Cheaper Radio Times Subscription

Majinate

The latest update is that my scathing TrustPilot review has triggered an escalation at RadioTimes and I've had contact from "Radio Times Editorial Reader Services" who have tasked the "Escalations Team". They appear from their contact details to be separate from the Immediate Media people.

danny13579

Majinate

Funnily enough, I bought the original subscription that way. After my Dad died, my Mum just accepted whatever was offered to her at renewal, not knowing any different.

That's their modus operandi. Get people subscribed with a cheap introductory offer and then hope that they won't know or notice that when the introductory offer ends, they're paying full price for 6 months or a year's subscription.

Only when challenged they'll reduce it to some other offer, again for a fixed period of time, but many old people (like your mum) will not or cannot do this and go on paying full price, often for a very long time, until someone like a relative notices and can put a stop to it, like in your case.

I find it all a bit predatory, especially when we're dealing with magazine subscriptions like Radio Times which would generally have an older subscriber base, compared to the likes of Amazon which also regularly do introductory offers but would generally have a more tech-savvy subscriber base who can easily cancel before being charged full price.

HillStreetBlues

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81983843#Comment_81983843

£27.50 worth of vouchers seems ok, £55 without any.

Majinate

For completeness to close this thread, I've now agreed a free 3-month subscription period with RT's escalation team after which they say they will make a revised offer, which I expect to be £55 for 6 months.

I'm satisfied with that outcome, but am not committing to renewing.

dnpark38

Does the local newsagent take orders and deliver?

Ausdragon

I've cancelled my subscription after receiving a letter saying it was going up to £143 every six months. Their website offers £65 for six months renewing at £65 every six months. i rang the number on my letter and asked how mine could go up to £143 when the website says £65 every six months. Was told by a very belligerent operator that she does deal with the website but she can cancel my subscription (which i did) and refund my £143. She then gave me a different number for the website. The man i spoke to there says the £65 for up to £143 after six months. When I told him that's not what it says on the website he replied that that's what it says in the Terms and Conditions. I repeated that THAT'S NOT WHAT IS SAYS ON THE WEBSITE but he repeated that that's what is says in the Terms and Conditions. I told him that this was very dishonest, advertising in large text that the subscription was £65 to lead people into signing up. It's also untrue. He had no answer for this then told me we'd just have to 'agree to disagree'. I wasn't going to let him off the hook that easily and repeated that it was dishonest and misleading to offer a much cheaper price in the hope that people wouldn't read the small print. I want going to waste any more if my time so asked him to confirm that my subscription has been cancelled and my money refunded. I suspect they'll be getting quite a lot of cancellations with this price jump from £123 to £143 every six months. TV Times seems a much better deal.

HillStreetBlues

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82105503#Comment_82105503

The issue with some telephone centres is they just work of a script and if that script is wrong all that can do is repeat it.

Majinate

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81987329#Comment_81987329

Not quite finished after all! So the 3 months is up and they've offered a new subscription deal, but the best they are prepared to offer now is £156 for a year. If I order from them through Tesco, it would be £55 for 6 months or £120 for 12, but as that's Immediate Media again, I'll pass and order from www.magazine.co.uk at £65 for 6 months instead.

sheramber

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82105503#Comment_82105503

Complain to the Advertising Standards Agency

.

EssexExile

My Radio Times rarely arrives on time nowadays so I've just cancelled. Every time it doesn't arrive they promise to extend my subscription for a week, it will be interesting to see if this happens.