As a startup, we are extremely mindful of how we allocate resources, which is why we signed up for Storydoc to trial it alongside other platforms before committing. However, we quickly encountered a major issue—access to the platform was locked unless we paid for an account, something that was not made clear upfront.
What made this even worse was the unexpected charge for three user seats. Simply adding collaborators during the trial resulted in automatic billing, even though the additional users never even used the platform. This was never clearly communicated, and it felt like a deliberate attempt to extract more money rather than a fair business practice.
When we reached out to Storydoc for a refund, we were met with a refusal, even for the two extra seats that were never used. Their response attempted to justify this by pointing to their terms, but transparency shouldn’t require users to dig through fine print to avoid hidden charges. As a UX/UI designer, I find this kind of dark pattern design incredibly frustrating and unethical. Good products succeed by offering value, not by misleading users into paying for something they didn’t expect.
Because of this experience, we will never use Storydoc again and will actively warn others against it. If you’re considering this platform, be very careful—what seems like a simple trial could turn into unexpected charges with little recourse.
