A case study in corporate contempt for customers
The third head of the beast
I’ve written before about DHL’s obstructive delivery “support” and Amazon’s Kafkaesque Kindle Direct Publishing fiasco. Adobe has now earned its place in this hall of shame.
What began as a simple request for transparency (provide me with chat transcripts of my own interactions) has become a showcase in how a $155 billion company treats loyalty as disposable.
The problem: duplicate billing and denial
- I was charged for overlapping subscriptions (Creative Cloud Pro + Photography plan).
- Agents contradicted each other daily: “no duplicate charges” one moment, then “duplicate refunds issued” the next.
- Refunds eventually arrived, but only after I spent over nine hours fighting through scripted deflections.
Nine hours of my professional life, wasted.
The silence: a refusal to acknowledge
When I escalated politely to Adobe’s Executive Escalation team, I asked for two reasonable things:
- All transcripts of my chats with Adobe since 2013 (my subscription start).
- A goodwill settlement reflecting the stress, time lost, and decades of loyalty.
Adobe processed the refunds but went silent on both of these. No acknowledgment of my last two emails. No professional courtesy. Nothing.
Weaponised incompetence
Adobe’s support culture mirrors what we’ve seen at DHL and Amazon:
- Contradictory claims (“no duplicates” vs “12 duplicate refunds issued”).
- Transcript obstruction (agents refusing to provide a full written record).
- Callback deflections (pushing phone calls to keep disputes off record).
- Silence when held accountable.
This is not customer service. It’s containment.
Why it matters
I’ve been an Adobe evangelist since the late 1990s: Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Fireworks, Creative Cloud. I’ve taught, promoted, and paid for these tools for decades.
If Adobe can treat a loyal, paying customer like this, what chance does a first-time freelancer in Hanoi or Hanover or Hobart have?
The issue is bigger than my refund. It’s about corporate systems designed not to resolve, but to exhaust.
What’s next
I will continue publishing every step of this process here, just as I have with:
Adobe now joins the three-headed Goliath of consumer contempt. The only question is: how many more customers will they grind down before change is forced on them?
Lesson for leaders
The Adobe saga isn’t just about refunds and transcripts. It’s a case study in what happens when process replaces accountability. Leaders should note: customers forgive errors, but not obfuscation. A single transparent conversation beats weeks of scripted stonewalling. Systemic fixes must empower frontline staff with clarity, authority, and accurate tools—otherwise, they become unwitting agents of frustration. The real cost isn’t the refund; it’s the erosion of trust.
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