Auto Renewal - NowTv Rip off

Wafty Cranker

Well-Known Member
Joined
31 Mar 2006
Messages
1,103
I'm after some advice. Last season I purchased a Now TV Sky Sports for 10 months for £179, paid it it one go and got Sky Sports for 10 months. What I didn't realise is that after 10 months I went onto a contract worth onto £33.99 a month.

For one reason or another I've only just spotted that they've taken 3 lots of £33.99 off my credit card. I got on live chat to tell them I wanted it refunding, but they said it was in the T&C (it was, as I've now read them).

I kicked off and said I'll report the transactions as fraud to my bank as I didn't want them. They didn't seem arsed.

I've done some quick research and come across this on the government's website (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/unfair-terms-explained-for-businesses-full-guide)

"Terms that can be used to extend a contract beyond what your customer would normally expect may be unfair. The effect of these types of terms is to potentially tie customers into paying for something which they no longer want or need."

& this

"It is made clear to customers at the outset how their subscription or contract will be renewed and the contract requires that they are sent a reminder a reasonable time before it is due to be renewed. The reminder should include clear information about the terms of the proposed renewal of the contract and the reasonable steps customers need to take to stop the renewal, if they wish to." - On this one they never contacted me to remind me.

Anyone got any knowledge with this, that can give some input of how to best proceed. Challenge it with NowTv? Report it as fraud to the bank, or what?
 
I would be very careful about reporting it as fraud just to get something done. It is probably something you can get fined for yourself when they see you know it was not fraud and you abused their fraud reporting system.

I would seek proper legal advice on the issue to be honest bud, have you contacted citizens advice?
 
It isn’t fraud and you’ll end up in trouble if you do that. We offer some subscription based services in work, occasionally we have people claim they didn’t know it was a subscription (despite the fact it’s all over our website). In the couple of cases where people have filed chargebacks for fraud/unknown charges, we won the disputes by proving they’d subscribed. Had we not, we would have pursued them through a small claims court for our losses and time spent dealing with it.

Personally I’d cancel immediately and chalk it up to experience. But that’s just me.

Surely a company as big as Now TV would have this squared off properly to comply with consumer law? I’m being lazy and cba checking myself.
 
If it was in the contract you signed (and you've acknowledged that it was), it isn't fraud. Sly? Maybe. Sharp practice? Again, maybe. Shows the importance of reading the small print though, which a lot of us never bother doing.
 
City do it every year with season tickets. Every mobile phone company do it too. Lot of other examples of times this happens
 
I cancelled my Now TV Sky Sports subscription as soon as I bought it which means at the end of this season they won't be getting any more money from me.
To be fair, it is made perfectly clear that it renews unless cancelled.
 
Yeah, I just clicked the box to say I'd read the t&c's when I admit I hadn't. It wasn't obvious at all that I was entering into a contract, I thought it was just a one time purchase.

I have auto renewal things, such as my season ticket on DD, or my insurance gets charged annually to my card. They always e-mail to say its been renewed or it's coming up for renewal. I got nothing from NowTV, otherwise I'd have cancelled it as I think they know, hence they didn't let me know.

I think I'm going to call my bank and tell them what has happened, if I can dispute them I will. If everyone NowTV did this to disputed them, they'd get hit with a load of extra charges they'd soon stop doing it.

It might not be fraud but it's a shady way to do business.

I haven't contacted citizens advice as yet.
 
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Yeah, I just clicked the box to say I'd read the t&c's when I admit I hadn't. It wasn't obvious at all that I was entering into a contract, I thought it was just a one time purchase.

I have auto renewal things, such as my season ticket on DD, or my insurance gets charged annually to my card. They always e-mail to say its been renewed or it's coming up for renewal. I got nothing from NowTV, otherwise I'd have cancelled it as I think they know, hence they didn't let me know.

I think I'm going to call my bank and tell them what has happened, if I can dispute them I will. If everyone NowTV did this to disputed them, they'd get hit with a load of extra charges they'd soon stop doing it.

It might not be fraud but it's a shady way to do business.
Sign up for any mobile contract, or any tv/broadband contract and they’ll give you a top deal. Twelve or eighteen months later and you’ll be on the full price unless you’ve cancelled.
Also, do NOT auto renew your insurance as you’ll be getting hammered far more than NowTV have charged you!
 
Made quite clear at sign up.
Just cancel now and forget the subs you signed up for.
It isn’t fraud.
It was a come on to encourage you to sign up.

I just signed up to a British Gas contract.
Half price for 12 months.
It then doubles.
I am aware of this as I read the contract.
 
I get what you're saying, but I do feel it's different from a phone or gas as you're knowingly still using the service and I'm guessing you pay monthly for and/or there's a credit agreement. I paid for 10 months up front, used the service for 10 months, then found myself paying monthly for something I neither used or needed. I've e-mailed them and thrown it a bit of the stuff about unfair contracts above.

My insurance auto renews, but they're more transparent and e-mail a few weeks before, so I routinely check their quote to others before renewing. I've no issue with that.
 
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