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Yahoo Reviews & Complaints

Yahoo Inc., based at 770 Broadway in New York, runs Yahoo Mail and other consumer web services; in the U.S., Yahoo Finance is provided by Yahoo Finance LLC. In 2021, funds managed by Apollo affiliates acquired Yahoo from Verizon, which kept a 10% stake at that time. This page covers recovering a locked or hacked account, cancelling Yahoo Mail Plus, the 14-day Mail Plus refund request, reaching real Yahoo support and avoiding fake support numbers.

REVIEWS & COMPLAINTS204on USAComplaints · none in last 3 yrs · latest 2015
WEBSITEyahoo.com
HEADQUARTERSNew York, NY
PROFILE CHECKED2026-11-02
Submit a Complaint Read reviews & complaints ↓ Official website ↗
VERIFIED

Contacts & Login

Customer service & general contact

Account & login

Settlements & legal notices

Other contacts

VERIFIED

Locations

  • Headquarters770 Broadway New York NY 10003
EDITORIAL

What to do about a Yahoo account, billing or subscription problem

Locked out or hacked. Yahoo's sign-in help says to use the Sign-in Helper and "enter your recovery phone number or email address to reset your password or find your Yahoo ID." An account locked after too many failed attempts "will unlock automatically after 12 hours." If someone changed your password, Yahoo says to get back in through the Sign-in Helper, change the password, then "review your account settings to undo changes you didn't make." Yahoo also warns that if your recovery information is wrong or out of reach, "you may not be able to regain access to your account again"; in that case it says you can sign up for a new account and keep its recovery details up to date. If money was taken or your identity was misused, report it at IdentityTheft.gov or ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Cancel Yahoo Mail Plus. On the web, sign in to your Subscriptions page, select the subscription, click Manage next to "Subscribed since," choose Cancel, pick a reason and click Cancel subscription. In the Yahoo Mail app: Profile icon, Settings, Manage subscription, Cancel subscription. For Mail Plus bought through the App Store or Google Play, billing is managed by that store and the store's refund policy applies.

Refund. Yahoo's Mail Plus help page says to "contact us within 14 days" of the initial purchase or an annual renewal to request a refund, with one refund per customer; this applies to Mail Plus bought at mail.yahoo.com. The Terms of Service say renewing subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 48 hours before the end of the period (section 11(b)(v)) and that "All charges are nonrefundable unless provided otherwise in the terms you agree to" (section 11(b)(viii)), so the 14-day Mail Plus request is the refund route Yahoo itself offers. Separately, the Terms require you to tell Yahoo about any billing problem or discrepancy within 90 days after it first appears on your billing statement; after that, they say, you waive the right to dispute it. If you spot a wrong charge after the 14 days, still report it to Yahoo within those 90 days.

Read the rest of this section

Finding real Yahoo support. Yahoo's article on legitimate communications says: "Don't use internet search engines to find Yahoo contact info," because the results may lead to malicious websites and fake support, and to "always go directly to Yahoo Help Central for legitimate Yahoo customer support." It also says "We never ask for personal info, such as credit cards or passwords, in emails." To reach a person, go to Yahoo Help Central, choose the product and use Contact Us where it is offered; Yahoo says help comes by email, chat or help articles depending on the issue, that it does not have a contact option for every product or issue, and that you can also reach it on Facebook and X. Yahoo's customer support page gives no phone number.

Disputing a card charge. If Yahoo does not fix a billing error, the FTC says to send a written dispute so that it reaches the card issuer within 60 days after the first bill with the error was sent, using the address for billing inquiries and not the payment address. You can also file a complaint with the BBB, your state attorney general, or the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Data breach settlement. The claim deadline in the 2020 user settlement over the 2013 to 2016 breaches has passed. People who filed a valid claim and have questions about a payment can call the settlement administrator at 1-844-702-2788.

EDITORIAL

Company Information

Legal name
Yahoo Inc.
Business type
Internet media and email company; mail, finance and other consumer web services
Website
yahoo.comSource: Yahoo Terms of Service, checked 2026-11-02
Headquarters
New York, NYSource: Yahoo Terms of Service, section 14.2, checked 2026-11-02
Owned by
Apollo Global Management fundsSource: Apollo news release on the Yahoo acquisition, checked 2026-11-02

Operator: Yahoo Inc., 770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003 (Terms of Service, section 14.2). Owner: in 2021, funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management acquired Yahoo (details under Who runs Yahoo). Governing law: New York for U.S. users (section 14.2(e)). Disputes: section 14.2(b) provides for arbitration as "the sole and exclusive means of resolving any dispute" between user and Yahoo, and section 14.2(c) states that the Terms "do not allow class or collective arbitrations." Under section 14.2(b)(ix), a user can opt out within 30 days of the later of first agreeing to the version of the Terms dated May 15, 2025 (or a later version) or first using the services, by email to [email protected] with the subject line "ARBITRATION OPT-OUT." The Terms add that any prior valid opt-out continues to apply. Before starting arbitration, either side must give the other written notice of the dispute at least 60 days in advance (section 14.2(b)(i)); notice to Yahoo goes by mail to Yahoo, Attn: Disputes, 770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003, or by email to [email protected], and must include your name, the nature of the claim, the relief you want and your Yahoo ID or Yahoo email address.

EXTERNAL SOURCE

Independent Sources

Shown for context — not merged with USAComplaints' own numbers.

BBBComplaints in the last 3 years (996 in the last 12 months)
435 reviews · 4,033 complaints · BBB business grade F · average customer rating 1.06 / 5
TrustpilotAll reviews on the company's claimed page
3,455 reviews · TrustScore 1.2 / 5
CONSUMER ALLEGATION

Reviews & Complaints on USAComplaints

USAComplaints currently maintains 204 historical complaints about Yahoo, published between 2000 and 2015. No approved complaints have been published on this site during the last three years. For a current reputation snapshot, see the independent sources on this page.

Show 15 more on this page
EDITORIAL

Complaint Themes

Charges after cancellingLocked, hacked or deleted email accountsDomain, Small Business and Stores billingYahoo Personals billingMusic downloads and MusicmatchContent, chat and toolbar complaints

Themes summarize what people write about most often. One complaint can touch several themes, and some complaints (a positive report, or one later retracted by its author) fit none, so themes are not a count of complaints.

Had an experience with Yahoo? Tell other people what happened.

Submit a Complaint
EDITORIAL

Complaint reports in this site's archive

204 published complaint reports are linked to this profile. They were submitted by users between 1999 and 2015. The reports describe: charges after cancelling a trial or subscription (Yahoo Personals, Mail Plus, Music Unlimited, domain and web-hosting renewals); email accounts that were locked, hacked or deleted; Yahoo Small Business, Yahoo Stores, Geocities and web hosting billing and access disputes; Musicmatch and Yahoo Music downloads that stopped playing after the services changed; and content, chat, advertising and toolbar complaints. Reports about third parties who only used a Yahoo email address or Yahoo Messenger, about merchants selling through Yahoo Stores or Auctions, and about partner-run services such as Travelocity bookings made through Yahoo Travel or American Greetings memberships sold as Yahoo Greetings, are not linked to this profile.

Each report is one user's account. The reports are allegations that Yahoo did not answer here, and many concern products that no longer exist. BBB and Trustpilot figures are shown separately on this page and are not added to these reports.

EDITORIAL

Data breaches: SEC penalty and class settlement

SEC penalty. On April 24, 2018 the SEC announced that Altaba Inc., formerly Yahoo! Inc., agreed to pay a $35 million penalty for failing to disclose to investors a December 2014 breach in which Russian hackers stole data on hundreds of millions of user accounts. The SEC said Yahoo's security staff learned of the intrusion within days, but the breach was not disclosed until 2016, during Verizon's acquisition of the operating business. Altaba "neither admitted nor denied" the findings. Altaba is the company that remained after Verizon bought Yahoo's operating business in June 2017; it is a different company from today's Yahoo Inc.

User class action. Users sued over the breaches that occurred from 2013 through 2016, and the cases were combined in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California as In re Yahoo! Inc. Customer Data Security Breach Litigation, 5:16-md-02752. Judge Lucy Koh granted final approval of a $117,500,000 class settlement on July 21, 2020; the defendants were Yahoo! Inc. and Aabaco Small Business, LLC. The fund paid for credit monitoring or an alternative cash payment, out-of-pocket losses and payments to people who had paid for Yahoo Mail or Aabaco Small Business services. The claim deadline was July 20, 2020, so new claims cannot be filed. The settlement administrator reports that the initial distribution is complete and that a residual distribution to valid claimants who chose the alternative cash payment began on June 4, 2026. Claimants with questions can call the administrator at 1-844-702-2788.

PUBLIC RECORD

Court & Public Records

In re Yahoo! Inc. Customer Data Security Breach Litigation

Settled

U.S. District Court, Northern District of CaliforniaDocket 5:16-md-02752Source ↗

SettledConsolidated class action by users over the Yahoo data breaches that occurred from 2013 through 2016. Judge Lucy Koh granted final approval of a class settlement on July 21, 2020. Under it, the defendants Yahoo! Inc. and Aabaco Small Business, LLC paid into a $117,500,000 settlement fund covering at least two years of credit monitoring or an alternative cash payment, reimbursement of out-of-pocket losses, and payments to users who had paid for Yahoo Mail or Aabaco Small Business services. The claim deadline was July 20, 2020, so new claims are closed. The settlement administrator reports that the initial distribution is complete and that a residual distribution, limited to valid claimants who chose the alternative cash payment, began on June 4, 2026. The administrator's phone number is 1-844-702-2788.
EDITORIAL

Who runs Yahoo

For U.S. users the Terms of Service name the operating entity as Yahoo Inc. (section 14.2), except that Yahoo Finance is provided by Yahoo Finance LLC. The Terms give the address of all entities as 770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003.

On September 1, 2021, Apollo announced that funds managed by its affiliates had "completed the acquisition of Yahoo - formerly Verizon Media," and that "Verizon has retained a 10% stake in Yahoo." Before that date the business was part of Verizon Media. Yahoo describes itself as "a global media and tech company."

Services that have changed. Yahoo Answers closed on May 4, 2021; requests to download one's own content were accepted until June 30, 2021. Yahoo's help center says Yahoo discontinued some subscription products starting December 13, 2025: every Yahoo subscription except Mail Plus, Mail Storage, Fantasy Plus and Finance, with pro-rated refunds processed automatically when applicable.

VERIFIED

Company Relationships

  • Owned byApollo Global Management funds
  • Affiliated withVerizon
CONSUMER ALLEGATION

Related Complaints

Names this company in a role other than the primary subject — not necessarily current or complete.

EDITORIAL

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I recover a locked or hacked Yahoo account?

Yahoo directs users to the Sign-in Helper at login.yahoo.com/forgot, where you enter your recovery phone number or email address. A locked account unlocks automatically after 12 hours. After regaining access, review account settings to undo changes you did not make. If recovery information is missing or wrong, Yahoo says you may not be able to regain access.

How do I cancel Yahoo Mail Plus?

On the web, open your Yahoo Subscriptions page, select the subscription, click Manage next to "Subscribed since," choose Cancel, give a reason and click Cancel subscription. In the app use Profile, Settings, Manage subscription, Cancel subscription. If the subscription was bought through the App Store or Google Play, cancel there.

Can I get a refund for Yahoo Mail Plus?

Yahoo's help page says to contact Yahoo within 14 days of the initial purchase or an annual renewal to request a refund, and states one refund per customer; this covers Mail Plus bought at mail.yahoo.com. Section 11(b)(viii) of the Terms says charges are nonrefundable unless the terms you agreed to provide otherwise. Store purchases follow the App Store or Google Play refund rules. The Terms also require you to report any billing problem to Yahoo within 90 days after it first appears on your billing statement, or you waive the right to dispute it.

How do I contact Yahoo customer support?

Yahoo says to go directly to Yahoo Help Central at help.yahoo.com and not to use search engines to find Yahoo contact details, because they may lead to malicious websites and fake support services; a phone number found that way may not belong to Yahoo. Yahoo's customer support page gives no phone number: in Help Central you choose the product and use Contact Us where it is offered, and help comes by email, chat or help articles. Yahoo says it does not have a contact option for every product or issue, and it can also be reached on Facebook and X. Yahoo states that it never asks for credit card details or passwords in emails.

Who owns Yahoo now?

In 2021, funds managed by Apollo affiliates acquired Yahoo, then known as Verizon Media: Apollo announced on September 1, 2021 that the acquisition was complete and that Verizon had retained a 10% stake. Yahoo's U.S. Terms of Service name Yahoo Inc. as the operating entity.

Can I sue Yahoo or join a class action?

The Terms of Service for U.S. users provide for individual arbitration and do not allow class or collective arbitration (section 14.2(b) and (c)). Section 14.2(b)(ix) allows opting out by emailing [email protected] with the subject "ARBITRATION OPT-OUT" within 30 days of the later of first agreeing to the version dated May 15, 2025 (or a later version) or first using the services; a prior valid opt-out continues to apply. Before arbitration, either side must send written notice of the dispute at least 60 days in advance; notice to Yahoo goes to Yahoo, Attn: Disputes, 770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003, or to [email protected]. Under section 14.2(b)(vi), either side may instead choose to have a claim resolved in small claims court. Users did bring a class action over the 2013 to 2016 data breaches: it ended in a $117.5 million settlement approved on July 21, 2020, and its claim deadline has passed.

Is Yahoo Answers still available?

Yahoo Answers shut down on May 4, 2021. No new content could be added from April 20, 2021, and users could request a download of their own posted content until June 30, 2021. Closing it did not affect Yahoo accounts or other Yahoo services.

Which Yahoo subscriptions were discontinued in 2025?

Yahoo's help page says that starting December 13, 2025 all Yahoo subscriptions were discontinued with the exception of Mail Plus, Mail Storage, Fantasy Plus and Finance. It states that pro-rated refunds were processed automatically when applicable and that final billing and deactivation dates were sent by email.

What did the SEC order about the Yahoo data breach say?

On April 24, 2018 the SEC announced that Altaba, formerly Yahoo!, agreed to pay a $35 million penalty for failing to disclose to investors a December 2014 breach of user account data, and that it neither admitted nor denied the findings. Altaba is separate from today's Yahoo Inc. Users' own claims over the breaches were handled in a separate class action settled for $117.5 million in 2020.