US readers have described frustrating experiences trying to cancel subscriptions, from Verizon to Roblox, after a federal appeals court struck down the FTC's 'click-to-cancel' rule. The rule would have required companies to let consumers cancel using the same method they used to sign up, but the court ruled the FTC failed to follow proper procedures.
Chris Cooper of Pennsylvania said he has a 'huge case brewing' against Verizon, which offered him $100 and later $500 to sign a confidentiality agreement. He refused, calling Verizon's practices 'intentionally complex and restrictive'. Kaja in New York booked a flight via Kayak and inadvertently signed up for a subscription with eDreams; despite being assured it was cancelled, she was charged again a year later.
Ella from San Diego struggled to cancel her daughter's Roblox subscription, finding it impossible to manage through Apple's system. Jacob, a government worker in Washington state, said Netflix, Amazon, Facebook, and dating apps all buried cancellation options in counter-intuitive places, leading to continued billing. Rob, a software engineer in Virginia, had to send a formal cancellation letter to a pest control company after they insisted he call their service centre.
Pamela, a retiree in Los Angeles, said the Burbank YMCA doubled her membership fee without notice and debited her account for three months before she got a refund by camping in their office. Kathleen, 68, in Washington DC, spent three hours on the phone trying to cancel Hulu, only to be accused of being 'too emotional' by a male staff member. An anonymous 69-year-old retiree from Colorado said a supplement company made it easy to subscribe but difficult to cancel, and she fears they will sell her data.
