Magazine subscripton bluff

wimmer

I took out a quarterly magazine subscription and filled in the DD form, after 2 months I have cancelled the DD because when 3 months are up, I do not want it anymore. The company DC Thompson say all DD subscriptions last for one year, but billed quarterly. They say I was sent a letter with this in, BUT this was not clearly stated on the sign-up web-page, and I have said that the letter is kind of irrelevant as I received it after signing up. I have asked them give the me URL of the web page, dated prior to my signing up, (I'll check the code, it maybe there somewhere), that stsed the subscription was for 12 months not Quarterly, as stated in an e-mail I received immediately after signing up.
So do they need to prove it stated 12 months contract, if I have cancelled the DD, how would they go about obtaining the extra subscription money?

keystone

Sorry am not sure who is bluffing who here.

9.4 You will have different payment options available to you when purchasing a Subscription and these will be brought to your attention during the ordering process and before the Contract between you and Us is concluded.

So it seems you should have the information you seek in your possession already.

15.2 Subject to Clause 15.4, you may cancel a Contract for Services e.g. e-books, Subscriptions, without cause, and receive a full refund of the Price and any delivery charge paid by you in accordance with Clause 9.2 provided You notify us in writing, fax or email of said cancellation within (i) for online sales, 7 working days from the Confirmatory Email sent in accordance with Clauses 4 or 5 (as applicable); or (ii) for telephone or postal sales, 7 working days from receipt of the Confirmatory Email or Confirmatory Letter sent in accordance with Clauses 6 or 7 (as applicable). Notwithstanding this Clause 15.2, where you have agreed to, and have received, the Services before the expiry of the 7 working day cancellation period, your rights to cancel the Contract will cease upon receipt of the Services. All cancellation notices should be directed to the contact details set out in Clause 24.

It seems to me that you are in breach of this Clause by the way you have conducted yorself by just cancelling the DD without notice.

and I have said that the letter is kind of irrelevant as I received it after signing

Ha Ha you won't win that one if it goes legal.

So do they need to prove it stated 12 months contract, if I have cancelled the DD, how would they go about obtaining the extra subscription money?

If they can and do prove that its a 12 month contract for, say, 6 bi-monthly issues then they could pursue you until you pay. Actually in that case they have done you a favour by allowing you to spread your payments over 4 chunks rather than demanding the whole lot up front.

I have a sneaky suspeicion that you have not read your contract documents at all and are now trying to wriggle out of your obligations. You have both a right to cancel as laid down in their Ts&Cs and method for doing it. You have chosen to ignore this by all accounts and are now complaining.


Cheers

wimmer

'So it seems you should have the information you seek in your possession already', and where would I have that?
In the letter I received it does not state anything about how to cancel a subscription,
If I tell them I am cancelling the DD and then an hour later cancel it, rather than cancelling it and then telling them, then that is different? Do I not have control over my own bank account? If I owed them money, (which I do not as the first quarter is up in March), then I could send a cheque correct?

If it had been clearly displayed that it was for a period of 12 months which I was not able to cancel, then I would not have signed up, the magazine was a gift for someone else, who doesn't read it.

There were no 'contract documents' on the sign-up page to ignore, and as I just mentioned there was no indication that the subscription was for 12 months.

How you can laugh and say that documents, unseen and unsigned, would carry weight in court is almost laughable in itself.

macman

If the contract period was 12m, then you are contracted for that period. Why don't you post the link where you signed up?
Their typical subscription terms are clearly stated as one year where payment is made by DD rather than debit or credit card:
http://www.dcthomsonshop.co.uk/Product-The_Beano-BNO%281%29-BNOPP%28903%29.aspx
I have similar subs and they are always for a one year minimum term. No 'signed documents' are required in order for there to be a valid contract.
Cancelling your DD is not the same as giving notice, and just means that you are liable to have your credit history trashed for the next 6 years.

keystone

wimmer wrote: »

If it had been clearly displayed that it was for a period of 12 months which I was not able to cancel, then I would not have signed up, the magazine was a gift for someone else, who doesn't read it.

What magazine is it that you are talking about? I'll go sign up for it and see what it says - just as a test. The cancellation arrangements are quite clearly stated in ther Terms and Conditions which I lifted from their website and quoted earlier. If you choose not to read the Ts&Cs then thats your fault not mine. If you had foillowed their cancellation procedure rather than just getting their backs up and cancelling the DD arbitrarily you probably wouldn't be in this pickle now. I'm not siding with them against you by the way - I'm just telling it how I see it and as I see it you have dug yourself a bit of a hole. Time to stop digging.

There were no 'contract documents' on the sign-up page to ignore, and as I just mentioned there was no indication that the subscription was for 12 months.

I didn't say on the sign-up page now did I? Are you seriously telling me that you signed up to allow company X access to your bank account via DD without checking out their full Ts&Cs first? Once you give someone a DD then you do not have control over your account. Their Terms and Conditions Of Business are clearly shown on their website. I found them why couldn't you?

How you can laugh and say that documents, unseen and unsigned, would carry weight in court is almost laughable in itself.

You really have no idea do you?

Cheers

keystone

Oh and look what I find on the sign-up page just above the boxes where you click Add To Basket for your chosen option:

"Subscription Terms - Minimum Direct Debit Term 1 Year"

Cheers