Just thought I would share my experience in case any of you have fallen into the same trap as me.

Apparently I opted to be a member of Amazon Prime a few years ago and I vaguely remember that there were some benefits including free priority shipping which I got when I signed up for free. I guess there was some small print that I didn’t read stating that there would be an annual charge if I continued to be a member, but I guess I forgot that as I was intended to do.

Anyway, I was looking through our bank transactions the other day (something I do very rarely to be honest) and I noticed a £49 charge to Amazon and I was sure that I hadn’t bought anything from them recently.

After a bit of research, it appears that I have paid about £50 per year for the last 4 years for this service that I don’t really use.

Thankfully I got a refund on most of this years charge, but I am a bit irritated (mostly with myself) for paying >£150 for a service I haven’t really used.

If you’re an amazon shopper and have that little blue prime label next to your user name, check that you’re getting your money’s worth from it.

Yep, same happened to me but not for quite so long.

I also got a refund, but in full as it had only been running for a few months. It’s an easy button to push when ordering stuff from them.

It gets a bit tedious ignoring the button, but I’ve never pressed it. I can’t really see the point of it. I always opt for the free delivery and more often than not stuff turns up the very next day!

I was offered a trial use of Prime the other week, free for a month but after then it would automatically start debiting £49 from my payment card each year. The blurb made it pretty clear that if you didn’t want to continue the trial then you just had to uncheck the “automatically renew prime membership” option in my Amazon account settings.

So just need to read the blurb and it wasn’t buried at the bottom of some vast T’s and C’s section.

I had that – I had to ring them up and moan to get a refund. They took the year’s subscription without additional warning straight after the trial period had ended.

Don’t know how the OP will fare after that many years though, particularly if he’s used some of the benefits (unknowingly) during the period.

fallen into the same trap as me.

To be fair, it’s quite a well described trap. As when you first opt in, this pops up:

I thought everyone on STW were middle aged IT managers? Surprised this caught so many out 😉

I recently discovered that Amazon pays no tax in the UK. Do you even want to use them?

I use the book depository now.

I recently discovered that Amazon pays no tax in the UK. Do you even want to use them?

I use the book depository now.

Amazon own The Book Depository too do they not? http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/oct/27/amazon-takeover-book-depository-oft

I wasn’t really complaining about unfair practice. It was just a lack of attention on my part and I thought it may be interesting to others to take a look at it.

Amazon own The Book Depository too do they not?

Damn, didn’t know that. Waterstones?

Damn, didn’t know that. Waterstones?

A&NN Capital Fund Management, owned by this guy.

Mrs BigJohn got caught by it too but after about 4 months she decided to try and get her money back. She did too and it was remarkably simple.

Anyway, I was looking through our bank transactions the other day (something I do very rarely to be honest) and I noticed a £49 charge to Amazon and I was sure that I hadn’t bought anything from them recently.

I noticed it after using it for a couple of years unknowingly. However I use Amazon quite a bit, so figure I probably get some value from it.

I was looking through our bank transactions the other day (something I do very rarely to be honest) …. it appears that I have paid about £50 per year for the last 4 years

Would you mind if I called you an idiot? Or would ‘fool’ be kinder?