Recurring Payments Warning! discussion

silverbantam

Hi I'm looking for help with how to claim back a recurring payment I have just been charged for internet software which I do not nee, want or use. I subscribed to an internet software company back in june 2018 and payed £97 for a 6 month subscription to their service. I found the service nowhere near as good as the hype suggested and therefore stopped using the software and basically forgot all about it until on the 27th December 2018 I received an email informing me that they had taken my next six monthly subscription of £97. I immediately contacted the company saying that I did not want the software subscription as I no longer found it useful, however I was informed that as it was a six month recurring subscription and I had not cancelled in time there was nothing they could do and I would have to stand the payment, they did say that they have now cancelled my subscription so the next payment which is due in June 2019 as now been cancelled. I asked for the December payment to be refunded as I no longer used the software but was told that as I had not cancelled during the previous 6 month window there was nothing I could do to get a refund. I admit it was my fault for not cancelling but surely that does not mean I cannot now cancel as I do not need the software? The implication seems to be that because I didnt cancel I have no right s now to expect or claim my £97 back even though the period which the payment covers is from now to June 2019. Surely they could just remove my username and password from their database meaning I could then not gain entry to the software and refund my money? but that seems to be impossible and the company who received the payment are flatly refusing to refund me. Please help surely I have some rights? It was a genuine mistake as I completely forgot about the recurring payment simply because I have not used the software for the last 5 months. That was bad enough as it was as I fell for the hype and found it useless but I put it down to experience, but now to be charged again is maddening!! Any help would be greatly appreciated. many Thanks

masonic

silverbantam wrote: »

Hi I'm looking for help with how to claim back a recurring payment I have just been charged for internet software which I do not nee, want or use. I subscribed to an internet software company back in june 2018 and payed £97 for a 6 month subscription to their service. I found the service nowhere near as good as the hype suggested and therefore stopped using the software and basically forgot all about it until on the 27th December 2018 I received an email informing me that they had taken my next six monthly subscription of £97. I immediately contacted the company saying that I did not want the software subscription as I no longer found it useful, however I was informed that as it was a six month recurring subscription and I had not cancelled in time there was nothing they could do and I would have to stand the payment, they did say that they have now cancelled my subscription so the next payment which is due in June 2019 as now been cancelled. I asked for the December payment to be refunded as I no longer used the software but was told that as I had not cancelled during the previous 6 month window there was nothing I could do to get a refund. I admit it was my fault for not cancelling but surely that does not mean I cannot now cancel as I do not need the software? The implication seems to be that because I didnt cancel I have no right s now to expect or claim my £97 back even though the period which the payment covers is from now to June 2019. Surely they could just remove my username and password from their database meaning I could then not gain entry to the software and refund my money? but that seems to be impossible and the company who received the payment are flatly refusing to refund me. Please help surely I have some rights? It was a genuine mistake as I completely forgot about the recurring payment simply because I have not used the software for the last 5 months. That was bad enough as it was as I fell for the hype and found it useless but I put it down to experience, but now to be charged again is maddening!! Any help would be greatly appreciated. many Thanks

You may be able to find the cancellation terms in the software T&Cs or EULA. It is unlikely you can cancel for the current billing period retrospectively and receive a refund, but it would be worth calling your bank to make sure no further payments can be taken and discuss the situation with them.

silverbantam

Many thanks for taking the time to reply. I did contact my bank yesterday and they basically said the same thing as you. What I cannot seem to get my head around is the fact that i do not want the software as I have no need for it. All the emphasis seems to be on the fact I missed the cancellation deadline which I admit I did, but no thought is going into the fact that i am being forced to pay for something i do not need. Why must I be forced to have this for the next six months? Its not like I have already had the use of the software already, this payment I have made is for 27th December to 25th June 2019, and I cannot understand why I am unable to cancel it? surely that is what should be at the heart of my unhappiness, not the fact I overlooked the renewal date?

masonic

silverbantam wrote: »

Many thanks for taking the time to reply. I did contact my bank yesterday and they basically said the same thing as you. What I cannot seem to get my head around is the fact that i do not want the software as I have no need for it. All the emphasis seems to be on the fact I missed the cancellation deadline which I admit I did, but no thought is going into the fact that i am being forced to pay for something i do not need. Why must I be forced to have this for the next six months? Its not like I have already had the use of the software already, this payment I have made is for 27th December to 25th June 2019, and I cannot understand why I am unable to cancel it? surely that is what should be at the heart of my unhappiness, not the fact I overlooked the renewal date?

Subscriptions often run for fixed period and when you cancel part-way through a billing period your subscription is cancelled at the end of the billing period. Some services give customers a discount when they pay for 6 or 12 months up front because the firm is assured of the income over that billing period. Some even give users an option to have lifetime access to the service for a price that's much lower than an annual or monthly subscription would be over many years. Even if this company didn't offer different subscription options, you entered into a contract with them whereby they bill you every 6 months until you cancel, the cancellation coming into effect at the end of the billing period. It's unfortunate that you didn't realise you needed to cancel until just after the start of a billing period.

18cc

The bottom line is that you entered into a contract with them to pay every 6 months unless cancelled prior to the money being taken.

You will enter into a lot of contracts in your lifetime all with different terms and conditions.

HampshireH

By!silverbantam29th Dec 18, 11:56 AM

Many thanks for taking the time to reply. I did contact my bank yesterday and they basically said the same thing as you. What I cannot seem to get my head around is the fact that i do not want the software as I have no need for it. All the emphasis seems to be on the fact I missed the cancellation deadline which I admit I did, but no thought is going into the fact that i am being forced to pay for something i do not need. Why must I be forced to have this for the next six months? Its not like I have already had the use of the software already, this payment I have made is for 27th December to 25th June 2019, and I cannot understand why I am unable to cancel it? surely that is what should be at the heart of my unhappiness, not the fact I overlooked the renewal date?

Thats a bit like signing up for the gym going for 2 months and asking for a refund on the next 6 because you don't like going so won't use it. Not their problem.

Of course the emphasis is on you not cancelling rather than your unhappiness. They are running a business and they have done as they say they will, in their view you haven't done what you said you would do.

Whether you use the service you have available is irrelevant to them.

If you didnt want to be forced to pay for it you could/should have cancelled when you stopped using it .

This your going to need to accept this was your error and they haven't done anything wrong on this occasion

OceanSound

Most of us have a mobile phone, right?....add a reminder to remind yourself to contact business and cancel before the cancel before date.

If you think the business will try a fast one, contact your bank as well and tell them you request the CPA to be cancelled. I've done this with both Nationwide and First Direct and managed to stop CPAs.

If you experience any friction, quote the financial conduct authority (FCA) guidance in the MSE article:

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/banking/recurring-payments/?&_ga=2.257335819.1646580649.1546677691-570195224.1534826196#cancel

as mentioned by a poster earlier.

Blondie63

Hu
I claimed a free month item and paid only p&p. Upon confirmation I realised they'd signed me up for a subscription to get goods every 12 days.
I immediately emailed them and asked they cancel subscription. They wouldn't they said they were unable. I returned item unopened and again asked them to cancel. They will not and they now say they have not got item, even tho I have sent them the receipt if posting with the company name and postcode on.
They are now going to send out further goods and bill me fir them. They have my card details.
I'm very distressed about this and after 22emails back and forth. I've quoted CCR. I've informed my bank.
I don't want the goods and I'm frightened that if I spend money on returning them they still say they don't have the goods.
Sorry its long winded. 😢😢

masonic

What to the terms of your agreement say about cancellation?

If they've claimed non-receipt and you have proof of posting, then you'd need to claim from Royal Mail.

Have you contacted your bank to cancel the CPA?

OceanSound

18cc wrote: »

The bottom line is that you entered into a contract with them to pay every 6 months unless cancelled prior to the money being taken.
........

HampshireH wrote: »

.......
Of course the emphasis is on you not cancelling rather than your unhappiness......
.......
If you didnt want to be forced to pay for it you could/should have cancelled when you stopped using it.

May be so in the past. Now card providers have started cracking down on this unscrupulous practice.

New rules by Mastercard starting in a few months means businesses will need the consent of the customer before any payment is taken:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/01/17/end-subscription-traps-mastercard-plans-end-free-trial-warnings/

The rule change will require merchants to gain cardholder approval at the conclusion of the trial before they start billing. To help cardholders with that decision, merchants will be required to send the cardholder – either by email or text – the transaction amount, payment date, merchant name along with explicit instructions on how to cancel a trial.

According to MSE news article, Visa is already running a similar scheme, but theirs doesn't specify how the business should contact customer:

The new system will be rolled out to Mastercard customers with credit and debit cards between April and June 2019.

Visa says it already runs a similar scheme to this, but it doesn't specify that contact needs to be made by email or text, so firms can choose how they inform customers.