Adobe cancellation fee sparks Twitter rage — how to get yours waived

Adobe Creative Cloud typically sparks ingenuity and artistry among pro-level content creators, but this time, the suite of apps sparked a fiery Twitter uprising against Adobe for its "absurd" cancellation fees.

The ringleader of this social-media insurrection is @MrDaddGuy. They posted a screenshot showing their attempt to cancel their "Creative Cloud: All Apps" plan, which includes Photoshop, Lightroom, Lightroom Classic, Illustrator and InDesign. However, @MrDaddGuy was slapped with a $291.45 cancellation fee. Yikes!

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Adobe cancellation fee fiasco goes viral on Twitter

"This is [expletive] disgusting," @MrDaddGuy tweeted under the screenshot. "I'm honestly not surprised, but I am so [expletive] unbelievably pissed. This is beyond appalling." As of this writing, the tweet garnered more than 75,100 likes, 5,183 quote tweets and 14,200 retweets. Their post incited a wave of Adobe customers who commiserated with @MrDaddGuy's cancellation-fee woes.

"This is blowing up, great! Reminder that Adobe is a terrible ass company that hides the 'contract' part by hiding parts of the payment agreement in terms of service," @MrDaddGuy tweeted. 

To breakdown @MrDaddGuy's frustration, "Adobe's Creative Cloud: All Apps" plan has three tiers: month-to-month, annual contract (paid monthly) and annual plan (pre-paid).

The month-to-month plan costs $79.49 per month, the annual contract (paid monthly) sets you back $52.99 per month, and the pre-paid annual plan has a $599.88 price tag. @MrDaddGuy signed up for the annual contract (paid monthly) plan. If customers cancel after the two-week grace period, they will be charged a lump-sum amount of 50% of their remaining contract obligation. This is why @MrDaddGuy was slapped with a $291 bill.

Some Twitter users, however, believed that @MrDaddGuy — and everyone else who finds themselves in their shoes — are at fault. After all, Adobe's plan terms are out in the open and everyone knows that once you break an annual contract, you'll likely have to pay the remaining unpaid sum.

Others snapped back at that stance, arguing that Adobe's cancellation fees are unethical because Creative Cloud is a digital product.

As the debate raged on the social media platform, @MrDaddGuy managed to escape the hefty cancellation fee and he was transparent about how he did it. Other affected customers also offered their blueprints on how they dodged Adobe's cancellation fees.

How to get your Adobe cancellation fee waived

If you purchased an annual (paid monthly) plan and 14 days have not yet passed, Adobe will refund you. However, if two weeks have passed, you are subject to Adobe's cancellation fee. Here's how @MrDaddGuy wiggled his way out of this sticky situation.

@MrDaddGuy explained that his mother fought on his behalf and went through an exhausting process of arguing with an Adobe support team member about the ethics of the company's cancellation fee. However, it wasn't until they mentioned that they couldn't afford to pay the bill that Adobe exempted @MrDaddGuy from the financial obligation. In other words, @MrDaddGuy simply told an Adobe representative that they didn't have the means to pay the $291, and the fee was waived.

Other Twitter users said they used a script for Adobe's online customer service chat to dodge the fee. Two claimed that it worked like a charm.

@Katsufawn offered some advice, too: "Go to Cancel Your Plan and when it asks if you want to find another instead, hit yes. Pick the photography one. It will give you a free trial. Cancel the trial. No cancellation fee. This saved me so much money. Please see this."

We're relieved @MrDaddGuy managed to squirm their way out of this expensive mistake, but their situation is a cautionary tale for all. Don't forget to read the fine print!