I got an £89 refund – how to cancel and avoid unwanted subscriptions

Recent reports reveal how individuals managed to cancel unwanted subscriptions and reclaim their money. Sophie Branscombe, a 23-year-old from Wirral, encountered a £89.99 charge on her bank account after signing up for a free trial of a photo editor app. Despite the company's initial clarity on subscription terms, Sophie found no reminder of when the free period would end, leading her to submit a refund request via Apple's report a problem feature.

She advises setting reminders immediately upon signing up for subscriptions and promptly canceling after the free trial ends if the service is not desired.

Hussein Zaaiter, a 21-year-old from West London, faced multiple charges totaling £72 after attempting to cancel a software trial meant for university work. Despite online chats, emails, and phone calls, Hussein was repeatedly charged. He ultimately froze his card and contacted his bank, hoping for reimbursement. Hussein's advice is to thoroughly read terms and conditions before initiating subscriptions, as cancellation can be a challenging process.

Rosalinda Kwafo-Akoto, a 22-year-old from the West Midlands, signed up for a one-week free TV trial, expecting it to conclude automatically. However, after the trial period, a £9.99 monthly subscription was charged to her account. Initially, Rosalinda assumed the subscription had been canceled, but after a week and multiple attempts to contact customer service, she finally located the subscription and managed to cancel it.

She was refunded the full amount, but she warns others not to assume subscriptions will automatically cancel just because they cannot find them on their accounts. Confirmation emails of cancellation are critical, according to Rosalinda. The BBC has reached out to the companies involved for their responses.