I used the 30 day free trial at Experian to check my credit record this morning.
All sign-up online.
I had to give my credit card details to conform my identity (fair enough).
But once subscribed, it's impossible to cancel without phoning them (office hours only) - there is no way to cancel on their website.
Not the first bunch of scum to pull that trick!
Totally counter-productive too.
I *always* immediately unsubcribe to all those things.
If they hadn't tried to pull that trick, I probably would have actually paid them for my credit score.
I bet it's massively profitable - you might unsubscribe instantly, bet a hell of a lot of people don't. In fact, I suspect a fair few don't even realise what they have agreed to and never notice it on their credit card statement.
Darren
Direct Line insurance tried a similar trick with me.
Silently auto-renewed a policy, and didn't notify me for 2 weeks (and no pre-notification - we're going to do this).
I immediately cancelled, they tried to charge me for those 2 weeks - that I neither asked for nor wanted.
Fortunately I had a new credit card issued in the mean time - so they couldn't bill it.
So they got shirty, and set a debt collection company on me (breaking their own rules on dispute resolution).
But I was cc'ing everything to the insurance ombudsman - who were mightily displeased with the escalation to a debt collection company
*after* they had got involved in mediating the dispute.Eventually Direct Line crawled and begged forgiveness - whilst I had warm feelings about what it had cost them to try pulling a fast one.
Add Naked Wines to the list too. I'd ordered a number of cases from them over a couple of years, then I got a case in March which I hadnt ordered. I rang them, and was told I had opted in to a case every 3 months. I told them I would never have agreed to such a deal. They wouldnt back down. So I paid for that case under protest, and cancelled all future orders with them. They are shysters, and such a 'trick' has cost them at least a couple of hundred pounds over 2 years, as I was quite happy with them until then, and would have continued to buy from them.
Alan.
I wish there was such a public list.
I think it would greatly reduce the practice.
Add SAGA Insurance to the list :-(
With the last increase being a bit much, we informed their renewal team that we were shopping around. I found a cheaper deal through someone else via Quidco and took out the new policy. The following week we found that SAGA had done a direct debit on SWMBO's account for their following years expensive insurance - and asked to explain themselves they said "we do that as a favour for our customers so that if they forget to renew, they will actually still be covered". Yeah right, it's elderly forgetful customers freeloaning them cash! Took a heated telephone call to correct that and have the money back in the account.
Add Churchill insurance to this - absolutely dreadful practices and systems when I tried to stop dealing with them a year or so ago. Never again! My son is just starting a similar battle with Admiral insurance, so maybe they're all similar.
I also found Direct Line used a low sign-up premium, but lots of backloaded charges - the 2 very minor changes I made in my policy were ridiculously expensive.
Norwich Union/Aviva don't do autorenew, they send paperwork through by post, in advance of the renewal date, and offer a discount of you complete the renewal online - they are my insurer now.
They don't charge/overcharge for minor changes either.
Best of all, comp on my caravelle =A3299, add full business use just =A31.
(no connection apart from satisfied customer etc)
Yep they all do it now.
I doubt that you will find a "direct" provider that does not
tim
Privilege Insurance.
Was happy enough with the policy and the service, until a couple of years ago, when they sent a renewal notice saying they would auto-renew unless I told them otherwise. So I told them otherwise, but the charge appeared on my debit card. No only had they ignored my instructions but they seemed to think that just because I had paid by debit card in the past they had a continuing authority to make further charges.
I don't use them anymore. And I avoid any organisation that offers to keep my card details 'to facilitate future purchases'.
Quinn Insurance doesn't. (and I pay them by cheque just to make sure they can't)
Yup, I'm with SAGA but on DD, so I can cancel unilaterally. Reminds me, I must start to look for an escape to another payment evader.
Just Yahoo!'d that and the second hit had "under administration" in the description - bit worrying.
That's SOP for BSB Sky, where you can add channels immediately online but need to call a premium rate phone line to cancel and also then need to wait
30 days for cancellations to be effected. I'm so glad I moved to FreeSat.Tony
I recently asked my bank what would happen if I had reason to cancel a DD and was told that the company in question could immediately set up a new DD on the account, on the basis that they already had DD payment authorisation.
On a similar note, ordering online from Pizza Hut on Saturday, at the end of the process was offered a =A310 of your next purchase voucher. However to collect it, you need to give them your card details.
Voucher remains uncollected.
They went bust.
You'd think so wouldn't you, however I've read many reports of them being reinstated by the company. By many accounts the DD gaurantee isn't worth much at all.
Mathew
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