Semrush is a Delaware company that offers subscriptions for companies to engage in search engine optimization, market research, targeted advertising, social media management and other marketing services.

Several users report being unable to cancel their subscriptions online, despite having begun that subscription online (some users having begun with a free trial). Instead, customers were made to email customer support asking to cancel their subscriptions and wait for a response, which could come days later and after the subscription had already automatically renewed. Semrush’s current subscription cancellation process also does not include an on-demand online cancellation option, forcing users to click a link labeled “contact us” and wait for a response from customer support.

Semrush appears to have a 7-day “money back guarantee” on subscriptions and renewals whereby anyone can request a full refund within 7 days of the charge. Semrush’s terms of service do not include any class action waivers or mandatory arbitration provisions.

Semrush’s cancellation policy may violate California’s law requiring that subscriptions be able to be canceled online (§17602). Under this law, businesses must provide an online cancellation mechanism for services that are subscribed to online. Further, businesses must provide “cost-effective, timely, and easy-to-use mechanism for cancellation” that is described in the subscription acknowledgement (§17602(b)). 

In addition, Semrush may generally be liable under a theory similar to that under which Trustpilot was sued in 2021, where it was alleged that Trustpilot subjected its subscribers to deceptive business practices by sending auto-enroll emails that went to subscribers’ spam boxes, such that they would not be read until subscribers were charged.