Credits to go fucking australian news site adelaidenow.com.au
They want it to be difficult to cancel. Shit like this should be illegal.
It was made illegal in the EU years ago.
The rule is pretty simple: you have to be able to cancel a subscription the same way you signed up for it. If you used the Internet to sign up there better be a fucking button that allows you to cancel.
And California, which is like the EU of the US when it comes to consumer protection and privacy laws
Just a heads up you posted this 3 times
Damn, thanks for the info. I used Boost, it told me it failed/timed out the first two times and only displayed the third, successful, attempt.
I cancelled my mobile contract in Germany last month, and I had to submit in their web portal that I wished to cancel, and then call them to confirm the cancellation.
It was with Klarmobil.
Yes, Drillisch is one of the companies currently simply ignoring the law. They will probably continue to do so until they get successfully sued and/or fined into compliance.
Just a heads up you posted this 3 times
In a lot of places, it is. They have laws requiring the ability to unsubscribe using the same method/medium as you subscribe.
California in the US has a law that says if you signed up online you have to be able to cancel online. The rest of us need that law.
It doesn't work on every website, but sometimes you can change your address to be in California and then magically a cancel button will appear.
Pro tip, tell them you want to end your subscription immediately. Don't say anything, awkward silence. When they ask an another question to goud you into staying repeat the first statement. If they ask rando questions, silence.
They give up in under a minute. Be polite but obstinate.
“No thank you, I’d like to cancel immediately.” Rinse repeat
Them: Can I ask why you're cancelling? Me: No.
tbf how can you resist stating the reason for cancelling as there not being a cancel button? that's too juicy to pass up.
Use a service like privacy.com. Cancel the card they charge monthly... no phone call needed. Added benefit is if the vendor is compromised there is no loss...the cards can be locked to only allow charges from 1 business. Steal the credit card info... can't use it anywhere else.
I don't know how well it would work in practice, but every time I see something like this, the darker, more childish part of my brain wants me to send a human shit to them in the post, with a note saying "Thank you for subscribing to Post-me-a-poo (Daily)! To cancel your subscription, please add a 'Cancel Subscription' button to your website!".
Excellent idea though I imagine you might get in trouble for sending biohazards by post!
Maybe this is a little European, but just cancel the Direct Debit or block the recurring payment with your bank?
That would make you default on the payment and they'll pass it to debt collection. Only do this if you reasonably tried everything else (and documented your attempts) before using that option.
Maybe rules are again different, but a simple subscription here wouldn’t cause a default as there was no credit agreement. Interesting to see how things differ.
Yup, this is why you should always sign up using a credit card, never your debit card or bank. You can issue a chargeback online pretty easily with most credit card companies these days, it won't affect your credit, and the money never leaves your bank account.
Of course. It's a Murdoch newspaper they're the shittiest of shit tier capitalists.
it reall ought to be illegal to not be able to cancel a service on the same interface and ease at which its joined.
I believe it is, in European countries at least.
Yup. Cancelling a subscription has to be just as easy as singing up for it.
Source: am eu citizen
I had a local paper do this to me a few years ago. Turns out I can ask my credit card provider to block payments to them at 2am on a Saturday and I still get access to the paper for another two months.
It's on purpose I think. I've been trying to cancel my alarm system for a house I no longer live in, and every time I call I wait on hold 1-2 hours minimum.
If I get through, I get transferred for some reason, five times once.
Twice now they just hang up on me.
I can't issue a chargeback to the bank because they said they'll just send me to collections.
They claim there is no way to cancel via mail or email, even though I know there is, the thing is you have to navigate the shitty tree and escalate it in a way where they will allow you to cancel that way.
Fuck companies that do this.
If you're in the US: https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2022/11/tried-cancel-service-couldnt-learn-steps-take
If not, maybe your government has similar steps?
Could you please name the company, so we all can avoid them in the future?
Some gymns make you cancel by certified mail, and still deny they got it even after delivery.
If you can help it - sign up for nothing with a direct bank withdrawal or debit card. Use a credit card, because it puts an important barrier between you and your purchases. It's way easier to get help with stuff for credit cards, and it's easier to cancel than getting a new bank account. Bonus: charge backs punish these assholes.
Working as intended
Dear everyone: please educate yourself on the beautiful treasure that is Privacy.com. I never sign up for any subscription without it now. I do not miss all the bullshit and you won't either.
It's not that it's too difficult, but having it this way is more inconvenient to the customer leaving them less inclined to make the call. Scummy behaviour all around.
laughs in blocked charges and chargebacks
My local newspaper had this, i changed my credit card to a fake card number that developers use for testing.
Now i can physical mail every two months saying they cant properly charge my card.
So theyve spent $10+ on mailing me after I paid my $2 promo rate to them
I made an account on a news site once just to test Firefox relay and my custom domain. Can't for the life of me figure out how to delete the account. Had to set relay to just block all the emails. To the tube of like 400.... In less than a month
I can increase my cellphone plan with the click of a button.
If I want to decrease it that same button redirects to a live chat where I have to talk to one of their agents.
Their agents will genuinely give you a better deal, but for some reason can't change your plan to a lesser one without breaking your contract, causing hundreds of dollars in extra fees.
The brick and mortar agents can do it in 2 minutes with no hassle. You walk in and say I want this plan, show your id, sign the change request and you're done.
I don't even think they are doing it on purpose. Why would they have a button that connects me to someone they are paying to convince me to give them less money per month? They cut my wife's bill in half because she is month to month.
It's just Hanlons Razor. Supreme incompetence.
But it's not Hanlon's Razor, it is absolutely malicious. They want to make the process complicated and frustrating so you give up.
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