Are you old enough to remember the enticing ads to get you to sign up to book clubs, as in ‘Sign up and receive four hard cover books of your choice for only £1’? In the easy to overlook small print there was a condition that, from what I recall, you bought at least six more books from monthly selections during the year. This didn’t seem too onerous when I signed up. The problems came when I tried to cancel the membership after fulfilling the obligation. The monthly books, and bills, just kept right on coming despite many attempts to cancel. As I remember it years later, it took many frustrating attempts before the message finally got through that I was no longer interested in receiving the expensive books!
Less than honest marketing by book clubs may (I hope) be a thing of the past but it's now easier than ever to sign up to websites only to find yourself automatically charged a large subscription fee that you may either have been unaware of or simply not remembered to cancel in time before the payment is taken.
It's quite common here at Home Base Holidays for us to be contacted by people very interested in home swapping but also cautious about signing up after bad experiences where they were automatically charged a hefty membership fee on other home exchange websites. One common issue seems to be people signing up to 'free trial' memberships only to be automatically charged a very substantial fee at the end of the trial (often finding it near on impossible to get a refund). Another annoyance, people being enticed by home swap sites displaying memberships at low monthly rates only to miss the small print that the full 12-month subscription will be taken as one big payment. Ouch!
Home Base Holidays: no automatic payments
We really value our members and so, here at Home Base Holidays we never take automatic renewal payments and so you will only ever be charged a membership fee if you actively choose to continue as a member. This also helps to ensure that all our listings are genuine up-to-date offers.
How our membership options work:
- Free Trial Membership: if you opt for our free two week trial membership, you won’t be asked for payment details and so you’ll never need to worry about being charged a fee at the end of the free trial. Your home swap listing will automatically be hidden if you do not actively choose to continue your membership.
- Full Memberships and Renewals (six month and one year): card and PayPal details are not stored by Home Base Holidays. You will receive a reminder email when your membership is due to expire but you will never be automatically charged a membership renewal fee. To renew your membership you will need to log in and go to the checkout page. If you do not renew your membership, no payment will be taken and your listing will automatically be hidden.
Home Base Holidays: home swap accommodationFor well over 35 years, Home Base Holidays has been helping members arrange home swap accommodation. Search thousands of home exchange vacation offers Start your free two-week home swap trial: Join Home Base Holidays |
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