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Anonymous User
Not applicable

Unsolicited and unwanted 14 day Hayu trial applied to my account

I've received an email informing me that I've been signed up to a 14 day trial of Hayu after which I'll be charged £3.99 per month.

Since when has it been reasonable to sign-up your customers for a service when you haven't asked them if they even want that service?

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION
Anonymous User
Not applicable

Have you taken out an entertainment offer recently? There is one running currently which comes bundled with 3 months free Hayu. If you haven't then it's definitely bad practice by NowTV to 'give' you something you haven't explicitly requested.

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19 REPLIES 19
Anonymous User
Not applicable

@ukbobboy 

I think you got it right first time with "old timers" 😂

 

@RoyB 

Always here to help out if and when I can 😀

Sadly though I can't help you with your query above as I use a Roku Streaming Stick+ which I purchased very soon after buying my 1st NowTV device, the Smart box.

Come on guys, surely someone can help our friend Roy out here?!?

schnapps
Legend 5
Legend 5

Hi @RoyB 

 

You don't need to be signed into the NowTV App on your NowTV Stick or Box to use the third party Apps such has Netflix, YouTube, IPlayer etc.

 

Obviously you won't be able to use the NowTV App or the Sky Sports News App unless you are signed in.

 

ukbobboy
Legend

@Anonymous User  @RoyB @Anonymous User @schnapps 

 

First of all guys, I must apologise for the last two lines of my previous post, that incoherent nonsense was the result of my cutting and pasting efforts and should have been deleted before posting, but now I can't because the editing facility is frozen.

 

I wish they weren't so quick to disable editing, after all, other forums don't take such a restrictive line.

 

Roy

 

As for Now TV's policies, we are all on the same treadmill learning what we can when we can.

 

Anyway, you hinted that you sign in and out of your Now TV sticks, but with my three boxes, 1 x Roku 3 and 2 x Now TV black boxes, I only registered once and that was it. No signing in or out ever again (OK, with the Roku it was once for that and once again for the Now TV channel).  So I'm somewhat surprised that you chose the signing "in and out" route for your devices.

 

Any reason?

 

 

Schnapps

 

I thought the moment you bought a Now TV device you had to register it before you could use any of the channels from Now TV's app store, whether they were free or not?

 

I await your answer.

 

Until next time guys.

 

UK Bob

 

schnapps
Legend 5
Legend 5

Hi @ukbobboy 

 

Sorry should have made myself more clearer, where i was referring to an existing device that has already been registered and setup.

 

My understanding is once you create a NowTV account and either taken up a free trial or a pass / voucher then if you decide you don't want to continue with the service and cancel via the My Account > Passes & Vouchers method then you still have access to the third party Apps such has YouTube, IPlayer etc.

 

What i am not sure of is if you do get NowTV to somehow remove all your personal details and bank details off your account or you are blacklisted in someway, if NowTV can block your already setup NowTV sticks or boxes using the third party Apps.

 

Where i would have thought setting up or adding any new NowTV branded devices would not be possible without your details being on their database because you need these account details to activate the NowTV  branded devices.

 

 

ukbobboy
Legend

@schnapps 

 

Yeah Schnapps

 

I now get what you are saying, and I think we both agree that once you have purchased a stick or box you have to register it and that procedure auto-registers the Now TV app as well.

 

However, I do not believe there is a procedure that will allow you to delete your financial details while still keeping access to your Now TV streaming device.

 

I also believe that when you use a Now TV streaming device, without paying for a Now TV service, it cost them money, such as keeping the infrastructure maintained. Hence, the main reason for the implementation of the auto-activation policy.

 

I guess the only way out of this conundrum is to use Roku streaming devices instead, simply because they do not force you to use any channels or apps if you don't want to.

 

 

UK Bob

schnapps
Legend 5
Legend 5

Hi @ukbobboy 

 

Nearly right, where from my understanding you need a nowtv account (email address or username with an active bank card on the system) to get pass the initial setup procedure before the NowTV branded devices come alive.

 

The new Device will not register to your account (under the Device List) until you actually play some NowTV content via the NowTV App, so if you don't watch anything via the NowTV App the new device will not be added to your My Account > Device section on your account.

 

Also, i was under the impression to setup your first Roku device you need to create a Roku account including giving your bank card ?

 

Again i don't know what happens if you remove your account details or cancel the bank card how it effects your existing Roku players or any new Roku Players you wish to add in the future.

 

Like you, i love my Roku Player (Stick Plus) such a versatile streamer with plenty of App channel choice for the money and i haven't used my Fire Stick or Fire TV Box in about 2 years which are gathering dust on the shelf (some people say the Roku OS tile layout is long in the tooth and dated, but i think it is simplistic to use and does what it says on the tin 😁.

 

 

RoyB
Legend

@ukbobboy 

 

I don’t sign in and out of my Sticks as a rule, or indeed ever, in normal use - what I suggested was a way in which I thought we could check your assertion that deleting your financial details would stop you using the non-NowTV apps on the Stick, like the BBC iPlayer, etc., which you thought would stop working.

 

I’m slightly dubious about that, as I don’t think NowTV link a Stick to an Account, and it is an Account that carries whether the financial details are deleted or not.

 

So rather than delete those to try it (!), I thought, why not Sign Out, and then see what the Stick does?

 

So the $64,000 Question is - in those circumstances, does the Stick insist you sign in again at once - which would indeed stop you using the non-NowTV apps?

 

Or can you freely use it on the non-NowTV Apps while signed out, and you only get asked to sign in again if you stray into the NowTV areas?

 

This would take me five minutes to try if I wasn’t away from home right now.....

Set a Payment PIN on your account so that no-one but you can buy memberships on it. Check your bank accounts monthly for any other unexpected payments to Now. That way you can at least nip them in the bud, while you and Now figure out whose fault they are.
Anonymous User
Not applicable

@schnapps  @ukbobboy 

I wouldn't swap out my Roku Stick+ for anything. It's a super reliable device which provides amazing HDR from Netflix etc.

@schnapps I set up an account and provided my card details when I set up my first ever Roku device a number of years ago now as per standard setup.

 https://support.roku.com/en-gb/article/208754478-why-is-a-payment-method-required-when-creating-a-ro...

ukbobboy
Legend

@Anonymous User  @RoyB  @Anonymous User  @schnapps 

 

Hi Guys

 

Glad to see the gangs still around.

 

Schnapps

 

Your second para jumped out at me, and thinking about it you may be right but if you do not start any Now TV service then you will start one for you, you know "helping you out".

 

However, if you refuse their help they could cut you off, the facilities for such action is in place.

 

As for Roku, yes you are correct, plus I had to do a factory reset on my R3 last week, I found it more nerve racking than when I initially set the thing up. 

 

And as you said, I love my Roku coz' without it I could not play my digital albums so easily.

 

Wlat

 

I must admit that it wouldn't really bother me if I stopped using Now TV's services and they cut me off, coz' I've got a Roku 3 and access to tons of other stuff.  

 

However, my family members may start jumping up and down because they do like Now TV from time to time.

 

Personally, as long Now TV's prices stay within the budget area and they don't try to force me to purchase other services then I am cool.  

 

Nevertheless, it does make my blood boil when they implement an unfriendly policy without warning. 

 

Roy

 

You know, I don't think Now TV would immediately cut you off if you stopped using all their paid services and only used the free available channels. They would definitely help you first, by auto-starting a service for you. But if you insisted you wanted to only use the "free services" then that's a whole new untested ball game.

 

If you want to test how far they are willing to go then "all the best" to you.

 

Robert

 

Yes. I do love my Roku 3 and especially it's desk top form factor, I'm not keen at all on the stick or mini, but I am hoping that Roku will soon release a new desk top model for the UK market, similar to the 4 or Ultra in the US.

 

OK guys, I'm no off to play some tunes.

 

Until next time.

 

UK Bob

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anonymous User
Not applicable

@ukbobboy wrote:

>

>With Now TV's auto-start policy in place, and if you are a Now TV device user, cancelling your >CCA will result in loosing access to the free channels, such as You Tube, iPlayer, ITV, etc., as well.

>

>So buying that cheap Now TV device now has a hidden hook.

 

As Schnapps has pointed out, it's uncertain whether you *would* lose access to these apps if you cancel your CCA.  However, it wouldn't cause me any problem anyway because I get free access to these apps directly from my Smart TV set, and also from my Amazon Firestick, without having to sign up to anything.

 

Nice to hear from you again after quite some time.  🙂

 

Cheers,

Wlat