Kim Biggs from Lincolnshire told BBC News she has been "caught out" by annual subscription fees that renew automatically.

Kim was notified that her free trial of AVG, the anti-virus software was about to end..she said trying to cancel the subscription was "exasperating".

"It took quite a lot of time to wade through all the pages, all the information that was presented when you first clicked onto the 'unsubscribe' part on the website.

"Eventually I clicked on the right options to get an online form to request a refund. I completed this but did not receive my refund."

Kim said the phone number for AVG 's support centre was not easy to find online.

When she did speak to a support agent Kim said she was told "the form that I'd sent in is basically disregarded by them, that you have to speak to them through the support centre to get your refund, which was really annoying".

"I had to keep repeating that I just wanted a refund, as she was very persistent in pushing the products available, trying to get me to change my mind."

AVG said the company was "committed to providing customers with clear and transparent subscription controls".

"Customers can easily cancel trials or subscriptions at any time through their account," a spokesperson said.

"For auto-renewing subscriptions, a reminder email is sent in advance outlining the renewal date, price, and options to cancel or request a refund."