My Story

This is a factual account of my personal experience with Cal AI, a calorie counting app available on the Apple App Store. All statements are based on documented email correspondence.

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How It Started

In early January 2026, I started using Cal AI with a free trial. Before the trial ended, I decided to subscribe to the Family Plan so that my family members could also use the app. Apple charged me $59.99 for the Family Plan on January 7, 2026.

The next day, January 8, Apple also charged me $19.99 for an Unlimited (Premium) Plan. I did not intentionally subscribe to this second plan — I had already paid for the Family Plan, which includes premium features.

The Problem

Despite paying $59.99 for the Family Plan, the app did not recognize my subscription. Instead:

• The app showed me as having the Premium plan, not the Family Plan.
• It offered me an "Upgrade to Family Plan" option — for a plan I had already paid for.
• The Family Plan appeared as canceled/expiring in my subscription view.
• I could not add or invite family members.
• I tried Restore Purchase, logging out/in, and updating the app. Nothing worked.

First Attempts: Ignored and Deflected (Jan 7–21)

I first contacted Cal AI support through the in-app support form around January 7–8, right after the duplicate charges appeared. Over the next two weeks, I sent multiple messages across separate support threads. Here's what happened:

• Support couldn't find my account. The first response said they couldn't find any subscription for my user ID — likely because Apple's "Hide My Email" feature masked my real address. I provided my real email, but they sent the exact same canned response again.
• I was told to try "Restore Purchase" — which I had already done and reported in my initial message.
• I asked for a human agent. The responses felt automated. Support replied asking me to try "Restore Purchase" again.
• I forwarded the entire thread to support@calai.app with all details. Support responded saying my email "did not include any details." The forwarded thread was apparently invisible to them.

The Detailed Escalation (Jan 21)

Frustrated after two weeks and multiple threads going nowhere, I composed a comprehensive new email with full Apple order details, receipts, and a clear list of requests:

1. Restore my Family Plan entitlement so I could use the features I paid for.
2. Explain why the Family Plan showed as canceled.
3. Refund or credit the unintended $19.99 Unlimited charge.

What Followed: 3 More Weeks of Nothing

Over the next three weeks (January 21 – February 9, 2026), I exchanged many more emails with the same support agent, "Madina." Here's what the experience was like:

• Every response was nearly identical. The same phrases appeared over and over: "I understand your frustration," "our technical team is actively investigating," and the same link to Apple's refund page.
• The refund was repeatedly deflected to Apple, even after I explained multiple times that Apple had already declined my refund request.
• No technical explanation was ever provided. When I specifically asked for technical details about the problem, I received vague language about a "synchronization error" and "data mismatch" without any concrete information.
• I questioned whether I was speaking to a human. The repetitive, formulaic nature of the responses led me to ask directly: "Are you an AI agent? I demand my case be handled by a human agent." The response assured me I was speaking with a human — then continued with the same copy-paste pattern.
• The Family Plan was never restored. After nearly 5 weeks total and 32 messages across multiple threads, the issue remained completely unresolved.

The Pattern

In my opinion, the pattern of support responses suggests, at minimum, a heavily templated support process that prioritizes closing tickets over solving problems. Every response followed the same structure:

1. Acknowledge frustration
2. State the technical team is "investigating"
3. Redirect refund responsibility to Apple
4. Thank for patience

This cycle repeated for weeks, with no variation and no progress.

Where Things Stand

As of February 2026:

• I paid $79.98 total ($59.99 + $19.99) for Cal AI subscriptions.
• The Family Plan features were never activated.
• No refund was issued for either charge.
• Apple declined to refund the $19.99 charge.
• Cal AI support stopped providing useful responses.

Read the Email Exchange →

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