UpGrow Kept Charging Me After Cancellation
Fake bot followers. No self-service cancellation. 4 unauthorized charges totalling over €387. Deleted chat history. No refunds.
What Happened — The Full Timeline
A factual, month-by-month account based on bank statements and support interactions with UpGrow (upgrow.com).
Original subscription
-94.63 EUR ($99.00 USD)
I signed up for UpGrow expecting organic Instagram growth. Instead, the service delivered a flood of non-interacting bot accounts — not real followers. The followers did not engage with content and were clearly automated profiles.
Cancellation — a deliberately painful process
There was no self-service cancellation option in the account dashboard. I had to request cancellation through their support chat. It took multiple days and repeated messages before UpGrow finally honoured the cancellation. I assumed the matter was closed.
First unauthorized charge — nearly a year later
-84.13 EUR ($99.00 USD)
A charge from Upgrowcrm appeared on my bank statement. I had not used or logged into the service in months. I contacted UpGrow support via their chat feature. They blamed a "payment processor error" and promised a refund.
Second charge — upgraded to $149 without consent
-129.62 EUR ($149.00 USD)
Another unauthorized charge appeared — but this time for $149 USD instead of the original $99. UpGrow had silently upgraded my plan to a higher tier without my knowledge or authorization. I filed a formal complaint with my bank (Offene Reklamation). Support again promised refunds via their "billing partner."
Third charge — merchant name changed
-87.26 EUR ($99.00 USD)
A third unauthorized charge hit my account. The merchant name on the transaction had changed from "Upgrowcrm" to "UpGrowin." No refund from the prior months had arrived despite multiple promises. The charge was now categorized as "Software-Lizenzen" (software licenses).
Fourth charge — account re-activated, chat history deleted
-86.21 EUR ($99.00 USD)
A fourth unauthorized charge processed. When I checked the support platform, my entire chat history had been deleted — every message, every refund promise, every cancellation confirmation wiped clean. UpGrow had silently activated a "basic subscription" on my account to justify the ongoing charges, rather than issuing the repeatedly promised refunds.
Summary of Unauthorized Charges
| Date | Amount | Merchant | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 25, 2025 | -84.13 EUR ($99) | Upgrowcrm | Unauthorized |
| Jan 25, 2026 | -129.62 EUR ($149) | Upgrowcrm | Disputed |
| Mar 5, 2026 | -87.26 EUR ($99) | UpGrowin | Unauthorized |
| Mar 24, 2026 | -86.21 EUR ($99) | UpGrowin | Unauthorized |
| Total | -387.22 EUR (~$446) | No refund issued |
Documented Issues
A Pattern of Unauthorized Charges and Deceptive Practices
Taken together, these behaviors do not appear to be isolated billing errors. They suggest a systematic approach to extracting ongoing payments from cancelled accounts.
Fake followers instead of real growth
The core service delivers automated bot accounts that do not engage with content. Despite marketing organic Instagram growth, the followers are clearly fake — they never like, comment, or interact.
No self-service cancellation option
There is no cancel button in the account dashboard. Cancellation requires contacting support via chat, where repeated follow-ups over multiple days were needed before the request was honoured.
Charges resume months after confirmed cancellation
After nearly a year of no charges, unauthorized transactions resumed — totalling 4 charges across 4 months, billed to my card without my consent or any notification.
Unauthorized plan upgrades
One charge was for $149 USD instead of the original $99 subscription. UpGrow silently upgraded the plan tier without authorization, increasing the fraudulent charge amount by 50%.
Merchant name changed between transactions
The billing entity changed from "Upgrowcrm" to "UpGrowin" between charges. This may be an attempt to complicate chargeback processes or avoid automated fraud detection by the bank.
"Payment processor error" deflection
When confronted with unauthorized charges, support repeatedly blamed an unnamed "billing partner" or "payment processor error." Multiple refund promises were made. None were fulfilled.
Account silently re-activated to justify new charges
Instead of processing the promised refunds, UpGrow activated a "basic subscription" on my account — creating a paper trail that could be used to claim the charges were legitimate.
Support chat history deleted to destroy evidence
My complete conversation history with UpGrow support was deleted from the platform. This removed all written evidence of cancellation confirmation, refund promises, and acknowledgement of unauthorized billing.
Trustpilot reviews show signs of manipulation
UpGrow's Trustpilot page is dominated by positive reviews almost exclusively from Indian users — unlikely to represent the primary target audience of a Western-marketed Instagram growth tool. The pattern is consistent with purchased or incentivized fake reviews designed to inflate their rating and bury legitimate complaints.
Real Trustpilot Reviews
You're Not Alone — Other UpGrow Customers Report the Same Pattern
The following reviews are from Trustpilot (trustpilot.com/review/www.upgrow.com). These customers independently reported the same unauthorized billing practices.
Recurring charges restarted after long silence, price jumped to $199, no clear cancellation path
“My experience with UpGrow has been extremely negative. I originally signed up in June 2024 and paid $69. I believed the service had been stopped after that. Then, after a long period of silence, charges suddenly started again in September 2025. Here is what happened:
Jun 2024: $69 — Sep 2025: $69 (15 months later, out of the blue) — Oct 2025: $69 — Nov 2025: $99 — Dec 2025: $199 — Jan 2026: $199 — Feb 2026: $199 — Mar 2026: $199 — April 2026: $399 planned — I blocked them via my bank.
Total charged: $1,102 — with $1,033 beyond my initial payment. I never received any clear email notice of reactivation, renewal, or price increase. There was no self-service cancellation — only a chatbot, despite their claim of 'cancel in 1 click'. TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE.”
Payments started up again on accounts that were cancelled over a year ago, no communication, no refund!
“Great until you cancel your account! They have started to take payments again for 3 of my accounts without my permission after written cancellation which stopped these accounts over a year ago.
The payments for these accounts have been restarted but the accounts remain closed. I've requested a refund numerous times which has been agreed, but still nothing. You can't call them — only an AI chatbot. Super frustrating. I would genuinely avoid!”
LinkedIn account — $399 taken after cancellation, AI chatbot promises refund for 2+ months, nothing
“I tried Upgrow to get followers on my LinkedIn account. It did provide approximately 1,500 followers, however the profiles were very green and did not look like established accounts.
I cancelled, but then 6 months later (24th December 2026) I get a notification that another payment ($399) was coming out of my bank. I contacted immediately but could not cancel. After a long communication their AI told me they were struggling to refund the money to my card. I provided an alternative card to refund on.
Now another 2 months has passed — no refund — still chatting to their AI on a weekly basis, which is stuck in a cycle promising a response within the day. This is a lot of money for me to have out of my account for months.”
Note: UpGrow's Trustpilot page contains hundreds of suspiciously similar 5-star reviews, most dated the same day, with identical phrasing (“Great Service! UpGrow helped me grow my Instagram account significantly.”). These appear to be fabricated reviews designed to bury legitimate complaints. The 1-star reviews above are among the few that describe real customer experiences.
View UpGrow's Trustpilot page yourselfProtect Yourself
If You Use or Have Used UpGrow
Practical steps to protect yourself before, during, and after using UpGrow's service — based on what I wish I had done differently.
Use a virtual or prepaid card
Pay with a card you can freeze or cancel independently. This is the single most effective step — it lets you cut off unauthorized charges immediately without waiting for your bank to process a dispute.
Screenshot every support conversation immediately
UpGrow deletes chat histories. Do not assume your messages are preserved. Screenshot cancellation confirmations, refund promises, and every support interaction the moment they occur.
Save cancellation confirmation emails off-platform
Forward any cancellation confirmation to a dedicated email folder or save it as a PDF. This is your primary written evidence if charges resume. Do not rely on in-app records — they can be deleted.
Set a monthly bank statement review reminder
Unauthorized charges from UpGrow appeared nearly a year after cancellation. Check your statements regularly. Look for "Upgrowcrm", "UpGrowin", or similar merchant names that may change over time.
File a chargeback immediately when unauthorized charges appear
Contact your bank or card issuer as soon as you spot an unauthorized charge. Most banks allow chargebacks for unauthorized recurring charges, but there are time limits. Act within 30 days of the transaction date.
Report to consumer protection authorities
File complaints with the FTC (US), your national consumer authority (EU/UK), or equivalent body. Even if your individual case is small, documented complaints contribute to patterns that may trigger formal investigations.
You Are Not Alone
If UpGrow charged you without authorization after you cancelled your subscription, other customers have experienced the same. Reporting your case creates an official record, helps other consumers make informed decisions, and contributes to potential regulatory action.