for months on end about how they were baited and switched by this illegal tactic. Dropbox should be forced to refund every customer it hoodwinked so we can find solutions with the funds we would have otherwise invested in another solution. I strongly urge if you are a customer of Dropbox to file complaints with the California State Attorney General and the Federal Trade Commission so they can investigate

Months ago, I was notified that I had two accounts with Dropbox registered under two different email accounts. One of them had me registered as a Business account despite the fact that I am 71 years of age and have never in my life owned a business! I was charged a princely fee for the account, but the real problem is that I never opened that account! I had quite a long struggle, but the money was returned to me. I did not open two accounts both in my name and have no reason to do so. I am a personal user only who lives alone and does not work. I had thought that the matter was closed -- until today! I received an email telling me to update my payment information in the account that I did not open that had been a Business account. It was quite a long struggle, but I see I gained nothing if they are demanding money for two different accounts when I only opened one! I have no idea what to do now; I did contact them, but it seems that everything that I say just gets ignored. I did not open two accounts; I certainly never opened one of them to be a Business account. I have said all this in English, but I am seeing that nobody is listening and nobody will do anything to correct this major error; they only want money and don't care about the rest.

07/31/2023 - I am very happy to report that Dropbox Support appointed someone by the name of Mason to my case. He gave me the instructions to give information that would enable him to locate the bogus account. Because I always save notices of amounts paid, I was able to give him the Transaction ID. He was then able to locate the account and close it. I am very satisfied that a solution was reached; it does concern me, however, that this fraudster who plagued me two years ago is still being allowed to operate freely. I am sure he will do me more damage if he is not stopped. I notified the FBI and am hoping that this time, they will take corrective action.

However, the problem of transferring the contents of the fraudulently-created account to the legitimate account remains open. Once again, Mason directed me to find the instructions as to how it is done. All well and good, but when I logged into the fraudulent account to create the Shared Folder that I was instructed to create, Dropbox blocks me, demands that I upgrade to an ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION COSTING OVER $100 -- for an account that I want to close! I contacted Mason and prepared a letter showing that I am collection-proof, so now I am waiting for a solution that will not drain me of money that I don't have to spend! It just shows what I have known for decades: never trust anyone known to be a money-grabber and a thief! Dropbox has identified itself as meeting the description perfectly!

It gets more complicated. I see that it was March 1,2023 that the issue of billing the fraudulent account was discussed on the valid email account and I made myself clear about what should be done -- in vain. When I contacted Support and indicated that I want everything to be transferred to my Gmail account, I was told that the account linked to the Gmail account is a Basic account, so how is it that I was being billed at that account? And when I was told that to have an account that would accept the contents of the fraudulent account, I have to upgrade -- and when I tried to upgrade, AGAIN I'm given only one option: upgrade to a Business account! Sure, pay the highest rate for an account that I don't need because I am 71 and have never owned or managed a business of any sort on either side of the ocean! So they want to force me to pay $95.40 a month when there are cheaper options that will suit my needs sufficiently! I see that they don't make choosing another level possible; it's either Business or die! Don't think I will let that go easily; I've already turned to the Federal Trade Commission and have the file to prove it!

August 3,2023 10:40 am
I finally received a response that said something sensible, but I gave a response that was very clearly worded as to what I wanted to do and what the website has forced me to do. I have not received any sort of confirmation that my requests have been honored.

A sales agent just emailed me, asking me to talk on the phone with him, but in his message, he is trying to force me to take a Business plan, ignoring all my protests and complaints about using such a plan. I think talking with them is a waste of time. I will use another service; I should not have such trouble getting reliable service and should not have to deal with a support team that understands nothing and obeys never.

08/09/2023 - I gave EXPLICIT INSTRUCTIONS to cancel the account that I didn't create using the email account that is not an active account -- but they were DEMANDING an upgrade on a canceled account! This is what you can expect from Dropbox! Apparently, I have to sue them to the hilt to get them to CANCEL THE ACCOUNT AT ONCE AND NEVER HARASS ME AGAIN!

Well, after a rather long chat with Support, I chatted with one named Vicky, who was very patient with me despite my very agitated manner, but I think now that matter has been resolved. I just hope so; I will make sure that account is deleted so that it will be dead and buried the way it should have been long ago!

August 11,2023

I am happy to report that finally the problem with two accounts has come to an end. I also received some instructions that I would have liked to have received earlier, but because the other account was created fraudulently by someone who used my identifying details, I had to straighten out that disaster before I could learn how to use the site accurately. Everything has been settled, I am happy to report. I regret that I had to go through so much agony earlier, but the fact that some scammer had used my information to open a Business account for which I was charged $95.40 had me so upset that only after that was straightened out was I able to normalize operations. Everything is working well now, and the staff at Dropbox did ultimately assist me in directing me on which actions I should take. I now have all my data safely stored, which is what I wanted from the start.

August 21,2023
Now after I thought everything was settled, now out of the blue, someone named Kristie contacts me from Dropbox Support demanding information that I gave to Support months ago! I was told that deleting an account brought everything to a halt, but no, she wants to open everything back up again and demands from me information that I gave to another agent months ago. I noticed that Support there passes a customer from one agent to the next with the newest agent not bothering to review anything that was done by a previous agent, so it means starting everything over and over and over again with no resolution. Sorry, but maybe it's my age; at 71, my patience is gone and won't come back. Going through this torture once should have been enough in my lifetime, but apparently Dropbox Support has other ideas!

On August 20, I upgraded my personal Dropbox (DB) account to a standard business plan, with the understanding from the DB webpage interface that it would cost $150 year ($12.50 monthly). However, I discovered that I was being charged $799.50 when I reviewed my credit card statement at the end of September. Furthermore, DB refuses to refund me, because I did not cancel within a 1 month trial period, even when I was NOT informed that I was being charged more than 4 times what I was expected.

I am an individual user of DB, and with the birth of our first child this year, I decided to upgrade my existing account to the standard business plan for the 2 TB of storage for all of our family pictures and videos. My credit card statement is only posted in the latter half of the following month (Sept) in which this purchase was made, and as I travel for my job and am only able to review my financial transactions at the end of the month. When I saw the mischarge, I contacted DB the first working day of October to address the mischarge which is 12 days after the 1 month trial.

UNETHICAL SERVICE

DBs refusal to provide me a refund rests on its policy that my request came 12 days after its 1 month trial period. However, at NO time was I informed that I was being billed $799.50 either during time of purchase or any time afterwards. In short, I had no idea I was being overcharged, and therefore did not know I had reason to cancel my subscription during the trial period.

Why does DB not send out email confirmations of purchased services and cost, or an email reminder that the trial period is ending for a service (and its cost)? It feels as if DB has arranged its communication strategy to deceive unsuspecting customers. It is unscrupulous that DB does not refund me for services not intended or used due to its misrepresentation and miscommunication.

MISREPRESENTATION

Part of the problem seems to be that I am being charged for 5 licenses, but when I purchased the standard plan, the DB webpage indicated that it would cost $150. From reading complaints in this forum and elsewhere online, it seems that a DB standard plan is a minimum of 3 licenses at $450 total.

This is not apparent in the customer interface online when upgrading an existing DB account to the standard plan. A brief search on the internet reveals that my experience is not unique. There are numerous complaints from DB customers who, like myself, have been over- charged for service not intended or used, i. E. multiple licenses. For example, in addition this very DB forum, the website of the Better Business Bureau has an assortment of complaints of the same nature.

DB needs to improve its website customer interface and communication, rather than mischarge and penalize unsuspecting customers.

UNACCOUNTABLE CUSUTOMER SERVICE

The lack of direct telephone assistance from DB for billing disputes further amplifies the situation, as if DB has designed customer service to be exceedingly convoluted to discourage follow-up with disputes. As one person in this community expressed in a related post, hours of email back and forth could more efficiently be resolved in 5 minutes on the phone.

When one finally does get customer service, it seems to prioritize corporate profit over customer satisfaction. Let me illustrate with a couple examples from my experience

1. When I pointed out to DB customer service that I was not informed of my credit card charges in a timely manner to cancel my subscription, they simply did not respond to this part of my dispute. Instead, I was told that my payment details are available through the DB webpage for my account at any time; however, I did not know that I needed to or how to navigate the DB website to check my payment details, (which requires several un-user -intuitive clicks to reach).

2. Customer service responded to my dispute by focusing on a screenshot I took on Oct 3 to illustrate the website interface and how it can mislead customers such as myself because it shows the cost for a standard plan to be $150. However, customer service did not acknowledge this, but instead pointed out that at the bottom a billed total appears of $799.50. What? This appears simply because I accessed the plan while still logged into my DB account, and it only reflect that the screenshot was taken on Oct 3, after my account was already mischarged this amount. Maybe I am missing something, (which could be addressed if phone customer services available), but it feels as if DB is deceivingly sidelining the points I am making by distracting on non-relevant points it creates.

PROFIT OVER SERVICE

DBs Terms of Service states, We want to address your concerns without needing a formal legal case. However, this clearly has not been my experience. Maybe if I was a large business with the resources for legal counsel DB would respond differently, but from its response to my dispute, DB actions reflect that it prioritizes profit over customer service and satisfaction, even to the degree of unscrupulous behavior.

I welcome any advice you may have for me and my predicament.

Didn't work. Never used. Just charged another $99

Dropbox maxes it real easy to synch up my files between a bunch of different computers.

Anyone who has crossed 300GB would have got the opportunity to see the true face of Dropbox. A crappy product/service with so much broken workflows. Mine is expiring this month end and I am not planning to renew.

In summary Dropbox was designed to work well in smaller conditions with 10-20GB storage with superior syncing experience.

You can't apply small kids to do adult jobs. Handling 1TB they have to think and solve greater problems which dropbox doesn't care@ all. And they won't and they can't. Because by designe Dropbox is flawed for bigger setup.

Here are the big problems Dropbox can't solve

- Mass operation (Dropbox was never designed for doing mass operation), Every deleted/move large volumes? (Problem 1. You can't do it in Web UI, 2. Every move causes a delete+copy operations which is misleading, you will be shocked to see them in trash unless you know this behaviour 3. Browsing list of massing events is a nightmare)

- Web UI (Dropbox will/can never realize web UI is the single source of truth for a 1TB user with 7-8 devices)

- Serial and longer sync (Dropbox was meant to do tiny sync fast & efficient) if you try to sync a few folder of 80GB each. Dropbox chooses random order to sync (by file size?) instead of sequential. You won't find no folder ready until all folders is synced. You can't control DB's sync order.

- Browsing the deleted files and events, Massively deleted files will be displayed as paginated flat list instead of a tree/folder structure. You wont have any clue whether they are your files, all you will see is thousands of. Css. Js files and keep clicking 'next page' (Again Dropbox was designed to work fine on smaller environment.

The verdict is. Use Dropbox(free) for programming and work where the size doesn't get more than 20GB.

For backups images, videos and mammoth stuffs... Keep them separately with Onedrive or Amazon cloud, Even kids like pCloud, Mediafire, Mega are doing good job compared to DB

Amazon + ODrive = Nirvana:)

To me Dropbox is amazing for programming(Sync, differential sync, de-duplication) Understand abilities of each and delete the work accordingly. Good luck

Dropbox has made my work so much easier.

FYI: Your data is not safe in Dropbox Business, especially if you use Selective Sync when not all files can be stored on your computer's disk due to insufficient space.
Opening a file on my portable, that I could not find in the cloud or on other devices, so I could move it manually. But when I closed it, it disappears from the disk on the portable. Fortunately, the file now appeared in the cloud. It was not a recent file (over a year old). Of the hundreds of thousands of files I have, I have no idea how many other files are like this between the users on account.
In general, files on my portable were randomly not syncing to the cloud or my other computer, with no indication of the failure to sync.
A manual work around, if you figure out a folder is not syncing accidentally, as I did, is to re-check the sync and see if it reloads. This folder had over 500 gigs of data in it in Dropbox, which i did not want to load to my portable computer's hard drive (not enough extra room). The Dropbox support person was not savvy enough to realize I could synch the main folder and unselect many of the subfolders to create a new sync. This resulted in two folders with one of the marked "Selective Sync Conflict." Apparently the support rep couldn't figure out how to handle that, as the folder should have had a mark/flag to indicate a problem, although this did not appear on my portable. (A solution is to merge the one folder with the other on a computer, but that requires having them both syncing to a computer.)
The Dropbox technical support person was inept. He had to consult with his "colleagues" after each step. Than he would not escalate the call, but said he needed screenshots (of what I am not sure... my whole file system?) to progress and ended the call. The email that he refused to send while I was on the phone, claiming they can't send emails while on the phone, never showed up. Not sure how to continue resolving this major issue: my sense is Dropbox support is not only incompetent, they do not care if you loose important files. Certainly they do not want to respond in any speedy fashion, if they want to respond at all ( which given the sassy help person, does not seem likely). Dropbox Business is such a good idea: I just wish it worked consistently and could be trusted: it can't unfortunately, consistent with my previous review in August 2014.

Thanks to Dropbox! They make filesharing so easy!

Works great everytime :D