I Accidentally Bought Spotify Premium for a Year. Here's How I Got a Refund.

I clicked the wrong button on Spotify and bought a year of Premium for $119. I meant to click the free trial link. I noticed immediately and requested a refund within 10 minutes. Spotify said no. Their policy says no refunds for annual subscriptions.

I was frustrated. I had been a Spotify Free user for years and this was clearly a mistake. I tweeted at @SpotifySupport. Within an hour, they direct messaged me asking for my account details. After a brief conversation, they processed a full refund.

The refund took three business days to show up. Spotify also kept me on Premium for the current month as a goodwill gesture.

Social media support teams at streaming companies have more authority than regular customer service. Twitter and Facebook complaints often get escalated faster. I have used this trick twice since then for other companies.

Lesson: if the standard refund process fails, try social media. The social media team does not want a public complaint on their timeline so they resolve things quickly.