When Tom Hayes tries to combine his Duolingo accounts, he hits a snag. Why won't the company help him?

Q: I have been paying for my wife's Duolingo account for several years and I recently decided to set up my own account. I'm studying different languages than my wife, and thought the family plan would make the most sense. 

I sent an invitation to my wife to choose the new plan but she was concerned it would end her streak (she has more than 800 straight days on Duolingo). 

I asked Duolingo about this and how to merge accounts under the family plan. I have sent three emails through their website and three through support@duolingo.com. I have heard nothing in a month except for automated replies. 

I am now paying for two accounts. I can't find a number to call or executives to contact on the web. When I Googled, the phone number for Duolingo customer service turned out to be a financial company, and the first question from them was, "What is your social security number?," which I obviously did not want to provide. 

I would love some help merging our accounts without losing our place in their system. I'd also like to be reimbursed for the $86 regular membership since I am now being charged for both that and the family plan. -- Tom Hayes, Cincinnati

A: Duolingo should have responded to your question instead of just sending you form emails. 

But before I get to that, let's answer a question I'm sure many non-Duolingo users have. Why is keeping your wife's place in line so important? Duolingo, which helps you learn a new language, uses something called gamification to keep its users engaged. One of those games is maintaining a streak. And let me say, 800 days is pretty impressive! (The longest Duolingo streak is 3,676 days.)

Disclosure: I have used Duolingo in the past and found its gamification to be pretty addictive. But it's not my preferred way to learn a new language. I think the best way to acquire a second language is through full immersion in the culture -- but I digress.

The number you called for "customer service" was a scam phone number. Many companies don't have phone numbers for their customers, so scammers set up fake call centers to collect personal information like your Social Security number. You were correct to hang up. (I publish the names, numbers and email addresses of the Duolingo customer service managers on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org.)

A family account on Duolingo allows you to invite anyone, including friends and family, in any location, and in any language. But you can’t invite someone who already has an active Super Duolingo subscription, which your wife has. (Super Duolingo provides language learning without interruptions, no limits to the mistakes you can make, and personalized lessons.) She needs to cancel her subscription and wait for it to expire before joining your plan. Fortunately, when a user changes the subscription, it doesn't affect their learning streak. 

I reached out to Duolingo on your behalf, and a representative contacted you to explain the process. Duolingo also says it responded to your initial email with that information, but you must have missed it. It doesn't matter now, because your wife's 800-day streak will be preserved.

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy (https://elliottadvocacy.org), a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help by contacting him at https://elliottadvocacy.org/help/