Consumers are being urged to set reminders and read terms carefully after several people described difficulties cancelling free trial subscriptions before being charged unexpectedly.
Subscriptions now cover almost every sector, from television streaming and meal delivery kits to beauty boxes and software tools. Many begin with a free or heavily discounted trial period, with customers often intending to cancel before being charged - but the process is not always straightforward.
Sophie Branscombe, 23, from Wirral, said she signed up for a free trial of a photo editing app and later noticed a payment of £89.99 had left her bank account.
"It was a free trial, and they did make it clear I was signing up to a subscription, but there was no reminder of when [the free period] would end," she said.
Ms Branscombe said she was unable to secure a refund directly from the company. Instead, she submitted a request through Apple's "report a problem" feature, which resulted in the full amount being refunded. The BBC has asked the company for a response.
Her advice to others is to set a reminder as soon as signing up to a free trial to note when the paid period will begin.
"Make it a habit of checking what subscriptions run out and if you also find that you don't like something after signing up to a free trial, cancel straight away," she said.
Hussein Zaaiter, 21, from West London, said he ran into repeated problems while using a free software trial for university work. When he attempted to cancel, he said the company continued to take payments from his account.
"I tried online chat, email and even the phone at one point as they were constantly charging me," he said.
Mr Zaaiter said a payment of £16 left his account, followed by another of £32, before he froze his card to stop further charges. He said the company attempted to charge him seven times in total.
He subsequently contacted his bank to explain the situation in the hope of being reimbursed.
"I felt like it was marketed as a free trial that was easy to cancel," he said. "It was difficult to contact them, and the cancellation was near impossible."
His advice to others is to read the terms and conditions carefully and exercise caution before signing up to any subscription service.
Rosalinda Kwafo-Akoto, 22, from the West Midlands, signed up for a one-week free television trial that would convert to a £9.99 monthly subscription if not cancelled in time.
"I remembered before the end of the week that the trial was ending and tried to cancel it so I wouldn't be charged," she said.
She said she was unable to locate the subscription within her account and assumed it had ended automatically and been removed. A week later, she discovered that money had in fact been taken from her account.
Ms Kwafo-Akoto said it took her an hour and a half to get through to a customer service representative and locate the subscription within the company's systems. She was eventually able to cancel the service and received a full refund.
Her advice to others is not to assume a subscription has been cancelled automatically simply because it cannot be found within an account.
"These companies make it as difficult as possible for you to cancel so make sure you get a confirmation email of your cancellation," she said.
The BBC has contacted the companies involved in each case for a response.
The experiences highlight a common pattern reported by consumers: free trials that convert into paid subscriptions without clear reminders, and cancellation processes that can involve lengthy waits or multiple contact attempts before a refund is secured.
Consumers seeking to avoid unexpected charges are advised to note trial end dates at the point of signing up, read terms and conditions before committing to a service, and retain confirmation of any cancellation request made with a provider.
