Money taken from Daughters account but not Fraud - Help!

Chloegib

Had originally posted in Discussion forum, but this might be a better forum for advice?

I’m desperate for help and forgive me if this is the incorrect forum (first post)
Without our knowledge in February this year our 16 year old daughter purchase slimming supplements from Snapchat site (company called UltraMV) she said it was a one off payment of £2 and another of £3.25, no direct debit setup and no contract signed, my daughter received no confirmation e-mail, and when goods arrived no paperwork provided. My daughter thought nothing else of it until 15th April when she went to out with friends to start her holiday shopping (which she had been excited about and had been saving since Christmas) My daughter was shocked to find she had little money in her bank account, and couldn’t understand where all her savings had gone. I immediately contact NatWest and reported as fraud, payments were instantly stopped, but In our disbelief UltraMV had taken the 2 small payments from my daughters account in February 2019 and two weeks later on the same day a deduction of £85 and £89, and again in March on same day a further deduction of £85 and £89 (a total of £353.25) NatWest transferred my call to Fraud team, but was informed that this was not a fraud because the supplements had been delivered to our address and that it fell under the umbrella of ‘Try before you Buy’. Fraud team provided UltraMV contact number and advised that I call and explain the situation, Which I did, but UltraMV had no interest in my plea for refund and I was told bluntly that my daughter had ordered goods and not cancelled within the agreed 14 days trial. I have since called ‘Trading Standards’, they were sympathetic and advised its UltraMV word against my daughter. My daughter is heartbroken, all her savings for her holiday gone, I feel disgusted and angry that UltraMV can get away with it, has anyone else been through same situation and successfully received refund?

I have googled UltraMV contact number and horrified how many people have fallen for the same scam thinking they were purchasing one off supplements

[Deleted User]

They haven't "gotten away" with anything.

Your daughter signed up to some two-bit company on Snapchat of all places and didn't read the T's and C's of what she was signing up for.

Edit - as already advised here: https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/75741596#Comment_75741596 (no need for multi-posting).

PRAISETHESUN

It sounds like your daughter agreed to a continuous payment authority (CPA) on her card when she made the original purchase - the T&Cs she agreed to when she made the initial purchase are likely to state this somewhere. You need to contact the bank and inform them that no further payments are to be taken. You will also need to contact UltraMV and inform them that you are cancelling whatever subscription has created from this. Presumably further shipments have arrived after the additional payments have been taken? If not, then I imagine you should be able to do a charge back under items not received? But without knowing the exact T&Cs your daughter agreed to, its hard to know what was signed up for in the first place - finding that out should be your next step

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth

This is a CPA agreement when you daughter signed up for these supplements. the hook is you first parcel is around £5. Subsequent supplies are a darn sight more expensive. You will have to get in touch with the company and cancel any future orders.


I am afraid it is not a scam.

lr1277

I googled "continuous payment authority under 18" and this is one of the results:
http://www.theukcardsassociation.org.uk/individual/repeat-payments-on-your-card.asp

You may find things the supplier didn't do, but probably would have to take them to court. Possibly small claims court?

[Deleted User]

lr1277 wrote: »

I googled "continuous payment authority under 18" and this is one of the results:
http://www.theukcardsassociation.org.uk/individual/repeat-payments-on-your-card.asp

You may find things the supplier didn't do, but probably would have to take them to court. Possibly small claims court?

No there's nothing that can be done.

The only thing that happened here is T's and C's were not read properly

18cc

https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/cardsloans/article-2904649/The-perils-slimming-pills-end-100-month-lighter.html

colsten

It's a pretty harsh lesson for your daughter but one that will stand her in good stead for the rest of her life as she now knows how important terms and conditions are.

Please don't fill her with false hopes about getting the money back, and please don't pay her holidays for her. She's now old enough to work herself out of the predicament she got herself into.

alanq

Also a reminder of the need to keep an eye on accounts. If daughter had spotted the first large payments as soon as they occurred she would have been entitled to return the product for a refund. Also she could have ensured that the further payments were not taken a month later.

Ben8282

Have the additional products actually been delivered to your address? This is unclear from what has been written above.
If yes, why did your daughter not realise at the time that she was receiving goods that had not been ordered. Did she imagine they were free samples or what?
If no, then instigate a chargeback on the grounds of non-receipt of the charged for goods.

DCFC79

Nothing wrong here, its just another case of not reading what you sign up to. Maybe you should teach your daughter to learn to read what she agreez to and to heck her account on a more regular basis.