Complaint Review: JustAnswer

JustAnswer charged my credit card even though they did not answer my technical question and I did not complete the transaction.  Also, as soon as they had my phone number, a dozen or more messages from scammers started coming into my phone at a bad time. 

I needed help with a machine.  Web searches on the subject led to a credible looking post by JustAnswer on the subject by an American.  They invited me to pay one of their experts for advice through chatting.  It should have been clearer that is what it was and all the info they would ask for upfront.  Why did they need my phone number, or email, for that matter?  Hmmmm.

I was asked to write the problem in detail before I was in contact with the "expert."  I think I was prompted to confirm that I was in fact there.  I was.  Then, the expert came on and needlessly started restating what was already in front of him, including the type of machine it was. He was trying to make me confirm what I had just written. I recognized the stuck in a loop foreign customer service dynamic where they

a) don't speak enough English to help you or

b) don't have the resources to help you so they just endlessly repeat everything you said.  I wasn't having that.  I took the option of aborting that chat and trying another "expert."  He also seemed foreign and the same thing happened.  I aborted that.  

JustAnswer said I would not be charged if I didn't take a certain step.  I didn't but they charged me anyway, $5 just to see if I was real? (WTF?) and $18 for not answering my question twice.  

After this JustAnswer made excessive further demands on my time through email, and maybe on my remaining time on their website if I remember correctly?  

Things you read about them including on their own website don't match my experience.  In reality, they seem scammy.  

I had a feeling I needed to check if they had charged my card.  They had.  I called their customer service number.  It has good hours and I did get through quickly.  The person was polite, but  used strange phrases and talked in circles.  As so often happens with foreign customer service, when you should be moving forward you seem to be stuck or going backwards. Amidst  the cryptic verbiage, I believe he did say they would reverse the charges.  Good news!  I will check to confirm it.

I appreciate that but I will not go near JustAnswer again.