Automatic subscription fees

I've had a similar issue with the AA. I moved house over 4 years ago and forget to tell them my new address.. They've been taking £160ish every year since then and sending the renewal letters to my old address. I should have checked my statements but the account I used is for my standing orders and rarely changes so I rarely check it! I've asked them to cancel but their terms say I have to stay a member until August, so that's 5 years of membership without realising or having any benefit from it. So allowing someone to renew automatically has cost me nearly £800 - and suprise suprise.. I can't have my money back. Never again!

This is exactly what has happened with me and the AA. According to them I set up an Annual Direct Debit with them last August when I took out AA Membership for the first time. I certainly don't remember doing this and it would never have been my first choice of payment method. I found out yesterday that they had automatically debited my old bank account which I hadn't checked for a while. It had taken me into overdraft too. I called the AA and they weren't apologetic at all. They said I had agreed to it last year and they could not refund it as my renewal date was more than 14 days ago. They claim they wrote to me about this last month but I have not to my knowledeg received anything from them. I also have not received any written confirmation of my renewal or new AA membership card etc. What's the betting they don't actually send confirmation and card out to anyone until it's past the 14 days period anyway so you can't cancel? Worse still I got the distinct impression this conversation was routine to them and happened to people on a regular basis.

This is precisely what is wrong with the Direct Debit system in contrast with the older Standing Order system. The latter was more or less fully in the control of the payer: no of payments to be made when they were to be made and so on. They were simply a contract between the payer and the bank. Direct Debits are very different contractually. Notice how if you unlucky enough to have insufficient funds in the bank account to make the payments all kinds of charges are levied on you.

And cancelling Direct Debits is technically more difficult.

Insist on a standing order and refuse the Direct Debit.

Further, where there are annual subscriptions involved: that is usually all insurances, magazine subscriptions etc., all these providers should send you an annual statement of amounts they have received, with a box to sign (or info to go online) for permission to renew the service.

Beware of mobile phone insurance, this goes on and on long after you have changed your mobile telephone number and handset and service provider. Always refuse this and go elsewhere.

One thing worth noting is that if you do get these companies taking money without your approval you can contact your bank to get the money back. I found that out when my utilities company decided to take double payment one month. The utility company refused to refund the payment and said they would just count it as next months payment. I contacted my bank and had the money back in 24 hrs.

The thing is who in this day and age actually has time to read every word in the small print. Besides they normally tell you the important stuff when you go through an application on the phone.

Don't know what happened, but it cut short the reply, so here it is again.


Goes to show, you DON'T read the SMALL print before signing anything.

Getting caught once is bad enough, but three times.

ASK, read,check, before signing,or use CASH,and DON'T use your cards.

oes to show, you DON'T read the SMALL print before signing anything.

Getting caught once is bad enough, but THREE times.