Life at Durham isn’t cheap. Between rent, nights out, college formals, and the occasional overpriced coffee on the Bailey, most of us are always looking for ways to save a little money. Discounts and student deals often feel like a lifeline — but they can also be a trap.
Last weekend I spent a couple of hours on live chat with a brand after they tried to charge my friend almost £100 when she accidentally signed up to a VIP scheme while applying for a discount. She was ready to accept the charges after being told they were “non-refundable,” and out of fear of hours of pushback from customer service. This is how sellers get away with it: Relying on confusion, fear, and the hope customers won’t fight back.
Last summer I was charged £90 after being told a student brand needed my card to “verify my age,” before signing me up to a subscription without my knowledge. It’s more common than people think: Big discounts are dangled with no obvious catch, and “welcome” emails emphasise savings while burying cancellation details in tiny text or dull colours. It’s no accident — the system is often designed to trap people into paying.
Common scams students fall victim to
via Unsplash (Rasheed Kemy)
Students like you and me are especially vulnerable, as many people live on tight budgets, meaning big discounts sound appealing (nothing better than 50% off). This is especially true in a smaller city like Durham, where many of us turn to online shopping when we can’t find what we want on North Road or in Prince Bishops. Students are also generally less experience with exercising our rights, or navigating consumer law, while the psychological pressure of seeing “non-refundable” makes many people give up before even trying.
Every year new students are warned about fake Freshers’ wristbands being sold online or in group chats, often marketed as “all-access” to Durham’s biggest events. In reality, they’re not linked to the SU or colleges, and students end up paying a lot of money for something useless.
Perhaps more detrimentally, students may receive texts claiming to be from Student Finance England, offering early payments, “bonus grants”, or “requiring” more information as they log in via a link. This is a phishing attempt.
But whether it’s fake rental listings that ask for deposits up front or fake part-time jobs that require you to buy equipment, there is support available if you fall victim to a scam or incur a charge by accident.
What you can do if it happens to you
Start by contacting customer service, whether that be over the phone, by email, or live chat. Be polite; remember that while these people represent the brand, they are human too, and courtesy will always lend you a hand. Request a refund and explain the lack of clarity. If needed, cite the relevant laws and demonstrate why they apply to your situation.
If refused, you can always escalate it to your bank by requesting a chargeback, although banks will often ask for proof that you have attempted to resolve it with the business directly. Banks will often side with customers when a subscription has been misrepresented, and they have the power to reverse charges directly.
Remember, even if a business sorts your claim out, if you think they’re breaking trading standards, report them. It may help stop future students from ending up in your situation. Durham County Council has a very useful scam awareness page with relevant numbers/links for if you feel that you’ve been a victim of a scam.
Both you college JCR, college itself, and the SU can support you in a number of different ways throughout the process. Whilst college and JCR processes may differ college by college, the SU’s Advice Service will be able to lend you a helping hand.
Whilst we’ve does focused more on subscription based scams, knowing your rights can help you in a number of different money related situations. Don’t take “non-refundable” at face value. Just because a company has a policy doesn’t make it legally binding. If that were the case, you could charge people £20 a minute to talk to you just by hanging a sign around your neck (although this might not make you too popular). The law is on your side — and so are your fellow students. Don’t keep quiet if you’ve been caught out. If Durham students look out for each other, companies have far less power to exploit us.
Knowing your rights
via Unsplash (Robin Worrall)
To avoid situations like these, it’s important to familiarise yourself with your rights. This is even one of the few “acceptable times” to use AI, as detailing your situation can not only help direct you to the relevant legislation, but can also provide you with email templates and remove the daunting nature of the process.
Durham SU has a dedicated webpage of ways to spot all sorts of financial scams, not just being sucked into unfair subscriptions. However, the webpage doesn’t lay out the relevant laws to you, so here they are.
The Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 are important, as they give you a 14 day cooling-off period for online contracts. It’s also important to note that if companies don’t make this clear to you, the period extends to 365 days. This matters because it allows you to cancel at any time, no matter what the brand may claim on their websites.
The Consumer Rights Act 2015 states that terms must be transparent and fair. While there’s some ambiguity to this, it does follow common sense. If a company has detailed how to cancel their subscription but written it in white font on a white background, so to speak, does that strike you as fair?
Finally, the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008, much like the Consumer Rights Act, states that hiding key information is unlawful.
All of these acts are there to protect you and make sure that the law is on your side. A number of subscription-based fashion brands have already been investigated by watchdogs anyway, so mentioning this may help to strengthen your case.
Featured image via Canva.
For more of the latest news, guides, gossip, and memes, follow The Durham Tab on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.
