It’s legal. But very much like a scam.
It has robbed two of my constituents out of £14.95 a month that they did not want to spend.
Booking a flight with Flybe led them into a bargain trap. The form invites those who book a flight with the company to claim their £15 discount. How could they refuse? It’s a very expensive bargain. Simply saying ‘yes’ and giving them your card details wins you the £15.
The one in a hundred who read the small print will see they have joined ‘Rewards first’ which promises many benefits. None turned up for my constituents. Even though there was no standing order or direct debit, £14.95 was taken every month out of their current accounts.
Neither of them could recall signing up for Rewards First. They did not recognise the name of the company. In one case, it was four months before they managed to stop the payments, in the other case six. There is no hope of getting the money returned. Saving £15 cost £90. One told the bank to stop the payments. The bank refused until the person went through a fortnight of an elaborate rigmarole with the company involved. In that time an additional £14.95 was taken from their account.
Why do Flybe expose their customers to this? Even cautious buyers are falling for this legal scam.
I am on the case.
Secret
The dreadful secret that the Chilcot committee has read is that Britain did not need to lose 179 British lives in Iraq. That was what Bush told Blair. The Americans could have done the job without us. It was Blair's insistence that was responsible for the British deaths.
I am also an apparent victim of this- currently on the 30 day trial I rang up to cancel- needless to I have not received a confirmation! I have seen no cashback either!i am in the process of trying to cancel this and will see what the bank can do- as I work there I hope there is a resolution...................
Posted by: lynn m | February 11, 2013 at 09:51 AM
I am also a victim of such a fraud of this magnitude. They have already taken payment from the Bank despite my insructions that it is unauthorised one and a complaint was lodged with Bank when I was in the UK. Unfortunately, I booked flight with flybe
which allowed GB Discounts.
Posted by: YPC Dangay | December 03, 2012 at 03:12 PM
Dose anybody see if same or similar scam is still operating on the flybe booking site?
I am ashamed to say that, today, I put my credit number detail on pop-up window, which offers 20 pounds cash back ('after' booking fright. this window separately come up). I am ending up to stop the credit card immediately.
However, I do know if I signed up with "Rewards First" or a similar different company...,
as I did not get any e-mail. I guess that I better to cancel somehow…
Anyway, only I can tell is "be careful".
If anyboby has infmation, hopefully we share information.
Yasu
Posted by: Yasu | May 14, 2012 at 07:14 PM
The Office of Fair Trading looked into this and took action on the 13/12/2011
http://www.oft.gov.uk/news-and-updates/press/2011/135-11
http://www.oft.gov.uk/OFTwork/consumer-enforcement/consumer-enforcement-completed/adaptive-affinity/
Posted by: HuwOS | January 16, 2012 at 01:13 AM
Sorry to hear about this infuriating scam, Beth. Best to take it with your MP. The more MPs enrage about this the better.
Posted by: Paul Flynn | January 15, 2012 at 04:17 PM
We have fallen into the same trap - is there an Ombudsman we can refer this to? It is disgraceful - I have asked for proof of signing up and they cannot provide it. They do not respond to emails and terminate conversations when they feel they are in hot water .What can we do??!
Posted by: Beth | January 13, 2012 at 03:40 PM
Hi Paul,
Just today I bought a ticket at Flybe and registerd for £15 cash back and later on I realised I am going to lose £15 every month.
Please tell me the way to stop the 'rewards first' from taking £15 from my account.
Posted by: Balakrishnan | August 12, 2011 at 03:08 PM
Flybe deserve a hammering for this. You 'signed' up by filling in your name for a discount on your next flight or a similar misleading inducement. Most people accept what appears to be a freebee. It's a con that is hidden in the small print. Play hell with them. Your chances of getting your money back are not good.
Posted by: Paul Flynn | July 15, 2011 at 05:58 PM
I have just been checking my credit card statements and realise that £17.95 has been paid by me to rewards first since April 2011, and previous to that at least 5 payments of £14.95 per month. I have no knowledge of "signing up" to anything that required me to pay a monthly fee, as I just cannot afford it!
I sought advice from my bank with whom I have a credit card and they explained that they cannot stop "rewardsfirst" from requesting payment, and even if I tried to close my account, the request for payment would still contune ie I would still be liable to pay.
The Halifax are aware of this scam and said they would investigate it for me. Does anyone have any advice on what I should do next, please??
Posted by: Patricia K | July 15, 2011 at 05:30 PM
I have also been a victim of a legal scam from an insurance company. Its frustrating to think that big companies can do this to their customers. It doesn't sound like they're being socially responsible. Upon letting the customers sign, they should fully explain about the things that are written on the paper.. *sigh
~Tara
Posted by: Merchant Services | April 29, 2011 at 05:14 PM
"Merely pointing out KayTie that regulation is necessary in these cases and that the market proved itself as being unable to bring about an acceptable solution when left to itself."
It's self-evident that from time to time a market will fail (e.g. a cartel will lock down a market and stop it being free).
"Merely pointing out KayTie that regulation is necessary in these cases and that the market proved itself as being unable to bring about an acceptable solution when left to itself."
I agree. Where we disagree is what "acceptable" means. Fraud isn't acceptable, and we'd both agree.
Posted by: Kay Tie | January 21, 2011 at 09:41 PM
"It's entirely consistent to want freedom for the individual. In the smoking case, it's freedom from imposition by other individuals, and in the other case it's the freedom to withdraw consent for payment." - Kaytie
Merely pointing out KayTie that regulation is necessary in these cases and that the market proved itself as being unable to bring about an acceptable solution when left to itself.
Considering how often you have accused myself and others of being stalinists, marxists, leninists and any other ists you felt like throwing around for making even the vaguest suggestion that unregulated free markets do often fail to produce desirable outcomes it comes as something of a shock to see you happily and readily endorsing our evil leftists point of view.
Posted by: HuwOS | January 21, 2011 at 08:44 PM
"so as far as the banks are concerned these are not fraudulent or incorrect charges and they are not helpful about charging back."
Yes, they aren't breaking the law. But it is a mis-selling of a service where vital conditions weren't made clear. Although that might not technically be fraud under the current law, it is clearly fraudulent in its nature.
Let us hope that we can see this stamped on by legislation at the earliest opportunity.
Posted by: Kay Tie | January 21, 2011 at 07:44 PM
"Well seems to be, I'm surprised you'd come out for "regulation" again and so soon after your last support for government imposed "regulation" as regards the ban on smoking in public places."
Curtailing deceptive practices isn't "regulation", it's eliminating fraud. People ought to be free to cancel payments they don't want to make.
As regards smoking, I think we established that my position that when one person exercises their freedom in a way that curtails the freedom of others then the state must intervene.
It's entirely consistent to want freedom for the individual. In the smoking case, it's freedom from imposition by other individuals, and in the other case it's the freedom to withdraw consent for payment.
"note that they withdrew that service in 2009, but then cahoot has a lot of problems."
I did actually have one of these cards. They weren't well marketed, alas, since most people I told them about had never heard of them but thought they were a wonderful idea. Cahoot did have a lot of other problems too, as you note.
Posted by: Kay Tie | January 21, 2011 at 07:39 PM
This is neither a Direct Debit or a Standing Order. . A bank tells me 'This transaction is setup as a continuous authorisation which has been setup between the customer and the merchant.' It cannot be cancelled directly through the bank.
The bank has 120 days from the date of the transaction to dispute the payment through Visa International.
I have seen Flybe's website. It's appears to be an attractive discount on the price.
Posted by: Paul Flynn | January 21, 2011 at 08:42 AM
The problem has been that they are not direct debits, which indeed are easy to cancel.
Repeating payments via card are much harder to stop, generally because the banks make them so.
The biggest problem is that while most of these people did not pay much attention to what they were doing, and while the company in question clearly did not make it too clear to people, they did generally enter into an agreement with the "provider" so as far as the banks are concerned these are not fraudulent or incorrect charges and they are not helpful about charging back.
Posted by: HuwOS | January 21, 2011 at 02:25 AM
I am really surprised that these people had problems cancelling the payments - Direct Debits are simply another form of Standing Order. When you instruct your bank to make no more payments, the bank is duty bound to comply - end of story. If they make any payments after you have told them to stop, they MUST refund the money to your account. If there is any loss incurred, it is the bank's.
As regards payments which have already been made, even these should be refunded. The Bank should 'reverse' the payments in certain circumstances (for example, if they do not hold a direct debit mandate, or the amount has been changed and the customer has not been informed. I cannot remember the details exactly (I used to work in a bank), but, as I recall, even payments which have been paid for some time can be 'reversed' (that means that the bank can debit the trader's account directly without permission)if the customer has been misled. It happened form time to time when customers signed documents without knowing what they were signing. Mind you, that was before such documents appeared on line. I do not know the position in that situation.
Posted by: Jamesdarling | January 21, 2011 at 01:01 AM
Big thread on these guys
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=819869&page=44
"I am sure there will be plenty of cross-party support for measures to stop this." KayTie
Well seems to be, I'm surprised you'd come out for "regulation" again and so soon after your last support for government imposed "regulation" as regards the ban on smoking in public places.
Surprisingly, private enterprise did develop a solution for this type of problem as well as the risk of business systems being hacked and credit/debit card details stolen that way, a good while back.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2001/12/10/cahoot_launches_disposable_credit_card/
note that they withdrew that service in 2009, but then cahoot has a lot of problems.
Posted by: HuwOS | January 20, 2011 at 11:25 PM
This is a wider scam: recurring credit card charge mandates are hell to stop. It's time we consumers got the power to stop our own credit cards from paying out.
I am sure there will be plenty of cross-party support for measures to stop this.
Posted by: Kay Tie | January 20, 2011 at 11:13 PM