Why isn't This Illegal?

And you can subscribe (or just buy) Katherine and I's new seasonal soap at Good.Store!

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[franklehouillier]

This is also a disability rights issue. If you have any disability which makes it hard to communicate verbally, being deaf, autistic etc. this makes it impossible to cancel.

[BanthaWorship]

One time, as a deaf person, I found it easier to just report my debit card as LOST to have an entirely new one issued so that companies like this could no longer take my money. Imagine that being your best option.

[stackbabber]

Recently I had to cancel a service, and they put me into one of those live chat sessions with someone to try and keep me there. Luckily, at the time, I lived in California and knew of that legislation, so when they said "Sorry, sir, you can't cancel online", I cited the exact law back to them, with a link to it, and suddenly they were able to do it right then and there. I'll be chasing that rush for a while

[alexcrouse]

You ABSOLUTELY SHOULD call them out by name. NEVER protect bad actors.

[DaivG]

I want the FTC to pass a rule that requires any subscription/service requires the same or less number of actions and the same method as signed up to cancel.

[muchadrewaboutnothin]

I was cancelling my grandmother's ISP using the chat service and the agent said I'd have to call their number to cancel. I explained that I (my grandmother) have a disability and can't effectively communicate on the phone and that agent was suddenly able to cancel it immediately.

[elskeonstenk]

as an autistic person with auditory processing issues... there is no way I'm willingly making a phone call. Tactics like this are not only super consumer unfriendly but also ableist

[marypats]

this is SO FRUSTRATING!!!! Just went through this trying to cancel things after my grandma died! Her cell phone company sent me to their Retention department...I'm like she's dead, there's literally nothing to retain!!! Thank you for making The Good Store so user friendly!!!

[Caron_]

The option to skip a month of subscription without having to cancel and resubscribe is an absolutely genius idea, can we please make that a new standard feature???

[anthemphysics]

I canceled my subscription for the Awesome Coffee Club before my daughter was born, as we were cutting back before a big financial life change. (Diapers. so many diapers.) I can confirm that canceling was very easy. I am now re-subscribed. Just one point of data in your favor.

[jmcreynolds]

Gyms are notoriously bad for this. I used to go to one, and I had stopped going. Couldn't cancel online. I called, and they said I had to go to the gym I signed up at to cancel.... I signed up online! Apparently, the first gym I visited upon signing up counts as my "home gym, " even though I'd since moved states.

I ended up canceling the payments through my bank, and THEY THREATENED TO SEND ME TO COLLECTIONS!

I had to get a lawyer to send a letter to get them to cancel that "debt"

[neospacedout]

I paid out like $200 in resume service subscription payments without knowing it because they were unclear that you couldn't cancel online and I thought I had. I am a broke college student making $15 an hour and was clearly looking for a job when I subscribed. I find this ridiculously predatory

[jacklimestone]

"WE MADE THEM MAKE IT BIG FOR US!" Never change, Hank.

[sguttag]

This sort of stuff is why more and more people are using virtual credit cards for recurring subscriptions so that they can be cancelled at any time.

[TheSalPic]

4:22 the irony of ignoring the companies begging to cancel the rule that makes it harder for them to ignore consumers begging to cancel their subscriptions is very tasty.

[Sam-Cain]

My internet tried doing this, i was sat on the phone for 2 hours just to be told im not allowed to cancel. no reason, nothing explained, just "no." I told my bank to block the payments and haven't heard from them since.

I'm done being cordial with companies that actively despise their customers, if I can't afford to pay/do not need your service anymore, there's no arguing. You get *nothing.*

(Note: I am one of many disabled fans commenting, that call took me a fortnight to prepare for and felt about as long while I was sat on it. This "call us to cancel" bull should be illegal for that alone)

[goaserer]

A similar law has been in effect in Europe for a few years now that requires companies to accept cancellations on the same communication channel as subscriptions. If you can sing up online, you can cancel online. Really enjoying that

[rebeccastolberg]

Thank you Hank, I've been really upset about this since my mom lost her ability to speak due to ALS. I became her voice, and I had many interesting conversations where people said to me "You can't speak on her behalf, you're not even allowed to listen in because of legal privacy reasons."
And I said "Cool, then please allow her to text you, or video chat or communicate online, and she will be very happy to communicate with you directly. I would love for her to have independence and agency to do this for herself."
To which they squirmed and said "You're her daughter? Then I guess this one time will be ok."

Because getting power of attorney over someone who is of sound mind, or waiting for them to die, is easier than providing reasonable accessibility using technology they already have 99.9% in place.

Also yeah, I don't want to talk on the phone. I can, but really don't want to do it. I signed up online, let me cancel online.

[jamesclark]

Auto renewal should also be opt-in as opposed to opt-out. This is why we need an empowered and powerful Better Business Bureau. Lina Khan is excellent! We need more people like her everywhere!

[isabelle_]

Canceling my kindle membership was harder than leaving Scientology it’s absolutely ridiculous