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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

#552

I've never been confronted with the "can't cancel service hell" but clearly it must be a problem if CA passed this law. I don't have cable TV. Where else besides cable does one experience this?

Gym memberships are particularly terrible at this in my experience

That was indeed that last one where doing a cancel was "involved". But it only involved sending a letter by certified mail, and all the info/details were on their web site.

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

#553

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>The best thing to do is issue a chargeback. They had me sign over my direct withdrawal banking details the day I signed up. I regret doing that.

My credit union has a charge dispute process that is pretty straight forward and has worked well for me over the years. Consider moving your services to another bank/credit union if they don't provide services like that.

The problem was though that if I just stopped paying them without adhering to the contract which stated I must meet with them before cancelling... they would have dinged my credit report for non payment.

It's a real racket they have going!

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

#554

Thank god for that. I made the mistake of joining a Goodlife gym in Canada many moons ago... The place was disgusting. Always crowded. Mould growing in the bathrooms. Stunk very badly, etc... So I stopped going regularly... and one day I was in the area I decided to stop in and cancel my membership. "Oh sorry, you'll need to make an appointment with management in order to cancel." "OK, is a manager in right now?" "Ye…

> When my turn came... I just said "I'm moving to england and I don't know a single person here who might want to absorb my contract". I actually came here to say the same thing. I realized “I’m moving” was the best way to get results in these situations when I was actually moving out of the country for a bit. It’s like a magical incantation that immediately gets them to stop trying to upsell or retain you, no questi…

Good on you!

Why waste any of your precious time with some scheming/sleezy salesman of that level?

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