If you're considering joining Which?, there are some important things you should know about their membership terms.
These terms apply in addition to their general terms and cover everything from cancelling your membership to their 1:1 buying advice and Consumer Rights Advice Line.
If you have any questions about their membership terms, you can always ask their Customer Services Team for help. They'll be happy to assist you with any queries you may have.
Key Takeaways
Which? has specific membership terms that apply in addition to their general terms.
Their membership terms cover everything from cancelling your membership to their 1:1 buying advice and Consumer Rights Advice Line.
If you have any questions about their membership terms, you can always ask their Customer Services Team for help.
How Much Is Which Subscription?
Introductory Offer Periods:
When you sign up for a Which? membership, you may be eligible for an introductory offer period. During this period, you will pay a reduced rate for your membership.
At the end of the introductory offer period, your membership will continue automatically at the standard rate unless you cancel your membership during the introductory offer period.
You will receive a letter from Which? confirming the start and end dates of your introductory offer period. If you do not cancel your membership by the end of this period, you will be charged at the standard rate applicable to your membership.
For more information on how to cancel your membership, please refer to the "Cancelling your membership" section below.
Gift Memberships:
If you're looking for a gift for a friend or family member, Which? offers gift subscriptions. Find out more about Which? gift subscriptions on our website.
Paying for Your Membership:
The cost and payment dates for your chosen membership will be provided to you during the registration process. You can pay for your membership using most credit and debit cards. All payments will be subject to validation checks and authorization by the card issuer. If your card issuer refuses to authorize your initial payment to us, then we will not be able to confirm your order, and no contract will exist between us.
We'll usually collect your membership payments by setting up a direct debit or continuous payment authority. You'll pay for your membership monthly or annually, depending on the membership you have chosen. If you're taking advantage of one of our introductory offers, your membership will continue as a monthly or annual membership at the standard rate applicable to that membership when the introductory offer period ends, unless you cancel your membership. We will collect your payments each month or year in advance as applicable, unless you cancel your membership. You can change your membership at any time, please contact us to discuss the most appropriate option for you.
Annual memberships will automatically renew at the end of each year that you have paid for unless you have told us that you don't want your membership to continue. We will contact you to remind you that your membership is due to renew. This reminder will usually be sent to you approximately five (5) weeks before your renewal date so that you have time to consider whether you want to end your membership before it renews. Please ensure that we always have your up-to-date contact details.
Your Membership Details:
As soon as possible after your application has been received, we will provide your membership details, including your username, password, and user ID code. If you've chosen a specific username, we'll try to honor your choice, but this won't always be possible, and sometimes we may offer you an alternative.
That's it for our guide on how much Which? subscription costs. If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to contact us.
Cancelling your membership
If you want to cancel your membership, there are three ways to do so: via My Account, via Live Chat, and by phone.
Cancelling via My Account
To cancel via My Account, log in and follow the steps in the cancellation section. If you cancel within the cancellation period, you will receive a pro-rata refund based on the number of days left in your membership year.
Cancelling via Live Chat
You can cancel your membership by starting a conversation with our Live Chat team during opening hours. If a team member is available, you will see "chat with an advisor" in the bottom-right corner of the page.
Cancelling by phone
If you prefer to cancel by phone, call our member services team on 029 2267 0000. They are available during opening hours.
Please note that if you cancel within the cancellation period, you will receive a pro-rata refund based on the number of days left in your membership year.
All monthly and annual memberships:
Monthly memberships:
If you have a monthly membership, you can cancel at any time after the initial 14-day cancellation period. Your membership will end the day before your next payment is due, and you will not be charged any further payments.
Annual memberships:
For the first year of your annual membership, you can tell us at any time that you do not want your membership to continue beyond the year you have paid for, after the initial 14-day cancellation period. We will not provide a full or partial refund of your annual payment, but you will continue to receive all the member benefits you have paid for up to when your membership ends, and no further payments will be taken.
After the first year of your annual membership, each time your membership renews, you will once again have a 14-day cancellation period in which to cancel your membership. If you cancel within this period, you will be entitled to a full refund of the membership payment made following the relevant renewal.
If you do not cancel within this period, you can still tell us at any time that you want to cancel your membership, and your membership will end 30 days after we receive your cancellation request. We'll provide a pro-rata refund of the membership payment you have made for the year you're cancelling in, based on the number of days left on your membership for that year.
When your membership ends:
Once your membership has ended, you will not be able to access digital content (if you are subscribing to a digital membership), and no further magazines will be sent to you (if your membership includes a print magazine).
If you have any questions about your membership or need assistance with renewal, please contact our customer support team who will be happy to help you. Please note that if you do not renew your membership, you will not be able to access member benefits or receive member discounts.
Other important things you need to know
Reinstating your membership
If you had previously subscribed to a Which? membership package and want to reinstate your membership, please note that we cannot guarantee that we will be able to provide you with the same package at the same price. We will, however, always provide you with at least six weeks' notice if we need to change the price of your membership. If you decide to change or cancel your membership as a result, please let us know so we can amend your records accordingly.
What happens if you don't comply with these terms?
We take non-compliance seriously, and if we believe you have breached any of these terms, we may take appropriate action, including the temporary or permanent suspension of your access to our websites. If you don't comply with these terms, we will be happy to compensate you for any loss you suffer as a direct result of up to £100 each time.
To ensure that you don't breach any of our terms, please keep your membership details confidential to help us maintain the security of our websites. You should not allow any other person to obtain access to Which? Online using your membership details.
Our association management software allows us to monitor member engagement and activity, maintain an online community, and manage our database. Our branded website is designed to improve staff productivity and social engagement, while our accounting and payment processing systems ensure that our membership management is efficient and easy to use. By keeping track of membership trends, we can design our website to meet the needs of our members, while automated workflows and reports help us to improve staff efficiency and productivity.
Terms: 1:1 buying advice & Ask Which?
If you have a membership that includes 1:1 buying advice or Ask Which?, you can benefit from our customer service advisers' expertise. They can provide you with telephone or online advice on consumer goods reviewed by us, as well as guidance on where to purchase the product.
The terms of 1:1 buying advice and Ask Which? apply to different periods depending on when you took out your membership. If you took out a membership before 2nd September 2020 that includes 1:1 buying advice or on or after 17th November 2021 that includes Ask Which?, our customer service advisers can provide you with telephone advice. They can help you with any consumer goods for sale in the UK that we have reviewed, such as washing machines, mobile phones, or cars that have passed our safety tests.
If you took out a membership between 2nd September 2020 and 16th November 2021 that includes 1:1 buying advice, our customer service advisers can provide you with online buying advice. They can help you with any of the products listed below that we have reviewed:
Fridge freezers
Fridges
Freezers
Built-in ovens
Freestanding cookers
Range cookers
Hobs
Cooker hoods
Microwaves
Dishwashers
Washing machines
Tumble dryers
Washer dryers
Please note that we reserve the right not to advise on certain products, and we will not provide advice on products that we have not already reviewed. Any advice provided by us is intended as guidance only and should not be considered a final recommendation or endorsement.
We update our price information regularly to provide you with accurate guidance on where to buy relevant goods. However, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to provide suggested retailers for every product that we have provided guidance on. We also cannot provide advice on high street-only retailers.
If you follow a retailer link on our website, we may receive an affiliate commission, regardless of whether you make a purchase.
You can access 1:1 buying advice and Ask Which? on weekdays between 8:30am and 6:00pm, excluding public holidays. To access 1:1 buying advice, log into your account and select the 1:1 buying advice tab. To access Ask Which?, log into your account and select the Ask Which? advice tab.
Terms: Consumer Rights Advice Line
If your membership includes access to the Consumer Rights Advice Line, the following terms apply:
The advice line is available to you for free.
You can call the advice line for advice on consumer rights issues.
The advice line is staffed by trained advisors who can offer guidance and support.
The advice line can provide information on your legal rights as a consumer.
You can call the advice line as often as you need to for advice and support.
Please note that the advice line is not a substitute for legal advice, and the advisors cannot provide legal representation.
What We Will Do for You
If you have consumer issues within the UK, our team of qualified lawyers and specialist legal advisers will provide telephone legal advice to individuals.
We will advise you on general consumer issues such as disputes with utility companies, mobile phone contracts, or problems with faulty goods. However, we do not advise on holiday or travel-related issues.
Our qualified lawyers and specialist legal advisers are available to advise you Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays) between 8.30 am and 6 pm. We will always try to connect you directly with a lawyer or adviser. However, if they are all busy when you call, we will arrange for you to be called back. We will always let you know when to expect your call back.
We are only able to advise you or a permanent member of your household. We are unable to advise someone who telephones us on your behalf unless you have previously given us permission to do so.
Our lawyers must comply with the Law Society's Rules and Principles of Professional Conduct of Solicitors and the Bar Code of Conduct.
If responding to your request may cause us to break these rules, such as a conflict of interest, we will be unable to advise you. In such a situation, we will always explain the position to you.
As a member, you will have access to our on-demand content, which includes articles and webinars on various legal topics.
Additionally, you will be part of our professional body, which allows you to network with other professionals in your field. You will also have access to our online store, which offers discounts on legal books and other resources.
Overall, our membership offers a range of benefits, including career advancement opportunities, access to legal advice, and networking opportunities.
What We Cannot Do for You
We want to be clear about the limitations of our legal advice service. While we are here to help you with your legal issues, there are certain things we cannot do for you. Here are some of the limitations of our service:
Large-value disputes: We can only advise you on civil disputes that would fall within the small claims court system. This means that in England & Wales, the value of your dispute must be less than £10,000 for us to help you. In Scotland, the maximum value is £5,000, and in Northern Ireland, it is £3,000.
Advice on other legal advice: We cannot advise you on any aspect of another solicitor's advice or where another solicitor is already advising you on that issue.
Written advice: Our lawyers and specialist advisers are only permitted to provide telephone legal advice and will not respond to written requests for advice.
Direct intervention with third parties: We are unable to intervene directly with a third party to try and settle your dispute.
Guarantee you always speak to the same lawyer or adviser: While we try and connect you directly to a lawyer or adviser when you call us, we cannot guarantee that you will always speak to the same person.
Assist you to recover sums to which you are not legally entitled: For us to advise you, you must have a genuine legal case.
Provide legal advice other than consumer law advice: We cannot advise on matters such as employment, wills, probate, or neighbour disputes.
If you have any questions about the limitations of our legal advice service, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are here to help you understand your legal rights and obligations and to provide you with the best possible advice.
Other important things you need to know
Consequences of Non-Compliance
It is important to comply with the terms and conditions of the Consumer Rights Advice Line. If you fail to comply with these terms, we will take appropriate action, which may include the temporary or permanent suspension of your use of the service.
To avoid any issues, please ensure that you follow the terms and conditions of the Consumer Rights Advice Line. If you have any questions or concerns about the terms and conditions, please contact the Manager of our legal advice service.
Complaints
If you are unhappy with any aspect of the Consumer Rights Advice Line, you can contact the Manager of our legal advice service to make a complaint.
We will respond to your complaint fairly and usually within five working days. If we are unable to resolve your complaint and it relates to the legal advice you have received, we will explain how you can make a complaint about a particular lawyer to their professional body.
If we are unable to resolve your complaint, you can refer it to the Legal Ombudsman. You should make your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman within 6 months of our complaints handling process finishing.
The Ombudsman won't accept a complaint if more than 6 years have elapsed from the date of the act or omission giving rise to the complaint, or more than 3 years have elapsed from the time when you should have known about the complaint. The date of the alleged act or omission giving rise to the complaint must be after 6 October 2010.
We are required by law to provide you with details of one of the approved-alternative dispute resolution schemes. Although our Which? legal advice service is not currently signed up to its services, you can find details of Ombudsman Services at ombudsman-services.org.
You can also use the European online dispute resolution (ODR) platform to resolve disputes about products and services purchased online. The platform can be accessed at http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr/.
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