The Times Newspaper subscription

go4it

Anyone had any experience with The Times?

They refused to accept my written cancellation, so have billed me another term. I should have phoned up to cancel.

Now I want to complain, they won't take my complaint on the phone and want me to write or email in!

What makes them a laughing stock is that I also wrote a letter to cancel a contract with Three, and they accepted straight away! Outdone by Three, one of the worst companies for customer service in history!

Now I accept that buried in the terms and conditions (as I have been told) it says I must phone to cancel. But in 2015 can a company stipulate to its customers how to cancel its service, particularly when the phone line is only open during the day?

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth

No, been a member for over five years. Phone line very helpful. Never had a problem. And as most phones come with inclusive minutes, not a problem to call either!

go4it

It is a problem when you work during their call hours, and can't make personal calls

Hence why writing a letter is always a safe option.

Azari

go4it wrote: »

But in 2015 can a company stipulate to its customers how to cancel its service, particularly when the phone line is only open during the day?

Very unlikely that they can insist on a phone call.

For one thing it would be in contravention of disability legislation as that method of communication is not available to deaf people.

JReacher1

go4it wrote: »

It is a problem when you work during their call hours, and can't make personal calls

Hence why writing a letter is always a safe option.

Do you not have a 5 minute break at some point during the day where you can phone to cancel?

Its obviously annoying but seems the easiest way to solve your problem.

Alpine_Star

go4it wrote: »

Now I accept that buried in the terms and conditions (as I have been told) it says I must phone to cancel. But in 2015 can a company stipulate to its customers how to cancel its service, particularly when the phone line is only open during the day?

The T&Cs wouldn't get past a judge. They cannot restrict your methods of cancellation to just one on their choosing. Besides with a phone call you have no record of making the cancellation.

rhialwencomp

Probably not much help to you right now, but paypal is excellent for subscriptions.

I bought a trial membership to get a "free" audiobook on their times+ area, and just cancelled the authorisation in paypal when I couldn't find the cancel button on the website.

I wish it was common for cards to have such options, seems a bit silly that they're so unmanageable and opaque now we're living in the future.

paddyrg

Murdoch is slowly giving up on his online paywall model, too. The Sun has been slipping more and more free stories out, and is binning it's pay wall altogether soon... Maybe The Times will follow?

Hermione_Granger

Azari wrote: »

Very unlikely that they can insist on a phone call.

For one thing it would be in contravention of disability legislation as that method of communication is not available to deaf people.

Their T&C's are allowed to stipulate that the cancellation process must be done by means of a telephone call but once they have been made aware of a customers disability that could prevent or make it difficult to do this, they are then required to provide an alternative, suitable means of cancellation for that customer.

Alpine_Star

Hermione_Granger wrote: »

Their T&C's are allowed to stipulate that the cancellation process must be done by means of a telephone call but once they have been made aware of a customers disability that could prevent or make it difficult to do this, they are then required to provide an alternative, suitable means of cancellation for that customer.

''Allowed'' by who?

There was a recent case in which a passport services business took a customer to court claiming that they didn't follow their contractually stipulated method of cancellation ie obtaining sending a 'cancellation code' to a dedicated cancellation e-mail address.

The customer had instead simply sent their request to cancel to the company's main e-mail address.

The court held that that the method used by the customer was entirely valid and sufficient for the company to know full well that the customer no longer wished to receive their services. The same principle applies here.

The-Truth

go4it wrote: »

It is a problem when you work during their call hours, and can't make personal calls .

Surely you don't work 7 days a week. What about on a day off? I know some call centers limit weekend hours but I've never known any closed both Saturday & Sunday.