Defrauded by Just Answer.com

grale413

On 24/02/25 I contacted Just Answer.com for an answer to a medical question. They told me that it would cost £7, which I paid. Since then, without any warning, or or request for permission, they have been charging my bank account with a monthly figure of £38 even though I havn't used their services since. I consider this a scam! Does anyone have an address or email address I can contact to reclaim the amount paid of £456.

DE_612183

You don't just pay for an answer - you sign up for membership which you can cancel at any time.

It's in the T&Cs which most people don't read.

eskbanker

They have come up before on here - although not as prominent as some would like, they do make their pricing clear:

Only have one question? No problem! Sign up for a trial period to get your answer and cancel before the next billing period to avoid further monthly charges.

[…]

How do JustAnswer charges work?

JustAnswer is a monthly membership-based service that provides fast and easy access to Experts online. After paying a trial fee, you will automatically start a monthly subscription plan after your trial period ends. You can cancel at any time. If you want to stop using JustAnswer, please do so before your billing period is due. Like a phone contract, you must cancel in advance to avoid a future charge.

https://www.justanswer.co.uk/help/pricing

sheramber

When you signed up You would tick a box saying you had read the Terms and Conditions

part these states

“Unless otherwise stated on your sign-up page, when you sign up for Membership, you agree that you are subscribing to an automatically renewing Membership requiring recurring payments to the payment source that you provided to JustAnswer (e.g. credit card, PayPal account) at the stated frequency (e.g., monthly or annually) at the then-current price until you cancel. You will be charged your first Membership fee and any applicable taxes by JustAnswer on the date you purchase your Membership or, if applicable, after your paid trial ends. Your Membership will automatically continue at the selected interval, and you will continue to be charged at the then-current price”

You can cancel your membership by going into your account.

Woodstok2000

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6656590/defrauded-by-just-answer-com

And although it's not helpful to you, another great example of why it's really important to review bank statements every month and check any payments that are new or not recognised. At least then you would have been trying to claim back £38 instead of £456

oldernonethewiser

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6656590/defrauded-by-just-answer-com

You may consider it a scam however as clearly demonstrated by the previous post regarding the T&Cs , it isn't.

Aylesbury_Duck

Obvious question which I think I know the answer to, but worth checking: Did you cancel after getting the answer you wanted? If you did, and you have evidence of cancelling, then your bank will intervene on the basis of the direct debit guarantee.

If you didn't, then they've provided what you agreed to when you signed up, and you're reliant upon goodwill for any refund.

Ayr_Rage

Oh, there is no defrauding , you just didn't understand what you were getting into.

eskbanker

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81896325#Comment_81896325

I don't think payments will be by direct debit but will instead be continuous payment authorities, which don't have equivalent guarantees.

elsien

I have just done a dummy run in case the information about the ongoing payment wasn’t clear.

it was right at the top of the signup page - you didn’t need to get as far as scrutinising the terms and conditions.

“Join for £1 — get your answer in minutes

Unlimited conversations with tech specialist — try 3 days for just £1. Then £35/month. Cancel anytime.”

So unless they’ve changed their signup page in the year since you signed up, this one would seem to be on you OP, I’m sorry to say. I don’t know how you would be able to check that.

You might want to check your other financial statements as well to see if there’s anything else going out that you have also overlooked.

Pollycat

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6656590/defrauded-by-just-answer-com

You've not been 'defrauded'.

It's not a scam.

You just didn't read what was in front of you.

Just like this poster…

Just answer a clever con — MoneySavingExpert Forum