Filed
Sharks in disguise
Nothing against the teachers here, but the business side of things is one of the most money-hungry I've ever encountered. I thought I had cancelled but then received a charge for $299. When I asked them to refund it because I do not (and have not ever) used the service, they refused, quoting the terms and conditions contract. I understand it's within their rights to keep my money, but taking people's money who don't use and don't want your service is neither best practices nor is it what I would expect of a company that claims to be spiritual. This is the worst interaction with a company I've had in a long time. Would recommend against anyone doing business with them.
Filed by Allysha L.
Reply from Awakenpedia· Sep 8, 2026
We strongly disagree with the characterization of Awakenpedia as "sharks in disguise" and as “money-hungry,” and we believe that description is both unfair, defamatory, and fundamentally inconsistent with the facts. Awakenpedia was created to make meaningful teachings, resources, connections, and opportunities within the conscious and spiritual community more accessible—not to maximize profit. Since our inception, instead of profiting we have consistently reinvested ALL of our resources back into building, maintaining, and supporting the community. While many organizations and practitioners within this broader space charge thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars for programs, access, memberships, and services, Awakenpedia asks Partners for a comparatively modest annual contribution of a couple hundred dollars to help sustain the platform and the work required to operate it. Calling that “one of the most money-hungry” business practices you have ever encountered because we declined to reverse a valid annual renewal is an extraordinary characterization that we simply do not believe is true or warranted. Partners voluntarily choose to join Awakenpedia and agree to the membership terms when doing so. Those terms clearly explain that memberships renew annually unless cancelled. Partners are also able to cancel their membership directly from their account at any time prior to renewal. We do not prevent cancellations, hide the cancellation mechanism, or require anyone to continue participating against their will. Partners can cancel at anytime from inside their accounts. In this instance, the membership had not been cancelled before the renewal date, and the annual renewal was therefore processed in accordance with the agreement that was accepted when the membership was established. When a refund was subsequently requested, we honored the policy governing that agreement. We understand that an unexpected renewal can be frustrating, and we genuinely empathize with that frustration. But there is an important distinction between being disappointed by the application of a policy and suggesting that an organization is unethical or “money-hungry” simply because it follows the terms to which both parties agreed. It is also worth noting that whether someone ultimately chooses to use the resources available through their membership does not determine whether the membership itself was valid. Like virtually any annual membership, subscription, association, or professional organization, access is made available for the membership term; the organization cannot determine on a member’s behalf how frequently they choose to use that access. We take our values seriously, including our spiritual values. To us, those values include compassion and generosity, which is why we ask for so little, but they also include integrity, personal responsibility, sustainability, and honoring agreements. A spiritual organization still has operating expenses, contractual commitments, technology costs, administrative responsibilities, and a duty to apply its policies consistently across its community. We are always willing to listen when someone believes we can do better. But we also believe it is important to correct a public characterization that portrays Awakenpedia as financially exploitative when the reality is that we operate with deeply mission-driven values, have not profited from this work, charge a relatively modest annual contribution, provide members with the ability to cancel their own renewal, and simply honored the membership agreement in this situation. We respect this reviewer’s right to be disappointed with the outcome. We respectfully reject the much broader conclusions drawn about Awakenpedia because of it.