They want it to be difficult to cancel. Shit like this should be illegal.
In a lot of places, it is. They have laws requiring the ability to unsubscribe using the same method/medium as you subscribe.
It was made illegal in the EU years ago.
The rule is pretty simple: you have to be able to cancel a subscription the same way you signed up for it. If you used the Internet to sign up there better be a fucking button that allows you to cancel.
And California, which is like the EU of the US when it comes to consumer protection and privacy laws
California in the US has a law that says if you signed up online you have to be able to cancel online. The rest of us need that law.
It doesn’t work on every website, but sometimes you can change your address to be in California and then magically a cancel button will appear.
This is still the case with the New York Times. Change your billing address to a Californian one and it’ll let you cancel online.
Pro tip, tell them you want to end your subscription immediately. Don’t say anything, awkward silence. When they ask an another question to goud you into staying repeat the first statement. If they ask rando questions, silence.
They give up in under a minute. Be polite but obstinate.
“No thank you, I’d like to cancel immediately.” Rinse repeat
Them: Can I ask why you’re cancelling? Me: No.
tbf how can you resist stating the reason for cancelling as there not being a cancel button? that’s too juicy to pass up.
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Use a service like privacy.com. Cancel the card they charge monthly… no phone call needed. Added benefit is if the vendor is compromised there is no loss…the cards can be locked to only allow charges from 1 business. Steal the credit card info… can’t use it anywhere else.
I don’t know how well it would work in practice, but every time I see something like this, the darker, more childish part of my brain wants me to send a human shit to them in the post, with a note saying “Thank you for subscribing to Post-me-a-poo (Daily)! To cancel your subscription, please add a ‘Cancel Subscription’ button to your website!”.
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Hahahaha. I fully laughed out loud. That’s brilliant. Prawns is full on evil, but they deserve it. Your act of petty vengeance has probably made my day. Thanks! :)
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Sadly you’re probably right - same as shouting at a company over the phone, it’s most likely some poor minimum wage worker actually dealing with it all.
So I guess the correct thing to do is to track down the personal home address of the boss.
Excellent idea though I imagine you might get in trouble for sending biohazards by post!
Maybe this is a little European, but just cancel the Direct Debit or block the recurring payment with your bank?
That would make you default on the payment and they’ll pass it to debt collection. Only do this if you reasonably tried everything else (and documented your attempts) before using that option.
Maybe rules are again different, but a simple subscription here wouldn’t cause a default as there was no credit agreement. Interesting to see how things differ.
wouldn’t cause a default as there was no credit agreement
It probably depends on if the bill is post-paid or pre-paid. If it’s post paid (for example, you pay at the end of the month for services provided during that month), then you do have a credit agreement.
Yup, this is why you should always sign up using a credit card, never your debit card or bank. You can issue a chargeback online pretty easily with most credit card companies these days, it won’t affect your credit, and the money never leaves your bank account.
Australia is moving to a pay management system like this soon but as of right now this shit is still valid.
Of course. It’s a Murdoch newspaper they’re the shittiest of shit tier capitalists.
I had a local paper do this to me a few years ago. Turns out I can ask my credit card provider to block payments to them at 2am on a Saturday and I still get access to the paper for another two months.
it reall ought to be illegal to not be able to cancel a service on the same interface and ease at which its joined.
I believe it is, in European countries at least.
Yup. Cancelling a subscription has to be just as easy as singing up for it.
Source: am eu citizen
so apparently it only applies to companies located in the EU? not operating in the EU, since I’m in the EU and no button
If you can help it - sign up for nothing with a direct bank withdrawal or debit card. Use a credit card, because it puts an important barrier between you and your purchases. It’s way easier to get help with stuff for credit cards, and it’s easier to cancel than getting a new bank account. Bonus: charge backs punish these assholes.
Working as intended
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Dear everyone: please educate yourself on the beautiful treasure that is Privacy.com. I never sign up for any subscription without it now. I do not miss all the bullshit and you won’t either.
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Oh damn I didn’t know it was US only! Sorry! But yeah, it really is great, if I want a subscription stopped it takes seconds and it’s guaranteed to never charge me again.
It’s not that it’s too difficult, but having it this way is more inconvenient to the customer leaving them less inclined to make the call. Scummy behaviour all around.
My local newspaper had this, i changed my credit card to a fake card number that developers use for testing.
Now i can physical mail every two months saying they cant properly charge my card.
So theyve spent $10+ on mailing me after I paid my $2 promo rate to them
laughs in blocked charges and chargebacks
