Independent profile. Not owned, sponsored or endorsed by Character.AI.
Character.AI Reviews, Complaints & Contacts
Character.AI is the consumer AI chatbot and companion app operated by Character Technologies, Inc., which filed for Chapter 11 on October 12, 2026 to sell its business, with Disney as stalking-horse bidder for part of the assets. This page covers how to cancel c.ai+, delete or export data, the BBB and Trustpilot figures as displayed on 2026-10-20, the FTC study orders and the state attorney general actions.
Contacts
- Official websitecharacter.ai ↗
Customer service & general contact
- C.AI Help Centersupport.character.ai/hc/en-us ↗
Privacy requests
- Privacy requests[email protected]
Other contacts
- Submit a ticketsupport.character.ai/hc/en-us/requests/new ↗
Locations
- Headquarters2114 Broadway Redwood City CA 94063
- Mailing address700 El Camino Real, Suite 120, P.O. Box 1152 Menlo Park CA 94025
Is Character.AI Legitimate?
- Legal name
- Character Technologies, Inc.
- Business type
- Consumer AI chatbot and companion app (website and mobile app) operated by Character Technologies, Inc., a Delaware bankruptcy debtor since October 12, 2026 (Chapter 11 sale process), with free and paid c.ai+ / c.ai lite tiers
- Website
- character.aiSource: Debtor's website listed in the Voluntary Petition, checked 2026-10-20
- Headquarters
- Redwood City, CASource: Voluntary Petition, Doc 1, item 4: principal place of business 2114 Broadway, Redwood City, CA 94063, checked 2026-10-20
Character Technologies, Inc., doing business as Character.AI, is a corporation with a principal place of business in Redwood City, California, listed as the debtor in a Chapter 11 case filed October 12, 2026. Its website is character.ai, it publishes Terms of Service and a Privacy Policy, and it runs a Help Center with a ticket form. BBB lists the business as not accredited with a C- rating (see the complaint section), and the FTC named it as one of seven chatbot providers receiving study orders in September 2025. Court filings show state regulators and private plaintiffs have made allegations about its safety and privacy practices, and they contain no court finding of liability against the company. The company says the service is running during the sale process and will be wound down if no buyer continues it.
Independent Sources
Shown for context — not merged with USAComplaints' own numbers.
Complaint and review record
All figures are as displayed on 2026-10-20 and are not combined with each other.
- BBB (profile for Character.ai, Menlo Park, CA): not BBB Accredited; BBB rating C-. BBB gives as reasons for the rating a failure to respond to 1 complaint and 4 complaints filed against the business. The complaints tab shows 4 complaints in the last 3 years, 2 of them in the last 12 months. The reviews tab shows an average of 1.25 out of 5 from 4 customer reviews.
- Trustpilot (character.ai): 1.2 from 740 reviews; the profile is unclaimed and Trustpilot says it does not fact-check reviews.
- This site's archive: No published complaint reports are currently linked to this profile.
BBB and Trustpilot entries are allegations or opinions of the people who posted them. We have not verified them.
Had an experience with Character.AI? Tell other people what happened.
Submit a ComplaintCharacter.AI: what to do now (cancel, data, complaints)
Checked on 2026-10-20. On Oct 12, 2026 Character Technologies, Inc. filed for Chapter 11 protection to sell its business; its own blog post of that date says the platform remains up and running and that, if no purchase continues the platform, it will be wound down.
More detailShow less
The company expects the sale process to finish by the end of November or early December 2026. Details are in the litigation section.
Subscriptions (c.ai+). The company says paid subscriptions remain active, billing is unchanged for now, and that if the service changes in a way that affects paid features it intends to notify subscribers in advance. Its Help Center article on managing a c.ai+ subscription says: for subscriptions started on the website go to Settings > Account > Manage, which sends a secure customer-portal link to the account email; if the plan is managed by an app store, follow the App Subscriptions section of the same article (cancel through Apple or Google). A separate c.ai+ FAQ says to go to your profile and click "Cancel My Subscription" and lists credit card, Apple Pay and Google Pay as payment methods. The two articles describe different click paths. The Terms of Service (last updated August 27, 2025) say: "You can cancel your paid subscription at any time. Payments are non-refundable, except where required by law." Keep screenshots of the charge and of any cancellation confirmation, and ask Apple or Google about app-store charges.
Your data. The company's blog post says user information continues to be protected under its Privacy Policy and that you can delete your account or export your data through the app or the website. The Help Center article on downloading data (edited 2026-10-08) says "exports can take 3-4 weeks to process" and that the emailed link "will be valid for 7 days"; on the web the path is Profile > Profile Settings > Account > Manage Account & Data > Export Data.
More detailShow less
The article on deleting an account says "Account Deletion is permanent and cannot be reversed" (path: Profile Settings > Account > Manage Account & Data > Delete Account). Because an export can take weeks and the company's proposed sale dates fall on November 20-24, 2026 (see the litigation section), the order in which you export and delete is yours to decide.
The Privacy Policy (effective July 1, 2026) says under Business Transfers: "We may disclose certain information, in connection with or during negotiations or closing of any merger, sale of company assets, financing, or acquisition of all or a portion of our business to another company."
More detailShow less
It also says: "If a Character you create has been made available to other users, then we reserve the right to preserve that Character's characteristics and to keep that Character active on the Services, even if you otherwise delete your data and your account." It names the ticket form at support.character.ai/hc/en-us/requests/new and [email protected] for rights requests. The state attorneys general told the bankruptcy court that purchasers should allow all consumers to delete their data before any sale of that data; whether that will be ordered is not decided in the documents.
Complaints and official routes. The company's Help Center has a ticket form (Submit a ticket). The FTC's page on its chatbot inquiry points consumers to ReportFraud.ftc.gov for bad business practices, and the attorneys general named in the court filing handle consumer complaints in their states. The company's blog links to a case website run by its claims and noticing agent, Stretto, at cases.stretto.com/chartech, which lists a case information line, 833-787-0667. The Notice of Commencement on that site says the proof-of-claim deadline is "Not yet set" and that notice will be sent if one is set; it sets the meeting of creditors for November 19, 2026 by video link.
Regulator and state actions
FTC study, September 2025. On September 11, 2025 the Federal Trade Commission announced it was issuing orders to seven companies that provide consumer-facing AI chatbots, listing Character Technologies, Inc. among them, to seek information on how they measure, test and monitor possible negative impacts on children and teens. The FTC states it is using 6(b) authority, "which authorizes the Commission to conduct wide-ranging studies that do not have a specific law enforcement purpose," and that the Commission voted 3-0 to issue the orders. It is a study, not a finding against any company.
Texas. A Texas Attorney General press release dated August 18, 2025 says the Attorney General "has opened an investigation into" AI chatbot platforms including Meta AI Studio and Character.AI for potentially engaging in deceptive trade practices and misleadingly marketing themselves as mental health tools, and that he has issued Civil Investigative Demands to the companies involved. It is an investigation announcement.
Kentucky. According to the States' notice filed in the bankruptcy case on Oct 14, 2026, Kentucky filed a civil enforcement action on January 8, 2026 against Character Technologies and its co-founders in Franklin Circuit Court, Commonwealth ex rel. Coleman v. Character Techs., Inc., No. 26-CI-00029. These are the state's allegations. The complaint exhibit's pages are stamped "Filed 26-CI-00029 10/07/2026" by the Franklin Circuit Clerk, while the notice gives January 8, 2026 as the filing date; we do not know what the October 7 stamp reflects.
More on regulatorsShow less
Pennsylvania. A petition filed May 1, 2026 by the Pennsylvania Department of State, State Board of Medicine, in the Commonwealth Court (No. 220 MD 2026) asks the court to restrain the alleged unlawful practice of medicine under the Medical Practice Act. The States' notice says it claims a Character.AI character held itself out as a licensed medical doctor.
Multistate notice, October 2026. On Oct 14, 2026 a coalition of state attorneys general and the District of Columbia filed a Notice of Interest and Reservation of Rights in the bankruptcy case. The notice says several states issued subpoenas or civil investigative demands, that the states "found serious issues" that "may constitute violations of state-specific laws," and that the states worked with the company on terms but did not reach agreement before the filing. It lists issues including chatbots posing as licensed professionals, minors' exposure to explicit sexual content and self-harm content, age assurance, safety representations and compliance with state privacy laws. The notice also says the company has restricted users it identifies as under 18 from open-ended chat, and that the restriction can be circumvented and could be rolled back by a purchaser. The states say they want any buyer to maintain age assurance, protections for minors, crisis safeguards, a privacy program and account-level opt-outs, and they reserve the right to seek a consumer privacy ombudsman and to object to any sale. This is a statement of the states' position; the company has not been found liable by any court in these documents.
Bankruptcy case and lawsuits
Chapter 11 case. Character Technologies, Inc. filed a voluntary Chapter 11 petition on October 12, 2026 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, Case No. 26-11603 (BLS). A declaration (Doc 17) filed Oct 13, 2026 by a managing director of Houlihan Capital, which the declaration says will apply to be retained as the company's investment banker, says that before the filing the company agreed with Disney Worldwide Services, Inc. to a stalking-horse arrangement: Disney would hire the majority of the company's workforce, provide transition services for up to five months, and pay $20 million in cash consideration, of which $7.5 million was to be paid before the filing, for what the filings call the "Disney Target Assets." The bidding-procedures motion (Doc 15) says these include "a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive license to certain of the Debtor's intellectual property and related technology" and the purchase of unreleased claims, if any, against the newly hired employees, and that the company otherwise retains its assets, which other bidders may also seek to acquire. The company's press release likewise describes a non-exclusive perpetual license of certain intellectual property and certain company claims. The sale is subject to higher or otherwise better offers, and the declaration says the stalking-horse agreement has an outside date for closing of December 17, 2026. The declaration also says about 28 potential parties were approached before the filing and that feedback cited the "litigation and regulatory overhang." The motion text contains no statement that user data or chat logs would be transferred to Disney.
More on the lawsuitsShow less
The docket shows a hearing on the bidding-procedures motion on October 30, 2026 (objections due October 23, 2026), a hearing on a lease-rejection motion on November 17, 2026, and the meeting of creditors on November 19, 2026. The motion proposes, subject to the court's approval of the bidding procedures: sale objection deadline November 13, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. ET; bid deadline November 20, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. ET; auction November 23, 2026; sale hearing November 24, 2026. These dates are proposed, not ordered. The States' notice is docket entry 33; notices of appearance by New Jersey and Massachusetts and by the NAAG client states appear on the docket as of Oct 15, 2026.
Private lawsuits cited by the states. The States' notice says a wrongful-death suit filed in October 2024, Garcia v. Character Technologies, No. 6:24-cv-01903 (M.D. Fla.), alleges a 14-year-old died by suicide after interactions with a chatbot, and it cites later suits. Those are plaintiffs' allegations, and none was decided on the merits in the documents. Docket status as read on CourtListener on 2026-10-20 (settlement terms are not public on the dockets):
- Garcia: CourtListener lists the case as terminated January 7, 2026. A March 25, 2026 order refers to a requested seal "until the settlement is finalized"; orders in April and August 2026 extended the deadline to move for a stipulated final order or to reopen the case; a notice of voluntary dismissal was filed October 15, 2026, and an order was entered October 19, 2026.
- Montoya, No. 1:25-cv-02907 (D. Colo.): notice of voluntary dismissal with prejudice filed Oct 14, 2026; order of Oct 15, 2026 says the case "shall be dismissed with prejudice."
- P.J., No. 1:25-cv-01295 (N.D.N.Y.): a January 2026 letter advised the court of a settlement in principle; an order dismissing the case was entered Oct 15, 2026.
- A.F., No. 2:24-cv-01014 (E.D. Tex.): a joint motion and notice of settlement was filed January 6, 2026; a dismissal entry appears on Oct 15, 2026.
- E.S., No. 1:25-cv-02906 (D. Colo.): stayed pending finalization of a settlement agreement; an Aug 2, 2026 order requires a joint status report by October 29, 2026 if no dismissal notice has been filed.
- A.D., No. 3:26-cv-08400 (N.D. Cal.), filed August 13, 2026: pending on the docket.
- D.W., No. 2:25-cv-00824 (E.D. Va.): dismissed April 13, 2026 under Rule 4(m) for failure to serve.
Minors in these cases are identified by initials or not at all. A CourtListener search also listed other 2025-2026 cases captioned against Character Technologies, Inc., including two commercial cases with Applied Digital Corporation shown as terminated August 11, 2026.
Court & Public Records
In re Character Technologies, Inc.
FiledNo sale order had been entered on the docket as read on 2026-10-20.
Case details: In re Character Technologies, Inc.Show less
Voluntary Chapter 11 petition by Character Technologies, Inc. to pursue a court-supervised sale of all or substantially all of its assets, with Disney Worldwide Services, Inc. designated as stalking-horse bidder for the Disney Target Assets. A bidding-procedures hearing was set for October 30, 2026 and the meeting of creditors for November 19, 2026.
Commonwealth ex rel. Coleman v. Character Technologies, Inc.
FiledWe did not read a ruling.
Case details: Commonwealth ex rel. Coleman v. Character Technologies, Inc.Show less
Civil enforcement action by the Commonwealth of Kentucky against Character Technologies, Inc. and its co-founders, as described in the States' notice filed in the bankruptcy case on Oct 14, 2026. The complaint is attached to that notice.
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of State, State Board of Medicine v. Character Technologies, Inc.
FiledWe did not read a ruling.
Case details: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of State, State Board of Medicine v. Character Technologies, Inc.Show less
Petition for review in the nature of a complaint in equity brought under the Medical Practice Act to restrain the alleged unlawful practice of medicine; the States' notice says it concerns a character holding itself out as a licensed medical doctor.
Garcia v. Character Technologies, Inc.
DismissedThe complaint's claims were allegations and were not decided.
Case details: Garcia v. Character Technologies, Inc.Show less
Wrongful-death suit described in the States' notice as filed Oct 22, 2024, alleging that a chatbot cultivated an emotionally dependent and sexually exploitative relationship with a 14-year-old boy and encouraged suicidal thoughts. CourtListener shows the case terminated on January 7, 2026. Later docket entries refer to a settlement being finalized. A notice of voluntary dismissal was filed October 15, 2026, and the court entered an order on October 19, 2026 whose text we did not read. Settlement terms are not on the docket.
Montoya v. Character Technologies, Inc.
DismissedThe claims were plaintiffs' allegations and were not decided.
Case details: Montoya v. Character Technologies, Inc.Show less
Plaintiffs filed a notice of voluntary dismissal with prejudice on Oct 14, 2026; the Oct 15, 2026 order says the case shall be dismissed with prejudice.
P.J. v. Character Technologies, Inc.
DismissedThe claims were plaintiffs' allegations and were not decided.
Case details: P.J. v. Character Technologies, Inc.Show less
A January 2026 letter advised the court of a settlement in principle and the case was stayed; an order dismissing the case was entered Oct 15, 2026. Settlement terms are not public on the docket.
A.F., on behalf of J.F. v. Character Technologies, Inc.
DismissedThe claims were plaintiffs' allegations and were not decided.
Case details: A.F., on behalf of J.F. v. Character Technologies, Inc.Show less
A joint motion to stay all deadlines and notice of settlement was filed Jan 6, 2026 by the company, co-defendants Google LLC, Alphabet Inc. and Noam Shazeer, and others; a dismissal entry appears on Oct 15, 2026. Settlement terms are not public on the docket.
E.S. v. Character Technologies, Inc.
FiledSettlement terms are not public on the docket.
Case details: E.S. v. Character Technologies, Inc.Show less
Stayed pending finalization of a settlement agreement (order of Jan 6, 2026); an Aug 2, 2026 order requires a joint status report on or before October 29, 2026 if no notice of dismissal has been filed, and says the matter remains stayed.
Who operates Character.AI
The Terms of Service (last updated August 27, 2025) say they are an agreement between the user and Character Technologies, Inc., covering the Character.AI website and mobile app. The voluntary bankruptcy petition lists the same name, with Character.AI as another name used, a principal place of business at 2114 Broadway, Redwood City, California, and a mailing address at 700 El Camino Real, Suite 120, P.O. Box 1152, Menlo Park, California.
The company describes Character.AI as an AI entertainment platform. The States' notice describes it as a chatbot product where users interact with AI "characters" created by the company and by users, and says the paid tiers are c.ai+ ($9.99 per month or $94.99 per year) and c.ai lite ($2.49 per week or $4.99 per month), citing the company's subscribe page as visited Oct 13, 2026. The same notice cites company records of more than 21.6 million U.S. accounts created by March 13, 2025, including more than 2.1 million with a declared age under 18.
More company historyShow less
Terms. The Terms of Service carry a notice that they contain an arbitration clause and class action waiver and say users may opt out of arbitration as explained in the dispute-resolution section. They say people under 13 (or under 16 in the EEA or UK) should not sign up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Character.AI shutting down?
The company's blog post of Oct 12, 2026 says the platform remains up and running, that it hopes the court-supervised sale will produce a proposal allowing continued operations, and that if no such bid is available the platform will be wound down. It expects the sale process to be complete by the end of November or early December 2026.
Who operates Character.AI?
The Terms of Service (last updated August 27, 2025) name Character Technologies, Inc. as the party to the user agreement. The bankruptcy petition lists the same company, with Character.AI as another name used, and a principal place of business in Redwood City, California.
What is Disney's role in the Character.AI bankruptcy?
The declaration of a managing director of Houlihan Capital, the company's proposed investment banker, states that Disney Worldwide Services, Inc. is the stalking-horse bidder for the Disney Target Assets at $20 million in cash consideration, with Disney hiring most of the workforce and providing transition services. The bidding-procedures motion describes those assets as a perpetual, non-exclusive license to certain intellectual property and technology plus claims, if any, against the newly hired employees, not a purchase of the whole platform. The sale is subject to higher or better offers, and a bidding-procedures hearing was set for October 30, 2026.
How do I cancel c.ai+?
The Help Center says website subscribers go to Settings > Account > Manage and use an emailed customer-portal link, and app-store subscribers cancel through the app store; a separate c.ai+ FAQ says to click "Cancel My Subscription" on your profile. The Terms of Service say: "Payments are non-refundable, except where required by law." The company says subscriptions remain active and billing is unchanged for now.
Can I delete my account or export my chats?
The company's blog post says you can delete your account or export your data through the app or the website, and its Privacy Policy (effective July 1, 2026) lists a ticket form and [email protected] for rights requests. The Help Center says exports can take 3-4 weeks and that account deletion is permanent. The state attorneys general say in their court notice that consumers should be allowed to delete their data before any sale of it.
What have state attorneys general said about Character.AI?
On Oct 14, 2026 a coalition of states and the District of Columbia filed a notice in the bankruptcy case saying their investigations found issues that may violate state law, including chatbots posing as licensed professionals, minors' exposure to harmful content, age assurance, safety representations and privacy compliance. Kentucky separately filed suit on January 8, 2026. These are the states' allegations and positions.
Did the FTC take action against Character.AI?
On September 11, 2025 the FTC issued 6(b) study orders to seven companies, including Character Technologies, Inc., about chatbots acting as companions. The FTC says 6(b) studies do not have a specific law enforcement purpose.
What is Character.AI's BBB rating?
As displayed on 2026-10-20, BBB shows Character.ai, Menlo Park, CA as not accredited with a C- rating, 4 complaints in the last 3 years (2 in the last 12 months) and an average of 1.25 out of 5 from 4 customer reviews. BBB gives a failure to respond to 1 complaint as a reason for the rating.
Sources (16)
Character.AI (own site)
- Company post 'An update on Character.ai' dated Oct 12, 2026 blog.character.ai
- Terms of Service, 'Last Updated: August 27, 2025': an agreement 'formed between you and Character Technolog… character.ai
- Help Center: how to delete my account support.character.ai
- Help Center: how to manage or cancel c.ai+ support.character.ai
- Help Center: how to download my data, edited 2026-10-08 support.character.ai
Public records
- Voluntary Petition, In re Character Technologies, Inc., No. 26-11603 storage.courtlistener.com
- Declaration of Adam Dunayer, Doc 17, filed 2026-10-13 storage.courtlistener.com
- States' Notice of Interest and Reservation of Rights, Doc 33, filed 2026-10-14 storage.courtlistener.com
- CourtListener docket 74951888, In re Character Technologies, Inc. courtlistener.com
- FTC press release of September 11, 2025 ftc.gov
- Texas Attorney General press release, August 18, 2025 texasattorneygeneral.gov
Review sites
- BBB profile, complaints and reviews tabs bbb.org
- Trustpilot profile trustpilot.com
Other
- Claims agent case site and docket cases.stretto.com
- Debtor's bidding-procedures motion, Doc 15 cases.stretto.com
- Company press release via Business Wire, Oct 12, 2026 businesswire.com