Usenet.nl

usenet.nl advertises the availability of resources that it turns out are not available. But you don't know that until you have signed up. So they promise a free 14-day trial, to convince people that it is worth investigating further.

Just one look reveals that there are few if any worthwhile resources to download and virtually nobody would ever willingly pay for membership. So usenet.nl have to make their money by ensuring a substantial fee becomes payable by every person who applies for the 14-day "free trial".

Some people have reported not realising that they were signing up to anything other than a free trial. That is because the advertised offer is designed to mislead. Other people have reported how difficult it is to cancel. Deliberately difficult, one assumes.

And usenet.nl knows that cautious people will choose not to enter their credit card or paypal details. So they scam those cautious people by instructing a debt collection agency to harass for payment of an invoice that has never been issued, in respect of services that were never used, knowing that the threat of imminent legal action (with ever increasing "legal costs") will eventually wear down even the most resilient law-abiding citizen.

Very easy to register, very difficult to leave! Don't go there! Just, don't! I couldn't even use the software to download the files I wanted. So I wanted to leave immediatly after registration.

They have your credit card number at that point, and to leave, you need to click several times on a small "continue" button which does not obviously lead you to the cancellation page your are looking for! In the end, after several "continue" clicks, they ask you to call them by phone (!)... at certain opening times... Last and not least, you need to type your Personal ID in the phone! And this ID is DIFFERENT from your username! X_x

Trying to register while constantly showing "password not long enough"
This is not acceptable for a "secured business".

Whatever you do, don't sign up for a trial. I had the same experience that the other reviewers had... files I saw listed as available, were not. I was searching for discontinued and out of print items and they were only listed with usenet. When I did the trial, none were actually available for download. I realize that usenet is a service and doesn't actually have the files, but when they put those items in their "you can download this" web page, that is deceptive. The other problem is the trial followed by automatic payment from your account. If you forget about this trial, as I did, they won't refund your money. They also never send reminders, because (I assume) they are hoping that we WILL forget and they can charge us. They simultaneously sent an invoice and charged me. If the invoice had been sent the day before, I could have cancelled at that time. I believe that everything this company does is calculated to maximize the chances that they can charge our accounts. I tried calling yesterday (sept 6) but they were offline. The contact form got me "we are too busy to respond" message. I called today to cancel and was rushed off the phone so fast that I had to call again to ask about a refund. They aren't particularly interested in the good will of their customers, which does place them in the company of scammers. Every customer they sign up is just a payday. They don't care if you like their service or not... it is irrelevant. They just want the money. Stay far away from this website.

Usenet.nl is a scam company. Do not sign up, do not use their services!
They offer a free trail with no commitment. Only require a credit card to sign up and we can cancel anytime. They even make it seem legit by offering Paypal payment.

Do not get fooled Paypal does not vet their partners business practices, it only offers a payment mode/gateway.

Usenet.nl's plan is very simple... they do not allow you to cancel. I tried many times, logging on, going into my account and clicking the "unsubscribe button". It automatically logs you out and returns to main homepage.
No website confirmation, no email confirmation.

I got cheated as I assumed that (my fault, i know!) that my cancellation is under process. What happened is that they just ignore the cancellation and charge the full USD 99 to your card once the trial period ends!

This is their automated reply. As it stands, there is probable no other way that to cancel my card and replace a new one with the bank, upsetting all my payment arrangements with my other legit vendors. Highly troublesome.

Zero stars rating if possible.

*quote*

Hello Gobi**** M*******,

Thank you very much for your inquiry on 30.03.2020!

After an extensive database search we unfortunately have to report that we were unable to find a valid cancelation for account *******.

We will, however, gladly perform additional searches if you can assist us by providing further information: Did you receive a cancelation confirmation by e-mail after you sent your cancelation request? -If you did, can you please send us a copy?

How did you deliver your cancelation notice (support form request, e-mail or post)? - If you used our support form or contacted us via e-mail did you use a different e-mail address and/or customer account number from the one listed above?

Once we have proof of your timely cancelation, your contract can be terminated and the membership fee credited to your account. For now, we cancelled your account at the earliest possible date.

Thank you for your assistance and continued patience as we work to resolve this matter.

Your Customer ID: *********

*unquote*

They changed their webplatform so you can no longer change you payment settings or cancel your trial period from the website. BUT THE AVERAGE RESPONSE TIME TO MAILS is THREE WEEKS - THREE WEEKS. Before they respond to requests they will sell their open receivables to a company in germany which will engage a lawyer at no time. Even after 3 monts I was not able to update the payment info because they provided a faulty payment Link. DO NOT EVEN ATTEMPT TO USE THEIR SERVICES IT IS CLOSE TO A SCAM... UNFORTUNATELY