My complaint:
On 28 December 2020 I signed up to a four week free trial on Shaw Academy for a Python programming course. I gave my credit card details given that the website explicitly states that a payment is only deducted from customers after this four week trial period has ended. In my case, this trial period expires on 25 January 2021. I did not find the course useful and found Shaw Academy’s staff highly intrusive, phoning me regularly and wasting my time. Today I phoned Shaw Academy in an attempt to cancel my free trial, the last step necessary in their tedious cancellation process as detailed on their website. I was shocked to find that not only had a payment of £49.99 been deducted from my bank account on 4 January 2021, but a further £99.95 had had been deducted on 5 January 2021. When I questioned why this money had been taken, a member of Shaw Academy’s staff told me that I had agreed to purchase a three month membership with Shaw Academy. By way of evidence, I was referred to an email dated 4 January 2020 from Mr Faheem Niuwenhuys which the aforementioned member of staff claimed was ation of my decision to purchase a three month membership over the phone. This is false, as I never agreed to buy a three month membership. The email in question in fact advertises various discounts for courses at Shaw Academy and makes no mention of a decision to purchase a three month membership.
Both deductions are thus illegal and Shaw Academy is in breach of its user agreement. A cursory search on the Internet also reveals numerous complaints on various forums from customers who have experienced similar unauthorised credit card payments to Shaw Academy after signing up to a free trial.
https:allreviews.cageneralshaw-academy-reviews-experiences-opinions-complaints
https:www.shawacademyscam.com
Suggested solution:
Shaw Academy must refund all the money to my account (total £149.94) with immediate effect.
Failure to do so will result in my taking legal action against this organisation in a small claims court for credit card fraud.
