Which? Tech Support: Terms and Conditions

Which? Tech Support is a service provided by Which? Limited, a company registered in England & Wales (company number 00677665) whose registered office is at 2 Marylebone Road, London NW1 4DF ("Which?").

These terms apply to anyone using the Which? Tech Support (“Tech Support”) services set out below. They apply in addition to the Which? general terms, Privacy Notice and the Remote Fix Key Terms so please take the time to read these because you should not use the Tech Support service unless you agree to them.
  1. Your Which? Tech Support membership
  2. Your membership details
  3. Paying for your Which? Tech membership
  4. Cancellation
  5. Data Protection
  6. Tech Support Service
  7. Remote Fix Service
  8. Your use of the Tech Support Service and Remote Fix Service
  9. Our responsibility to you
  10. What you must do
  11. General

1. Your Which? Tech Support membership

Your Which? Tech Support membership gives you:

a. Access to one-to-one tech support via the Which? Tech support service (the “Tech support service”) please see below for limitations on the scope of technical queries The Tech support service can answer);

b. Remote fix (please see section 7 below for limitations on the scope of the remote fix service) ("Remote Fix Service");

c. Six issues of Which? Tech Magazines, delivered to your door on a bi-monthly basis.

2. Your membership details

We will try and provide your membership details (username, password and membership number) as soon as possible after your membership has been processed.

3. Paying for your Tech Support membership

  1. You can pay in either monthly or annual installments.

    1. Monthly - You will need to pay the agreed fee per month as set out in your introductory email for your Which? Tech Support membership. The first month must be paid in full prior to commencement of your membership and you will continue to pay the fee every month unless you choose to cancel (see Cancellation below at section 4)

    2. Annually - You will need to pay the agreed fee per year as set out in your introductory email for your Which? Tech Support membership.

  2. You can pay the fee 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 card refuses to authorise payment to us, then we will not be able to confirm your order and no contract will exist between us and you.

  3. If you're taking advantage of one of our introductory offers your membership will, unless you cancel, continue as a monthly or annual membership at the standard rate applicable to that membership when the introductory offer period ends. We will collect your payments each month or year in advance as applicable unless you cancel your membership.

  4. You can change your membership at any time, please contact us to discuss the most appropriate option for you.

  5. To purchase a Which? Tech Support membership you must be aged 18 or over.

4. Cancellation

All memberships

  1. You have an initial 14 day cancellation period in which to cancel your membership, this cancellation period will end 14 days after the day on which you receive your first print magazine. If you cancel within the cancellation period you will be entitled to a full refund of the membership fee you have paid unless you have used the Which? Tech Support and Remote Fix Services before the 14 days expired. If you did use our Which? Tech Support and Remote Fix Services before the 14 days expired, you’ll be refunded the membership fee you have paid minus an amount for the number of days your membership had been running up to when you cancelled.

    2. Monthly memberships

  2. Once the initial 14 day cancellation period has expired you can tell us at any time that you want to cancel your membership; your membership will end the day before your next payment is due. We will not provide a full or partial refund of your monthly membership fee but you will continue to receive all the member benefits you have paid for up to when your membership ends and no further payments will be taken.

    3. Annual memberships

  3. In the first year of your annual membership after the 14 day cancellation period has expired you can tell us at any time that you do not want your membership to continue beyond the year you have paid for; we will not provide a full or partial refund of your annual payment but you will continue to receive all the member benefits you have paid for up to when your membership ends and no further payments will be taken.

  4. After the first year of your annual membership, each time your membership renews you will again have a 14 day cancellation period in which to cancel your membership. If you cancel within this cancellation period you will be entitled to a full refund of the membership fee made following the relevant renewal. After this cancellation period has expired you can tell us at any time that you want to cancel your membership; your membership will end 30 days after we receive your cancellation request. We’ll provide a pro-rata refund of the membership fee paid for the year you’re cancelling in; we’ll base this on the number of days left on your membership for that year.

    5. How to cancel

  5. You can cancel by emailing us at which@which.co.uk or calling us on 029 2267 0000.

5. Data Protection

In accordance with Which?’s Privacy Notice, the information you supply will only be used by Which? and for the purposes stated and will not be passed to any third party for marketing. Any records we keep in relation to the session will only be kept for a limited time in line with the above policy.

6. Tech support service

a. What we can do

The Tech Support Service is a service that allows Which? Tech Support members to send technical queries to our team via an online form. You may submit a request for information or guidance in relation to your personal (non-business and non-commercial) computing queries (“Request”). All support is subject to the scope of the Tech Support team. This can change at any time. For the latest scope document please see here or speak to one of our Member Services or Tech Support colleagues. If your issue is outside the scope of the service we are unable to help.

b. What we can’t do

The Tech Support Service is unable to provide the following services:

i. Advice relating to tech support outside of the UK;

ii. consultancy services (this can include but is not limited to advice on how to create a website or advice relating to a business or commercial interests);

iii. developing or programming services (this can include but is not limited to how to build a database or database maintenance);

iv. advice relating to non-computing related products, e.g. cameras or televisions;

v. online learning services;

vi. any other service that is unrelated to private non-commercial use of computing equipment or services; and

vii. hardware fixes e.g. damage to hard drives or repairs to computers.

7. Remote Fix Service

Remote Fix Service is a service that allows us to access your computer with your permission from our offices to attempt to help you resolve your personal (non-business and non-commercial) computing problems. Though we would like to be able to help you with all your remote fix requests (also “Requests”), our service does have certain limitations. You can read more about the remote fix terms and conditions here.

8. Your use of the Tech Support Service and Remote Fix Service

The suitability of the guidance and information we provide in response to a Request (“Guidance”) depends on the accuracy and completeness of the information you provide us with. We will not investigate your circumstances beyond the information disclosed by you. Please take care to ensure you tell us everything that you think may be relevant to your Request and answer our questions as fully as possible.

We will use our reasonable endeavours to provide a response to your Request within two business days of us receiving your Request but in times of high demand our London-based team may need a little longer to provide a response.

We will use reasonable care and skill when providing you with Guidance. Due to the constantly changing nature of technology, we cannot provide any assurances that the Guidance provided will remain appropriate to your Request. We don’t undertake to carry out any future review of the Guidance provided or your circumstances to check whether the Guidance we have provided is still appropriate to your Request. The responsibility for ensuring that the Guidance remains appropriate rests with you and you may use the Tech Support Service or Remote Fix Service to request further Guidance.

9. Our responsibility to you

Except where we have failed to use reasonable care and skill in providing the Tech Support Service or the Remote Fix Service, we will not be responsible for any damage or loss suffered as a result of:

  1. any delay in providing a response to a Request or to provide Guidance;

  2. any unavailability of the Which? Tech Advice website;

  3. acts beyond our reasonable control;

  4. any failure on your part to provide us with information relevant to your Request;

  5. changes in your circumstances or the state of technology that affect the suitability of the Guidance;

  6. viruses, technical defects or third party interference to any computer, tablet, phone or other device you use to access the Tech Support Service or the Remote Fix Service (“Device”) or any services you access through a Device, following your use of the Tech Support Service or the Remote Fix Service;

  7. of any obligation we have to contact the relevant authorities and disclose information pertaining to any illegal act Which? become aware of due to information on your computer or laptop we have access to via the Remote Fix Service; and

  8. any additional circumstances set out in our general terms.

10. What you must do

  1. You agree that you will not use Which? Tech Support in any way that is:

    1. illegal or unlawful, or likely to encourage illegal or unlawful behaviour;

    2. likely to damage the reputation of Which?;

    3. likely to be a nuisance, harmful or deceptive to any other person;

    4. In connection with your own business or for the purposes of commercial gain;

    5. defamatory, obscene or offensive; or

    6. likely to or will, infringe the copyright, trademarks or any other intellectual property rights of another person.

  2. You confirm you are over 18 years old or otherwise have the express permission of your parent or guardian to use Which? Tech Support


11. General

a. Suspension or termination by Which?

Where we think you are misusing Which? Tech Support, we may suspend your use of this service until such matter is resolved. In serious cases or in the case of repeated misuse or where we cannot resolve the matter with you, we may terminate your Which? Tech Support membership. Examples of misuse include, but are not limited to, being abusive to our staff or other inappropriate behaviour, using the service for illegal or improper purposes, or where we have been obliged to make a notification under section 9 (a) vii of these terms.

We cannot advise you where this could cause a conflict of interests between your interests and those of Which? or another Which? customer. Where a conflict of interest arises, we may be unable to provide you with exact details due to data protection legislation.

b. Keeping a record of the guidance we provide

We will respond to your Request by email and we recommend that you print or save a copy of the Guidance we provide for future reference as we cannot guarantee that we will be able to provide duplicate copies of the Guidance we have provided to you. As set out in our Privacy Notice, we (or companies acting on our behalf) may record and review telephone calls or emails to enable us to monitor quality standards and for training purposes.

c. Third party rights

No person other than you has any right under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 to enforce any term of these terms and conditions but this does not affect any right or remedy of a third party which exists or is available apart from that Act.

d. Viruses and security

Though we take reasonable commercial measures to ensure the safety of your data and devices, due to the nature of electronic communications and the possibility of third party interference, we cannot guarantee that our website, any email we send in response to a Request and/or any use of the Tech Support Service or Remote Fix Service will be free of viruses and technical defects of any description or any forms of computer misuse.

e. Engaging third parties to provide the User Services

We may engage the services of third parties to provide or assist us in providing Which? Tech Support to you. You agree that we may pass on to such third parties that we engage for this purpose, any data or information that you provide to us in accordance with our Privacy Notice when you contact us with a Request.

f. Third party content and linking

Our Guidance may include links to other websites operated by third parties. We do not endorse these third parties and we do not have any control over the nature or accuracy of content on these websites or the way in which they will use the data you provide to them.

g. Your use of our content

Please ensure any content you print, copy or download from our website is for your personal use only. You must not use or encourage others to use our website (or its contents) for their or your commercial gain or in a way that could damage the reputation of Which?.

h. Contact us - If you have any questions, queries or complaints, then please email us at which@which.co.uk and we will be happy to help you. Our offices are open 9am-5pm, Monday-Friday.

i. Can we help you with anything else?

Our Member Services team is always happy to help. You can contact them by email at which@which.co.uk or by telephone on 029 2267 0000.

j. Changes to the terms and conditions

Which? may vary any of the terms of your contract to the Which? Tech Support service at any time where such changes:

i. are required for legal or regulatory reasons
ii. improve or clarify the services or the terms; or
iii. are otherwise necessary.

We may make changes from time to time, and we suggest you check the website regularly for updates. Where any important changes are made, we will write to notify you of the change. We will endeavour to give you at least 4 weeks’ notice of the change. Where you suffer, or are likely to suffer, a detriment as a result of a change, you will be entitled to cancel your contract with immediate effect and to receive a full or partial refund dependant on the circumstances.

Which? reserves the right to withdraw or amend either this promotion or these terms and conditions at any time, without notice if this is necessary for reasons beyond its reasonable control.

k. These terms and conditions shall be governed by and construed in accordance with English law and any disputes arising from these terms and conditions shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Courts of England and Wales.