D C Thomson subscriptions disgusting company

metrobus

My 92 to year old mother signed up to have The People's Friend magazine delivered through the D C Thomson website.

That was 2 months back since then she's suffered a stroke and heart attack and is in hospital and will probably not come out,it's also impossible for her to read.

I emailed them to cancel the subscription under the 30 day notice they say applies which is fair enough I did not mind them delivering it for the next 4 or 5 weeks.

However since she pays by direct debit they say she must carry on having it for another year.

Nowhere in the original agreement was this mentioned.

They have come back and say it's in the "small print" if you pay by DD. .

I asked what happens if she dies are we still forced to have the magazine? The girl did not know.

Do yourself a favour and stay away from this disgusting company.

lincroft1710

From D C Thomson website

Receive "The People's Friend" delivered to your door each week for the next 6 months, 1 year or more! Each weekly Friend is packed with feel-good fiction, fascinating features, cookery, craft and puzzles.

*13 issues only £12 is available for UK customers when paying by Direct Debit. UK bank accounts only. One year minimum term applies. Free gift is available for all new and renewing subscribers. Renewal orders are for payment of Direct Debit only. Please allow up to 28 days delivery from receipt of payment. Should the gift pictured be unavailable, a replacement gift will be sent.

Seems clear enough to me, if you sign up to 13 issues for £12 paid by DD, then you are contracted to pay for the magazine for a year, That is not "disgusting". Also, it is easily visible on the website and not hidden.

I would agree that the customer service operative was not very helpful and probably requires training in passing on queries they cannot answer to someone who can

metrobus

lincroft1710 wrote: »

From D C Thomson website

Receive "The People's Friend" delivered to your door each week for the next 6 months, 1 year or more! Each weekly Friend is packed with feel-good fiction, fascinating features, cookery, craft and puzzles.

*13 issues only £12 is available for UK customers when paying by Direct Debit. UK bank accounts only. One year minimum term applies. Free gift is available for all new and renewing subscribers. Renewal orders are for payment of Direct Debit only. Please allow up to 28 days delivery from receipt of payment. Should the gift pictured be unavailable, a replacement gift will be sent.

Seems clear enough to me, if you sign up to 13 issues for £12 paid by DD, then you are contracted to pay for the magazine for a year, That is not "disgusting". Also, it is easily visible on the website and not hidden.

I would agree that the customer service operative was not very helpful and probably requires training in passing on queries they cannot answer to someone who can

Totally different T&Cs your link is to a current promotion.no free gift and not £12 for 13 issues 2 months ago.
You are comparing apples and oranges.
Besides why does it state in the 1st line recieve it for the next 6 months and then say 1 year minimum only a few lines down?
Hardly clear.
And they even emphasised it was in the "small print" of the DD terms so they know they are not up front about it when saying cancel anytime with a 30 day notice only then to be told after an inital 12 months.
So yes a deceitful,disgusting company.

agrinnall

metrobus wrote: »

Besides why does it state in the 1st line recieve it for the next 6 months and then say 1 year minimum only a few lines down?
Hardly clear.

Seems clear to me: you can have a 6 month subscription but the 13 issues for £12 offer doesn't apply in that instance.


However, I accept that may well not be the offer that was taken up, so if you want us to review the T&Cs that did apply at the time the subscription was taken out you'll need to tell us what they are.

lincroft1710

metrobus wrote: »

Totally different T&Cs your link is to a current promotion.no free gift and not £12 for 13 issues 2 months ago.
You are comparing apples and oranges.
Besides why does it state in the 1st line recieve it for the next 6 months and then say 1 year minimum only a few lines down?
Hardly clear.

Apples and oranges are different fruits, DCT subscriptions are still DCT subscriptions. This is the link

https://www.dcthomsonshop.co.uk/subscriptions/the-peoples-friend-subscription

There are 5 UK subscription options, hence reference to 6 month and 12 month, and it seems very clearly set out

metrobus

lincroft1710 wrote: »

Apples and oranges are different fruits, DCT subscriptions are still DCT subscriptions. This is the link

https://www.dcthomsonshop.co.uk/subscriptions/the-peoples-friend-subscription

There are 5 UK subscription options, hence reference to 6 month and 12 month, and it seems very clearly set out

And DCT subscriptions have different T&Cs and the link you posted has nothing to do with the one we took out So yes you are comparing apples and oranges. So yes your link is totally irrelevant .

I am pointing out the minimum 1 year subscription which many have and will fall for,the CC assistant jumped straight in with the small print in the DD explanation so obviously they have had a lot of the same complaint.
I have made my views on the company and will leave it at that.

lincroft1710

metrobus wrote: »

And DCT subscriptions have different T&Cs and the link you posted has nothing to do with the one we took out So yes you are comparing apples and oranges. So yes your link is totally irrelevant .

I am pointing out the minimum 1 year subscription which many have and will fall for,the CC assistant jumped straight in with the small print in the DD explanation so obviously they have had a lot of the same complaint.
I have made my views on the company and will leave it at that.

You persist with this apples and oranges nonsense. If the T&Cs are so radically different from the ones quoted, then please quote them. I will re-iterate that their 1 yr subscription T&Cs are clearly displayed on their website, so anyone who currently wants to sign up can clearly see what they are signing up for.

foxtrotoscar_2

metrobus wrote: »

And DCT subscriptions have different T&Cs and the link you posted has nothing to do with the one we took out So yes you are comparing apples and oranges. So yes your link is totally irrelevant .

I am pointing out the minimum 1 year subscription which many have and will fall for,the CC assistant jumped straight in with the small print in the DD explanation so obviously they have had a lot of the same complaint.
I have made my views on the company and will leave it at that.

Can you post the link to the one 'we' took out please?

pogofish

TBF, the Peoples Friend is the magazine for old ladies of a certain outlook.

If they canceled every time one of them karked ,DCT wouldn't be making nearly as much money.

If you want to have a go at them, there are far more horrible things about the way they do business - Their attitude/approach to HR and staff pregnancies for two.

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth

Why not take it to her, and read out some of the stories?

pmduk

Your Mother was happy to pay for a year upfront, why not have the remaining issues sent to one of her friends as a gift?