Which? gift membership terms and conditions
General
These terms govern the purchase of a membership gift voucher and its subsequent redemption and use. By purchasing or redeeming a membership gift voucher, the person purchasing the membership gift voucher “the buyer” and the person receiving the membership gift voucher “recipient” agree to be bound by these Terms.
They apply in addition to our general terms.
The Gift Membership Terms and Conditions apply alongside the standard terms for Gardening, Tech, Travel, or Money. In the event of any inconsistency between them, the Gift Membership Terms and Conditions will apply to gift memberships.
If you have any questions, just ask our Customer Services Team and they will be happy to help.
The gift membership
A membership gift voucher is a one-off payment for a fixed one-year (12-month) membership fully paid for at the time of purchase. By purchasing a membership gift voucher, the buyer acknowledges that they are purchasing a digital voucher which can be redeemed by the recipient for the relevant membership. Upon payment, the buyer will receive an email with a receipt and a separate email with the membership gift voucher. The voucher is valid for 12 months from the date of its purchase and will expire if it is not redeemed within these 12 months. The buyer will forward the membership gift voucher email to the recipient and the recipient shall follow the terms in the email to redeem the membership gift voucher.
The membership gift voucher type chosen at the point of purchase cannot be changed or substituted after the 14-day cancellation period. The buyer can change the type of membership gift voucher before the cancellation period ends if the voucher has not been redeemed. Please contact us to discuss the most appropriate option.
Membership gift vouchers cannot be redeemed if the buyer has cancelled the purchase within the cooling off period.
Gift memberships do not automatically renew.
Gift memberships are not transferable after redemption.
Buyer's contract and cancellation rights
Full details of the cost and the payment dates applicable to the buyer’s chosen membership gift voucher will be provided to the buyer at the time of purchase. The buyer can pay using most credit and debit cards and all such payments will be subject to validation checks and authorisation by the card issuer. If the issuer of the buyer’s card refuses to authorise the payment to us, then we will not be able to confirm the buyer’s order, and no contract will exist between us and the buyer. The buyer will pay for the membership gift voucher depending on the type of membership it grants. Some types of membership may have differing conditions and limitations.
Cooling off period
The buyer has a 14-day cancellation period in which to cancel purchase of the membership gift voucher. This period begins the day after purchase of the membership gift voucher (digital content). The buyer consents to the immediate supply of the gift membership upon redemption of the voucher and acknowledges that the buyer shall lose the right to cancel and the right to a refund after the cancellation period or if the membership gift voucher is redeemed within the cancellation period.
Refunds
If the buyer cancels within the cancellation period where the membership gift voucher has not been redeemed, the buyer will be entitled to a full refund of the actual price paid for the membership gift voucher. Refunds will always reflect the actual price paid after any discounts or promotions.
How to cancel
Cancelling via Live Chat
The buyer can cancel a membership gift voucher by starting a conversation with our Live Chat team during opening hours, from Monday to Friday 8:30am - 8pm, and Saturday to Sunday 9am - 5pm. If a member of our team is available, you'll see 'chat with an advisor' in the bottom-right corner of the page.
Cancelling by phone.
The buyer can cancel the membership gift voucher by calling our member services team on 029 2267 0000. They're available from 9.00am to 5.00pm on Monday to Friday and from 9am to 1pm on Saturday.
After the cooling off period
Once the 14 day cancellation period has expired, the buyer’s right to cancel is lost. After this, only the recipient may exercise a right to end the membership granted by the membership gift voucher.
Recipient's contract and right to end the gift membership
Redeeming the gift membership
The recipient must follow the directions in the email forwarded by the buyer to redeem the gift. Redemption of the gift constitutes a contract between us and the recipient for a 12-month period, commencing on the date of redemption.
How to end the gift membership
Ending the gift membership via Live Chat
You can end the gift membership by starting a conversation with our Live Chat team during opening hours, from Monday to Friday 8:30am - 8pm, and Saturday to Sunday 9am - 5pm. If a member of our team is available, you'll see 'chat with an advisor' in the bottom-right corner of the page.
Ending the gift membership by phone
You can end the gift membership by calling our member services team on 029 2267 0000. They're available from 9.00am to 5.00pm on Monday to Friday and from 9am to 1pm on Saturday.
Ending the gift membership
Once the recipient has ended the membership, the recipient will not be able to access digital content behind the paywall (if subscribing to a digital membership) and no further magazines will be sent to the recipient (if your membership includes a print magazine).
Right to refund
The recipient has no right to a refund. The statutory right to refund applies only within the 14-day cancellation period and can only be exercised by the buyer.
Free online account
If the recipient ends their membership or it automatically expires, the recipient will retain access to an online account free of charge, making it quicker and easier to sign up for a subscription in the future. The recipient will also have access to free benefits from time to time.
If the recipient does not want to retain access to the free online account, the recipient can request deletion of it at any time, by emailing dataprivacy@which.co.uk - more detail on this is in our Privacy Notice.
At the end of the membership or the expiry of the membership, the recipient will continue to receive any free newsletters subscribed to, as well as our free Weekly Scoop, Money and sustainability emails. The recipient will also continue to receive marketing communications if the recipient previously opted into these. If the recipient wants to unsubscribe from receiving marketing emails, the recipient can click on the “unsubscribe” link in the footer of our emails. If the recipient wishes to unsubscribe from all email communications please contact preferences@which.co.uk or via the other means of contact outlined in section 7 of the Privacy Notice.
Renewal
Gift membership subscriptions are one-off payments for 1 year and do not automatically renew.
At the end of the membership year, both the buyer and the recipient will receive renewal communications. To continue the membership, you can either subscribe online, or contact the member services team.
Data protection and deletion
The buyer and recipient may request the deletion of their personal data in accordance with our Privacy Policy. This request can be made independently or in conjunction with a request to end access. We will process these requests in compliance with applicable data protection laws, including the UK GDPR.
To comply with VAT regulations, we must apply tax based on the recipient’s location. Therefore, we are required by law to process the recipient’s name and address for the buyer’s VAT invoice. We will share the VAT invoice, which includes the recipient's name and address, with the buyer if they request a copy
Other important things you need to know
To purchase any of our Which? memberships, including the membership gift, the buyer and the recipient must be aged 18 or over. Please keep your membership details confidential to help us maintain the security of our websites. You should not allow any other person to obtain access to Which? Online using your membership details.
Membership gift vouchers are single-use, non-transferable, and cannot be exchanged for cash. Vouchers must be redeemed before the expiry date specified. If not redeemed by that date, the voucher will expire, and no refund will be due.
Non-compliance with the Terms
We will treat any non-compliance as a serious issue, and if we think you have breached any of these terms, we may take any action that we consider appropriate. This may include the temporary or permanent suspension of your access to our websites.
If we don't comply with these terms we will be happy to compensate you for any loss you suffer as a direct result of up to £100 each time.
The European online dispute resolution (ODR) platform can be accessed here
Ask Which?
The terms below apply if you have a gift membership that includes Ask Which?:
Our customer service advisers can provide telephone advice to individuals relating to consumer goods for sale in the UK which have been reviewed by us, and in relation to our reviews on our website/app. For example, we may provide guidance on the washing machines to meet your budget, comparing mobile phones, or what cars have passed our safety tests.
As well as providing guidance on which product to buy we may also provide guidance on where you can purchase the product.
Guidance on where to buy relevant goods is based on the "where to buy" feeds found on our website/app.
Price information we use to provide this guidance is updated regularly, however we will not have details of all online retailers and we cannot provide advice relating to high street only retailers. We also cannot guarantee that we will be able to provide suggested retailers for every product that we have provided you with guidance on.
We reserve the right not to advise in respect of any products, and we will not provide advice in relation to products which have not already been reviewed by us. Any advice provided by us is only intended as guidance, and should not be considered a final recommendation or endorsement.
When a retailer link is followed on our website we may receive an affiliate commission, irrespective of whether a purchase is made.
Ask Which? is available on weekdays between 8:30am and 6:00pm, excluding public holidays.
You can access Ask Which? by logging into your account and selecting the Ask Which? advice tab
Consumer Rights Advice Line
The terms below also apply if your gift membership includes access to the Consumer Rights Advice Line.
What we will do for you
Consumer Law Advice: Our team of qualified lawyers and specialist legal advisers will provide telephone legal advice to individuals relating to general consumer issues (excluding holiday or travel related issues) arising within the UK, for example: disputes with utility companies, mobile phone contracts or problems with faulty goods.
Availability: Our qualified lawyers and specialist legal advisers will be able to advise you Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays) between 8.30am and 6pm. We will always try to connect you directly with a lawyer or adviser, but if they are all busy when you call, we will arrange for you to be called back. We will always let you know when to expect your call back.
We are only able to advise you (or a permanent member of your household). We are unable to advise someone who telephones us on your behalf unless you have previously given us permission to do so.
Professional Conduct: Our lawyers must comply with the Law Society's Rules and Principles of Professional Conduct of Solicitors and the Bar Code of Conduct. If we think responding to your request may cause us to break these rules (for example, it may cause a conflict of interest), we will be unable to advise you. If such a situation arises, we will always explain the position to you.
What we cannot do for you
- Large-value disputes: We are only able to advise you in relation to civil disputes that would fall within the small claims court system. In England & Wales, this means the value of your dispute must be less than £10,000 for us to help you. In Scotland the maximum value is £5,000 and in Northern Ireland it is £3,000.
- Advice on other legal advice: We cannot advise you on any aspect of another solicitor's advice, or where another solicitor is already advising you on that issue.
- Written advice: Our lawyers and specialist advisers are only permitted to provide telephone legal advice and will not respond to written requests for advice.
- Try and settle disputes directly: We are unable to intervene directly with a third party to try and settle your dispute.
- Guarantee you always speak to the same lawyer or adviser: We try and connect you directly to a lawyer or adviser when you call us.
- Assist you to recover sums to which you are not legally entitled. For us to advise you, you must have a genuine legal case.
- Provide legal advice other than consumer law advice (for example, we can't advise on matters such as employment, wills, probate or neighbour disputes).
Other important things you need to know
Complaints: If you are unhappy about any aspect of the Consumer Rights Advice Line, then please let us know by contacting the Manager of our legal advice service:
- Address: Which? legal advice service, 3 Capital Quarter, Tyndall Street, Cardiff, CF10 4BZ
- Email: wls@which.co.uk
- Phone: 029 2267 0000
We will respond to your complaint fairly and usually within five working days. If we are unable to resolve your complaint and it relates to the legal advice you have received, we will explain how you can make a complaint about a particular lawyer to their professional body.
If we can't resolve things, you could refer your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman:
- Phone: 0300 555 0333
- Minicom: 0300 555 1777
- Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
- Website: legalombudsman.org.uk
- Address: Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton WV1 9WJ
You should make your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman within 6 months of our complaints handling process finishing. The Ombudsman won't accept a complaint if:
- More than 6 years have elapsed from the date of the act or omission giving rise to the complaint. More than 3 years have elapsed from the time when you should have known about the complaint.
- The date of the alleged act or omission giving rise to the complaint was before 6 October 2010.
We are required by law to provide you with details of one of the approved-alternative dispute resolution schemes. Although our Which? legal advice service is not currently signed up to its services you can find details of Ombudsman Services at ombudsman-services.org.
The European online dispute resolution (ODR) platform can be accessed here: http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr/. This can be used for resolving disputes about products and services purchased online.
What happens if you don't comply with these terms?
We will treat any non-compliance as a serious issue, and if we think you have breached any of these terms, we may take any action that we consider appropriate. This may include the temporary or permanent suspension of your use of the Consumer Rights Advice Line.
Additional links