stuff: August 2007 Archives
Napster have a slimy tactic for maintaining revenue: what they do is make it inconvenient to unsubscribe. First, they hide the link to the relevant page in their client application, and make it as inconspicuous as possible. Then when you do find it it gives you a phone number and no other means to raise complaints or unsusbcribe. Once I found this was the case I was determined to unsubscribe, on principle that they are acting like two-bit loan sharks.
Five phone calls later and eventually I got through to an operator and then the process was relatively painless. However, I wasn't happy with this. After three calls that resulted in being put on hold for ridiculous lengths of time I wrote to my MP and also to the local Trading Standards office in mid to late July. Trading Standards passed the letter onto Camden Trading Standards, where Napster has a registered office. I haven't heard anything since from them. MP passed on my letter to the Dept. for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform (the DTI in old money). They in turn got back to me to see how my case was going. They also checked Napster's web site and found a Luxmbourg address for them. They are now writing to the authorities in Luxembourg to point out that Napster give no contact email address to send complaints to. It turns out there is a European Directive that requires companies to do exactly that. Hopefully this will give Napster the kick up the arse needed to get them to let their customers contact them online - like they were happy with when I signed up for the service and started paying their wages.
If you use Napster and have had problems with unsubscribing then write to your MP and tell them to get in touch with the DBERR's EU ICT Policy team to make sure Napster tow the line, the eejits.
Five phone calls later and eventually I got through to an operator and then the process was relatively painless. However, I wasn't happy with this. After three calls that resulted in being put on hold for ridiculous lengths of time I wrote to my MP and also to the local Trading Standards office in mid to late July. Trading Standards passed the letter onto Camden Trading Standards, where Napster has a registered office. I haven't heard anything since from them. MP passed on my letter to the Dept. for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform (the DTI in old money). They in turn got back to me to see how my case was going. They also checked Napster's web site and found a Luxmbourg address for them. They are now writing to the authorities in Luxembourg to point out that Napster give no contact email address to send complaints to. It turns out there is a European Directive that requires companies to do exactly that. Hopefully this will give Napster the kick up the arse needed to get them to let their customers contact them online - like they were happy with when I signed up for the service and started paying their wages.
If you use Napster and have had problems with unsubscribing then write to your MP and tell them to get in touch with the DBERR's EU ICT Policy team to make sure Napster tow the line, the eejits.
