Related (and not a dupe - note the url):
Click to Cancel: The FTC’s amended Negative Option Rule and what it means for your business
https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/blog/2024/10/click-can...
FTC announces "click-to-cancel" rule making it easier to cancel subscriptions
211–220 of 793 posts
Re: FTC announces "click-to-cancel" rule making it easier to cancel subscriptions
#212Earlier quoted context omitted.
Agreed. The fact that multiple companies are springing up with the main selling point being "help you cancel subscriptions you thought you already cancelled" should be a wake up call to the legislature that this problem has gotten out of hand.
I think a great function of elected representatives would be keeping an eye out for these types of businesses that are societal "code smells" indicating something is wrong, and looking at the regulatory and legislative environment to see what would be changed to make those businesses obsolete.
Still waiting on anything to be done about rent to own businesses. The businesses that rely solely on exploiting the people in a bad position bother me so much, they should at least have some kind of limits on their usury.
Re: FTC announces "click-to-cancel" rule making it easier to cancel subscriptions
#213It would be great to see the FTC go against predatory subscription services like Adobe. I'm fuzzy on the exact details, but I think they promoted a yearly subscription that was meant to look like a monthly subscription, where if you cancelled early they would charge you an exorbitant cancellation fee. I'm not sure how these new rules affect them. One recent idea I've had is that many online subscription services shou…
> One recent idea I've had is that many online subscription services should automatically pause if you stop using it. Cool idea, but probably tough to enforce what “using it” means. I could see companies start sending newsletters to customers and calling that engagement
This wouldn't survive the courts so approximately one company would get away with it for a time.
Re: FTC announces "click-to-cancel" rule making it easier to cancel subscriptions
#214Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think a great function of elected representatives would be keeping an eye out for these types of businesses that are societal "code smells" indicating something is wrong, and looking at the regulatory and legislative environment to see what would be changed to make those businesses obsolete.
Those who are pro-market probably consider the companies cropping up to be evidence that legislation is not needed (as the market is addressing the issue). I'm not such a person, fwiw.
Broken window fallacy
Re: FTC announces "click-to-cancel" rule making it easier to cancel subscriptions
#215Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think a great function of elected representatives would be keeping an eye out for these types of businesses that are societal "code smells" indicating something is wrong, and looking at the regulatory and legislative environment to see what would be changed to make those businesses obsolete.
Those who are pro-market probably consider the companies cropping up to be evidence that legislation is not needed (as the market is addressing the issue). I'm not such a person, fwiw.
I would definitely consider myself pro-market, and "market > government" has proven itself a pretty good default time and time again. That doesn't mean nothing should ever be regulated.
Re: FTC announces "click-to-cancel" rule making it easier to cancel subscriptions
#216Earlier quoted context omitted.
[flagged]
This is why you shouldn't let ChatGPT do your thinking for you. Skimming is an important art. Her basic points are: 1. The FTC doesn't have the authority to make this rule, and in government there must be a hard line between "I want this" and "this is legal" unless you want a dictatorship. 2. The reason the FTC has so many Congressionally-enacted laws to follow is because of a history of overstepping its legal author…
If someone were just attempting to maintain a "pro-business grift", wouldn't this be exactly the argument they'd make? That the FTC is, effectively, legally toothless?
Re: FTC announces "click-to-cancel" rule making it easier to cancel subscriptions
#217Earlier quoted context omitted.
> In my world, you generate a single purpose card number for each subscription, or block the company at the bank level. You know this isn't a legal way to terminate a contractual agreement with a company, right?
You would presumably notify the company about the cancellation, wouldn't you. Unprofessional not to do so. However the ability of a company to not accept cancellation sent by, say, email, is not possible without the government acting to enforce such restrictions.
> You would presumably notify the company about the cancellation, wouldn't you
No, also not a legal method to terminate a contract.
Government shouldn't enforce contract law, got it. Sounds like utopia.
Re: FTC announces "click-to-cancel" rule making it easier to cancel subscriptions
#218Earlier quoted context omitted.
Now, let's institute an actual price rule. I can't rent an Airbnb or book a plane ticket without being lied to about what the actual prices is.
For plane that's pretty unfair. If you don't get any ancillary fees, the price you see is almost exactly up to the cent what you pay. Now if you get any extra, sure. But that's a different problem from Airbnb hiding 100% of the cost in mandatory cleaning fees.
The trouble is, without some overriding authority defining what it means to "have a plane ticket", what counts as "included"? Because anything that doesn't can then be considered an "add-on".
Carry-on luggage. Meal/snack and beverage service. A pillow and blanket. A seat that's not a middle seat. Even the ability to choose your seat at all.
Airlines that want to tighten the screws on their passengers can, in theory, start charging for all of those, and calling them "paid add-ons", even under a "no junk fees" law, if we don't clearly define what passengers should be able to expect to be included in their ticket.
Re: FTC announces "click-to-cancel" rule making it easier to cancel subscriptions
#219Nice. I canceled a service recently and I had to "continue to cancel" and click on other such "confirmations" such that I think I proceeded through 7-8 pages before my subscription was actually canceled. Truly manipulative and obtuse. That was Spotify btw. I should have recorded the process, as it was nearly comedic (if it weren't so hostile).
Amazon is the worst in this regard.
Not sure why you're downvoted they have multiple beg screens
and manipulative language. There might be worse overall like NYT making you contact support but Amazon is for sure "worst in class" in the category of services that can be cancelled online.
Re: FTC announces "click-to-cancel" rule making it easier to cancel subscriptions
#220Earlier quoted context omitted.
In these cases, can we not issue a chargeback via our credit card? Or put some sort of block on transactions from a particular source? Seems silly to just accept virtually un-cancellable terms.
The answer is not to do a chargeback, the answer is to not sign contracts you have no intention of fulfilling.
Gyms are notorious shysters who made it difficult to cancel your membership, even when you have the right. Don't blame the consumers for this bullshit. Do as many chargebacks as you can.