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- Lindsay
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Hi everybody, I do hope I've put this in the correct part of the forum.
I've done some reading about consumer rights but there are still a couple of things I'm unclear about regarding refunds and cancellations, and I would be very grateful for some help and advice.
A year ago (on the recommendation of a good photographer I know) I took out a subscription (paid once yearly) to a UK photography Institute (not one of the 'main four'). At that time, their website was very sparse and I don't recall having sight of any detailed terms and conditions of membership. Anyway, a few days ago I received a PayPal notice that my subscription renewal had been paid. It seems their system is set up to automatically take the payment each year. I hadn't found the membership to be useful and so I immediately e-mailed them (within 2 minutes) saying I would like to cancel and gain a refund. I received no response. I sent another request on Wednesday. Still no response. Meanwhile, their website has become more comprehensive and under their FAQ they state that once membership has been paid it is not refundable. Can they do this?
Here is where I'm confused. I was under the impression that with Distance Selling Regulations I would have the right to a 14 day cooling off period during which time I can cancel the service and get my money back (less any time in which I used the service). However I have also read that a Continuous Payment Authority (such as the way they are taking recurring payment from Paypal) can be problematic. In fact there is no issue with cancellation, I can just log into PayPal and remove the instruction. So no problem there - but what I actually want is a refund for the payment they have just taken. Can somebody please advise me on my rights, and what I can do?
I've done some reading about consumer rights but there are still a couple of things I'm unclear about regarding refunds and cancellations, and I would be very grateful for some help and advice.
A year ago (on the recommendation of a good photographer I know) I took out a subscription (paid once yearly) to a UK photography Institute (not one of the 'main four'). At that time, their website was very sparse and I don't recall having sight of any detailed terms and conditions of membership. Anyway, a few days ago I received a PayPal notice that my subscription renewal had been paid. It seems their system is set up to automatically take the payment each year. I hadn't found the membership to be useful and so I immediately e-mailed them (within 2 minutes) saying I would like to cancel and gain a refund. I received no response. I sent another request on Wednesday. Still no response. Meanwhile, their website has become more comprehensive and under their FAQ they state that once membership has been paid it is not refundable. Can they do this?
Here is where I'm confused. I was under the impression that with Distance Selling Regulations I would have the right to a 14 day cooling off period during which time I can cancel the service and get my money back (less any time in which I used the service). However I have also read that a Continuous Payment Authority (such as the way they are taking recurring payment from Paypal) can be problematic. In fact there is no issue with cancellation, I can just log into PayPal and remove the instruction. So no problem there - but what I actually want is a refund for the payment they have just taken. Can somebody please advise me on my rights, and what I can do?