Deezer and Spotify are currently grappling with technical issues affecting the billing systems of both separately operating providers. These problems are causing subscription fees to go uncollected, resulting in the cancellation of subscriptions by the providers. In both cases, customers are lamenting the difficulty in reaching support at these companies.
“We are currently investigating an issue with the billing system,” stated a Spotify spokesperson to Golem.de upon inquiry. The company asserts that only a small number of subscribers are affected by the problems. Spotify did not respond to queries about the exact number of affected users. It remains unclear which types of subscriptions are impacted.
There is no information available regarding when Spotify intends to rectify the error. It’s also uncertain whether affected users will receive compensation for the inconvenience. Discussions in Spotify forums often refer to Family subscriptions, but it’s conceivable that regular Premium subscriptions are also being terminated. Affected individuals are downgraded to the ad-supported Spotify Free offering, which lacks many features.
Technical difficulties at Deezer
Similar complaints are surfacing in Deezer forums, where many users report abrupt cancellation of their subscriptions without prior notice. According to Deezer support, this is attributed to a “problem with direct debit payments” for Deezer subscriptions. “The concerned team is presently working on a solution to the issue,” they stated. The nature of this solution remains undisclosed, and the duration of the fix is also uncertain.
Similar to Spotify, Deezer downgrades unpaid subscriptions, allowing music streaming only in the ad-supported free version with limited functionality. Golem.de reached out to Deezer for further details but has yet to receive a response. Family subscriptions in Deezer are affected, and potentially regular Premium subscriptions as well. Currently, there’s no indication that Deezer will offer compensation to affected customers for the inconvenience. Deezer forums include apologies for the incident, urging customers to pardon the inconvenience.
In Deezer’s case, long-term subscribers are expressing frustration as they are advised to reactivate their subscription, categorizing them as returning customers and requiring them to pay the higher fees. Deezer has recently raised prices for its music streaming subscriptions.
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