Recurring Payments Warning! discussion

colsten

My AMEX card number changed, and I distinctly remember that they told me if I had any magazine subscriptions etc on the old card, I would need to give my new card number to those companies since AMEX would not make any further payments on the old card, and would not transfer payment requests to the new card. Perhaps that's unique to AMEX. Or perhaps the card providers have updated their practice. May be they know more about this on the CC board.

JoTaylor74

If no consent/authorisation was given, no paperwork signed and no verbal agreement then any policy should be unauthorised until payment has been authorised by the customer/client.

In this case when renewing car insurance last year via a telephone conversation nothing was mentioned about payment being taken for the policy renewal this year. - we had searched for a better quote which happened to be with the same company.

bilbobaggins

BitDefender Total Security 2016
I've used this IT Security product for several years, and been pleased with it. Some weeks ago, an auto-renewal invitation was emailed to me, and I began to complete it - until I noticed that, this year, the company was asking me for a Continuous Payment Authority instead of the expected, simple one-off cost of the coming year's product/service.

This idea may be convenient for the company, but personal experience - and lots of distressed complaints on financial-help forums shows ( e.g. http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/banking/recurring-payments ) - this process is fraught with problems and risk for the private consumer. It is irrelevant that the company suggests a method of cancelling the Authority after setting it up. It should not be a necessary prelude to purchase at all - but an option....

I contacted Bitdefender's Customer Care people ( Open ticket: 2015121219490001 ) and it's taken them a week to reply. Their response 'fails to understand' my clear request for another, normal, payment path and simply reiterates I can ( maybe ) cancel the CPA arrangement after it has been set up. All the financial advice forums warn against this.

I've asked the Customer Care team again to provide me with a normal purchase pathway. It's not rocket science.... it's what they and I have used for years, quite happily.

I'm content to pay for the service. I am NOT content to give this or any company the freedom to take what they like, when they like, from my bank account in perpetuity.


This, from PC Magazine Forum, is relevant:

Quick warning: Bitdefender scores highly in security tests, but the actual company has a Better Business Bureau (BBB) rating of F. Their EULA has a clause buried in it that states you will be automatically charged full retail price for renewal before your subscription is up.
They intentionally leave out the ability to unsubscribe through their web portal, then take a minimum of 24 hours to cancel your subscription after you call so that they have time to email you counteroffers.
I literally had to threaten legal action to get a refund of the surreptitious automatic payment and have my subscription cancelled.
Hope that saves some of you a headache!

bilbobaggins

I've had a reply from the Bitdefender company's Customer Care team, which I copy below FWIW....

chris_m

So why don't you select the "Disable automatic renewal" radio button?

TheTracker

I had a nice one today. I used this service for a couple of years but no longer need it: "How do I cancel the Symantec Cloud Automatic Renewal Service? You may cancel the service at any time by sending an email request to cloud_credit@symantec.com. Write "Cancel My Automatic Renewal" in the subject line and include your name and order number(s)."

An IT company asking customers to email cancellations of renewal rather than their being an option in the admin portal/account. Very user friendly.

hardya

Regarding this article. I have been told by a bank that it is not really accurate to say that a bank can cancel a continuous payment for you or even that they can block a particular regularly appearing amount for a particular merchant.

They say the only thing they can do is to block any future payments of any kind from the merchant.

If this is the case then

1) this article and others are a little misleading
2) this would be quite inconvenient if you have another service from the same merchant that you have very good reason or need to continue with.

Does anyone know "exactly" what it is that the financial authority made the banks do?

The-Truth

bilbobaggins wrote: »

BitDefender Total Security 2016
I've used this IT Security product for several years, and been pleased with it. Some weeks ago, an auto-renewal invitation was emailed to me, and I began to complete it - until I noticed that, this year, the company was asking me for a Continuous Payment Authority instead of the expected, simple one-off cost of the coming year's product/service.

Which auto renewal would.

bilbobaggins wrote: »

BitDefender Total Security 2016
I've used this IT Security product for several years, and been pleased with it.

I'm content to pay for the service.

So what's the problem then? If and when it's of no longer use to you just cancel it. At the moment you seem happy and just seem to be getting your knickers in a twist over nothing.

calamity_carol_2

Hi, I'm new to this Forum stuff, but would like some advice. I believe we have followed all the routes suggested, and our Bank is being most helpful and refunded us.. However, when we telephoned the Company concerned, on the 29th December to cancel following a year's membership, they stated that they had emailed us on the 10th December, giving us 10 days in which to cancel.. This email was not received by us, but they are saying they have evidence that it had been read, and therefore they do not have to refund the £39.95 taken from our account on the 24th December, prior to renewal of the product from the 1st January. Is it really true that their so called "read email" is enough to enable them to keep our money? despite the fact that we cancelled future membership two days before the date of renewal? Sorry - it is the principles behind this that get's me.

anoncol

calamity_carol wrote: »

Hi, I'm new to this Forum stuff, but would like some advice. I believe we have followed all the routes suggested, and our Bank is being most helpful and refunded us.. However, when we telephoned the Company concerned, on the 29th December to cancel following a year's membership, they stated that they had emailed us on the 10th December, giving us 10 days in which to cancel.. This email was not received by us, but they are saying they have evidence that it had been read, and therefore they do not have to refund the £39.95 taken from our account on the 24th December, prior to renewal of the product from the 1st January. Is it really true that their so called "read email" is enough to enable them to keep our money? despite the fact that we cancelled future membership two days before the date of renewal? Sorry - it is the principles behind this that get's me.

What I'd your email provider? If it's Google it doesn't even do email receipts. Any way they are talking rubbish about using it as proof. It would hold up in court as much as software EULAs would.