Instagram Power Users Are Fuming Over Its $12-a-Month Subscription
Facebook and Instagram creators have been paying for the new Meta Verified service that promises human help for issues on the apps. There’s just one problem, say subscribers: The support stinks.
In late August, Jenny French discovered Instagram had disabled her account. That was a blow, since nearly half the prospects for her U.K. business, which trains physical therapists, jewelry boutiques and other clients on how to increase their Instagram reach, came from the account. But French figured she had an in with Instagram that would allow her to easily resolve the snafu.
A few months earlier, the former teacher had signed up for Meta Verified, a $12 a month subscription service the parent of Facebook and Instagram launched this spring. In exchange, Meta Verified promised access to customer support with a human. French, however, found she couldn’t contact support via her account—because it was gone. She tried to appeal the takedown through Instagram’s support pages, to no avail.
“I expect to be able to contact somebody,” French said. “It is devastating to literally have your business deleted overnight.”