Conned by a Car Check

PHK

I may sound cynical, and sorry if I do, but anyone who has every dealt with the general public will know that they don't read anything but skim over things.

Having looked at that site, I'm not sure how clearer they can be. It's called a subscription and the monthly amount is in bold. 

photome

TELLIT01 said:

In the OP's defence.  I'm viewing the site on a 24" monitor and much of it is so small it's extremely difficult to read.

Presumably legal, as the detail is in the small print - literally on that site.

Is your monitor set correctly, I can see it quite clearly on an iPad mini 7 inch screen

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

born_again said:

https://car-checking.com/

When you click that link on desktop it does indeed show



However that table is not present when I view the page on my mobile.

You enter your reg, next page doesn't mention it (it's a list of what the report covers with a button to download) which takes you to this page



The part about a subscription is in a fainter text than the rest of the page, it's there but that is an extremely poor tactic. Note; that line of text is also extremely clear when looking at the image on this forum on desktop, not so much when looking at it on a 6inch screen on the website. 

Next page is for entering card details


and it does mention the subscription but you have to scroll down



Although that says order summary, it doesn't look like an order summary, it looks like a general advert for the site and looks completely unrelated to the £5.95 you are being asked to pay at the top.

Site also says governed by the laws of Ireland with right of withdrawal, when did you actually pay OP? 

DullGreyGuy

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

However that table is not present when I view the page on my mobile.

You enter your reg, next page doesn't mention it (it's a list of what the report covers with a button to download) which takes you to this page



The part about a subscription is in a fainter text than the rest of the page, it's there but that is an extremely poor tactic. Noe; that line of text is also extremely clear when looking at the image on this forum on desktop, not so much when looking at it on a 6inch screen on the website. 

<snip>

and it does mention the subscription but you have to scroll down



Although that says order summary, it doesn't look like an order summary, it looks like a general advert for the site and looks completely unrelated to the £5.95 you are being asked to pay at the top.

Site also says governed by the laws of Ireland with right of withdrawal, when did you actually pay OP? 

The light grey is certainly a little underhanded but it is definitely visible, it's above the page fold and its in a larger font than the list of benefits above it. The order summary is a large font and black text on a light page. 

Ultimately the reality is people dont read what they are agreeing to, not just talking 300 page T&Cs but even if its just a dozen bullets they have to click to state they agree to them/that they are correct even if in plain text normal font size etc. 

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

A little? Unless it's a mistake, what purpose does it serve other than to deceive? 

born_again

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

A little? Unless it's a mistake, what purpose does it serve other than to deceive? 

Are they deceiving or just relying that people see £5.99 & stop reading at continue. More fool them.

Personally responsibly seems to go out the window when people are trying to save money. Cheap is not always the best, as this site proves. 
When you fail to read what you are buying.

I see no deceit, on that page, as it is clearly stated on the same page twice £39.90 & order summery is £39.90 a month. If people can't understand. Then they best not shop online 🤷‍♀️

DCFC79

The £39.90 fee is just below the green "Continue" button, not hard to miss is it. People just need to take 5 minutes and read whats in front of them before they click continue.

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

born_again said:

 just relying that people see £5.99 & stop reading at continue.

(Without implying this particular company are), if any company they were hoping for that is that in itself not deceit? 

Consumer rights are there to balance the naïve consumer against expert (the trader), if you excuse my crude editing, had it looked like this then who could complain. 

Pollycat

born_again said:

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

A little? Unless it's a mistake, what purpose does it serve other than to deceive? 

Are they deceiving or just relying that people see £5.99 & stop reading at continue. More fool them.

Personally responsibly seems to go out the window when people are trying to save money. Cheap is not always the best, as this site proves. 
When you fail to read what you are buying.

I see no deceit, on that page, as it is clearly stated on the same page twice £39.90 & order summery is £39.90 a month. If people can't understand. Then they best not shop online 🤷‍♀️

+1 to this.

Lots of threads about similar companies offering 'free trails' that turn into subscriptions if you fail to cancel.

Lots of companies offering services that can be had cheaper or even free from the correct website.
e,g, passports, ESTAs, GHIC.

I think people using the internet to search/order etc with companies need to accept a certain degree of personal responsibility.

It's not the cosy, friendly fluffy-bunny place that some people seem to think it is.

DullGreyGuy

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

A little? Unless it's a mistake, what purpose does it serve other than to deceive? 

Havent you seen their colour scheme? Other elements, that are positive, are also in a lighter grey colour than the preceding text. "Access to Professional Customer Service" has the former in a dark blue and the "customer service" in a lighter grey. 

Big companies spend silly money on brand consultants, small companies try to emulate without the $3m budget for the consultants that say to change the font from Times New Roman to Arial.