So, I’ve now already logged in to my account, cancelled the auto-renewal and got an email to confirm this has been done. “As consumers we can get lists of direct debits or standing orders from our banks or card providers, but we can’t get lists of continuous payment authorities that are lurking on our accounts, which means the responsibility of auto-renewal is shifted on to the customer,” said James. It’s not easy to check which insurances or subscriptions are set up on auto-renewal, warned James.
Insurance auto-renewals: customers ‘will still lose out’ despite crackdown Auto-renewals are tough to check Incidentally, James admits he too has been caught out with Norton’s auto-renewal system in the past.
“It should only do this on, or after the original contract ended”. “A business should not be auto-renewing you in advance of the date your contract elapses,” commented James.
#Norton security cost free
The answer is no, according to Martyn James, head of media and marketing at free independent resolution service Resolver. Norton’s spokesperson was quick to point out its 60-day refund option on auto-renewals, yet this ‘get out clause’ is printed in tiny small print at the bottom of its emails.Īnd I do wonder just how many people spot this or actually ask for their money back?Ĭan Norton auto-renew before a contract ends? “This is intended as a ‘buffer,’ so you don’t have your service interrupted.” “Payment may be taken between two weeks to one month before your subscription ends. “This should give you a decent amount of time to explore your options, so you can adjust your plan, change the number of devices you want to protect and check your current payment details are correct” said a Norton spokesperson. Getting in touch with Norton’s media office was a little tricky.Īfter three tweets and an email to Norton’s parent group Symantec, someone from the media team got in touch.Īfter explaining my situation, I was told this was correct as existing customers should get an email around 30 to 45 days before a subscription ends. This however may take up to 10 working days to find its way back into my account.Īt this point, I had now been promised a 50% refund, which meant I would only be paying £5 more than last year for the same cover.īut even allowing for the fact I inadvertently opted in for auto-renewal, this practice of taking the money so far in advance just seemed wrong.Ĭar insurance: save £100s by rejecting auto-renewal Yet Norton’s customer service team assured me this was ‘usual practice.’īut when I threatened to pull the plug, (after spotting a 60-day refund option in the super tiny small print), I was quickly offered a refund of £25 to stay. So, I was straight on the phone to Norton, as taking the money hot on the heels of their reminder and a month ahead of renewal, seemed like a sneaky trick to me. Looking for a credit card that offers cashback or rewards? Compare different cards at loveMONEY On checking my bank account, I found the payment left my account on 1 July nearly a whole month before my subscription ends on 27 July.
Yet four days later, on 28 June, I got another email confirming my ‘Security Standard Subscription’ was renewed and my debit card had been automatically charged £49.99 – more than double the price I’d paid last year! When an email from Norton popped up recently, I assumed it was an advance reminder. To qualify for this service, the small print says you ‘must be enrolled in the auto renewal service.īlissfully unaware of this, I had a note in my diary to remind me my subscription ran out at the end of July as I intended to try and haggle down whatever renewal price came my way.
#Norton security cost software
Yet somehow, as I discovered to my cost, my Norton anti-virus software subscription was set up this way.Īfter much investigation, I’ve now discovered this is due to its Virus Protection Plan. So, as you might imagine, I never set anything up on auto-renewal. My home insurer punished my loyalty with a £700 penalty No opportunity to negotiate To add insult to injury, in many cases, premiums are often hiked up substantially over future years. Unfortunately, this means we miss out on the chance to shop around or haggle to bring down the price. How early can firms take your money with auto-renewal? Writer Sue Hayward got an unpleasant surprise when her anti-virus software subscription was renewed earlier than expected.Īs a consumer journalist, I’m always banging on about why you should never set anything up for auto-renewal, including insurance, subscriptions and memberships.įor me, it’s seen as a sneaky way for a firm to dip into your bank account year after year, as chances are, we forget to cancel.
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