How do I cancel my Subscription? I got charged again

[cemil]

Hey PC Tools,
I just checked my credit card about 10minutes ago, and saw that I have
been charged for something? Another subscription? I don't know.

I thought when you purchase a years subscription in order to continue
you would have to manually do it yourself, I did not know it was automatic.

Either way, can someone please help me and cancel my subscription.

On my credit card details it showed:

DR *PC TOOLS SOFTWARE 952-908-4084
29.95 USD

I am from Australia so calling those 1800 numbers don't work via my cell phone.

I did not keep any records of my cdkey or anything as I deleted all that 6months ago.

Please get back to me asap via this thread, if you need my contact details I
can send it via a PMessage.

Thanks,

Cemil

[AChen]

Hi Cemil,

Could you please send me a Private Message with your license details or order number and I will follow this up for you.

[cemil]

Just sent you a PM.

[Reodor]

Hey PC Tools,
I just checked my credit card about 10minutes ago, and saw that I have
been charged for something? Another subscription? I don't know.

I thought when you purchase a years subscription in order to continue
you would have to manually do it yourself, I did not know it was automatic.

Either way, can someone please help me and cancel my subscription.

On my credit card details it showed:

DR *PC TOOLS SOFTWARE 952-908-4084
29.95 USD

I am from Australia so calling those 1800 numbers don't work via my cell phone.

I did not keep any records of my cdkey or anything as I deleted all that 6months ago.

Please get back to me asap via this thread, if you need my contact details I
can send it via a PMessage.

Thanks,

Cemil

If Your problem is not solved immedeately, report it to Your credit card issuer as 'unauthorized charge'. According to Element5, the company handling the accounting for PC Tools, You should have recieved a renewal innvoice some time ago. If not: Just report them! PC Tools is an Australian registered company, Your home turf!

[AChen]

Just sent you a PM.

Thanks Cemil. This has been done.

[cemil]

AChen,
First of all, has my subscription now been canceled?


Secondly, will I be reimbursed for the unnecessary charge as it should not have occurred in the first place?


Thanks for the help btw ;)

Cemil

[cemil]

Nevermind, I just received an email from Pc Tools stating
that the sub has been canceled and the payment will be reimbursed.

Thanks again, couldn't have been much easier!

Cemil

[Alf-Red-Toshiro]

hello,
i've also been charged on my credit card, i'll pm you.
i had installed it maybe 4 months ago, but i've formated my hdd and reinstalled the os but not the pc tools software (i do not want to..).

[AChen]

hello,
i've also been charged on my credit card, i'll pm you.
i had installed it maybe 4 months ago, but i've formated my hdd and reinstalled the os but not the pc tools software (i do not want to..).

This has been sorted. Please see email sent :D

[pualani4]

Aloha,

I have also been charged. The computer (we have 3 in my office) that had PC Tools installed in it is no longer here. We've bought new ones and got rid of the old ones. But the charge shows up on my debit card. I haven't received any renewal notice. How can I cancel my subscription and get a credit to my card?

[Reodor]

Send a PM to A Chen (top left on this page: Private massages) with order details.
It is quite amazing that this issue keeps on, and more serious that people does not get an info ahead of the cards being charged. What a munching piece for a lawyer to grab!
To avoid it in future: log into 'My Account' from PC Tools main page and be sure 'Auto renewal' is not ticked off!! As a double check: The status in the GUI shall show 'remaining days xxx' and not 'Active".

[swannie]

This auto-renewal business seems to be reaching epidemic proportions - or are more dissatisfied consumers finding the board?

The problem seems to be mainly for those who no longer have PCT programs installed and therefore are not watching out for any expiry date, and as far as I can see, they are not getting any notice from Element5. The flaw in the system is that they may have changed e-mails or the notification could have been sent to their Spam folder. There should be a procedure whereby the customer must acknowledge the charge before it is put on his/her card. A simple link in the e-mail with 'Yes, I wish to continue my sub" or 'No, I don't' would be very helpful. Or as Yahoo etc. do - ask whether credit card details are still up-to-date as a charge is about to be made (you must respond).If there is no response, the program will expire not the customer be charged.

As things are now, I believe that a lot of ill will and bad public relations are resulting from this system. Have a look at it PCTools:)

[Reodor]

Swannie:
If using a credit card, it is just to report to the card company and protest the charge. Then it is up to PC Tools/Element 5 to prove they have given warning ahead of the charge. The auto renewal itself is not legal for keeping on charging as each transaction has to be approved! Technically the only 'advantage' with auto renewal should be that You get an e-mail request ahead of expire date asking permission to charge the card.
If using a debit card it might be a bit more difficult to have the transaction reversed, but it is possible.
Element 5 has clearly stated to me earlier that PC Tools, according to their contract with Element 5, should send this warning ahead.
One catch 66 is that different card companies have different levels on which You may 'complain'. If the amount is too small, they will not react unless You press charges against Element 5.

[swannie]

Agreed Reodor, the whole problem seems to stem from the warning ahead of the charge.I think PCTools are quite good about refunding the money IF and it's a big IF, the customer a) realises he/she has been charged and b) can somehow find the forum and ask for a refund.

Trying to get the money directly refunded from your credit card by saying you received no warning could be difficult to prove. The whole process could be lengthy and, in fact, it's looking at the wrong end of the stick because an unauthorised charge should never have been made in the first place. The credit card company is not to blame - it assumes you did authorise the charge.

I think it's up to PCTools to made some changes to their system.

[Reodor]

Swannie:
I just had a case some time ago concerning a magazine subscription from an English publisher. Same basic 'autorenewal' - the publisher lost!! The one charging the card has to prove Your authorization for EACH transaction and mainly by a 'https' connection. Not even e-mail is accepted as 'valid'. It is in the interest of the credit card issuers to get this kind of charging stopped. In my case, Master Card, it took 2 days to have my account 'debited' again pending confirmation from the magazine publisher. 4 weeks later I got the message; case closed -no confirmation from the publisher. You have to actively confirm, an 'if no reply' reminder is not valid.

[swannie]

Reodor,

In that case you are correct and this is very useful info to know. If the onus is on the other party to prove that you authorized EACH payment, then all these auto renewals (not just by PCTools) are illegal.

I think it would be relatively easy for companies to set up a system which notified customers to renew with an active response. It would be very interesting to know just how much money companies make from the 'by default auto-renewal policy' as there must be thousands of people who don't notice an extra $29.95 on their card or just think it isn't worth doing anything about.

Maybe we should start a poll - Have you been charged for something you no longer use without your agreement??? If so, what did you do?
a) demand the money back from the company?
b) demand the money back from your credit card?
c) nothing?

[Reodor]

Swannie:
Just got a message back from my credit card company concerning 'auto renewal' or 'automatic payment' in general.
In short it states that such an agreement may be made providing the card holder him/herself tick it off. A pree-ticked off as in the PC Tools case will, not be accepted if contested. Further more it might vary from country to country. In US companies using auto-payment must be 'licensed' by Master Card in advance in order use this option. Going into Master Card US You may find all companies listed with this permission, I did not find PC Tools or Element 5 there. But the main answer was that if no pre-warning has been issued, normally 4 weeks ahead of charge, the charge is illegal, agreement or not! This pre-warning has to state clear instructions of how to stop the charge.

[rcn83b]

I was just charged $29.95 on my debit/visa card, I received a receipt stating my card has already been charged with no prior warning telling me this would happen. I no longer use Spyware Doctor, which was put on a much older computer (10 Yrs. Old) that is no longer in existence. How should I go about getting a refund and canceling this unapproved charge? Any help would be much appreciated! Thank You.

[AChen]

I was just charged $29.95 on my debit/visa card, I received a receipt stating my card has already been charged with no prior warning telling me this would happen. I no longer use Spyware Doctor, which was put on a much older computer (10 Yrs. Old) that is no longer in existence. How should I go about getting a refund and canceling this unapproved charge? Any help would be much appreciated! Thank You.

Rcn83b, a refund has been processed and I have replied to your PM.

[aweir]

There's a subscription cancel fee of $29. :p

[hamamas]

There is something too shady about these quick renewal charges on our credit cards for Spyware Doctor. To be notified, and then told that the credit card might have ALREADY been charged (more than one month before expiration), and then to have to jump through innumerable hoops to cancel the charge (the e-mail we receive does not give a direct link to a place where we can unsubscribe; instead, you have to spend a lot of time trying to figure out where to go) -- none of this is the hallmark of a company that is upfront and honest. I have cancelled my subscription not because I'm unhappy with Spyware Doctor but because I'm very unhappy with this kind of sneakiness in doing the recurring charges. I compare PC Tool's strategy for getting return business against what so many of their competitors do, and PC Tools sadly comes out near the bottom.

Disappointed (now ex-) Customer

[AChen]

Hi Hamamas,

Thanks for the feedback and I will pass this onto the team. We are currently looking at ways to improve auto-renewals and providing alternative options to better help the customers needs, ie, pre-notifications to ensure all customers are receiving emails in advance, ways to opt out etc...