Are these charges legal?

9 comments

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2. I’m guessing it’s going to depend on what you agreed to when you initially booked it.

   The folks over at r/LegalAdviceUK might be able to help.

3. ​

   it all depends what was in the small print when you agreed to use this company for the test.

   Whatever you think of the company, their prices, or the necessity of the tests, they also have costs. You have agreed to their terms and they, in turn, have agreed to have Time, staff, premises and equipment available for you.

   you’ll get £12 back – be thankful for that

4. They will almost certainly have covered this in their T&Cs. If its there, then yes, a reasonable cancellation fee is legal. They could also hold you to the full service if they wanted to (if its in their terms).

5. Thanks all! I wasn’t trying to stiff them, just wondering if they were trying to gouge me. I’m more than happy to pay so long as it’s legal and in their terms

6. If that was a term you agreed to, yes

7. If you booked less than 14 days ago and they haven’t yet sent you the test kit or done anything more than taking your order, then you have the right to cancel under the Consumer Contracts Regulations and hence they can’t charge any fee.

   If they’ve already sent you the test kit, or you booked more than 14 days ago, then they can charge a reasonable approximation of their costs.

8. Thanks for the info! I’ll call them now

9. Seems we do have to pay the admin fee. This is from their cancellation Policy

   Cancellation Policy
   Please understand that appointment times are limited and in high demand. When you book your appointment with us, you are holding a space on our calendar that is no longer available to our other customers. However, if you must cancel your appointment, we respectfully request at least 48 hours notice in order to allow another customer access to that appointment time.

   The “ON HOLD” option for appointments allows customers to place their appointments on hold up to 12 month free of charge. However the original appointment date is still subject to the cancellation policy if then requested to be cancelled.

   If customers wish to downgrade their appointment/test type, there will be an £20 admin fee.

   Cancelling a PCR / Antigen test appointment 48 hours or more in advance entitles you to a 100% refund with a deduction of £20 administration fee for PCR test and £10 administration fee for the Antigen test.
   Cancelling a PCR / Antigen test appointment between 48 and 24 hours before entitles you to a 50% refund with a deduction of £20 administration fee for PCR test and £10 administration fee for the Antigen test.
   £20/£10 administration fee is per appointment not per booking (customers can do group bookings with more than one person).
   Cancellations made within 24 hours will not receive a refund