Fabulous SAS - Unethical app, please delete from App Store.

You made a website subscription so Apple is not involved in the purchase which is why you do not see it in your Apple Account. Cancelling the website subscription made directly with Fabulous is done here:

https://help.thefabulous.co/en/support/solutions/articles/101000405804-how-to-manage-a-premium-subscription

Many companies offer the ability to manage their own subscriptions and Apple is required to allow it. Years ago, Apple was sued for preventing an outside purchase and forced to pay fines and also fined again because they warned users about making an outside purchase. Apple would prefer that to not be the case, but they also cannot punish a developer by removing an app from the store because they allow outside purchases. For example, you can also have subscriptions with Amazon, Hulu, Walmart, Netflix, YouTube, TikTok, SnapChat, etc and they also have apps that can be used, but that does not mean Apple is managing the subscription.

Actually the Fabulous apps work just fine when downloaded from the App Store and the in-app purchase is made where it is managed by Apple and also easily cancelled by Apple. Some have found a link to their website on Social Media to create a subscription/free trial directly with Fabulous and just did not realize that meant they also have to cancel the subscription with Fabulous. You can still dispute the charge with your credit card as Apple is not involved in the purchase. In the future, stick to the in-app purchase for a subscription managed by Apple. Just because you can navigate to a web page and start a subscription does not make that an in-app purchase.

Ed_Number123 wrote:

I’ve had the same experience. Filled in some questionnaire and now

find they’ve taken 4x£34.99 without me knowing. This company is ripping people off and the App Store should not be platforming them

The charge likely did not occur from the app in the App Store. If it had, you would be able to cancel it easily and would also see the subscription disclosed to you on an approval screen.

I assume your situation is the same as many others where they were directed to the website from a Social Media post or Advertisement and you gave them your payment info there to get the results of the questionnaire you filled out, and that does not appear in your Purchase History. It is on their website where you inadvertently signed up for the subscription and they are billing you directly where Apple is not involved at all. There are many Social Media posters that receive a referral from companies to get you to follow their links and if you have an issue with a scam on that Social Media site, you should let them know. Be cautious for any links clicked on Social Media sites and Advertisements.

The fact that there is an app in the App Store is irrelevant and you would have received the charge whether you downloaded the app or not. You can certainly deal with any company directly on their website even when they have apps in the App Store, such as Amazon, Hulu, Walmart, Netflix etc, and any purchase or complaint with that company has nothing to do with Apple when using their website. If you had used the app instead of the website, you would not be in this situation, any subscription managed by Apple for an app is easily cancelled and disclosed to you with the Approval Screen where you would see the exact price for the subscription before double clicking the side button.

So, the solution to you is the same as any other fraudulent charge that is not managed by Apple. You contact the merchant for a resolution to the problem and if unresolved you would dispute the charge with your credit card.

Mnky3377 wrote:

I totally agree with the guy above. I signed on with a 2 week free trial. I canceled the day it was to renew.

If your case is the same as the OP, they did not make an in-app purchase managed by Apple and the free trial was started directly with Fabulous. They would be attempting to bill you directly and it is not Apple as identified by the description of the charge attempting to be billed to your card. As in all cases such as that where Apple is not involved, you must first attempt to resolve the issue with the merchant and if unsuccessful then dispute the charge with the card being billed.

Noextramoney wrote:

Deleting is not working. I am unsuccessfully locating the app too delete and cancel

No app is required for the subscription signed up on their website. You would need to cancel with them directly, as you would be charged whether you had an app or not. The charge would not be coming from Apple in that case or even managed by Apple.

https://help.thefabulous.co/en/support/solutions/articles/101000405804-how-to-manage-a-premium-subscription

MEB25 wrote:

I am trying to get this charge ($39.99 monthly!) removed from my Chase credit card. I do not remember subscribing at all, the app is not in my phone app list or in my ios subscriptions. It is just on my credit card.

Since the subscription is not seen in your Apple Account, you inadvertently signed up for a Free Trial to their service, probably from a link on a Social Media account or phishing email. The charge has nothing to do with Apple.

You will need to dispute the charge with your Chase credit card. They will ask you to contact the merchant first for a resolution and that is standard procedure to request a refund from them. If you do not get a satisfactory response, then continue the dispute process with Chase.

PapaBearJ wrote:

l do everything through the App Store. This app goes around the store on its own. I have never been to its website. And it is trying to

charge me. I canceled it and it continues to try to charge me an inordinate amount You are wrong and have no clue what other people are doing.

If your situation is like others where it does not appear as a charge on your Apple Account and the description of the charge is Fabulous, then it has nothing to do with Apple and you are going to have to look elsewhere for the cause.

In any case the solution is the same and confirmed by others here too, dispute the charge with the credit card company and you will get your money back and they will block future charges. Your bank can also confirm if the charge occurred from an Apple Pay token or the actual card number had been entered. All you need to do is contact them. Arguing with me is not going to get your money back and Apple did not collect it to issue you a refund either.

You said "This app goes around the store on its own", so that would mean a person did download the app and you have been to that companies website because the app directs you there. Apple is required to allow companies to process their own subscriptions without any involvement by Apple. For example, that is how you subscribe to Amazon Prime or make Amazon purchases where it is Amazon that processes those transactions with the card information you give them. It was not Apple that gave them the card number and Apple is not charging you for those transactions either.

ThisisJude wrote:

Same thing happened to me; clicked on an ad, and downloaded the app to my phone, it offered me a £1 charge or something to get my results; and within 5 mins i realised the app was shockingly bad so i immediately cancelled the subscription.

Over a week later a charge has just landed on my card for £35 through Apple Pay.

The subscription is not showing in the app or on apple account. there is no way to cancel it more than i have already. I've never visited the website (til today trying to contact them)

I've now deleted my account and deleted the app. i will be contesting the charge with Amex.

Yep, Apple Pay does not bill to your Apple Account, it uses the linked card in your Wallet and gives the merchant your token that was provided to you from Amex when you added the card. Disputing the charge through Amex is the way to go, although they may first ask you to attempt to contact the merchant for a refund, but that is usually the first step when disputing a transaction.

I paid a dollar for an IQ test on Facebook, lol...I know stupid. I immediately CANCELLED the FREE TRIAL after I received results. Here it is a few months later and I get charged randomly by Fabulous Sas. I have never been in the app or on their actual website. The first charge was 39.99, then they tried again for $41. They've done this like 4 times so far over the course of 4 days. Always, 39.99, then $41 lol. They are definitely scammers! I had to go to the website, get password reset (because I never signed up for account), cancel the subscription. Hopefully, I don't have to worry about them anymore. Now I know, when I paid the $1 for the IQ results, unbeknownst to me, I was being signed up for a Fabulous subscription plan. It doesn't matter if you cancel the free trial, because what they aren't transparent about, is that you are also signed up for their behavioral/self-help app, which you have to go to their website to cancel. Block the merchant, get a new card, cancel the subscription thru website. Use the email that was used when you clicked on the original ad on social media...mine was an IQ test, but they switch it up...it could've been an ad for an ADHD test...it's all the same scam.

fjahsk wrote:

I received a fraud alert from an attempt to charge me $39.99 from Fabulous. I never signed up for anything and I know that I didn't because I received several emails telling me my subscription is waiting and encouraging me to sign up for one. How did they get my bank information? Please remove them from your platform they're making fraudulent charges.

As others have confirmed here in the post, it has nothing to do with an app on the Apple platform and you are not being billed through Apple. You can see that others had fell for a scam on Facebook that linked to a site where users were asked to pay $1 for an IQ test. That is where the bank information was given to Fabulous and why they are attempting to charge you. It happened to users no matter what device type they had and not specific to any platform. The solution for any fraudulent charge is the same, and that is to dispute the charge with your bank.

MMBillante wrote:

Of course I have declined it I don’t know how many times and then today I get another fraud alert but this time it’s just from “Fabulous” for the same amount. I don’t have any emails from any type of company and can’t find anything in past subscriptions. I’ve even changed my card number and they’ve managed to try on the new card!!!!! Is there any way to stop this crap for good?? I’m so dang frustrated!!!

Yes! You have to dispute the charge with your bank where they also will need to block future transactions from them. Your bank along with the PNO (VISA, Mastercard, etc) participate in an Automatic Billing Updater program that transfers recurring charges to your new card. They claim they are doing that for your benefit to avoid subscription interruptions when a new card is issued, but it will also transfer those charges you are trying to avoid if they don't block them.

No app is needed for the subscription and they have a free trial that becomes a subscription on their website. It is possible you followed a link there from a Social Media post where you inadvertently subscribed or from an ad, but in any case the dispute process is the same for any fraudulent charge.

Your bank is required to follow the consumer protection regulations, but there are time constraints for reporting the issue to them and don't rely on declining a charge or requesting a new card to do that automatically.

https://www.fdic.gov/consumers/consumer/news/october2018.html

If your bank is not providing the protections that they are required to do, you can also file a complaint with the CFPB. This is a government agency responsible for making sure banks are complying with the laws and the website where you report incidents claim that you will get a response within 15 days. Not sure if that response time is still accurate with the funding and employment cuts, but that is the purpose of the agency to protect consumers.

https://www.consumerfinance.gov/complaint/

mckaylaa180 wrote:

I called by bank - they got me a new cares and stopped ALL TRANSACTIONS FROM APPLE

To be clear you were not being charged by Apple at all, that is why you saw the description of the charge being from Fabulous SAS. The ad you saw on Instagram directed you to their website and that is what resulted in the charge you saw after accepting the terms there and that would have been true if you had downloaded the app or not.

You actually need them to block the charge from Fabulous SAS. The blocking is an important step as VISA/Mastercard use an Automatic Billing Updater and that will transfer recurring charges from a previous account number to a replacement one. They claim it is a feature to prevent inadvertent subscription cancellation, but has the side effect of also allowing fraudulent recurring transactions to continue if not specifically blocked.

aa_lique wrote:

Obviously they are using Apple to entrap those that trust APPLE. So you, Apple need to bar them from using apple platform un-ethically.

Sorry, you are not speaking to Apple here. To be clear the charges originated from their website and would have occurred whether you downloaded the app or not. If you had used the app initially, you would not have exposed your financial information to them and any free trial/subscription started by the app is easily cancelled and started through the normal authorization screen provided by Apple requiring you to double click the side button, showing the trial period, subscription start date, price and the message stating to cancel the free trial at least a day before the subscription start date to avoid charges.

Users are commonly guided to their website to sign up for a free trial through a Social Media link where that poster is paid for the referral. Other times it is through the use of a web advertisement where you are directed to Fabulous and Apple is not involved at all in what you do on their website.

itzme123 wrote:

They give instructions to cancel via iTunes account- say to turn off auto renew- but I cannot find this in my account anywhere! How do I turn the auto renew OFF?

If the bills to your payment card are directly from the vendor, and if you provided your payment card numbers directly to the vendor, then you will have to pursue the cancellation with the vendor, and then potentially open a dispute with your payment provider if the vendor is unwilling or unable to cease billing.

If you engaged directly and provided your payment details directly, then Apple is not involved.

What reports at one site suggest about this:

• https://www.bbb.org/scamtracker/lookupscam/1074094
• https://www.bbb.org/scamtracker/lookupscam/1093050

There are other discussions elsewhere.

Providing payment info directly to the seller bypasses Apple App Store, even if the seller might use Apple Pay. The related transactions — and any disputes that might arise — that bypass the App Store are then entirely between the purchaser, the seller, and the purchaser’s bank. Not Apple and the Apple App Store. Yes, even if Apple Pay was used.

Got concerns with a purchase or billing? Contact the seller, and failing satisfaction then contact the payment card provider; the bank that issued the card, using the phone number in the back of the payment card. The bank contact info is also available in Apple Wallet for the card.

To investigate a purchase like this before buying, use your own Google searches for variations of the particular vendor name.

Got feedback for Apple? Y’all can report a concern via the App Store link (if the app was downloaded from there) and can also leave an app review, both on the App Store page for the app. And contact your bank, if you have wish to dispute a payment.

I contacted Chase and they are blocking the merchant and crediting me for the three times I was charged. I appreciate the feedback.