Hard to cancel
Cancellation blocked, ignored, or made deliberately difficult.
4,329complaints of this kind in the census
575companies affected
50%graded severe
Where you stand
The Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 give most online purchases a 14-day cancellation window from delivery, and a further 14 days to return the goods.
General information about consumer rights in the UK, not legal advice for your situation.
Where to escalate
- Citizens Advice consumer service — Free first-line advice on consumer disputes in England, Wales and Scotland.
- Energy Ombudsman — For gas and electricity suppliers, once the supplier has had 8 weeks or issued a deadlock letter.
- Ofcom-approved ADR (Communications Ombudsman or CISAS) — For broadband, mobile, landline and pay-TV, after 8 weeks or a deadlock letter.
What people actually describe
“Expedia advertise free changes or cancellation within 24hours of air ticket booked.”
“I somehow got the wrong date on the reservation! I need to cancel promptly!”
“I booked a room at Van Ripers Resort by mistake and cannot cancel even with the chat.”
Companies with the most reports of this kind
| Company | Reports | Share of its complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Virgin Media | 178 | 10% |
| Sky | 172 | 11% |
| TalkTalk | 162 | 13% |
| Three UK | 122 | 12% |
| NutriPaw | 77 | 16% |
| IONOS | ionos.com | 71 | 21% |
| IONOS | ionos.co.uk | 68 | 21% |
| Adobe | 61 | 20% |
| takepayments Limited | 59 | 12% |
| Shutterstock | 37 | 37% |
| The Telegraph | 33 | 31% |
| NOW | 30 | 13% |
Counts depend on how many of each company’s reviews are in the census, so this ranks what we have read, not the whole market. See the full ranking.