Should rename it as blind ranker instead.
Why is Ranktracker smelly?
Tens of thousands of customers are unable to access their accounts after paying for the software.
Easy, just cancel right?
The problem is these customers have already paid upfront and were guaranteed lifetime access.
Could it be a bug then?
No. The Ranktracker team created a new “support plan” upsell. Despite its name, it’s really a way to lock accounts unless users pay more.
Users must pay $99 a year for this new “support plan” to access their data. This might be okay if the terms were clear upfront. But they only revealed this after people paid and the refund period ended. Many customers wouldn’t have bought if they knew this before.
This is a classic bait and switch. In fact, I’d call it a scam.
What is Ranktracker?
Ranktracker is an SEO tool that helps you research keywords, analyze competition, and track search rankings to boost site traffic.
But it’s unclear if it works because paying customers can’t access their accounts.
Features :
Monitor Keywords: monitor your chosen keywords and your website’s relevance as it moves up and down the search engine results page.
Find Keyword: simply enter a word or phrase to see all relevant results, including long-tail keywords and niche SEO searches.
Discover SERP Features: explore Google SERP info for any terms, plus additional search features like maps, reviews, snippets, and shopping links.
Localized Results: SERPs can even be localized for specific countries, regions, cities, or neighborhoods to offer the best keyword opportunities for targeted segments of your audience.
Web Audit: provide statistics for your domain’s feature characteristics, SEO metrics, and index statuses within popular search engines.
Customer Concerns with Ranktracker:
Paying customers face account deactivation unless they upgrade.
Support ignores customer questions.
Accounts posting negative reviews get deleted.
Company buys fake reviews to boost ratings.
Crowdfunding investments seem risky given the company’s track record.
Founder and staff infiltrate online communities, targeting and deleting accounts of critics.
Screenshots of Ranktracker complaints from victims appear on social media.
Real people voice their frustration. Public platforms like G2 and Capterra are more likely to have fake positive reviews that were bought.
This user said:
“Ranktracker seems not only to actively block LTDs and force a paid "support plan" but they also seem to terminate ANY account that is leaving a negative review on Trustpilot, Capterra, or others. It´s stupid to try to blackmail me with "terminating my account" while I can´t access my account anyway because I am not willing to pay them more money.
However, it clearly shows that it really hurts them to get negative reviews, so I really want to motivate everybody who feels scammed by Racktracker to also write a negative review!”
Another user:
“Ranktracker again tried to flag my review. Because Trustpilot don't send you notice I was a bit perplexed as it had been verified, and when I went to look at the reviews again I saw it was suspended, so wrote them a response. and it's back up again! IF You have created a negative review for rank tracker please check it hasn't been suspended, and please write to them to get it reinstated. Take a screenshot of your account and today's date next to it from windows clock or a newspaper or something. Also, I created a whistleblower report. I think they've properly fucked up. I'm not going to put details here, but if you want to know, and you have a vested interest and are willing to put in a report, dm me and i'll let you know what i've done.”
Source: https://ranktracker-felix.blogspot.com/2024/01/ranktracker-felix-scam.html
This was posted on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/appsumo/comments/14f7o04/ranktracker_and_fliki_are_mongst_those_ltd_that/
And if you search “Ranktracker scam” on Google, you’ll find a few more victims sharing their experiences.
Joe from Loudegg says:
Disappointing SEO Tool Performance and Customer Support
Dashboard now requires payment for support to use the tool
Backlink Checker accuracy concern
Stay away from Rank Tracker
Anil says:
I was not able to log in to my account.
I was not able to use the app.
I was very disappointed to see that they are charging $82 per year for the support. If I don’t pay $82 per year, I will not be able to use the app.
Meet The Person Behind The Scam
Just so we're on the same page, we're going to link to Felix's accounts that we found online so you know who to watch out for. What he did was so unethical that he even became our first Smelly Founder.
Final Words on Ranktracker
Companies that pull bait-and-switch tactics are shooting themselves in the foot.
Instead of building a loyal fan base, they're chasing quick profits. This strategy backfires. Most folks I know didn't fall for it. They saw it as a loss and moved on to other tools.
It's a clear lesson for business owners: be honest, make your customers happy, and they'll gladly support you. They'll upgrade and tell their friends about you.
Don't copy RankTracker's playbook.
Rating: 💩💩💩💩💩 Very smelly
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