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Photobucket - is it a full blown scam now?
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Started by Sensei Ryan,

27 posts in this topic

Sensei Ryan

Sensei Ryan

Posted
Posted

Hey everyone,

Sorry to anyone who has had a good experience with Photobucket in the past year but I have not.  So I decided two months ago to get a paid service with PB to get the watermarks removed from my hosted pics (100% just to remove them from my registry set description - see below):

Example of why I think Photobucket is now scamming clients (see the watermarks in my set)

So I paid for the 2nd highest level ($8 per month) to lose the watermarks in my pics (I have no desire to use them as a storage only site).  For the first month, everything was great - they respond to emails and helped me lose the watermarks.  Now, after being charged for my latest month, the watermarks came back (and not due to a problem with clearing my cache or cookies or whatnot as this ain't my first rodeo).  Conveniently, no one responds from their help desk anymore.   So I did some digging...and went to their Facebook page - and saw similar complaints from other users:

Photobucket Facebook page

Note the complaints under nearly every pic or post about their lack of response to problems (the same I'm experiencing).

So after my numerous emails that went unreplied to I warned them via a Facebook message that I'll be contacting my credit card for a chargeback since they are not honoring their service (and will be cancelling my account as of Monday if I do not get a reply). Guess what?  Again, no response.

Be forewarned - they'll work with you to get you to join and then ignore you from there on out.

Can anyone help point me to a site that is AS GOOD as what Photobucket once was and that won't watermark my online embedded photos (a paid or free service)?  I tried a couple others a while back and had trouble with the HTML conversions which is why I stuck with PB (and now I regret it as I just have more pics with watermarks).

I should note that I've had a free PB account for years and loved it until the watermarks showed up a couple of years ago and just assumed that paying for the service to remove them would, well, actually remove them for good (and not just for the first few weeks).

Ryan

 

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Sensei Ryan

Sensei Ryan

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Posted
1 hour ago, BlowUpTheMoon said:

I use imageshack.com  No watermarks and you have the option of not resizing your images.

Click for the image a couple of times for maximum size.

  Hide contents

SvUDWN.jpg

 

Can you use Imageshack to embed photos in HTML?  I know the boards operate different from the registry descriptions do in how that is handled (which is why I used PB in the first place) - have you tried adding any images into a set description?  If it works, I'll give it a go! :) 

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BlowUpTheMoon

BlowUpTheMoon

Posted
Posted (edited)
7 minutes ago, Sensei Ryan said:

have you tried adding any images into a set description?  If it works, I'll give it a go! :) 

I don't do the registry thing, but I would venture yes.  Here are your options:

2.jpg.99c8b358e9b6e4e57573cb92c28b861b.jpg

Edited by BlowUpTheMoon
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lizards2

lizards2

Posted
Posted
4 hours ago, Sensei Ryan said:

Hey everyone,

Sorry to anyone who has had a good experience with Photobucket in the past year but I have not.  So I decided two months ago to get a paid service with PB to get the watermarks removed from my hosted pics (100% just to remove them from my registry set description - see below):

Example of why I think Photobucket is now scamming clients (see the watermarks in my set)

So I paid for the 2nd highest level ($8 per month) to lose the watermarks in my pics (I have no desire to use them as a storage only site).  For the first month, everything was great - they respond to emails and helped me lose the watermarks.  Now, after being charged for my latest month, the watermarks came back (and not due to a problem with clearing my cache or cookies or whatnot as this ain't my first rodeo).  Conveniently, no one responds from their help desk anymore.   So I did some digging...and went to their Facebook page - and saw similar complaints from other users:

Photobucket Facebook page

Note the complaints under nearly every pic or post about their lack of response to problems (the same I'm experiencing).

So after my numerous emails that went unreplied to I warned them via a Facebook message that I'll be contacting my credit card for a chargeback since they are not honoring their service (and will be cancelling my account as of Monday if I do not get a reply). Guess what?  Again, no response.

Be forewarned - they'll work with you to get you to join and then ignore you from there on out.

Can anyone help point me to a site that is AS GOOD as what Photobucket once was and that won't watermark my online embedded photos (a paid or free service)?  I tried a couple others a while back and had trouble with the HTML conversions which is why I stuck with PB (and now I regret it as I just have more pics with watermarks).

I should note that I've had a free PB account for years and loved it until the watermarks showed up a couple of years ago and just assumed that paying for the service to remove them would, well, actually remove them for good (and not just for the first few weeks).

Ryan

 

I use photophucket and don't have your problems, so I am obviously better than you.  

I couldn't find the "holding your nose" graemlin.  Sorry.

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Artboy99

Artboy99

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Posted

I use Photobucket and I have 2 accounts that I pay for.

I don't seem to have the issues described, that said maybe it is what I see and not what others see.

Are there watermarks in these images?

From my art bucket:

Colorfinish_zps31571c15.jpg

From my comic bucket:

Planet17_zps7e68f8c9.jpg

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lizards2

lizards2

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Posted
16 minutes ago, Artboy99 said:

I use Photobucket and I have 2 accounts that I pay for.

I don't seem to have the issues described, that said maybe it is what I see and not what others see.

Are there watermarks in these images?

From my art bucket:

Colorfinish_zps31571c15.jpg

From my comic bucket:

Planet17_zps7e68f8c9.jpg

No watermarks.  I briefly had watermarks on my stuff, so I called customer service, as they are not supposed to appear on paid accounts.

They told me it was some changeover glitch that they would fix, and to dispose of my cookies and restart my computer.  Within 24 hours, the watermarks were gone.

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Sensei Ryan

Sensei Ryan

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1 minute ago, lizards2 said:

No watermarks.  I briefly had watermarks on my stuff, so I called customer service, as they are not supposed to appear on paid accounts.

They told me it was some changeover glitch that they would fix, and to dispose of my cookies and restart my computer.  Within 24 hours, the watermarks were gone.

I did that too (where is the # for Photobucket - can you share that with me?) - but the watermarks kept coming back.  I've logged in from computers outside of my network and it was a problem on their end, not mine (but the refusal to return my emails is what irks me).

If they'd get their act together I'd keep my account but I've read a LOT online lately about the problems that others have with them, too...so to me it is only a matter of time before either they fix the problem or get shut down.  I'd prefer they fix it as it would be easier for me to use them and just pay a small fee than to switch.

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Artboy99

Artboy99

Posted
Posted (edited)
4 hours ago, Sensei Ryan said:

I did that too (where is the # for Photobucket - can you share that with me?) - but the watermarks kept coming back.  I've logged in from computers outside of my network and it was a problem on their end, not mine (but the refusal to return my emails is what irks me).

If they'd get their act together I'd keep my account but I've read a LOT online lately about the problems that others have with them, too...so to me it is only a matter of time before either they fix the problem or get shut down.  I'd prefer they fix it as it would be easier for me to use them and just pay a small fee than to switch.

I prefer they fix whatever issue you are having as well. I have thousands of pictures on my Photobucket accounts, many of which are the only ones i have now due to a hard drive failure and I don't want them losing customers and then shutting down. :wishluck:

Edited by Artboy99
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lizards2

lizards2

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Posted
1 minute ago, Sensei Ryan said:

I'd prefer they fix it as it would be easier for me to use them and just pay a small fee than to switch.

That's where I was and am at.  

I can't seem to find a phone #

All I have is the email  support@photobucket.com  which it sounds like you've tried.

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Sensei Ryan

Sensei Ryan

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3 hours ago, lizards2 said:

That's where I was and am at.  

I can't seem to find a phone #

All I have is the email  support@photobucket.com  which it sounds like you've tried.

If you have time and are willing to email them to see if you get a response please feel free.  I've been emailing them and messaging them on FB for at least a week and have gotten no replies whatsoever. 

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