Halfords Motoring Club has no cancellation option - how is this legal?

DraxDomax

I joined because I wanted to pick up some special prices on a large purchase.
Now that I've completed that order, I want to stop my monthly renewal.

However, their website has no option to self-serve - you have to "chat" or call.
However II, the chat says "all advisors are busy" and hangs up.
The phone does the same!

So, I don't seem to be able to stop auto-renewals.

Well, I did cut them off at my bank. So, they are not going to be able to collect (I hope) the renewal fee.

Just wondering what kind of country are we becoming, as everything is blocked with 40 minutes of listening to "have you checked our website, surely all our questions are answered on the website. Surely you don't need to solve a problem that we have hidden on our website, especially not to stop us from taking money from you!!"

There should be a law against all these "auto chat bots". I have NEVER had any of my problems solved by one. 
They are a bane on our economy, as I make more money doing my job than it takes to hire a real person - but I can't make money while I am waiting for a person to show up!

breaking_free

I think you'll find they do have an option to cancel; however, there is a minimum membership term of 12 months (no doubt to prevent people from joining up briefly to take advantage of the special prices you mentioned).

https://www.halfords.com/customer-services/policies-and-regulations/motoring-club-terms-and-conditions.html

Term

1. The minimum term of your membership is 12 months from the Start Date (the "Minimum Term").
2. Your Membership may not be cancelled or terminated by you during the Minimum Term except as set out in the "right to cancel" section below.

The_Unready

The online T&C's indicate that the minimum membership is 12 months, and you are unable to cancel membership during that period if you have used any of the benefits.

If they are the T&C's you signed up to you may want to reinstate your payment at your earliest opportunity to avoid potential debt recovery action.

Manxman_in_exile

@DraxDomax

The_Unready said:

... If they are the T&C's you signed up to you may want to reinstate your payment at your earliest opportunity to avoid potential debt recovery action.

This ^^^.   You may well be in breach of contract now.

Not sure what you mean by "... I did cut them off at my bank... " but if you originally paid by card and have simply cancelled it they will probably be able to take it from your new card.

Make sure you cancel with effect from the end of the minimum term.

animositymike

Yea the website is useful. I signed up for a year and feel tricked into the automatic renewal (didn't deliberately choose for an automated renewal). Now they keep trying to take money from my bank and there is no option on the site to cancel the subscription. The site says to use the online chat. When I try the online chat it says there are no agents and have to call them. 
This is imo all deliberately designed to get people stuck on a subscription they do not want.

The other comments here are immensely unhelpful. Saying that you "I think you'll find they do have an option to cancel" just because it mentions the possibility in the t&C's isn't adding anything useful.  
Obviously when OP says "I did cut them off at my bank" they mean they cancelled the direct debit. Suggesting they are in the wrong and in breach of contract is similarly not helpful to anyone.

If anyone can find a setting on the site where you can click, 'unsubscribe' or provide an email address so the site can be contacted and request for the service to be cancelled, these would be helpful things to comment on.

animositymike

*Yea the website is useless.

Alderbank

I would write to them giving notice of cancellation.

The T&Cs of the Motoring Club say:

10 Communications between us
Any notice ...in connection with the Contract shall be in writing...and shall be delivered personally, sent by pre-paid first-class post, recorded delivery, commercial courier, fax or e-mail.
A notice or other communication shall be deemed to have been received if sent by pre-paid first class post or recorded delivery, at 9.00 am on the second Business Day after posting.

The T&Cs also say:

Membership will automatically renew for a further 12-month period (a "Renewal Term"), unless terminated by you giving notice to terminate a minimum of 3 days and a maximum of 30 days prior to the renewal date.

Write to
Motoring Club Support Team.
Halfords Group Plc
Icknield Street Drive
Washford West
Redditch
Worcestershire
B98 0DE

Write to them exactly as above. Keep records and copies.

DonutDunc

After wasting time using the Halfords chat function on 3 occasions and them failing to cancel or even respond as promised I discovered that you need to phone them to cancel  0330 135 9779, apparently it's in the terms and conditions to cancel by phone.

Ant9962

Like others, wasted a lot of time trying to find what I consider should be a standard option of being able to cancel online!

I have recently bought a new car - so no MOT required and much of the benefits of Premium Membership negated. Tried the chat, where there is supposed to be an option, but once you click on the Motoring Club option, as advised in your renewal email, you are informed, as previously mentioned, that "all advisors are busy" and hangs up.

Tried the phone number, an Indian Call Centre, only to spend forty minutes and three agents later still not cancelled - apparently I would get a call from another agent the next day to discuss and action. Never happened!

Four days later I sent a letter to the address mentioned so helpfully by Alderbank. My renewal has now been cancelled. 

Easy to join, and I guess if you know you are joining for a number of years a money saver. My new car was relatively unexpected, so if you find yourself needing to cancel, it can be a right mess.

StellaMan

animositymike said:

Yea the website is useful. I signed up for a year and feel tricked into the automatic renewal (didn't deliberately choose for an automated renewal). Now they keep trying to take money from my bank and there is no option on the site to cancel the subscription. The site says to use the online chat. When I try the online chat it says there are no agents and have to call them. 
This is imo all deliberately designed to get people stuck on a subscription they do not want.

The other comments here are immensely unhelpful. Saying that you "I think you'll find they do have an option to cancel" just because it mentions the possibility in the t&C's isn't adding anything useful.  
Obviously when OP says "I did cut them off at my bank" they mean they cancelled the direct debit. Suggesting they are in the wrong and in breach of contract is similarly not helpful to anyone.

If anyone can find a setting on the site where you can click, 'unsubscribe' or provide an email address so the site can be contacted and request for the service to be cancelled, these would be helpful things to comment on.

Exactly, but unfortunately some people just can't help themselves !!!

Well said animositymike  

PatchTuesday

DonutDunc said:

After wasting time using the Halfords chat function on 3 occasions and them failing to cancel or even respond as promised I discovered that you need to phone them to cancel  0330 135 9779, apparently it's in the terms and conditions to cancel by phone.

Thank you for this phone number.
Not sure I'd have found it. It certainly isn't in the Membership T&Cs page linked to from the current sign-up page for the club.
(That page is a mess. Loads of broken referencing internally.)

The options to get to 'cancelling club' are 4,2,4.
(Must admit, actually choosing that, I was expecting to be on hold forever, but I got someone pretty much straight away.)
Got given an option to switch to the free version and took it.