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

Three individuals share their experiences of being charged unexpected subscription fees. Sophie Branscombe, 23 from Wirral, signed up for a free trial of a photo editor app and was billed £89.99. She found it unclear when the free period ended and submitted a refund request through Apple, which successfully refunded her money. She advises setting reminders when a free trial ends and cancelling subscriptions promptly if unsatisfied.

Hussein Zaaiter, 21 from West London, was using a free software trial for university work. Despite multiple attempts to cancel online, through email, and over the phone, he was charged multiple times, including £16 and £32. After freezing his card, he contacted his bank for reimbursement, expressing frustration with the company's cancellation process. Hussein recommends carefully reviewing terms and conditions before signing up for subscriptions.

Rosalinda Kwafo-Akoto, 22 from the West Midlands, signed up for a one-week free TV trial. She attempted to cancel before the trial ended but couldn't locate the subscription on her account. After a week, she discovered the charge on her account and spent an hour and a half on hold with customer service to cancel the subscription.

Rosalinda emphasizes the importance of obtaining a cancellation confirmation email and warns against assuming that an unfindable subscription will automatically cancel. The BBC has contacted the respective firms for their responses.