Help! Have my CC company acted illegally?

Melancholie

In February last year I bought a 1 year subscription to virus scanning software. I just got my CC statement and they've taken another year's subscription, without my knowledge or consent. CC company refuse to dispute it as they say it's an automatic annual renewal, but I did not agree to this last year and there's nothing in the confirmation I got last year to say they'll take it again this year.

Worse still, the card details the virus scanning company have used are wrong! I got married last summer and all my card details changed. Even if I hadn't, the card they had details for would have expired by now. They've presented my CC company with the wrong cardholder name, wrong card number and wrong security code, but the CC company have still paid them!

What can I do? This must be illegal, surely?

INT1

Coomon problem this one.
It will of been in the small print somewhere of the Anti virus you downloaded that it may be a annual subscription and will re bill.

i see this all the time, even on cards that have been blocked, the company still take the money regardless, your contract is with the anti virus company not the CC issuer, contact them for a refund and cancel the subscription.

Common companies that do this are:

AA Subscription
Sky
MC Affe
Norton Anti virus

normanmark

Your issue is with the company who you bought the software off. In their terms & conditions you will have agreed to a continuous payment authority (CPA).

What you should do is look to the company who you bought the software off and see if they can refund the amount back to the card, however if you've agreed to their initial terms & conditions then you will be bound for that agreement.

Melancholie

Thanks, I know I can do all that and get my money back (it is McAfee btw aldo)

HOWEVER

I still don't see how it can be legal for a credit card company to pay someone who presents details of an expired card and with the wrong cardholder name, number and security code. I'm really concerned that this precedent means my CC company could pay any random who has previously had my old card details.

ILW

Melancholie wrote: »

Thanks, I know I can do all that and get my money back (it is McAfee btw aldo)

HOWEVER

I still don't see how it can be legal for a credit card company to pay someone who presents details of an expired card and with the wrong cardholder name, number and security code. I'm really concerned that this precedent means my CC company could pay any random who has previously had my old card details.

Only if you agreed to an ongoing subscription.

normanmark

It's legal, as far as the credit card company goes you've agreed to the continuous payment authority & the issue is with the company not them. Even if the details are 'wrong' its still linked to the card & will update to the new card details.

INT1

I understand where you are coming from, when you pay with a credit card, if that first payment authorises and you enter in to the contract. A credit card is guaranteed payment for them. Even if the card is blocked, expired etc etc, a lot of the time the transaction won't come on line for an authorisation code and just manually post on to your CC statement.

McAffee are normally good and will refund and cancel for you.

Melancholie

normanmark wrote: »

It's legal, as far as the credit card company goes you've agreed to the continuous payment authority & the issue is with the company not them. Even if the details are 'wrong' its still linked to the card & will update to the new card details.

Wow. I cant believe that's legal! That's completely wrong IMO.

Thanks all.

normanmark

Melancholie wrote: »

Wow. I cant believe that's legal! That's completely wrong IMO.

When you understand the disputes system you'll realise why its legal for them to carry on with a continuous payment authority (thats the key as to why its legal, if it wasn't a CPA then it would be illegal)

Degenerate

CPAs are legal, but if you really didn't agree to one then of course it's fraud, and should be reported as such. You would have to make damn sure that you didn't just overlook it in the small print though.

jamalfatty

Melancholie wrote: »

Wow. I cant believe that's legal! That's completely wrong IMO.

Thanks all.

Could also be argued that it's very helpful, would you want your car insurance as an example to be cancelled without you realising if your card expired / was lost or stolen etc?