Letter to Dispute Automatic Renewal of a Subscription

This letter can be used by a consumer who is resident in the United Kingdom in order to dispute a subscription which has automatically renewed. The letter is designed for use where the subscription was purchased online and is for a value more than £42.

A consumer is an individual who purchases goods for personal use. Consumers have certain rights and protections.

The automatic renewal of a subscription refers to the situation where the consumer's subscription automatically renews after a particular period of time (a term). This might also include the situation where a free trial is offered and the subscription then automatically converts into a paid subscription. A consumer may be able to successfully challenge the automatic renewal of a subscription where:

• they are contacting the trader within 14 days of the subscription automatically renewing
• they were not provided with a sufficient reminder about the subscription renewal (i.e the reminder was sent too early or too late)
• they were not provided with sufficient information about the terms of the renewal (e.g they were not informed properly of a price increase)
• they were not provided with clear and sufficient information about their right to cancel the subscription prior to the renewal and the particular steps they should take in order to cancel

The letter will invite the trader to provide a refund and to cancel the subscription. If the trader does not agree to do this and the subscription was paid for on a credit card and was for more than £100 but not more than £30,000, it may then be possible to request a refund via the credit card company. If the purchase was on a debit card, it may be possible to request a chargeback via the relevant bank.

How to use this document

This document should be completed with the relevant information. It is possible to sign the letter and send it via post. It is also possible to send the letter electronically via email, which can help to ensure that the trader receives the letter as soon as possible.

Relevant law

The key provisions which are relevant to this letter are:

• The Consumer Rights Act 2015
• The Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013

Guidance is also available from the Competition and Markets Authority.

Help from a lawyer

You can choose to consult a lawyer if you need help.

The lawyer can answer your questions or help you through the process. You will be offered this option when you complete the document.

How to modify the template

You fill out a form. The document is created before your eyes as you respond to the questions.

At the end, you receive it in Word and PDF formats. You can modify it and reuse it.