Online Automatic Renewal

Michael_Keane

Hello,

I am looking for advice on consumer rights regarding on-line automatic renewal. My mother signed up to FindMyPast.co.uk in July 2014, and the website has had her signed up for automatic renewal ever since. I believe the website had the "automatic renewal" option as already ticked when she signed up.

She hasn't used the website for over 18 months, does she have any rights regarding this? Do companies not have a legal, or at least ethical obligation to not charge for accounts which are clearly inactive?

Thank you for any assistance.

marliepanda

No. The service was always available.

wealdroam

Michael_Keane wrote: »

Hello,

I am looking for advice on consumer rights regarding on-line automatic renewal. My mother signed up to FindMyPast.co.uk in July 2014, and the website has had her signed up for automatic renewal ever since. I believe the website had the "automatic renewal" option as already ticked when she signed up.

She hasn't used the website for over 18 months, does she have any rights regarding this? Do companies not have a legal, or at least ethical obligation to not charge for accounts which are clearly inactive?

Thank you for any assistance.

I do not believe that companies have any obligation, moral or legal, to terminate an agreement without the consent of the other party.

When you mother joined, whether via a free trial or otherwise, she would've been asked to agree to their Terms and Conditions.

In their T&Cs it states:

Continuous Subscriptions

When you take out a Subscription, it is on a continuous basis, meaning that your Subscription will automatically renew, without notification, for the same subscription period as the initial subscription period. Monthly Subscriptions are renewed each calendar month and 12-month Subscriptions auto-renew after the 12 month period has expired. The debit or credit card originally used for payment, will be charged based on your chosen Subscription package, on the day the Subscription automatically renews.

You may elect not to renew a Subscription and can turn off the automatic renewal at any time (so long as this is no later than two days before the current Subscription is due to expire), through the "My Account" page on the Site and un-ticking the "Auto-renew my Subscription" box. Alternatively you can email support@findmypast.co.uk or call Customer Support on +44(0)20 3326 6300 Monday to Friday 9am to 5:30pm. If you do not turn off automatic renewal or cancel your Subscription in accordance with the above, we will automatically renew your Subscription and will take payment before your current Subscription ends.

Subject to any statutory right to cancel that you may have, we cannot provide refunds for a continuous Subscription which has not been cancelled in accordance with this section.

DomRavioli

No.

From their website t&Cs:
Free Trial

You may sign up to a free trial (Trial) which allows you to view a selection of Records for a period of up to 14 days ( Trial Period). In order to obtain a Trial, you will need to register with the Site and follow the prompts on screen to set up the Trial.

There is no obligation to purchase Credits or a Subscription following the Trial however we do require your credit or debit card details in order to grant you the Trial. Upon registration for a Trial you shall be asked to select which type of Subscription you would like to base your Trial on. Details about the types of Subscription available can be found on the Site here. If you do not cancel your Trial prior to the expiry of the Trial Period you shall automatically be charged for the Subscription selected on registration for the Trial and we will take payment accordingly. You may, at any time during the Trial Period. cancel the Trial by signing in to your account online and un-ticking the "Auto-renew my subscription" box or by emailing support@findmypast.co.uk or call Customer Support on +44(0) 20 3326 6300 Monday - Friday 9am - 5.30pm to request cancellation.

If you are a consumer user and not a Genealogist, you will also have the right to cancel any Subscription entered into following the expiry of the Trial Period, in accordance with the Cancellations section below.

Trials are limited to one per household and we reserve the right to reject a request for a Trial if we have reasonable grounds to think that you have already participated in one.

So no, she has no legal comeback as the T&Cs clearly state that if she does not cancel, it will automatically renew.

Companies have ZERO legal obligation to charge for "inactive accounts" - if the money is still being taken 18 months later and the subscriber doesn't notice, that isn't down to the company, it is down to the individual; they do not pay for ignorance.