VPN Provider Didn't Know Its Customers Had Lifetime Subscriptions and Canceled Them
Lifetime means lifetime. Except when it doesn't. That has been the dilemma of some VPNSecure customers, whose lifetime subscriptions were canceled by the new owners of the VPN provider -- without the customers being informed in advance that the subscriptions would end.
A Reddit user posted a copy of a message they said they received from VPNSecure's new owner. In that message, the company tells customers that it did not know about the lifetime deals when it purchased the company in May 2023.
A VPN, or virtual private network, encrypts your internet traffic and masks your IP address, making your physical location undetectable. A VPN enables you to keep your online activity private and trick apps and websites into thinking you're in a different state or even country. For an in-depth look at VPNs, check out CNET's guide to everything you need to know about VPNs and how they work.
In its email to customers, VPNSecure outlined the situation regarding the lifetime deals. The email said that the owner bought "the technology, domain, and customer database - but not the liabilities. The previous owner did not disclose that thousands of Lifetime Deals (LTDs) had been sold through platforms like StackSocial."
According to the email, the company deactivated accounts that had been dormant for six months or more, then later canceled all the lifetime deals as of April 28.
In the email, VPNSecure said that its "resources were strained by these LTD accounts" that "provide no sustaining income to help us improve and maintain the service."
A representative for VPNSecure didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Customers aren't happy
Several miffed customers weighed in with angry comments on Trustpilot.
"I had bought a 'lifetime' subscription a few years ago," one person wrote. "Horrible new owners come in and cancel everything claiming ignorance. Either they're idiots or they're scammers -- not sure which is worse."
In response to customer reactions, VPNSecure is offering discounted new subscriptions to customers whose lifetime deals were canceled. They can pay $1.87 for a month (instead of $9.95), $19 for one year (instead of $79.92), or $55 for three years (instead of $107.64). The deals are available until May 31, according to the email that was posted on Reddit.
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