Thanks, I had a look. This would have been great if the company concerned was mentioned. I'm not sure if they can help me as they are in Ireland. I'm thinking of just blogging their name everywhere and anywhere. If I can't get my money back maybe I can convince others not to join. I'm a long time member of Ciao so I could start there and leave a link to my 'review' on other popular sites. If I prevent just one person giving them money, I'll be happy but this not enough I want to be very very very happy I've heard that no publicity is bad publicity, boy is that wrong. This company will end up on their own diet because they will have no money to buy food by the time I'm finished with them.

Thanks BRIGADIER2JCS, From what I believe, the payment isn't a direct debit as such and anyway it doesn't matter as they took full payment, not the first month. It looks like a 'one off' card payment but set up using worldpay/futurepay. This means you haven't signed up for a continuous direct debit but given them permission to take a further payment in the future to continue a subscription. I believe they do it this way deliberately, with their vague details and wording so that you sign up thinking its a monthly payment, so that you can't claim back using the direct debit guarantee or stop payments. Have a look at their site and tell me what you think of the way the offers are set out.

Hi rebel11, Thanks for your reply. I'm a little confused as your advice appears to say I should contact my bank which by the way is Bank of Scotland. At the end you tell me to add the information detailed in your last two paragraphs, but this info would be for JustSlim would it not? The bank won't help as my wife gave card details which to them is authorising payment regardless of the fact she was led to believe the payments were monthly. Would it be in my interests to contact the person who's details you found? I could appeal to his better nature (which didn't work with the company) or go in guns blazing demanding a refund which is my right anyway. Then again it's just the website owner, probably nothing to do with the company.

My wife tried the Worldpay option but it only allows to cancel future payments, I.E. The subscription for next year. Also called FuturePay. When my wife contacted JustSlim to have her subscription canceled they replied by stating that all future payments have been canceled, meaning next years payment. They knew exactly what she meant but like I said already the fly bas...ds are stalling. They are tactically answering certain correspondence but when asked to cancel account under 7 day cancellation period, they just ignore it. I contacted them again this afternoon to cancel the account and they have not replied.

It's direct debit. The bank has already refused as, 'this is a matter between you and them'. Rest assured they were thanked in full for their 'help'. JustSlim are ignoring us now, probably until the 7 day period is over.

My wife recently joined a slimming help website called JustSlim. Initially they give you a 4 day trial where you can decide to continue with one of their various offers. The way the offers are perceived, by the way they are worded, makes it look like 1 month is £40 but take out a 12 month subscription and it is £15 per month and it has a little asterix explaining the saving based on a single month. It also offered a 30% discount code. My wife signed up, and applied the discount code which didn't work. She contacted them explaining this and asked then to just cancel the account. They replied and said they had fixed it and the discount would be applied. At the end of the trial period she had noticed that they had taken payment for the full yearly amount. Again she contacted them and the reply was surprising. They told her point blank she is not getting her money back as she took out the yearly subscription which is full payment up front. My wife went on to their forum after a few attempts at getting a refund and each answer was similar in that she agreed to join and is not entitled to her money back. I took a look on the website and I looked at how it is laid out and although if you look deeper at their offers it appears the full payment is taken but it is designed to fool you into thinking its a monthly option. I also looked at their cancellation policy which states you have 7 full days to cancel after payment is taken, 'provided you don't use the website'. My wife pointed this out and asked them to cancel her subscription and her account and remove any and all her personal data. The reply came back saying, 'Thank you for contacting us, your posts have been removed as requested'. They removed the posts only because she had made a complaint on their forum. Since contacting them they have been completely blasé about the whole issue and are adamant that no refund will be given despite their policy. My wife contacted them initially within the trial period to cancel and they replied by saying she would receive a the discount offer. She then replied on the day payment was taken, so she still had 7 full days to cancel. This was only yesterday but they are sticking to their guns and have stopped replying. She hasn't used their services since the payment was taken but I noticed today they are sending her 'daily updates' as if she is using their services. Sorry about the length of this 'question'. But what can we do about it?

So from what I believe is the WTR is a complete waste of time. If companies can negotiate their own terms then what's the point? Who decides which company can and can't change to suit themselves and as an employee of said companies you haven't a leg to stand on even though there is a law there supposedly to protect you. I'm sorry, I'm not buying this, if we are entitled to this law then no employer or union should be able to make any agreement which deviates from it. The law might as well not be there. If this is the case then surely before you sign any work contract they have to, by law, inform you that they have an agreement. They can't keep it a secret until you take out a grievance only to find out you have nothing to back you up. I came here to ask a simple question where I thought people knew their stuff. I'm contracted to 39 hrs a week but work 45 hrs. I'm paid for 39. Nowhere have I read or been told there is any agreement with the union and nowhere have I read that although I'm paid for 39 hrs I have to work 45 hrs. I get one break of 30 min in those 9 hrs which is paid for. All 5 shifts are on the schedule every week at 9 hrs but the total at the bottom says 39. I don't know anyone who works 1 extra hour unpaid let alone 6. Laws aren't there to be broken or manipulated but some fly employers are getting away with it. I'm going to make sure mines doesn't any longer.

That is irrelevant, just because there is an 'agreement' does not mean it is legal. All it says is the retailer has something to fall back on should they be challenged. The European directive is there for a reason. If USDAW has any kind of agreement like that then I may quit the union as it contravenes any claim or support status that they flannel you with in order to join if they are making 'deals'. Just as a matter of interest, I contacted USDAW, before coming here and was told someone would call me back. They never did. They also didn't help me in a previous matter with the same company, something I managed to get resolved myself by keeping the pressure on them. My counterpart at USDAW said he would come down 'if really needed'. I suppose in this case I will have to do the same as the answers here aren't clear and/or contradictory. Thanks for your replies but nothing concrete here that gives me anything definite, just people guessing. Cheers.

Ha Ha, keep trying. We'll get there!

I get 1 half hour break (lunch) per shift and as far as I'm aware that is paid. Other staff work their contract hours exactly and leave but the difference is on the work schedule. They might be 30 or 26 hours or whatever and it says so on schedule but my hours on the schedule are 6 more than my contract. I take photographs of the schedule each week and my clock in card will reflect the hours I do so I have enough proof should I need it. One more point I forgot to mention, I can finish a back shift and be expected to do an early next day giving me a total of 7 hours between shifts, this surely isn't legal also. Thanks for your reply.

Hi people, Glad to join. I need some advice. I work for a large supermarket in one of their convenience stores. I'm contracted to 39hrs pw. I work 5 days a week and as the theory goes I should work 4 days of 8 hrs and 1 day of 7 hrs. As it happens I'm scheduled 9 hours for EVERY shift and expected to do it without extra pay. Only occasionally will I be scheduled for an 8 hr shift. I have read my employment handbook and it states, roughly "from time to time you may be required to work extra time but this is accounted for in your wages". First of all this is in the handbook, not in my contract and secondly it states "from time to time", not every single shift. Since the store opened last year, 6 people have left with only 1 replaced so we are constantly understaffed and having to do all the extra work as well as extra hours unpaid. I'm getting fed up with it and have started arriving late ( around 15 min) and when challenged I just say this is a freebie so I'm actually 45 min early. The question is, can I do something about this and more importantly, is this illegal as I've found out if you are working over your hours you may not be insured. Cheers and thanks.