Season Ticket Cancellation Guide
How to Cancel a Season Ticket?
Cancelling a season ticket is simple. You are not beholden to pay for any service you have not received and as the club always collects payments in advance no supporter will ever be in the position of owing the club more than they have already paid.
Anyone paying by direct debit need only cancel the agreement with their bank in order to cancel their season ticket.
The club has no credit agreement as part of the season ticket deal and there will be no entry on your credit file as a result of either cancelling, or of the club requesting a payment after you have cancelled.
However, although it’s not required, we do recommend sending a letter to the club. Not only as good practice, but also as an opportunity to go into detail on the reasons you are cancelling. We encourage anyone not renewing or cancelling on principal to write a personal letter. Provided below is an AshleyOut.com template letter to the club which you can edit as you see fit and send.
[Your name and address]
[Date]
Subject: Cancellation of Season Ticket (Ashley Embargo)
Supporter Number: [Your supporter number]
Dear Sir,
I am writing to inform you that I have contacted my bank to cancel the Direct Debit agreement related to my season ticket. Please do not request any further payments.
I have taken this step in protest at the way Mike Ashley has run the club and as an active participant in the Ashley Embargo outlined at AshleyOut.com.
I encourage Mike Ashley to put the club up for sale and actively pursue a buyer for the club as soon as possible. I will not spend another penny on the club while he remains the owner.
Yours faithfully,
[Your name and signature]
Are you on a one year deal?
People on a single year deal do not need to cancel their season ticket. Simply don’t send back your renewal form and you shouldn’t be charged.
Are you on a longer term deal?
Those on a long term deal will usually be paying by direct debit. Cancelling a direct debit is simple. The easiest way to do it is through online banking. Most banks now allow you to make a cancellation online in seconds without the expense of a phone call or the inconvenience of branch visit. However, if you aren’t signed up to online banking, cancellations can also be made quickly over the phone or in person at your local branch.
Details for all major banks can be found below:
Barclays
https://bank.barclays.co.uk
0845 766 0758
Co-operative
http://www.co-operativebank.co.uk/
08448 44 88 44
Halifax
http://www.halifax.co.uk/
08457 20 30 40
HSBC
https://www.hsbc.co.uk/1/2/
03457 404 404
Lloyds
http://www.lloydsbank.com/
0845 3000 000
Nationwide
http://www.nationwide.co.uk/
08457 30 20 10
Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS)
http://personal.rbs.co.uk/personal.html
0345 9000400
Santander
http://www.santander.co.uk/uk/index
08459 724 724
Tesco
http://www.tescobank.com/
0845 835 33530
Indemnity claims
If you have already made payments for a season that hasn’t started, the club will not automatically give you a refund. However, you can attempt an indemnity claim to your bank for a refund. Many people have reported success with this approach, though others have not been as lucky.
Indemnity claims can be challenged by the club prior to settlement if the paying bank makes one of the following mistakes, so make sure to get these details correct:
The indemnity claim has been directed to the wrong service user
The same indemnity claim has been submitted more than once
The reference was not included or was incorrect
The amount of the indemnity claim does not correspond to the payment made
Contact details for the challenge process are provided on the BACS website but you will need to log onto the password protected area of the site. Once you are logged in additional links will appear in the left hand navigational menu below the “DDIC” tab.
Can NUFC dispute an indemnity claim?
Merchants may not agree that an indemnity claim should be upheld. Within the Direct Debit scheme there is limited scope for appeal, but fraudulent indemnity claims can be dealt with in the courts.
The only grounds to dispute an indemnity claim within the Direct Debit scheme itself are:
The customer’s bank has made an error in raising the indemnity claim. For example, the customer’s bank may have mistakenly sent the same indemnity claim twice.
The customer’s bank failed to inform the merchant after the customer’s mandate was cancelled, and then allowed payment to be taken under the cancelled mandate. In this case the customer’s bank are liable for the indemnity claim, as they are responsible for it.
The customer claims they never signed a Direct Debit Instruction, but the merchant can produce a signed paper DDI, which the customer then accepts.
Such counterclaims must be submitted to your sponsor bank within 14 working days of an indemnity claim being settled. Any counterclaims made after this deadline will be automatically rejected.
To make a counterclaim under the Direct Debit scheme you will need to provide your sponsor bank with the following details:
The date and amount of the indemnity claim
Your bank account details, SUN and reference number
A copy of the indemnity claim
If the claim succeeds, it can take another 120 days for the funds to be refunded to you.
Given the limited scope for appeals within the Direct Debit scheme, most disputes happen outside of it. The Direct Debit Guarantee does not impact any contractual agreements between a merchant and their customer, and fraudulently charging back a Direct Debit payment is a criminal offence, covered by the 2006 Fraud Act.
