Boost added to my Nowtv membership even though I didn't want it

[Simon_]

I never wanted boost but it was added to my Nowtv membership. I've been charged this month for boost. Can I get a refund?

[RoyB]

@Simon_ 

I expect you took out a membership a week ago, or possibly a month ago, and this brought with it a free trial of Boost, turning into a paid subscription unless cancelled, via a preticked box on the membership that was all you thought you were buying.

This practice is contrary to the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, specifically paragraph 40, which sets out:-

Additional payments under a contract

40.—(1) Under a contract between a trader and a consumer, no payment is payable in addition to the remuneration agreed for the trader's main obligation unless, before the consumer became bound by the contract, the trader obtained the consumer's express consent.

(2) There is no express consent (if there would otherwise be) for the purposes of this paragraph if consent is inferred from the consumer not changing a default option (such as a pre-ticked box on a website).

(3) This regulation does not apply if the trader's main obligation is to supply services within regulation 6(1)(b), but in any other case it applies even if an additional payment is for such services.

(4) Where a trader receives an additional payment which, under this regulation, is not payable under a contract, the contract is to be treated as providing for the trader to reimburse the payment to the consumer.

As per 1 and 2, your express consent has not been obtained. The potential exclusions under 3 do not apply here. Paragraph 4 creates, in effect, a statutory obligation on Now to refund you.

But if you contact Live Chat and complain about the charge, I would expect them to refund you for this anyway, without you having to go all legal on them, so ask politely.

The following link leads you to direct contact with Now Live Chat:-

https://help.nowtv.com/article/how-to-contact-now

Avoid ‘Get Help Quicker’ there; the Nowbot, while it means well, doesn’t know its own limitations, and it won’t help you once you get to this stage. Also, don’t choose Request a Refund, even though that is what you want, as that will only deliver you back to the Nowbot; pick something else, to ensure you get through to a human.

Good luck!

[MCN]

@Simon_  No good reporting it here, sky send you here to waste your time.

You can only contact them through chat, login to your account then goto
https://help.nowtv.com/get-in-touch/tv/problems-watching-now

The page will try to steer you away, so path is not obvious!!

Ignore link buttons, Click on the Get help with technical issues text

On the next page click on Get in touch and the chat should open.

Be prepared to be given the run around, like factory reset of your devices, sky/now love to mess you around rather then fix the issue.