I wanted to share my experience with Flux.ai to warn other engineers and hobbyists. Their YouTube ads make it look like a revolutionary PCB AI tool, but their billing practices are predatory.
The First Trap: I signed up for a trial, found the AI features to be underwhelming, and the ACUs (credits) vanished almost instantly. I cancelled my subscription via their website immediately. To my surprise, I was still charged $20 once the trial ended.
The Deceptive Promise: I didn't touch the 20 ACUs and contacted support for a refund. They refused, claiming they don’t refund "used products." However, the agent explicitly told me that since I already paid, I could use the 20 ACUs within the month and promised: "you will not be charged again afterward."
The Second Trap (The "Auto-Top-Up" Scam): Trusting their email, I went back to use the credits I was forced to pay for. While I still had 7.2 ACUs remaining, their system suddenly triggered an automatic "top-up" and charged my card ANOTHER $20 without any warning or confirmation screen.
The Arrogant Response: When I reached out again, their support (Trevor) became incredibly arrogant (see the attached screenshot). He basically blamed me for "choosing" to incur charges, despite their previous promise that no more charges would occur. They have now closed my ticket and refused further communication.
Evidence:
- Current Status: 27.2 / 40 ACUs (Proof that I haven't even touched the second $20 worth of credits).
- Trustpilot/Reddit: After this happened, I checked online and found dozens of users with the exact same story. Their "Cancel" button in the UI is reportedly a decoy; you apparently have to manually email them to actually stop the billing.
Conclusion: Avoid Flux.ai. They use "Dark Patterns" to trap users into unauthorized charges. If you’ve been charged, don’t bother with their support—go straight to your bank and file a chargeback for "unauthorized transactions."