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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

#841

Post by nickthemagicman »

3np wrote: post #814
nickthemagicman wrote: post #765

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh apologies good citizen for suggesting you do something against the rules! Is my local ice cream shop DISCRIMINATING by not serving ice cream in Norway and Osaka Japan? No, they're not discriminating. They just don't have the resources to serve those locations. I'm enjoying the hell out of Privacy.com. I'll think of you next time I use it!

You can spare the sarcasm - I'm sure your local ice cream shop is great but it does little for people across the globe looking for ice cream. Great that it works for you, but they won't take most people on the earth as a customer, including me. Even if I would be OK with illegally breaking their terms, my account would be subject to block and ban at any moment.

No risk no reward!

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

#842

Post by PoignardAzur »

throwanem wrote: post #603
PoignardAzur wrote: post #551

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wish you saw more absurd situations like this in cyberpunk stories. This mixture of trying to help the consumer to boost your image and sabotaging your own consumer-friendly process to drive up revenue is what late-stage capitalism is all about.

It's wild that Douglas Adams' and Infocom's Bureaucracy , an interactive fiction published in 1987, had precisely this sort of thing as more or less its whole subject matter. It's not quite exact to what we see today, of course; for one thing, it traffics in paper forms and mail-in cards, rather than web forms and obstructionist live chats. But its juxtaposition of saccharine platitudes and hostile apathy feels no le…

In general, my remark was less about absurdity and more about how the same set of incentives can produce both consumer-friendly and consumer-hostile behaviors, sometimes from the same company.

Cyberpunk stories tend to focus on the "consumer-hostile" part, whereas I think the superposition of the two and the permanent conflict between them is way more interesting.

(For instance, you almost never see review systems or consumer watchdogs in cyberpunk stories)

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

#843

Post by shyn3 »

city41 wrote: post #773
shyn3 wrote: post #771

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Okay makes sense then. I just don't see any of the elder people who I have setup Netflix risk pressing the cancel button because they can't get it set up. However, they do try to remove their credit card number and it doesn't let you. Which is actually another annoyance, why can't I delete my credit card from your site. It's still a dark pattern or just bad data security.

That's a good point about older customers. I could see them being confused. I'm not really sure to be honest though, as I didn't work on this stuff when I was there. I'm not sure about the credit card issue either.

Sorry, when I said "your site," I was not referring to you, but sites in general. Appreciate the insight from your comment.

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

#844

Post by ketamine__ »

chmod600 wrote: post #278

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 prin…

Scott Alexander is a public figure. Get over it.

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

#845

Post by Trias11 »

moate wrote: post #317
jacobsenscott wrote: post #263

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Their cancellation policy is clearly spelled out. I doubt you would win a dispute. Also disputing a charge is more work than a few lines of chat.

If you have access to one, get an Amex and you'll find that's not the case. As someone who used to work in billing for a company with "not great" patterns, the bosses hated when people signed up with Amex because it made collections on lapsed payments borderline impossible because of how well they protected their members.

Agree. I have $550/yr Amex Platinum and any vendor will be hard pressed to get Amex on their side
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