Karaoke service Popsical allegedly overcharged users up to 3 times the subscription fee
Karaoke system Popsical allegedly charged some of its members multiple times per month, despite being liquidated in 2024.
Stomper Yumi told Stomp she used the karaoke system, which could be plugged into any television set, since the Covid-19 pandemic, and said she was unable to deregister from her subscription.
"Popsical has gone bankrupt, but if you read their Google reviews, they are still charging members, sometimes even twice or thrice the subscription amount," she told Stomp.
According to a Lianhe Zaobao report on July 5, 2024, Popsical was placed under voluntary liquidation in April that year due to financial difficulties and mounting losses.
Yumi was only able to end her subscription when she replaced her credit card.
"I tried to delete my bank account last year because they increased their membership from $10.99 to $18.99 but I could not delete my card number on their website -- there was no delete button. After that, I lost my credit card and got a new card."
The Stomper shared that her cousin was also allegedly overcharged by Popsical.
She claimed: "$29.90 was deducted from my cousin's card."
Under Popsical's Google Play Store reviews, a patron gave one-star on March 5 with the description: "I'm currently on a premium subscription, they charged me $18.99 and then 2 days later a fraudulent $10.99, the old premium price, on the same card.
"It seems like the same issue as what a previous reviewer had. The website is all down, I'm unable to unsubscribe from the service, their Facebook account is not replying to my queries. What is this scam? Has anyone else faced the same issue?"
The patron later made an update to the review: "Managed to get a refund on the double charge and unsubscribe after messaging them on Facebook! I hope this helps everyone facing the same issue."
Another user left a one-star Google review, claiming she was charged a $29 subscription fee even though her previous month's $18.99 subscription had not yet expired.
A Facebook video posted by content creator Timothy Tiah, sent to Stomp by Yumi, explained how Popsical had "died".
In response to a media query, Popsical told Stomp: "We would like to clarify that Popsical Karaoke is not bankrupt and we are still actively operating.
"While it is true that we are currently undergoing internal restructuring and technical upgrades, our services-including subscriptions-remain available to our customers.
"We acknowledge that there were isolated cases where customers experienced duplicate charges due to a system syncing error during our upgrade process.
"We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused. These cases have been or are being resolved through refunds, and we have improved our backend to prevent recurrence.
"Customers can manage or cancel their subscriptions directly via our web portal. For any difficulty faced, our support team is available via email to assist with manual cancellations or refunds. We are also working on simplifying the cancellation process further.
"We understand the importance of clear communication, especially regarding billing and account management. We've since taken steps to improve how we notify users of any pricing changes or system updates, and are continuing to review customer feedback to enhance the user experience.
"We take the feedback from our users seriously and are actively resolving any outstanding issues."
