In search of love, Simon purchased a yearly subscription to a dating website.
Fortunately for him, he soon met the "love of his life" within a few months.
But his membership had been renewed on its own without his knowledge.
When he learned that a debt collection agency was pursuing him for £358, he was shocked.
Simon's experience is by no means unique. According to the charity that protects consumers, the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB), hundreds of millions of pounds are wasted each year on unused subscriptions. Most of the respondents to its most recent survey attributed this to auto-renewal.
Many of us have fallen victim to the so-called subscription trap, which involves signing up for a free trial and then forgetting to cancel it, resulting in ongoing payments for services we don't use.
The UK government is attempting to rein in the tactics used by major online retailers to try and lock customers into subscriptions.
To ensure that customers are aware they are still subscribed, it is recommending new regulations that would oblige businesses to send "reminder notices" to customers.
The plans are not without controversy. The government, according to Disney, is trying to "micro-manage" how subscription streaming services interact with their users.
US regulators have also warned businesses that certain practices, like hiding auto enrolment notices, are against the law.
This month, when it was sued by the US over allegations that it had misled customers into signing up for automatically renewing Prime subscriptions and made it difficult to cancel, the online retailer became the most well-known target of that conflict. Amazon has vehemently denied the allegations.
It is a market that is expanding and a huge variety of businesses now offer subscriptions for everything from food delivery to contact lenses. In exchange for people signing up, many offer a free trial or discounts.
But according to those the BBC has spoken to, they believe they were inadvertently locked in because they neglected to cancel their subscription after their free trial period had passed.
As an illustration, John told the BBC that he had subscribed to Amazon Prime Video for a 30-day trial period but forgot to cancel it when he had to start paying for it.
"I'm just pissed off that I spent £6.99 a month for 18 months idly.". .
an effective business plan.
According to research analyst Claire Holubowskyj of Enders Analysis, auto-enrolment is a no-brainer for organizations like Amazon.
According to her, businesses can increase their customer base either by making ongoing product improvements or by offering subscriptions, which is an "easier route. ".
"The customer tries the product once and is locked in, providing the company with a relatively simple revenue stream at no additional cost.". .
According to Ms. Holubowskyj, there has been a shift in consumer behavior in recent years, and as a result, we are now accustomed to paying for goods and services on a monthly basis. "It's just the done thing now, and actually customers have a lot to gain, especially with technology software where updates are just bedded in with the price now," she says. ".
Although many businesses do remind customers to renew their subscriptions, subscription models are not always a bad deal for customers, especially if they allow them to receive free products or discounts.
The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill is a draft piece of legislation that the UK government claims will "ensure consumers get a fair deal.".
However, Citizens Advice contends that it should go a step further, calling for an outright ban on auto-renewals as well as regulations requiring companies to ask customers to opt in rather than out of subscriptions following a free trial.
"The pressure on consumers' wallets must be acknowledged by the government. The executive director of policy and advocacy, Matthew Upton, asserts that this must be the beginning of reforms, not their conclusion.
Although John says he supports any efforts to make it more difficult to have a subscription automatically renewed, he still expresses concern that he might fall victim to the same trap in the future.
"I had a lot of anxiety because it was such a stressful experience. It's absurd that these businesses only care about the bottom line and not the people.
- Know what you're getting into before you commit to anything; be sure to ask for details about what you'll receive, how long you'll be committing for, and the cost. Pre-ticked boxes should not be present for any payments because they are not permitted.
- A week before the free trial period expires, set a reminder to remind you to cancel if you have signed up for a subscription that includes a free trial period.
- Look through your bank account for payments for subscriptions you don't want, then get in touch with the provider to cancel them.
View more information from the Citizens Advice Bureau here.
