- Published
Ever been confused by a random amount leaving your bank then had that sinking feeling it's a subscription you forgot to cancel or didn't mean to sign up to?
asserted
you → publish → feeling
Often the first order is free or heavily discounted so you give it a try and tell yourself you'll cancel it before the deadline.
asserted
you → discount → deadline
But it's easy to forget and sometimes not straightforward.
asserted
it → forget → ?
Following Prime Minister Andy Burnham's crackdown on subscription traps, three people tell us how they got into - and out of theirs.
asserted
they → follow → theirs
1. Set reminders
Sophie Branscombe, 23 from Wirral, says she signed up for a free trial of a photo editor app then saw a payment of £89.99 had gone out of her bank.
"It was a free trial, and they did make it clear I was signing up to a subscription, but there was no reminder of when [the free period] would end," she says.
asserted
she → set → subscription
Sophie says she wasn't able to get a refund through the firm.
asserted
she → say → firm
Instead she submitted a refund request via Apple "report a problem" which refunded everything.
asserted
which → submit → everything
The BBC has asked the company for a response.
asserted
BBC → ask → response
Sophie's advice to others is to set reminders as soon as you sign up to a subscription for when the free trial ends.
asserted
trial → set → subscription
"Make it a habit of checking what subscriptions run out and if you also find that you don't like something after signing up to a free trial, cancel straight away," she says.
2. Read the small print
Hussein Zaaiter, 21 from West London was using a free software trial for his university work and says when he tried to cancel he faced several complications.
"
asserted
he → make → complications
I tried online chat, email and even the phone at one point as they were constantly charging me," he says.
asserted
he → try → me
He says a payment of £16 left his account, then another of £32 before he froze his card.
asserted
he → say → card
"They tried to charge me seven times," he says.
asserted
he → try → me
He contacted his bank to explain the situation in the hope of being reimbursed.
asserted
He → contact → hope
"I felt like it was marketed as a free trial that was easy to cancel.
asserted
that → feel → trial
"It was difficult to contact them, and the cancellation was near impossible," he says.
asserted
he → contact → them
Hussein's tip for others is to read the terms and conditions and take caution before starting subscriptions.
asserted
tip → read → subscriptions
The BBC has contacted the firm for a response.
asserted
BBC → contact → response
Don't assume your trial will end
asserted
trial → assume → ?
Rosalinda Kwafo-Akoto, 22 from the West Midlands signed up for a one-week free TV trial.
asserted
Akoto → sign → trial
"I remembered before the end of the week that the trial was ending and tried to cancel it so I wouldn't be charged," she says.
asserted
she → remember → it
She says she couldn't find the subscription anywhere on her account so assumed that they had automatically ended and removed it.
asserted
they → say → it
After a week, she realised that money had been taken out of her account.
asserted
money → realise → account
She says it took her an hour and a half to get through to speak to someone on customer service and locate the subscription.
asserted
it → say → subscription
Ros managed to cancel it and was refunded the full amount.
asserted
Ros → manage → amount
Ros's tip for others is don't assume that a subscription will automatically cancel just because you can't find it on your account.
asserted
you → assume → account
"These companies make it as difficult as possible for you to cancel so make sure you get a confirmation email of your cancellation," she says.
asserted
she → make → cancellation
The BBC has contacted the firm for a response.
asserted
BBC → contact → response
The Aporia
