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“Click to subscribe, call to cancel” is illegal, FTC says

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Re: “Click to subscribe, call to cancel” is illegal, FTC says

#381

Post by wil421 »

iandinwoodie wrote: post #339
aristophenes wrote: post #316

I had to cancel my gym membership because I was moving, and it required me to send a physical letter. I did this, but found out later that somehow I owed like 2 dollars, so they didn’t count my cancellation request because my account wasn’t up to date (should be illegal). They continued to bill me the entire membership fee, but my credit card had changed, so they sent my account to a collections agency. Right when I…

LA Fitness allows you to either mail in the cancellation form or submit it in person. I was also cancelling due to a move, so I printed out the form and trekked out to the nearest location for a final workout and the piece of mind that my cancellation was complete. Lo and behold, you cannot submit your cancellation form without a Manager present. Okay, when does the Manager arrive? _Usually_ around 9:00AM is the resp…

There was a class action lawsuit against LA Fitness about sending letters to cancel. I guess they finally allowed it to be done in person but had you jump through hoops to find a manager. They “lost” my letter a couple times until I sent it certified.

Re: “Click to subscribe, call to cancel” is illegal, FTC says

#382

Post by jjnoakes »

TedDoesntTalk wrote: post #350
wonderwonder wrote: post #282

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No argument from me. They asked why I was cancelling and I told them it was because I had to call to cancel.

Next time pay for the subscription by check (mail it in). They can’t bill you again automatically.

Is this legal? I assume if they wanted to (which admittedly is unlikely) they could send you to collections for not paying for the renewal that you agreed to when you subscribed.

Re: “Click to subscribe, call to cancel” is illegal, FTC says

#383

Post by kemitche »

mercy_dude wrote: post #173

Good. The worst experience I ever had was with NY Times when I wanted to unsubscribe I had to go through multiple call/chats with a person and it was almost impossible since it was hard to get in touch with one. I am glad FTC is doing something others are afraid to do.

I've successfully cancelled my NYT sub online before. It's a little tucked away but it exists. I remember when I first subscribed that wasn't possible - because a few months in they sent me an email basically talking about how awesome their new "online subscription self management system" is.

Re: “Click to subscribe, call to cancel” is illegal, FTC says

#384

Post by JacobThreeThree »

havelhovel wrote: post #338
mercy_dude wrote: post #173

Good. The worst experience I ever had was with NY Times when I wanted to unsubscribe I had to go through multiple call/chats with a person and it was almost impossible since it was hard to get in touch with one. I am glad FTC is doing something others are afraid to do.

The Economist does this as well. Very frustrating to have to explain multiple times over chat that I just want to cancel and that no I don’t want any deals and that yes I understand the terms of the offer being made and that no I still don’t want the deal even though I understand you are telling me that this deal really is in my best interest. And yet I didn’t need to talk to any employees at all before giving them m…

Yep, I had this experience with The Economist as well.

It was very difficult to cancel and it was by phone only.

Re: “Click to subscribe, call to cancel” is illegal, FTC says

#385

Post by SavantIdiot »

aristophenes wrote: post #316

I had to cancel my gym membership because I was moving, and it required me to send a physical letter. I did this, but found out later that somehow I owed like 2 dollars, so they didn’t count my cancellation request because my account wasn’t up to date (should be illegal). They continued to bill me the entire membership fee, but my credit card had changed, so they sent my account to a collections agency. Right when I…

LA Fitness?

I had to print and send them a letter. Or talk to the manager. Who is only there a few days a week. And no one knows when.

Obligatory:

“But the plans were on display…”

“On display? I eventually had to go down to the cellar to find them.”

“That’s the display department.”

“With a flashlight.”

“Ah, well, the lights had probably gone.”

“So had the stairs.”

“But look, you found the notice, didn’t you?”

“Yes,” said Arthur, “yes I did. It was on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying ‘Beware of the Leopard.”

Re: “Click to subscribe, call to cancel” is illegal, FTC says

#386

Post by twothamendment »

user3939382 wrote: post #328
koheripbal wrote: post #293

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some might try that but one call with the FTC legal team will make any company stop that shit immediately. You don't piss off gov't regulators

> You don't piss off gov't regulators Yep. If you deal with them you learn quickly that all that “splitting hairs” stuff you see in Hollywood dramas buys you nothing. For a lot of administrative compliance, with the state or Feds, they are judge jury and executioner and the rules are what they say they are. Unless you have a lot of money and influence don’t play games with them.

Yup, the same rules apply to building inspectors. You better hope you get the good one because they can twist codes around on a whim and they are always right.

Re: “Click to subscribe, call to cancel” is illegal, FTC says

#387

Post by throwawaycuriou »

petilon wrote: post #307
watchdogtimer wrote: post #299

This is one of the biggest benefits of using a virtual credit card from services like privacy.com or Capital One's Eno. Just create a card online specific to the service to pay for it, then cancel the card when you want to unsubscribe. Capital One lets you create an unlimited number of cards at no charge.

Not quite. Now the business can send you to collections.

If you provided a pseudonym, how would they associate it with you?

Re: “Click to subscribe, call to cancel” is illegal, FTC says

#388

Post by strenholme »

Axien wrote: post #352
strenholme wrote: post #344

Since I live in California, which has a “click to subscribe means you must have click to cancel” regulation, this isn’t an issue for me. After the New York Times published their inaccurate hit piece attacking Scott Alexander and Slate Star Codex/Astral Codex Ten, I was able to cancel online just clicking my way through. I now subscribe to The Wall Street Journal, which looks to be the most neutral newspaper right now…

That is crazy. I spent 20 minutes trying to cancel the WSJ. It is infuriating.

The thing the WSJ doesn’t get is this: I wouldn’t had subscribed to them if I didn’t reside in California and didn’t have my special “California cancel” button.

Re: “Click to subscribe, call to cancel” is illegal, FTC says

#389

Post by Humdeee »

IanSanders wrote: post #257
xg15 wrote: post #167

> including an option that’s “at least as easy” as the one to subscribe Weirdly enough this sounds like a loophole. I can already see some companies trying to bullshit their way through an investigation: "Oh sure, we don't provide online cancellation, because our way to cancel is even easier than online:" * presents a way to cancel that is in practice more difficult than online *. I think either mandating that cancel…

There's also a "genuinely super easy way to unsubscribe, except it unfortunately is experiencing technical problems"

I'm sorry sir, but the Cancel button is only available on the Advanced plans. Please upgrade to cancel (and allow 30 days for changes to occur).

Re: “Click to subscribe, call to cancel” is illegal, FTC says

#390

Post by dspillett »

kieloo wrote: post #18

Same thing with The Guardian. Subscribed online and was then told I can’t cancel via email and have to endure a pushy sales call if I want to cancel. Similar experience with The Economist except it was via live chat instead. These experiences honestly make me want to never subscribe to a newspaper again.

Similar with New Scientist, needed to phone during office hours and was on hold a while, which would put me off subscribing again in future¹ though in fairness they were very quick to follow my cancel request, not hard sell on staying, etc, once I got through.

[1] of course that is now a moot point as they've been bought by DMGT and I refuse to give any money at all to those in any way responsible for, or benefiting from, the Daily Fail.

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