MSE News: Been charged for unwanted Amazon Prime? Here's how to cancel

Pollycat

nblake wrote: »

I researched Amazon Prime, Netflix etc a while ago and in doing so unknowingly subscribed to a Prime free trial. I didn't know I had done so and never used it but I suddenly found £79 had disappeared from my credit card. I emailed Amazon and accused them of theft, cancelled my membership on their website and will hopefully get a refund. I think they are conning a lot of people with this thing and it is damaging their reputation. Pretty stupid thing to do in my opinion.

If you signed up for a free trail - knowingly or unknowingly - didn't cancel and they charged you - it's hardly theft.

custardy

nblake wrote: »

I researched Amazon Prime, Netflix etc a while ago and in doing so unknowingly subscribed to a Prime free trial. I didn't know I had done so and never used it but I suddenly found £79 had disappeared from my credit card. I emailed Amazon and accused them of theft, cancelled my membership on their website and will hopefully get a refund. I think they are conning a lot of people with this thing and it is damaging their reputation. Pretty stupid thing to do in my opinion.

Perhaps a little research on your research skills.
Why would you list Netflix & Amazon together? because they both do free trials that you snapped their hands off for.

kwikbreaks

DoaM wrote: »

I've just ordered 2 new mobile phones from Amazon ... delivery options were very clear, and it was very easy to avoid signing up for Prime.

Possibly they've changed the site again then.

I never had any problems until one day I realised that they'd moved the buttons around and in my haste I'd inadvertently taken the free trial. As I spotted my error immediately I was able to cancel the trial and it cost me nothing.

The fact that so many got caught that MSE felt the need to run a special thread does suggest that making the error became pretty easy. IMO it's likely Amazon recognised the error of their ways (probably prompted by all the complaints) and made things clear again rather than tricking people into the free trial.

Azari

kwikbreaks wrote: »

I never had any problems until one day I realised that they'd moved the buttons around and in my haste I'd inadvertently taken the free trial. As I spotted my error immediately I was able to cancel the trial and it cost me nothing.

I'm sure that this is the crux of the problem.

Amazon seem to love to provide several different ways to do the same thing and you can easily get three different screens for one part of the ordering process. I've always known this but I got a very clear appreciation of just how bad it is when trying to guide a very non-tech person through the ordering process over the phone. Going through precisely the same process she would get a different screen to the one I got. Going back to try and re-synch we were each getting random versions at each attempt.

All the pompous, self righteous, types that proudly proclaim that they never have a problem because they always read everything before pressing any button have probably just been lucky.

Or, like myself, they are ultra-careful because they know that Amazon are continually changing the format of screens, and they know that unless they are super careful they could end up signed up to prime. (Although how anyone manages to not notice they've signed up is a bit of a mystery.)

The fact that so many got caught that MSE felt the need to run a special thread does suggest that making the error became pretty easy.

Quite.

Mrs_Thorogood

I have just noticed this on my credit card today so I called then as I had no idea what it was. Apparently when I placed an order back in april and clicked "free delivery" i signed up to this service. Ive checked and I paid delivery, so sounds a bit odd to me. The fact they have just refunded the money without question suggests that it was an error their end. I had no email confirming this subscription either. Sounds dodgy to me!

Chocolatefund

Yup...I got nice £79 deduction too, but not from the UK Prime, rather the .com one.

I have relatives in the US that I use amazon.com for. I remember signing up for the UK Prime and then canceling my membership, but silly me forgot about my US account.

Thankfully I hadn't use my .com account in a while so I've ended my membership and I should get my full refund back. I can see why it's so easily done though, easy mistake.

Just my 2c

Edit: Just scrolled through my emails and found my 'Membership Confirmation' It states the charge at the very bottom of the email in tiny....I mean....TINY print.

geerex

Mrs_Thorogood wrote: »

I have just noticed this on my credit card today so I called then as I had no idea what it was. Apparently when I placed an order back in april and clicked "free delivery" i signed up to this service. Ive checked and I paid delivery, so sounds a bit odd to me. The fact they have just refunded the money without question suggests that it was an error their end. I had no email confirming this subscription either. Sounds dodgy to me!

No, the fact that they refunded without question proves that they're a decent company despite the customers inability to read what they're clicking.

Yet another one of the many examples on this thread who don't read what they're agreeing to and who cry like babies when they are charged for what they have legitimately signed up to.

I really wish that Amazon would dig their heels in with people like you, it may teach you a valuable lesson.

Azari

geerex wrote: »

I really wish that Amazon would dig their heels in with people like you, it may teach you a valuable lesson.

Of they could stop delivering different page layouts that mean that where you may expect to find the 'super-saver' radio button you will suddenly find it displaced by 'free delivery' - which is, in reality, signing up for a trial of amazon prime.

It's quite clearly done with the express intent of fooling customers into selecting the trial - although I suspect that Amazon don't expect them to actually go through the whole process without realising.

If they booby trap their site in this way then it's only reasonable that the mitigate that by cancelling without a fuss.

geerex

Azari wrote: »

Of they could stop delivering different page layouts that mean that where you may expect to find the 'super-saver' radio button you will suddenly find it displaced by 'free delivery' - which is, in reality, signing up for a trial of amazon prime.

It's quite clearly done with the express intent of fooling customers into selecting the trial - although I suspect that Amazon don't expect them to actually go through the whole process without realising.

If they booby trap their site in this way then it's only reasonable that the mitigate that by cancelling without a fuss.

So, Amazon should forever keep their page layouts the same in order to stop the hard of thinking from clicking the "YES PLEASE SIGN ME UP TO A FREE TRIAL" button?
I know I may be labouring the point a touch, but if people simply engaged their brain before mindlessly clicking through a number of screens, this thread wouldn't exist.
You can blame Amazon all you like but there's a degree of personal responsibility needed here.

Azari

geerex wrote: »

So, Amazon should forever keep their page layouts the same

No, they don't need to always keep them the same.

What they should do is stop providing random different versions for exactly the same function.

in order to stop the hard of thinking from clicking the "YES PLEASE SIGN ME UP TO A FREE TRIAL" button?

Ah, but that's not what the button says.

Usually, the top button will be "FREE Super Saver Delivery (3 - 5 business days)".

But occasionally it will say "FREE One-Day Delivery with a free trial ..."

I don't think it's any accident that they replace on option starting with "FREE" in capitals with another, different, options starting in exactly the same way.

Further evidence that they are deliberately trying to induce people to select the trial 'accidentally' is that even if you have just turned down a trial of Prime on a big, clear, page, they will still put the "FREE One-Day ..." button at the top of the options.

It's very clear that Amazon designed the system to get people to click on an option they don't want.

I know I may be labouring the point a touch, but if people simply engaged their brain before mindlessly clicking through a number of screens, this thread would exist.

And if Amazon designed the site so that people didn't get led to accidentally press a button that did something they never intended, this thread wouldn't exist.

You are comparing a number of people making a mistake (pressing the wrong button) once, with a very large and normally professional company making the same 'mistake' (putting up a screen known to cause people to misselect) many thousands of times a day.

And, when all is said and done, why are you getting your knickers in a twist about Amazon refunding people who mistakenly ordered a service they don't want. How is it harming you?