@joprior

I’m writing this review to warn others about notion’s deceptive billing practices, inaccessible customer service, and complete lack of accountability. what started as a simple subscription downgrade request turned into a months-long nightmare that left me financially strained and deeply frustrated. if you’re considering notion, think twice—their app might be sleek, but their customer service is a disaster.
here’s what happened: i signed up for notion’s premium plan but quickly realized the app didn’t offer the features i needed. i hadn’t used it in over two months, so on march 13, 2025, i emailed their support team to downgrade my account to the free plan, as their emails had stated i’d lose premium access if payment failed. i was fine with that—i just wanted out of the subscription. instead of honoring my request, notion kept trying to charge me. on march 18, 2025, the second funds hit my account, they deducted the payment—despite my clear instructions to downgrade.
i immediately requested a refund, explaining that i’m unemployed and needed the money for a specialist medical appointment that day. because of notion’s actions, i had to borrow money from my son to cover the cost, adding stress to an already difficult situation. their response? a canned email from “the representative” (who, by the way, is just a campus ambassador, not even a proper support rep—more on that later), citing a 3-day refund window and refusing to help. the invoice they charged me for was issued on february 22, 2025, but i’d already requested a downgrade on march 13, well before the payment was taken. they ignored that completely.
it gets worse. notion’s emails are contradictory and misleading. i have a screenshot of an email stating it was their “last attempt” to process payment, but the representative later claimed they can retry up to 8 times over a month—a direct contradiction. he also mentioned an unpaid invoice from january 22, 2025, but i’ve searched my inbox, spam, and trash—there’s no such invoice. either they never sent it, or they’re making it up to justify taking my money. when i called them out on this, they went silent.
their downgrade process is a joke. they told me to downgrade via the web app (settings > billing > change plan), but i only have mobile access and told them so multiple times. here’s the kicker: i could delete my account on mobile with no issue, but downgrading? impossible with their instructions. they set me up to fail and then blamed me for it.
i escalated my complaint, demanding a refund and for someone senior to step in. the person responding, who i later found out on linkedin is just a campus ambassador (basically a student rep for marketing, not support), refused to escalate. he kept hiding behind “policy,” even though i hadn’t used the app in months and had clearly requested a downgrade. i gave them a 24-hour deadline to respond—three days ago. they’ve gone completely silent, which shows how little they care about their customers.
notion’s behavior is predatory and unethical. they ignored my downgrade request, took money i couldn’t afford to lose, and left me to deal with the consequences. i’m now pursuing a formal complaint with the department of fair trading in australia (where notion has an office in sydney) and considering the federal trade commission in the us (their hq is in san francisco). i’ll also be sharing this experience on every platform i can to warn others. notion might have a shiny app, but their customer service is a black hole—don’t trust them with your money.
if you’re thinking of using notion, beware: their billing practices are deceptive, their support is inaccessible, and they’ll leave you high and dry when things go wrong. save yourself the headache and look elsewhere.