An app kept auto-debiting my card for a subscription I tried to cancel. What can I do?

Question

I cancelled my streaming subscription but the platform continued auto-debiting my card for months. How do I get a refund and stop the charges? What I am unsure about is the procedure — where the application goes, what it costs, and how long subscription auto-debit refund matters usually take. A plain explanation of the steps, in order, would help more than a general answer.

MyVakeel Legal Desk · Accepted Answer

The law that applies to subscription auto-debit refund here is Consumer Protection Act 2019, Section 2(11) and RBI Master Direction on Recurring Payments (e-mandate) 2019. The detail below matters, because Consumer Protection Act 2019, Section 2(11) draws the line differently depending on what your documents show.

RBI's e-mandate framework requires banks to send a pre-debit notification before every auto-debit and to allow easy cancellation of a standing instruction (e-mandate) by the customer.

Continuing to charge a card despite a valid cancellation request is deficiency in service by the platform, and failure of the bank to honour a mandate revocation request is deficiency by the bank.

You have the right under RBI's framework to revoke an e-mandate directly through your bank or card issuer, independent of the merchant's own cancellation process.

Unauthorized recurring debits after cancellation can also be disputed as unauthorized transactions with your bank, which may be bound to reverse them under RBI's customer liability circulars.

Compensation before a Consumer Commission can include the total amount wrongfully debited, along with interest and costs for the harassment caused by repeated unauthorized charges.

What to do next: 1) Cancel the subscription in writing and retain proof of cancellation with date and time; 2) Instruct your bank/card issuer to revoke the e-mandate or standing instruction for that merchant; 3) Dispute already-debited unauthorized charges with your bank as unauthorized transactions; 4) File a consumer complaint against the platform for refund with compensation if debits continue.

If you are unsure whether your facts fall inside Consumer Protection Act 2019, Section 2(11), that is worth checking with an advocate before you commit to a route, because switching later costs time. You can post the details on the MyVakeel forum for a practising advocate to review, or book a paid consultation with a Bar Council verified lawyer in consumer law.