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California law requires businesses to let you cancel your subscription online

niemanlab.org

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Re: California law requires businesses to let you cancel your subscription online

#251
post #205
post #133

This was already required in the Visa Merchant agreement. If you signed up online. The merchant must provide an online way to cancel which could be email, webpage or chat. If they don't just call up your card issuer and file a "canceled recurring" dispute as the merchant doesn't provide a visa acceptable way to cancel the subscription. https://usa.visa.com/dam/VCOM/download/about-visa/15-April-2... Section: 5.9.8.2

so the solution to having to call a merchant to cancel a subscription is to call your card issuer to cancel a subscription?

Sometimes you can file the dispute entirely online.

Re: California law requires businesses to let you cancel your subscription online

#252
post #246

I've only used this a couple of times but I think it works: "I'd like to cancel my service. I'm going to say this really clearly for the recording, in case I have to subpoena this for evidence. I want to cancel my service, effective [date]. When I hang up this phone, I want there to be no financial relationship between myself and your company of any kind. None. I don't want any further communication from you other th…

But recording phone conversations is illegal in most states, so unless you live in a state where it's legal, they might know that you are bluffing.

They almost always record your calls for 'quality purposes'.

But you're not exactly right.. you can record phone conversations in the US provided you let them know before you push the 'record' button.

Re: California law requires businesses to let you cancel your subscription online

#253

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So I didn't downarrow you, but I think I can explain why you have been. You are conflating morality with law. Law can be amoral, and illegal actions can be moral.

Weird, because I thought everything I said was about the legality aspect, at least until other people suddenly started bringing ethics and morality into the discussion. Am I wrong about this?

Bringing up such a minor illegality implies you care about the morality of it. If somebody was speeding and I said “hey, you know speeding is illegal right?” they would rightfully think I have some sort of weird moral problem with speeding.

Re: California law requires businesses to let you cancel your subscription online

#254
post #225

Earlier quoted context omitted.

but would not that make you feel a little guilty as you are lying to the person just to cancel a subscription?

Despite what we teach small children, lying is not immoral. Lying is amoral . The circumstance and motivation of a lie determine whether that particular lie is moral or immoral. There are times when it's moral to lie, other times when it's immoral to lie, and still other times when morality hardly has anything to do with it at all (such as the above scenario.) We tell small children that it's immoral to lie because w…

Reminds me of Kant’s Axe ...

Is it ever morally acceptable to tell a lie? Kant thought not. His example of the would-be murderer explains his reasoning. Read by Harry Shearer. Scripted by Nigel Warburton.

https://youtu.be/x_uUEaeqFog

Re: California law requires businesses to let you cancel your subscription online

#255
post #246

I've only used this a couple of times but I think it works: "I'd like to cancel my service. I'm going to say this really clearly for the recording, in case I have to subpoena this for evidence. I want to cancel my service, effective [date]. When I hang up this phone, I want there to be no financial relationship between myself and your company of any kind. None. I don't want any further communication from you other th…

But recording phone conversations is illegal in most states, so unless you live in a state where it's legal, they might know that you are bluffing.

In some states only one party needs to know about the recording. In some state all parties need to know about it. If you tell them up front, they can refuse, but then it's just evidence that they're being difficult.

Certain keywords like "lawsuit" can break the strictly regimented conversation tree too.

Re: California law requires businesses to let you cancel your subscription online

#256

The New York Times doesn't allow you to cancel your subscription online.

I am surprised. I have a current subscription and my online account allows me to cancel. I also paid via PayPal so canceling the recurring payments would also cancel the subscription. Edit: looked it up and saw the link to cancel in Account->Subscription - https://myaccount.nytimes.com/seg/cancel .

Re: California law requires businesses to let you cancel your subscription online

#257

Simply telling the merchant I will do a chargeback has worked every time for me (provided it's a credit card charge).

That works until the merchant you’re dealing with is a monopoly or duopoly and you need them more than they need you.

Re: California law requires businesses to let you cancel your subscription online

#259
post #89
post #18

OK now here's an excellent use for Google Duplex. Using a robot to fool a person: annoying. Using a robot to fool someone annoying: fine!

Google has since changed this. Google Duplex will not "fool" humans any more. They announce that they're the "Google Assistant" calling on behalf of a customer. I think unfortunately what will happen is that people will just hang up on the google assistant because it's not a real human. It'll be kind of like what happened to the "glassholes". Maybe not as mean though.

Why? If I were a business that took phone orders, why would I care what's on the other end?

As long as it's reliable and intelligent enough, I don't think people will mind. I know I wouldn't.

Re: California law requires businesses to let you cancel your subscription online

#260
post #18

OK now here's an excellent use for Google Duplex. Using a robot to fool a person: annoying. Using a robot to fool someone annoying: fine!

Yes! This what excited me when 8 first heard about it and I was perplexed why people focused on reservations. That's just the door, and companies on the other end are interested in lowering the barrier for customers. I'm curious what this does for in person issues, and if gyms will take a hit in CA.

Only applies if you sign up online, not in-person.
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