Beware dodgy health product ads on Facebook

Dodgy adverts on Facebook promoting free samples of health products lead to sneaky monthly payments of nearly £50.

Sadly, these unwanted recurring payments are rip-offs that we've previously warned people about. 

Below, we tell you how to get your money back if you’re the victim of an unauthorised subscription.

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Bountynutrition and Nutranewera subscriptions

Which? was alerted to dodgy subscriptions for Bountynutrition and Nutranewera. 

These two companies have almost 200 reviews on Trustpilot that predominantly outline the same experience of customers charged a monthly subscription they didn’t recall signing up for.

Reviewers complain of paying a £9.95 delivery fee for a free product sample and then being charged a subscription of £49.95 a month after following an advert on Facebook. We also came across several similar complaints on Facebook.

Shoppers have complained about only being refunded 35% of what they paid, still being charged after cancelling the subscription and getting no response when contacting the companies.

Some have also said that the adverts used images of well-known doctors to endorse the products. 

We went through the checkout process on Nutranewara’s website and didn’t find any mention of being charged a £49.95 monthly subscription after paying for the sample.

'The free trial cost me almost £60'

Which? helped a Bountynutrition customer who saw an advert on Facebook advertising a free sample of blood-pressure capsules with a postage charge of £9.95.

When the customer completed the transaction and paid the fee, they received an email stating: ‘If you love your experience, do nothing! After the 12-day trial, you'll be charged the full price of £49.95 for the product.’

The email also said that to avoid being charged the full price, you could return the product within the 12-day trial period. The customer contacted their bank and had their card cancelled to prevent any additional charges. 

Stop subscription payments

According to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), subscription payments are typically taken by a card-based continuous payment authority (CPA) when a customer authorises a merchant to take recurring payments.

Under the Payment Services Regulations (PSRs), CPAs can't be set up without your consent and you can withdraw consent for future transactions by contacting either the company or your bank. Any transactions taken after you withdraw consent will be considered unauthorised.

If you've been signed up for a subscription you didn't want, you have a 14-day cooling-off period, which extends to 12 months if you weren't informed of your right to cancel. 

To cancel it, you should try to unsubscribe by contacting the company's customer services. If this fails, you can contact your bank or credit card provider to block any future payments.

How to get your money back

Subscription traps can be hard to prove to your bank because it may look like you authorised the payment.

If the company refuses to reimburse your money and you didn't authorise the payment, you could make a chargeback claim if you paid via debit card, or if you paid via credit card you can use Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act. 

You have 120 days from the date of purchase to make a chargeback claim, but there's no time limit for a Section 75 claim. We can help you make a chargeback or Section 75 claim. 

If your card provider doesn’t agree to help, you can escalate your complaint until it reaches its final decision and ask for a letter of deadlock.

If you’re still having trouble getting your money back, you can take your case to the Financial Ombudsman.