Cancelled Subscription via Paypal - Can I be forced to pay?

Yulter

Hi,

I recently signed up for Legalcare.co.uk for a 14 day free trial, I signed up via Paypal and set up the subscription through them.

Within 3 days I decided not to go ahead with the subcription and I cancelled my subcriptipn via paypal.

On the day the 14 days was up I got an email stating I had not paid them and I owed them money, I emailed them back stating I had cancelled my subscription in the first week via the method I used to subscribe.

They are telling me because I did not cancel via the website I now owe them for the next month, even though they cut off access to the website the second my free trial was up and currently I can not even log in to the website unless I pay.

I have told them I refuse to pay for a service I cancelled and will not be using any further, they are now telling me if I do not pay they will pursue me for charges for an entire year of subscription, even though I only had access to the site for 2 weeks and only accessed it "once".

Can they legally pursue me for a years subscription for cancelling my subscription via Paypal?, even without providing me any service after my free trial.

Is there anything I can do about it , anyone I can complain to?

Will they seriously waste the time and money for a £14 payment?

thanks.

Caz3121

Yulter wrote: »

I recently signed up for Legalcare.co.uk for a 14 day free trial, I signed up via Paypal and set up the subscription through them.

Within 3 days I decided not to go ahead with the subcription and I cancelled my subcriptipn via paypal.

It does sound like you have not cancelled the subscription but only the payment method. Many people make this error by cancelling direct debits thinking that will cease their contract but it does not.

What do the terms you signed up to state about cancelling?

Yulter

Caz3121 wrote: »

It does sound like you have not cancelled the subscription but only the payment method. Many people make this error by cancelling direct debits thinking that will cease their contract but it does not.

What do the terms you signed up to state about cancelling?

So they can force me to pay for an entire year when I stated I do not want the service?

wealdroam

Yulter wrote: »

So they can force me to pay for an entire year when I stated I do not want the service?

If that is what you have agreed to, why not?

There appears to be an agreement in place.
You have now decided not to honour that agreement.

As mentioned in an earlier post, what cancellation options does your agreement allow?

pmduk

Yulter wrote: »

So they can force me to pay for an entire year when I stated I do not want the service?

Did you actually tell the company directly that you didn't want the service? From your post it appears that you just said you didn't want to pay for it via paypal, which is a completely different matter. What you've paid for will be described in the contract you agreed to.

unholyangel

Whether OP will have anything to pay will likely be down to whether they have agreed to sign up for a minimum commitment or not.

If its more PAYG......company hasnt suffered any loss (since they restricted OP's access) so it would be silly of them to try and get the OP to pay. Yes there might technically be a breach but the loss would be nil. If the OP had had access to the services....then obviously they would have to pay.

Yulter

Yes, the service was cut off right after my free trial was over so I have received nothing. When I signed up it was advertised as a monthly payment of £19/month, however now I check the small print it states the minimum contract is a year.

At this point I have contacted them asking if I can just pay for the 1 month to cover the period after the free trial as it was a genuine mistake.

They have said they will allow me under exceptional circumstances to pay 3 months worth at £57, I am however still not particuler happy about that since they have made no loss and I have no access and even if I do get access I will not be using it at all.

Admittedly it was my own stupid fault for cancelling via Paypal, but this is such a large amount of money for an honest mistake, they originally wanted £200 from me. I am currently unemployed so this is not something I can afford to be spending.

My Free trial ended on 09/03/2013 and they waited till 13/03/2013 to email me and I informed them then I was not interested and had cancelled. If they had emailed me the day my trial ended I would have been within 14 days and I assume they waited so I would loose my right to cancel fairly, which seems a bit unfair. They also did not email e.t.c reminding me the free trial was coming to an end, which if I had received I would have realised I had made a mistake.

unholyangel

Yulter wrote: »

Yes, the service was cut off right after my free trial was over so I have received nothing. When I signed up it was advertised as a monthly payment of £19/month, however now I check the small print it states the minimum contract is a year.

At this point I have contacted them asking if I can just pay for the 1 month to cover the period after the free trial as it was a genuine mistake.

They have said they will allow me under exceptional circumstances to pay 3 months worth at £57, I am however still not particuler happy about that since they have made no loss and I have no access and even if I do get access I will not be using it at all.

Admittedly it was my own stupid fault for cancelling via Paypal, but this is such a large amount of money for an honest mistake, they originally wanted £200 from me. I am currently unemployed so this is not something I can afford to be spending.

So are they going to be allowing you access to the service for those 3 months?

bod1467

@Yulter - Technically and contractually you are wrong. (Depending on the answer to devil woman's question).

If you decide to NOT pay and ignore them then they can chase you for it ... but for the sum involved will they bother?

Yulter

unholyangel wrote: »

So are they going to be allowing you access to the service for those 3 months?

I am unsure, they may do if I ask however they are probably going to take this as an early cancellation fee and close the account.

I have asked if they can reduce it more and they have not responded.

It is better then £200 however..

I was going to just ignore the emails and assume they would not bother chasing it, then I realised they wanted a whole years worth, but even then, it is going to cost them the vast majority if not more to hire debt collectors e.t.c, would they really bother?

dalesrider

Yulter wrote: »

Admittedly it was my own stupid fault for cancelling via Paypal

Under the PSD (payment services Directive) You have the right to contact your payment provider and cancel. They CAN NOT refuse to take it either.
So YOU have done nothing wrong.

If they take further payment you will dispute via pay pal on the PSD basis.

Yulter wrote: »

They have said they will allow me under exceptional circumstances to pay 3 months worth at £57
.

Tell them if they want payment then they will have to take you to court... As you have followed the PSD and your right to cancel via payment provider.
Would be interesting to see how courts react to PSD and cancelation with a 3rd party over ruling T/C's