How we pay £160 a quarter on subscriptions we don’t want

IT MAY have seemed like a good idea at the time, but taking out subscriptions on a whim could leave you trapped in a cycle of monthly bills you can’t get out of.

Britons pay £160 on average every three months for such things as gym membership and TV and online streaming services they do not want but struggle to cancel.

Many customers are lured into signing up for free or cut-price deals for trial periods, with 40million joining at least one such service in the UK, the charity Citizens Advice warned yesterday.

However, extricating yourself from these deals is often easier said than done.

Citizens Advice said 90 per cent of customers’ requests to end contracts were initially rejected. Firms wanted more notice – up to six months in some cases, or told people attempts to cancel had to be made in a specific way, such as only by phone.

One complainant said they tried to cancel a subscription after they were made redundant, only to be asked for proof from their employer, including a P45. However, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 prevents businesses enforcing unfair conditions.

Consumers told Citizens Advice they didn’t realise they were being signed up to a recurring payment or that a contract may renew automatically every year.

Chief executive Gillian Guy said: ‘People are wasting time and energy trying to cancel subscriptions while paying out.’