The problem with Musescore

followup comment!
bobjp- I cannot tell a difference between the websites. As far as I, a normal consumer can tell, the forum posting looks like an extension of the normal website. It isn't exactly the greatest in terms of being clear and concise on how everything is organized, so, as I have not been here for a great while, I wouldn't know.
I didn't want to "Gamble" 50$ either. I needed to download files for a class. Thanks for wishing me well.
jeetee- again, the difference is confusing as you said. I couldn't find forums for that website as I was just redirected to the .org . I read the fine print when signing up and, to my understanding, I would have been able to receive a full refund had I followed a certain criteria (of which I did). I understand that refunding options can be strict but it should be fully clear to the buyer what kind of refund they are able to get when they are getting into the purchase. I shouldn't have to haggle my way to getting a refund if I followed the criteria that was set. I understand completely that musescore pays money to copyright holders, and I may have not made it clear what my frustration was about in my first post. I admit it. I understand that giving money to copyright holders is what makes it legal. I'm talking about the independent composers and arrangers, who I am sure receive no money. It's frustrating to me, personally, just because musescore seems like the "middle-man" to me, more of a vessel where the transactions occur than anything else. All of the creators and composers on this website are absolutely talented and deserve to get a cut of the money if money is to be taken. I get that a website needs money to run. But with their prices I feel the creators themselves should get paid, that's all. I don't have any gripes with missing features at all, I'm saying this software is just old. Not old in a way where it needs to be replaced, but just widespread, well-known, simple. Which is fine, but again, that is what frustrates me about the "middle-man" in all of this. If the software is so simple, and as others put it, "already free", then why not pay the creators instead of pocketing the money?
the other commenters share the same points, so see above if it applies.

But even after all that, the idea of paying creators was not my biggest gripe with musescore, because I know that isn't something that's going to be changed. That's just how the website is going to function, I get it, I don't wanna argue on their behalf or against it on that. My biggest gripe with the website, which everyone happened to gloss over, were the shady business practices. That's what upset me the most, because it sucks to see creators have to use a platform that has these problems. It drives people away from their work, and if they aren't getting paid in money, the least that musescore could do for the creators is build up an OK reputation so that maybe the creators can get some good exposure for their work? The shady shit musescore does just tarnishes the website as a whole for me. The lack of a phone number, the scavenger hunt you have to go on to contact them, the additional digging you have to do to get a refund, the slow responses, the extra fees, the lack of transparency, all adds up more and more. It is difficult to get into contact with musescore in the first place, and refund forms are totally separate from the e-mail function entirely and are handled through an additional form. "Reviewing" the e-mail to see if you're "Eligible" for a refund should be unnecessary for anything other than the proof of purchase and cancellation date. Why should the reason for my refund affect whether or not I can receive it if I had followed the criteria clearly posted that said I would be eligible for one? Pretending like you will give your customers a full refund by saying so on your website, only to offer a 40% refund (20$ if youre wondering) is unbelievably shady. Not only is it fucked up to pretend like a full refund is possible when it isn't for the person getting the refund, but it's also manipulative to the users of the website and is basically just a cover-up to make them look good. Viewers of the website see that a full refund is possible and will trust the company, or get a good impression, while the 40% is hidden behind an e-mail, not seen by the public eye. Auto-renewal is the textbook example of a shady practice. Especially when it comes to a free trial. You, the reader, and I both know this is not for the convenience of the customer, and that many services, musescore included, use this as a tactic for people exactly like me. It's been used time and time again on free trial services, where the auto-renewal for the free trial just so happens to mysteriously be the highest purchase amount possible, in this case, 50$. Auto-renewal is an old, old tactic that has always just been used for people who happen to forget, and it's evident that they rely on that because it isn't just the weekly or monthly payment. Yes, I do understand that the yearly payment is cheaper, but that's not the point of the auto-renewal "shady business practice" (as "scam" is too harsh). It's such a classic case that I'd be surprised if none of you have heard of it at all. The customer forgets the free trial, it's the expensive yearly subscription, they go for a refund and the company basically refuses or gives them a "Special offer!". My final point will be the transaction fee, I'm not going to go over this one as much because I don't think it's as important, but I understand that a transaction fee is needed. So....why not tell the customer when they're getting the free trial that a transaction fee will also be applied if they happen to decide not to cancel? It shows you the total, 49$, so why not the fee? They get away with it because the transaction fee is completely separate from the 49$ in the bank statement, it's an additional fee. Hell, even if I weren't notified of the extra transaction fee and it were in the first fee I wouldn't be talking about it. The fact that it's a totally separate fee makes it seem deliberate to me. It just makes it seem like they're covering their asses yet again rather than just being transparent with their customers. I understand that this may upset some of you, and I apologize for that. You don't need to stick up for a company. Don't let this ruin your day or upset you because I promise it is not about you. It's not something I really want to debate about because my opinion is pretty firm. I'm not going to suddenly change my mind and love musescore because of a comment you post, I promise it will not be productive. I'm posting this because I feel like it needs to be acknowledged somewhere what this company is doing. I know hate comments can be upsetting but you need to understand that this company is far from perfect, and if you really want it to continue being the great service you love, just acknowledge the fact that these practices do occur so that musescore will hopefully become a more transparent and reputable company in the future. It is good to understand that it has problems so that the community can grow rather than be driven away like I have. I wish I could enjoy musescore and its community but until it undergoes some changes I don't think I can.