Can a company upgrade a contract without consent?

everyone_else

I have just received an email from my broadband provider OneStream titled “Free Upgrade Activated!”. Turns out this appears to be mass email sent to all their customers that they are offering a free upgrade to some sort of weekend engineer service, free for 2 months and £3.95 after. To cancel this contract I had to fill out several boxes with “Agree” and then sign the document. 

Is this sort of stuff legal? Can I complain to anybody other than the company itself about their conduct? I am just worried about many other people overlooking this email and being basically scammed out of their money.

powerful_Rogue

everyone_else said:

I have just received an email from my broadband provider OneStream titled “Free Upgrade Activated!”. Turns out this appears to be mass email sent to all their customers that they are offering a free upgrade to some sort of weekend engineer service, free for 2 months and £3.95 after. To cancel this contract I had to fill out several boxes with “Agree” and then sign the document. 

Is this sort of stuff legal? Can I complain to anybody other than the company itself about their conduct? I am just worried about many other people overlooking this email and being basically scammed out of their money.

What does your contract say?

[Deleted User]

You gave your consent in your sign up to the product, which advertises a free month trial.

If you believe you signed up to a product without that feature, then it's been sent in error.

everyone_else

powerful_Rogue said:

everyone_else said:

I have just received an email from my broadband provider OneStream titled “Free Upgrade Activated!”. Turns out this appears to be mass email sent to all their customers that they are offering a free upgrade to some sort of weekend engineer service, free for 2 months and £3.95 after. To cancel this contract I had to fill out several boxes with “Agree” and then sign the document. 

Is this sort of stuff legal? Can I complain to anybody other than the company itself about their conduct? I am just worried about many other people overlooking this email and being basically scammed out of their money.

What does your contract say?

Good point!

Just had a look through their terms and conditions and there is in fact a section titled “Our rights to make changes to terms of this contract” where there are several points on how they are allowed to “improve, update, or add service”.

Still seems wrong, or at the very least awfully dodgy on their part…

everyone_else

Deleted_User said:

You gave your consent in your sign up to the product, which advertises a free month trial.

If you believe you signed up to a product without that feature, then it's been sent in error.

I signed up for a monthly broadband for £20 per month about a year ago. I have in no way signed up to any “free” trials. I have come across other people who have received the same email so I doubt it has been sent in error.

[Deleted User]

everyone_else said:

Deleted_User said:

You gave your consent in your sign up to the product, which advertises a free month trial.

If you believe you signed up to a product without that feature, then it's been sent in error.

I have come across other people who have received the same email so I doubt it has been sent in error.

That generally suggests it was sent in error.

everyone_else

Deleted_User said:

everyone_else said:

Deleted_User said:

You gave your consent in your sign up to the product, which advertises a free month trial.

If you believe you signed up to a product without that feature, then it's been sent in error.

I have come across other people who have received the same email so I doubt it has been sent in error.

That generally suggests it was sent in error.

I am really confused why you seem to think this email has been sent out in error but for arguments sake lets say the company has indeed signed up all their customers to an upgrade “in error”. The company will still be collecting the additional money from those people who didn’t click the link to cancel this upgrade. 

It doesn’t change the issues, and I would still like to find out if there is any way I can help these people, or report the company any way?

powerful_Rogue

everyone_else said:

Deleted_User said:

everyone_else said:

Deleted_User said:

You gave your consent in your sign up to the product, which advertises a free month trial.

If you believe you signed up to a product without that feature, then it's been sent in error.

I have come across other people who have received the same email so I doubt it has been sent in error.

That generally suggests it was sent in error.

I am really confused why you seem to think this email has been sent out in error but for arguments sake lets say the company has indeed signed up all their customers to an upgrade “in error”. The company will still be collecting the additional money from those people who didn’t click the link to cancel this upgrade. 

It doesn’t change the issues, and I would still like to find out if there is any way I can help these people, or report the company any way?

If it's in the T&C's you agreed to when you signed up, then there is nothing to report.

everyone_else

powerful_Rogue said:

everyone_else said:

Deleted_User said:

everyone_else said:

Deleted_User said:

You gave your consent in your sign up to the product, which advertises a free month trial.

If you believe you signed up to a product without that feature, then it's been sent in error.

I have come across other people who have received the same email so I doubt it has been sent in error.

That generally suggests it was sent in error.

I am really confused why you seem to think this email has been sent out in error but for arguments sake lets say the company has indeed signed up all their customers to an upgrade “in error”. The company will still be collecting the additional money from those people who didn’t click the link to cancel this upgrade. 

It doesn’t change the issues, and I would still like to find out if there is any way I can help these people, or report the company any way?

If it's in the T&C's you agreed to when you signed up, then there is nothing to report.

Thank for your help and input. Would this not count as the company acting unfairly in any way then? I find it outrageous that companies can get away with this sort of behaviour!

[Deleted User]

everyone_else said:

Deleted_User said:

everyone_else said:

Deleted_User said:

You gave your consent in your sign up to the product, which advertises a free month trial.

If you believe you signed up to a product without that feature, then it's been sent in error.

I have come across other people who have received the same email so I doubt it has been sent in error.

That generally suggests it was sent in error.

I am really confused why you seem to think this email has been sent out in error 

Because it's the most common explanation. It may have been deliberate, but never ignore the most likely route.

You can't help others, unless you want to take out an ad somewhere or try some other comms campaign to reach them.

user1977

It doesn't sound any more unlawful than telecoms providers moving you to a higher speed / more TV channels in exchange for a price increase by default, but with the option of "downgrading" (or just cancelling your contract) if you ask.