STFC World "free" trial

[Panda Paws]

I signed up for the "free" trial on STFC world and knew that the period was finishing pretty soon, yet received a lovely letter from my bank telling me that I now owe them £48 thanks to entering an unauthorised overdraft.

Now call me naive but when registering, I entered bank details of an account I don't use, therefore there was no money in there. What a stupid decision on my part that was, but I shouldn't be penalised for it surely?

No notification that the period was coming to an end, nothing to suggest automatic renewal and no written confirmation of any change of amount in my direct debit, hence breaking the direct debit gaurantee scheme, so do I have a leg to stand on?

I have sent them a shitty complaint letter and I'm also going to head in to town and see my bank about reclaiming the charges under the gaurantee scheme, but just thought I'd warn everyone else and also see if anyone had had any problems with premium tv before and how they solved them.

[Samdy Gray]

It'll be in the small print of the terms and conditions. These "free period" things always work with you giving your bank details and rely on you cancelling the agreement by a certain date otherwise they'll try and collect the direct debit. There was no notification of the end of the period, but it will be in the T&Cs.

If I'm reading it right, then they collected the payment by direct debit and your bank also charges you. You can claim the payment back under the direct debit guarantee and your bank have to pay it back to you no questions asked - but the STFC World people may still come after you for the money because your bank then claim it back off them.

As for claiming back the charge under the direct debit guarantee, that only covers payments that have been taken incorrectly - not any charges incurred as a result.

[Spy]

This is why I don't have any direct debits, only standing orders. I even once went into the bank and told them to cancel my monthly charity donation!!! Direct debits still come out if the moneys not there and you get hit with charges.

[janaage]

"Now call me naive but when registering, I entered bank details of an account I don't use, therefore there was no money in there. What a stupid decision on my part that was, but I shouldn't be penalised for it surely?"

Sorry mate but yes, I think you do deserve to be penalised for that.  You took advantage of a free offer, under the terms of that offer you didn't cancel in time, so the company took their money, from your account, which you didn't have any funds in, so charges apply.  Think that makes sense really.

I have no doubt that if you speak to your bank they'll quash the charges but you can't really say you didn't ask for that with your slightly strange financial planning strategy.

No offence fella, just being honest.

[Barry Scott]

This is why I don't have any direct debits, only standing orders. I even once went into the bank and told them to cancel my monthly charity donation!!! Direct debits still come out if the moneys not there and you get hit with charges.

But with a standing order you can't go into a bank and reclaim it if you forgot to cancel a regular payment. With DD, you can request Indemnity and as Sam says, the bank have to pay it back like it or lump it. I use DD for paypal - it's a great security blanket.

[Batch]

Standard "free trial" practice. Leave it up to the customer to know when they should cancel and hope they forget.

For future reference, worse is when you pay by credit card, then you have no easy way of stopping a payment being deducted. So if you were to pay a morally dubious company by this method, let's call them Setanta, then if they made it hard/slow to cancel they could bill you until THEY decide to stop. You have no way of cancelling the agreement.

Unlike direct debit, where I can cancel online at the click of button. 

[Spy]

But with a standing order you can't go into a bank and reclaim it if you forgot to cancel a regular payment. With DD, you can request Indemnity and as Sam says, the bank have to pay it back like it or lump it. I use DD for paypal - it's a great security blanket.

But with standing orders you don't get those bank charges in the first place. Am I missing something here?

[Panda Paws]

"Now call me naive but when registering, I entered bank details of an account I don't use, therefore there was no money in there. What a stupid decision on my part that was, but I shouldn't be penalised for it surely?"

Sorry mate but yes, I think you do deserve to be penalised for that.  You took advantage of a free offer, under the terms of that offer you didn't cancel in time, so the company took their money, from your account, which you didn't have any funds in, so charges apply.  Think that makes sense really.

I have no doubt that if you speak to your bank they'll quash the charges but you can't really say you didn't ask for that with your slightly strange financial planning strategy.

No offence fella, just being honest.

I agree with you mate, just wanted to sound off about it last night, more angry with myself than anything else....you live and learn and all that

[Simon Pieman]

See if you can go back and look at the T&Cs to make sure they've done everything correctly.

I've been charged for stuff after a free trial even though I cancelled on the deadline day (though not for STFCWorld). They tried to fob me off when I phoned the company and they kept referring me to the T&Cs which stated I needed to cancel two days before the end of the free trial period in order to fully cancel the subscription. Knowing this was bullshit, I checked the small print three times to make sure, phoned them up and spoke to another manager, who gave me a refund "as a goodwill gesture".

Just saying it happens, so make sure they've done everything in accordance to the small print and if the haven't kick up a fuss. If they have you'll have to accept that you should have cancelled.

[Spy]

Surely calling up an 0845 number to get that refund would have cost you a fair amount of the cost of the monthly charge they took from your account anyway wouldn't it?

[Simon Pieman]

It cost me a few quid I expect. I didn't notice anything too unusual on my phone bill.

But they took a years subscription in one hit. It was in the region of £70, plus I didn't even want the sodding thing by the time I realised I didn't need it.

[Spy]

But they took a years subscription in one hit. It was in the region of £70, plus I didn't even want the sodding thing by the time I realised I didn't need it.

  :eek:Oh. I thought if you didn't cancel the trial they'd charge you a few quid for another month and you'd be on a rolling monthly thing.

[Barry Scott]

But with standing orders you don't get those bank charges in the first place. Am I missing something here?

I think i mistook what you were saying. I'm not sure how the bank treat a standing order with limited funds if i'm honest, but i do know my bank have taken a DD and charged me. Cunts.

[Spy]

I think i mistook what you were saying. I'm not sure how the bank treat a standing order with limited funds if i'm honest, but i do know my bank have taken a DD and charged me. Cunts.

Yeah like I said I got burnt by that before so I don't do direct debits. I have a small monthly standing order and I don't risk getting charges with that. If the moneys not there think it either goes out anyway and takes me slightly over my overdraft limit with no charge or kind of waits til money goes in then comes out.