Private Eye Direct Debit subscription cancellation

[Deleted User]

488620 said:

I have just had a very strange email from private-eye .co. uk. Here is the back history: I had subscribed online for my father who immediately told me he did not want the magazine. I immediately went to cancel it online only to find there was no cancellation button. I also noticed there was no contact form or email address. It was a Sunday and bank holiday so couldn't phone. Luckily I realised they had emailed me an auto response upon payment, so I used that email to write my cancellation. I also cancelled my direct debit immediately. Strangely I then kept getting messages saying they were going to setup my direct debit (even though they have clearly been told to cancel things). I just received a very badly set out email message from them saying, unfortunately I cannot cancel or get a refund. So I have emailed them back to state I am legally entitled to it as per their own T&Cs https: //shop. private-eye.co. uk / Terms-and-Conditions / ... If the magazine was not a well known publication I would think this is a scam. Has anyone else had this experience? It feels like they will hard sell and lie to you to keep subscribers paying for as long as possible. Really unimpressed! 

PE still assembles the magazine by hand layout unless they changed recently, not really surprising they haven't mastered electronic banking.
PE also regularly publishes letters from the snowflakes (usually boomers) rage quitting because PE made fun of something they like so I somehow doubt they are lying to keep subscribers.

Zanderman

488620 said:

I have just had a very strange email from private-eye .co. uk. Here is the back history: I had subscribed online for my father who immediately told me he did not want the magazine. I immediately went to cancel it online only to find there was no cancellation button. I also noticed there was no contact form or email address. It was a Sunday and bank holiday so couldn't phone. Luckily I realised they had emailed me an auto response upon payment, so I used that email to write my cancellation. I also cancelled my direct debit immediately. Strangely I then kept getting messages saying they were going to setup my direct debit (even though they have clearly been told to cancel things). I just received a very badly set out email message from them saying, unfortunately I cannot cancel or get a refund. So I have emailed them back to state I am legally entitled to it as per their own T&Cs https: //shop. private-eye.co. uk / Terms-and-Conditions / ... If the magazine was not a well known publication I would think this is a scam. Has anyone else had this experience? It feels like they will hard sell and lie to you to keep subscribers paying for as long as possible. Really unimpressed! 

If you subscribed to the Eye on on of their special offers - the ones with a free gift - you may have contracted until the end of the term.  This is not unusual for special offers for subs. This is clear on the terms page https://shop.private-eye.co.uk/Terms-and-Conditions  and there is also info on their Subs FAQ page here:  https://shop.private-eye.co.uk/FAQ/  (scroll to the bit about cancelling).

So, if you did take out this sort of sub you may not be able to cancel. If you didn't then you can probably cancel.

I'd agree their subs website is a little confusing - and the two pages linked above don't tie together very well - but P Eye really are the least likely outfit to con you out of anything (and I say that as a subscriber going back many decades).  I hope you get it sorted out.