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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

#271

Post by nickthemagicman »

3np wrote: post #60
hitekker wrote: post #29

I recommend http://privacy.com for guarding against greedy, software subscriptions. 1. Create a virtual credit card for one merchant 2. Set the monthly payment limit just above the merchant's monthly charge 3. When you no longer feel like paying the charge, decrease the limit to $1 a month or just cancel the card. 4. Any future charges will be blocked! 5. Let the merchant's systems go through the hassle of terminatin…

US residents only. Anyone aware if something similar that doesn’t discriminate?

I don't think they're discriminating, probably just massive laws they have to deal with for every new country, and they're still pretty new so probably don't have their resources.

Can you use a VPN?

Re: Before buying a NYT subscription, here's what it'll take to cancel it

#273

Post by lenkite »

xyse53 wrote: post #165
rthomas6 wrote: post #146

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They're not a charity or a nonprofit that relies on donations. They're a business selling a product, and the only thing that should rationally factor into giving them money or not is if you want to buy the product. Need doesn't factor into the equation.

Some business and industries do more social good than others. We're all still adjusting to the internet. I'm on the side of leaning towards giving NYT a pass for this. It was a single chat interaction, not so bad.

No business gets a pass for crappy behaviour bordering on malpractice. NYT is a left-leaning, propaganda paper today which has fired most of its older and rational staff writers and editors.

Re: Before buying a NYT subscription, here's what it'll take to cancel it

#274

Post by nickthemagicman »

duxup wrote: post #208
cbozeman wrote: post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Then why are you subscribing to the New York Times? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_controversies_involvin... So much for your "paper of record". It's the Paper of the Establishment. And always has been.

What do you suggest?

BBC, NPR, /r/news, etc.

There's tons of decent news sites.

Re: Before buying a NYT subscription, here's what it'll take to cancel it

#275

Post by srockets »

tech-historian wrote: post #76
whoisjuan wrote: post #25

Imagine 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…

Back in 2006 an AOL subscriber recorded their conversation with an AOL customer service agent while trying to cancel the service. It was really bad, way worse than this NYTimes process. The NYT wrote an article about the debacle [1] and had this to say about Netflix's great customer service and ease of cancellation, compared to AOL's awful service: "Seeing how Netflix would be so protective of my time were I to leave…

A friend used to work for a call center handling AOL cancelations. They had a goal of keeping 85% of the callers subscribed.

Re: Before buying a NYT subscription, here's what it'll take to cancel it

#276

Post by jrochkind1 »

whoisjuan wrote: post #25

Imagine 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…

comcast has been doing it for years, it seems to be working out pretty well for them?

Re: Before buying a NYT subscription, here's what it'll take to cancel it

#277

Post by gsibble »

jrockway wrote: post #21
tambeb wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Haha yes! Right around the time I decided I didn't want the sub anymore was luckily right around when I cancelled (for unrelated reasons) the credit card they had on file. Super easy!

My credit card expired and they sent my account to collections. I still subscribe because I like the work their journalists do, but when I read an article about how they're dying I don't really feel bad for them. (I am also tempted to cancel my Wall Street Journal subscription when I accidentally read an opinion column. Not sure why real journalists let partisan hacks put their opinion columns right next to their rea…

NYT just lets the partisan hacks write the articles.

Re: Before buying a NYT subscription, here's what it'll take to cancel it

#278

Post by chmod600 »

I just cancelled and it was relatively painless, to their credit.

When they asked the reason, I said that political coverage was unfair. Left is OK, unfair is not.

I don't consider myself "on the left" but I really don't mind a publication being left of center or right of center. If it's good, I will pay for it (I subscribed tp The Atlantic at least twice, and the New Yorker once, and probably others in a mix of print and digital).

But the NYT has drifted too far down the path of politically-correct fashions, and away from robust debate and discussion of challenging topics and how they intersect with real events.

It feels more like they want to persuade me to hold a set of opinions (which shifts rapidly), rather than informing me and letting me form my own. "Persuade" is even the wrong word; more like "pressure" or "coerce". If it's all ads, so be it; but when I pay, I expect that I am the customer and not the product. So I don't pay as of the end of my billing cycle.

Also, the NYT cheers on, and even participates in bullying. Scott Alexander being a recent example, but there are a lot more when it comes to politically-charged topics.

I should reiterate that this is not a right-left thing. I would have remained subscribed if the NYT had simply drifted left, and concerned itself mainly with arguments betweed various left-of-center factions. Lots of worthwhile things to discuss and debate there, and lots of events to tie it to.

Re: Before buying a NYT subscription, here's what it'll take to cancel it

#279

Post by avs733 »

jimmaswell wrote: post #114
rawtxapp wrote: post #22

I'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.

This sounds like some kind of fraud, or at least an easy way to tank your credit and get debt collectors after you if caught. For what it's worth I've never had trouble canceling anything I've subscribed to.

Another way to frame it is as a form of communication:

You have made cancelling through English difficult so I am communicating cancellation to you financially.

It’s funny how they listen more to the latter. The only dark pattern they have is credit reporting which has real risks if they cross a line.

Re: Before buying a NYT subscription, here's what it'll take to cancel it

#280

Post by kyrra »

gsibble wrote: post #257
kyrra wrote: post #237

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your wording is a little confusing. Are you saying that your card number changed and the subscription was updated to charge that new number? If so, that's known as account updater or card refresher. https://developer.visa.com/capabilities/vau https://www.americanexpress.com/us/merchant/cardrefresher.ht...

Yes. It's infuriating. How do I get AMEX to prevent those charges?

As far as I know, there is no opt out for account updater features. If you are unable to cancel the subscription with a company and you don't want to do any future business with them, I recommend issuing a chargeback through your credit card company.

Note that chargebacks should be a last resort, as if you use it too much, they may just close your account. It may be worth raising the issue with th se subscriptions saying that they should cancel or you will just start issuing chargebacks.

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