Gourmet Society renewal

leto78

Hello,

Like many others, I wasn't aware of the auto-renewal of the gourmet society card.
However, I had changed debit cards and they were unable to charge me the renewal value.

Regrettably, we are unable to send your new membership card and pack or re-activate your mobile app until we settle the fee.
(...)
N.B - In line with our terms of service, unfortunately at this stage we cannot accept requests to cancel membership subscriptions where a fee is due.

What happens if I don't call them and do not provide the card details?

Angry_Bear

Possibly, depending on the type of agreement, they report to the CRAs and you get a default on your credit report.
I suspect that this is unlikely, but it really does depend on the Ts & Cs.

deebee12

I have just been caught out by these people.
I thought I was safe as I got my initial card through MSE so no bank details were given,but they are sneaky and when your trial expires they offer an extension for a pound, and you think , A pound, that,s cheap,and hey presto , they have your bank details, and then without your consent, they do an auto remewal

jp1964

Just checked the T&Cs out, as I have a year's Gourmet Society membership for £1 taken out through the AA, apparently you have to call them to cancel your membership at least 15 days before the year is up, otherwise it automatically renews.

It seems pretty unfair and more than a little underhand, as they go on to say that you will be given 'at least' 7 days notice of the auto renewal, which clearly is not going to allow you to cancel in time to stop further payment being taken, so either way they get at least one more payment from you.

I am also very unclear on what I have actually signed up for, presumably the £1 for a year offer is not ongoing, having checked out the website, gift memberships are available for purchase on the website for £69, so I am wondering if that is the ongoing cost I will be billed for next year.

Thanks for flagging this up, I am going to call them later on to clarify, I have only been a member for 2 weeks but they are not going to get any more money out of me.

If it turns out to be the case that they can charge me an auto renewal of £69, why is that amount not made clear on any of their literature, including the confirmation email that I received, surely that is not legal, especially if they only let you know the amount at a date too late for you to cancel?

Will report back once I have spoken to them.

jp1964

Update:

Just called them, explained that I wanted my membership not to renew next year, within seconds it was cancelled, no problem at all. The chap I spoke to was helpful and polite.

I did have to ask them for a confirmation email though, not sure if one would have been sent otherwise, and it just popped into my inbox, so at least I have this in writing.

I would advise anyone who has opted for this £1 membership to do what I did, although I did forget to ask what the charge would have been for the renewal!

kboss2010

I got this card half price for a year through work a while ago and found it completely useless. We barely made back the money as there were so many restrictions on use.

If you live in Scotland, the Spree books are much better value for money.

d70cw6

hmmmm- i got mine almost a year ago for free from this site - im trying to remembe but i ont think i gave them my bank details....certainly wont be happy if i see a sneaky £69 charge go through. only ever used the card once i think too.