My father-in-law recently spent some time in hospital, when he granted us Power of Attorney over his financial affairs. Whilst checking through his recent bank statements, we noticed a number of curious withdrawals over a period of some four years, none larger than £69, but totalling almost a thousand pounds, for what proved to be various 'reward clubs'. These all traced back to one purchase from a catalogue company called Easylife.
Ringing Easylife elicited the response that he must have agreed to these reward clubs 'over the phone' but, although his calls were apparently recorded, they couldn't prove it. However, they didn't argue the point, but promised to reimburse the full amount — which we haven't received back as yet.
An internet search for "Easylife" produces a large number of reports, including a damning article from Which?. Easylife passed customer details on to The Rewards Club, who in turn targetted older people, who may be less likely to regularly check their bank account activity, especially if they don't bank online. Even if they DO notice, they're likely to guess that an unexplained entry is "probably OK". By couching the operation as reward clubs, Easylife remain legal, relying on people not noticing small amounts being removed randomly from their bank accounts.
Further searches, for "rewards club easylife", bring up a number of issues that people have had. Happily, a BBC News blog last December announced that Easylife were no longer offering "the opportunity to sign up to affiliate clubs that come under the Easylife umbrella" — apparently confirmed by Easylife's CEO, who just happens to be sole director of both companies. A follow-up article by Which? tells us that "These subscriptions are listed in Easylife’s privacy policy as Book Club, Cashback Club, Gardening Club, Home and Tech Club, Mindfulness Club, Motor Club, Perx, Pet Club, Puzzle Book, Rewards Club, My Top Rewards, Travel Club and Well-Being Club". — Webmaster
I suggest that you check your bank statements for these and similar deductions, if you have ever had any dealings with Easylife — maybe to claim a refund?
Best wishes,
Clive
Although Easylife have been challenged by Easyjet for "passing off" and breach of copyright, and fined by the ICO (Information Commissioner's Office) for GDPR privacy violations, they obviously have clever lawyers.
In general, it's always worth regularly reviewing your bank (and also credit-card) statements and bills carefully, to find any transactions you don't recognise — though most may be genuine.
Also, you can read about recognised scams elsewhere on this (Snape) website.
