Got my NYT online subscription via Apple, so I just cancel it via the App Store. Easy-peasy.
Before buying a NYT subscription, here's what it'll take to cancel it
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Re: Before buying a NYT subscription, here's what it'll take to cancel it
#62I've never been able to cancel any subscription with ease, so nowadays I always use Privacy to get temporary credit cards. When I want the subscription cancelled, I try the provider's website, if it doesn't work, I just cancel the card all together.
There is some danger to this since just because your card is declined doesn’t mean that you stop owing them money. Gyms like to take advantage of this.
Re: Before buying a NYT subscription, here's what it'll take to cancel it
#63Imagine having a business model so fragile that your only line of defense is to obscure the cancellation process through these tactics. Do they really think that they can curve their churn this way? I mean best you’re doing is getting maybe another month or so of revenue from a customer who is just pushing the pain of cancelling because they are busy or lazy. And at the end instead of getting what could be a dormant…
This happened to me with audible. They didn't have the cancel subscription on the app. Had to hunt for it on the site. Was asked if i was suuuuuuure i wanted to leave, 3 separate times before it canceled. Definitely not thinking of doing that again, or like i do for some streaming services, pay for a couple months, stop, then pay for a few more. Utterly rediculous.
Another related dark pattern: When cancelling a Prime trial, Amazon makes it appear as if you're going to lose the Prime benefits immediately, not at the end of the trial, to keep you from cancelling early.
(It seems like you DO keep them until the end of the trial, but you only get told that after cancelling)
Together with their decreased support quality (agents barely understanding what I write + the typical "tell the customer what they want to hear so they go away and give you a good CSAT, by the time they realize you lied it won't matter for you anymore"), I have a _very_ low opinion of Amazon. They still have a service (delivery time), price (free shipping) and consistency advantage in many cases, but it's quickly shrinking, and I am much more likely to buy from alternative places if they can make a competitive offer.
Re: Before buying a NYT subscription, here's what it'll take to cancel it
#64This is why I use throw-away credit card numbers for everything. I'll give a quick try at cancelling a service (out of respect), but if it takes me more than a few clicks, I just stop the card and send their emails to spam. Done and done.
Re: Before buying a NYT subscription, here's what it'll take to cancel it
#65Earlier quoted context omitted.
Can't you just cancel your account at any time? https://help.netflix.com/en/node/407
When most people see "cancel membership" they will think it is immediately. They will just wait to cancel until the last possible day and when they forget it's free money for Netflix. It's smart/shady. I'm sure it contributes to their decreasing churn.
Full disclosure, I used to work for Netflix. I really don't think they're trying to be shady. When you click to cancel, it tells you what your last day of service will be. This is also how just about all monthly subscription services work. One of the most important metrics at Netflix is how many hours members are watching. Any A/B test that can improve that metric is really cherished, because Netflix wants happy customers who both stick around and tell their friends. Trying to squeeze an extra month out of them doesn't really fit their style.
Re: Before buying a NYT subscription, here's what it'll take to cancel it
#66Honestly only case where I'm willing to overlook it. It's so hard for them to stay in the black. I can't imagine, in this age. For a serious newspaper that does good investigative journalism, I'll accept some desperate measures to keep subscribers and not hold it against them. Any other company and I'd call them garbage, but the NYT does a lot of good. (Same would go for other top investigative journals that have pub…
NYT has been a net negative on society since 2016, rapidly so since 2019.
Re: Before buying a NYT subscription, here's what it'll take to cancel it
#67Same: SiriusXM
Re: Before buying a NYT subscription, here's what it'll take to cancel it
#68If you subscribe through Apple it’s just as easy to cancel it as canceling any other subscription.
Yep, and they will even refund you if you cancel promptly after a recurring payment.
Re: Before buying a NYT subscription, here's what it'll take to cancel it
#69In theory signing up online in California gives a consumer the right to cancel online, but I don't know how closely that's enforced, or if a non-resident of the state can vpn the signup.
Re: Before buying a NYT subscription, here's what it'll take to cancel it
#70I just unsubscribed from the NYT. I originally signed up via the Google Play Store, so the process was literally two clicks in the app: choose the sub I wanted to cancel, then confirm. Done.
Of course, this isn't particularly useful if you signed up via any other channel, but it definitely makes it easier next time around.