FaceApp Free Trial Turns Into $35 Charge Instead of $3 Monthly Plan
On January 23, I downloaded the FaceApp application and started a subscription that was displayed as $3 per month. The app stated that there was a one-week free trial, so I decided to try it based on that information. However, before the trial period ended, my mobile line was charged. I later saw that instead of the advertised $3 monthly fee, a one-time charge of approximately $35 was added to my bill. I was then told that this amount could continue to be charged every month.
As soon as I noticed the issue, I canceled the subscription myself and contacted Turkcell customer service to request a refund. The representative told me they could not see the transaction in their system, could not issue a refund, and were not responsible. I also noticed an additional charge of about $2–$3 labeled as a billing/reflection fee added to my invoice. When I asked about it, I realized these transactions had been processed without any prior clear approval or notification. The representative even said, “It’s good that you canceled, otherwise you would have been charged $35 every month,” which shows how serious and consumer-unfriendly this situation is.
I do not accept being charged $35 at once—after being misled by the advertised $3 monthly fee—for an app I used for less than 20 days, plus an additional $2–$3 fee. I request that FaceApp’s misleading pricing and disclosure practices, as well as Turkcell’s carrier billing and approval mechanisms, be reviewed and audited. I demand a full refund of the $35 charged to my line and the additional $2–$3 reflected on my bill. I also request that clear, transparent, and explicit customer consent be required for such subscriptions to prevent others from experiencing the same issue.
