Subscription scam - Santander won’t help !

mooseymoo123

I was recently silly enough to subscribe to a reverse phone number “service” with clarity check.com. For 99p . Then almost immediate they took out another £140 !!! I contacted Santander straight away whilst it was still pending and they have refused point blank to help in anyway saying that this company is legit because they have a phone number (they don’t) and a good rating on trust pilot (they don’t) . All they have is a chat bot that says they don’t do refunds !!
Santander have said no is their final answer !!!

What next ? 

DE_612183

Did you agree to their T&Cs?
you may have done so without realising it.

Have you contacted them and asked to cancel the membership and get a refund?

DE_612183

https://help.claritycheck.com/hc/claritycheck-help-center/articles/1723185827-refund-policy

lincroft1710

Did the terms and conditions of the subscription service say anything about a fee of £140?

mooseymoo123

I never got any terms and conditions and when I tried to log back in to my account it didn’t exist . 

They only have a chat bot to contact where they say no refunds in any circumstances! 

sheramber

To avoid any more money being taken you must cancel your subscription immediately.

https://help.claritycheck.com/hc/claritycheck-help-center/articles/1723185827-refund-policy

2.3 You can cancel your subscription at any time to prevent future charges. To cancel, please follow the cancellation instructions provided in your welcome email, and account settings or contact our customer support team (via chatbot).

2.4 Subscription fees are non-refundable once a billing cycle has commenced. However, if you cancel your subscription before the start of the next billing cycle, you will not be charged for that cycle.

No Refund Conditions

3.1 Subscription Acceptance: Once a customer agrees to and activates a subscription, there will be no refunds for the subscription fee paid, except as stated in point 2 below.

3.2 Trial Period Cancellation: If a customer cancels their subscription during their trial period before it ends, they will not have their subscription renewed, and a refund will not be necessary. However, once the trial period concludes and the customer continues with the subscription, the subscription becomes non-refundable.

This is a US based company

https://claritycheck.com/terms-conditions

30. Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Wyoming, without regard to its conflict of law provisions. Any legal action or proceeding arising out of or relating to these Terms shall be brought exclusively in the federal or state courts located in Wyoming, and you hereby consent to the personal jurisdiction of such courts.

PHK

mooseymoo123 said:

I was recently silly enough to subscribe to a reverse phone number “service” with clarity check.com. For 99p . Then almost immediate they took out another £140 !!! I contacted Santander straight away whilst it was still pending and they have refused point blank to help in anyway saying that this company is legit because they have a phone number (they don’t) and a good rating on trust pilot (they don’t) . All they have is a chat bot that says they don’t do refunds !!
Santander have said no is their final answer !!!

What next ? 

Santander are correct. They are a legitimate business that appear to have been trading for many years. 

They are based in the US where laws and practices are different but that doesn't make it a scam. 

You should remember that banks have a legal duty to obey your legitimate payment instructions and can only refuse or revert them in specific circumstances. ( See the Supreme Court decision in Philipp v Barclays 2023 )

It's very very unlikely if you took this any further that the decision would be changed. At best this would be seen as a civil dispute which isn't grounds for a refund. In all likelihood this would be seen as you making an error in not checking what you were doing. That's not criticism of you, most people act on impulse from time to time. 

But if you do want to take it further then make a formal complaint to Santander. If you remain unhappy with their final decision (and have grounds to justify your position) you can take the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service. 

Personally, I think your time would be better spent unsubscribing from the service and making a note to check a business and their terms before paying them money. 

mooseymoo123

Thank you to everyone for their detailed replies. Very useful and one to learn from . 

I guess we can all make mistakes from time to time and will just have to take it on the chin 

MrPJH

Did you forget to cancel within the 7 day trial period? It says in the terms that you pay 99 cents for a 7 day trial period then you’re on subscription. Did they take the additional payment after the 7 day trial