Problems cancelling a Croner i subscription.

Cancelled my subscription 9 months ago, but Croner i ignored this and are harassing me for payment.

Didn't find your answer?

Just wanted to see if anyone has had a similar situation. Late last year I cancelled my tax rates and tables subscription (Croner i publication). I received an email acknowledging receipt (attached), so I know they have knowledge of this. Subsequently they ignored this cancellation, sent out the book and are harassing me for payment. 

Just wanted to find out if anyone has had similar problems with them? Did you manage to cancel the subscription or is it a HEvidence of cancellationotel Californa situation?

Replies (31)

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By Paul Crowley
11th Sep 2020 12:41

We had a war with them as well. Did they claim that the cancellation needed to be by registered post to an address you could not find, even if you had tried?

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Replying to Paul Crowley:
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By fpdbookkeeping
11th Sep 2020 12:48

Yes. They claimed that sending the cancellation to "customer care" meant that I haven't cancelled as it was sent to the wrong email address (curious as to where else exactly you should send it). Apparently this is "my fault" therefore they want payment. They then tried to claim It should have been done 3 months before the end of the subscription despite me having evidence that it this was done anyway. Then now are trying to get me to pay it and then claim it back???

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Replying to fpdbookkeeping:
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By Paul Crowley
11th Sep 2020 12:58

If you pay the money is gone
Keep records of the emails. We did not pay but spent way too much time in calls and emails.
The start point was my prior hopeless business partner subscribed twice to a Trust publication that no one used

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By ireallyshouldknowthisbut
11th Sep 2020 12:59

We have had this sort of rubbish from them some years ago.

At one point they sent out a whole BOX of books to me (unsolicited) and tried to charge me for them unless returned. I refused, but said they could send a courier to collect. They never sent a courier and I endured about a year of hassle from them claiming I had ordered them, or not cancelled them, or someone else in the office had ordered them (there was only me at the time!) and all sorts of rubbish.

Never bought a book from them since. Which is a shame as they do the best books.

Tell em' to whistle. You have proof of cancellation, you would win at small claims court.

I simply don't understand why book people and (some) software people have to be such Scunthorpes about everything. I'm too scared to order anything from them now for fear of getting into a similar situation.

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Replying to ireallyshouldknowthisbut:
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By Paul Crowley
11th Sep 2020 13:00

Agreed
End result is that will never buy from them again

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By Paul Crowley
11th Sep 2020 13:01

cannot read the PDF

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Replying to Paul Crowley:
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By fpdbookkeeping
11th Sep 2020 13:05

Don't know why it is not showing on here, but it is this document.

https://twitter.com/FPDBookkeeping/status/1304378864874016768/photo/1

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By CJaneH
11th Sep 2020 13:12

I have had a different problem with Croner i. I ordered and paid on line for one copy of Hardman Tax Tables on the 20th May. Order was dispatched 4th June and received on the 9th. About a fortnight later I received a second copy, I phoned to inform them and asked if they wanted it returned. The person I spoke to said they would pass the information on. Some time later I received a telephone call chasing payment, and was sent a copy invoice dated 17th June.

After a few emails it seems they are no longer chasing me.

I use to have the tax tables on a recurring order, but a few years ago I was told I need to order and pay on line each year.

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Replying to CJaneH:
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By Paul Crowley
11th Sep 2020 18:40

They never accept they make mistakes
Do not believe partner really ordered twice

BUT they did send twice and he just meekly paid

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By Paul Crowley
11th Sep 2020 13:17

Read the email
Pretty clear to me.Could not possibly be misunderstood. Receiver should forward to the 'right' email or reply and instruct you to do so.

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By Southwestbeancounter
11th Sep 2020 18:11

Interesting to see how many have had issues with them - I thought it was just us!!

I had my Hardman's Tax Tables on repeat order like others and it ticked along nicely for years and then all of a sudden the chap who used to deal with it left and I have had issues ever since.

This year they sent the first edition out and then billed me more than I could have bought it for that day via their website and I was supposed to get a 10% discount for ordering in advance.

It took weeks and weeks to sort out and they told me that they had dispensed with the discount this year which still didn't explain why I was paying more than I could at that time by purchasing from their website!

Eventually they issued me with a credit note for the difference and I paid their bill but it was like pulling hens teeth it really was!!

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By Paul Crowley
11th Sep 2020 19:01

During the bounce back loan problem with Barclays, right at the beginning, I sent email links to appropriate threads on Aweb to two of the managers concerned.
Add this to your next email?

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By Andy556
12th Sep 2020 15:45

I quite liked the information I had from them at my job before I started out by myself.
I was about to look into signing up with them but this kind of thing annoys me so much to the point I won't even consider it now.

There are too many companies like this. It's a big circle, a little company sets up to compete with these types of companies who don't care. The little companies turn successful but then sell out to the big company and the process starts again.
A current example is Taxfiler and IRIS. Taxfiler was amazing until IRIS bought them out and I'm assuming it won't be long before a new company comes into the market to compete.

Rant over :) I just want good customer service, it's the best part about any company

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By Scott Houston
15th Sep 2020 10:19

Dear all, I am the Commercial Product Manager at Croner-i responsible for Tax and Accounting. I am sorry to hear that you have not had a good experience of dealing with Croner-i regarding your book order. Please can I ask you to contact our Client Experience Manager, Kate Morris ([email protected]), and we will deal with your query promptly. We always try to deal with all queries quickly and courteously, I'm sorry if on this occasion we have not got things right. Kind regards.

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Replying to Scott Houston:
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By Cheshire
15th Sep 2020 12:53

Scott Houston wrote:

Dear all, I am the Commercial Product Manager at Croner-i responsible for Tax and Accounting. I am sorry to hear that you have not had a good experience of dealing with Croner-i regarding your book order. Please can I ask you to contact our Client Experience Manager, Kate Morris ([email protected]), and we will deal with your query promptly. We always try to deal with all queries quickly and courteously, I'm sorry if on this occasion we have not got things right. Kind regards.

Did you bother to read the post about the book? It was sorted, by the dogged persistance of the poster, eventually.

Did you bother to read any of the other posts? Especially the one from the OP?

Only you didnt bother responding to those adverse comments for some reason.

Which makes me realise all the more that I was right to add a little note to my files which reminds me 'NEVER EVER EVER EVER sign up with Chroner-I' - this note after originally reading other posts on Aweb in a similar vein.

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Replying to Scott Houston:
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By fpdbookkeeping
25th Sep 2020 12:27

I followed up to that e-mail address about a week ago. There was no acknowledgement of the message I sent and no response. Apparently it has been ignored. This morning I have received "another" call from credit control utilising the same tactics as before to try and get money. I don't know if your people are lacking in ability, but this is a textbook study in how "not" to handle something like this.

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Replying to Scott Houston:
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By Psyche
22nd Jan 2021 09:36

Unfortunately, Kate Morris is the person I've been talking to and she has been no more helpful than anyone else in considering the possibility that I do not want their product and I will not be paying for their product. (Add me to the list of the scammed!) I was shown a demo of their full bells-and-whistles version, not given the opportunity to investigate the basic version, the basic version is less useful than free search engines out there, and they want to hold me to a five-year contract that they have ample evidence I was pressured into signing. They seem to have a "cancellations department" but have never let my query leave their "retention team." This is an unethical company that I want nothing more to do with even if they did agree to provide the full version at the price I negotiated. Quick and courteous is irrelevant when they continue to insist that they are right!

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Replying to Psyche:
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By thestudyman
22nd Jan 2021 17:16

I do sympathise with your experience, the way some companies behave is not a pleasant experience. Certainly makes it worse when you are committed to a 5 year contract

However pushy sales team? This has been going on for decades. Software trials showing the full product even if you want a reduced version? Again very common then, and now.

What I'm saying is the way sales people can behave is not something new and running a business, they do not have consumer protection or cooling off periods, as with B2C. No one is putting a gun to your head to sign up to services. Sometimes it is tough i get it, but you can always say no. Get legal advisors involved when reviewing contracts with vendors.

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Replying to thestudyman:
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By Psyche
23rd Jan 2021 11:24

Well, it was new to me, in 11 years in practice nothing like this has ever happened to me. Not all rapes need a gun to one's head either, psychological coercion is a thing.

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Replying to Psyche:
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By Youareatit
24th Jan 2021 10:30

[quote=Psyche] '' Not all rapes need a gun to one's head either, psychological coercion is a thing.''

Whilst I agree with the line on its own, I find it offensive to liken the two scenarios.

I also do have some sympathy with your plight,but just keep saying no.

In fact, dont do that, when on the phone - just put the bloody phone down.

Works just as well with those scammers based in Indian call centres who try to use coercion.

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Replying to Youareatit:
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By Psyche
25th Jan 2021 12:26

I hope you will find it less offensive when I reveal that I am a survivor of rape. Hope I didn't offend myself. Of course being raped and being ripped off are nowhere near alike on the trauma scale. But the tactics employed by those who would victimise people in these ways are similar. Refusing to take no for an answer and leaving someone confused and feeling that their only option is to acquiesce, just to get it over with. Yeah thanks for your advice, I'll know that for next time, not much help with my current situation though.

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By Wanderer
15th Sep 2020 14:50

Having suffered similar in the past nowadays, if at all possible, I buy our books via Amazon.

Simple system, I want a book, I order it, I pay for it, they send it.

Avoids all this subscription, you didn't cancel 9 months and 2 days before the third Tuesday before pancake day blah.

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By Scott Houston
16th Sep 2020 11:00

Dear all, just to follow on from my previous post, needless to say, my invitation to contact Kate on [email protected] to talk through any problems extends to everyone who has been having difficulties not just the original poster. Kind regards.

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Replying to Scott Houston:
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By fpdbookkeeping
25th Sep 2020 11:53

Sad to say it, but despite following up on the email provided about a week ago, I have just had !!!another!!! phone call from credit control.

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Replying to Scott Houston:
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By fpdbookkeeping
25th Sep 2020 12:07

.

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By KathrynN
29th Jan 2021 15:37

I am having this at the moment. I cancelled the agreement I made as soon as I made it - last March, and then from November I have been receiving invoices. I have not used the service. I have an email to them in which I confirmed my cancellation, but did not get a response from the salesman who was very pushy and obviously wanted the sign up. I stupidly didn't follow up getting a written response, as I spoke with someone else from Croner a few days later (which I didn't document either :-(). Now they are showing me a copy of my signed agreement and demanding payment for 3 months of invoices, which I can ill afford right now (self employed full time from Feb 20) - surely their phone and email records should attest to the fact I cancelled this? Not impressed, and concerned I have a battle on my hands.

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Replying to KathrynN:
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By Psyche
30th Jan 2021 13:09

Was the salesman Jordan by any chance? I've never come across anyone so pushy and I feel very badly for anyone he encounters in real life.

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By fpdbookkeeping
22nd Mar 2021 12:06

Update (and not positive). After being told they had cancelled this twice before then being promptly re-invoiced again, about 6 months ago I finally was able to converse with customer service by e-mail who confirmed that the subscription was cancelled. I was led to believe that this was then end of it, but then this morning, another tax book comes through the door, and presumably an invoice will follow shortly. Now giving consideration as to whether to had this over to the police on grounds of harassment and fraud.

In all seriousness, this is beyond ridiculous.

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By fpdbookkeeping
22nd Mar 2021 12:07

Update (and not positive). After being told they had cancelled this twice before then being promptly re-invoiced again, about 6 months ago I finally was able to converse with customer service by e-mail who confirmed that the subscription was cancelled. I was led to believe that this was then end of it, but then this morning, another tax book comes through the door, and presumably an invoice will follow shortly. Now giving consideration as to whether to had this over to the police on grounds of harassment and fraud.

In all seriousness, this is beyond ridiculous.

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Replying to fpdbookkeeping:
By Duggimon
22nd Mar 2021 12:18

Invoice them for your time and chase them every four days for payment, if they pay, double it and keep chasing.

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Replying to fpdbookkeeping:
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By I'msorryIhaven'taclue
22nd Mar 2021 14:52

OP, if you're an individual ie self-employed then make a Subject Access Request. Ask specifically for all information held, in all mediums and formats to include digital, database, paper ,and archived (otherwise they'll archive your content the day they receive your SAR). Importantly, request that both CRM or similar customer service mediums that are used to log or summarise customers' calls, as well as actual voice recordings themselves, are provided to you.

For template and instructions:

https://ico.org.uk/your-data-matters/your-right-to-get-copies-of-your-data/

They won't dare tamper with their records of you, for fear of unwelcome ico attention.

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