\u201cI hope you don\u2019t mind me asking for your advice regarding a company called Complete Savings,\u201d begins a mail from a reader called Gemma. \u201cYou may have heard about them,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
We have indeed heard about them. In fact, we have been hearing about them for more than 12 years. <\/p>\n
The first time we featured Complete Savings on this page was in March 2014<\/a>, not much more than a year after the company had started doing business in this country.<\/p>\n [\u00a0Reader caught out by Complete Savings subscription: \u2018I never knowingly signed up\u2019Opens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n And what is their business? It is a multinational, self-styled web-loyalty scheme that people sign up for \u2013 sometimes without being entirely aware that is what they are doing \u2013 after they make purchases on partner sites.<\/p>\n What Complete Savings promises is cash back to members if they shop on certain sites. That is all well and good if members know they have signed up for the site and are happy to have done so.<\/p>\n But how would someone sign up without being aware of it?<\/p>\n From what we have been told, it is easier than you might think. If someone buys a product on a site that has a relationship with Complete Savings, they might be offered the chance to avail of a discount on their next purchase. They then re-enter credit or debit card details and by doing so sign up.<\/p>\n That appears to be what happened to Gemma. <\/p>\n \u201cI was unaware I signed up to any subscription,\u201d she says, before adding that over a period of time Complete Savings increased its charges from \u20ac15 to \u20ac18 and then to \u20ac21 \u201cwithout my consent\u201d.<\/p>\n [\u00a0Are you accidentally paying for a Complete Savings loyalty programme and what can be done to stop it?Opens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n Gemma says the \u201cworst part of my experience is that because I was unaware of it, I found out it had been activated back in March 2021 and so I have lost over \u20ac1,000\u2033. <\/p>\n She continues: \u201cI thought this was a saving going to my credit union<\/a> from my bank. The bank can\u2019t help me as it goes too far back. I did put in a bank dispute. The Complete Savings company claim they send me emails but this is definitely not the case.\u201d <\/p>\n Gemma says she doesn\u2019t know what to do next. \u201dI have sent them an email demanding a refund and explaining how I was unaware of any subscription. I never used it obviously!\u201d<\/p>\n