Kimberly Palmer, Neldwallet
One of the irritable Reddit users who recently shared that canceling the subscription seems impossible has been shared. They were signed up to web service companies using the currently abolished work email address. He stated that the service cannot be canceled because the e -mail cannot be accessed.
Since the headache of the subscription canceled is very common, the Federal Trade Commission has recently taken action to make the process easier. According to the rules that will be fully implemented in the latter half of this year, the seller must be able to cancel the subscription as easily as the subscription.
FTC states that it received about 70 consumers per day in 2024, 42 days a day to regular subscriptions.
“The company is aware that they have to wipe out their actions,” says Chuck Bell, a consumer report advocate.
In the meantime, consider these four hints to cancel the subscription.
Search using the name of the company
According to Bell, performing a web search using the name of the company, such as “How to cancel X subscription”, may lead to a specific hint to reach the appropriate contact number. There is. “Others may have had that problem in the past, and you might find contacts,” he says.
He says that finding appropriate people beyond chatbots is often the first step to solve these types of problems.
Escalate complaints
If you keep struggling to cancel, Bell suggests that you go to an advanced company of the company, post to social media (and a company tag), or complain to the Federal or State regulatory authorities. The FTC, the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau, and your state’s Justice Office are all collecting consumer complaints, but in some cases we are looking for trends rather than following individual situations.
You can also submit complaints to the Business Bureau. This is a non -profit organization that collects and shares business complaints and reviews and works directly to resolve each company.
The BBB complaint process is free (as if you have complained to the above government agencies), and it can take up to 30 days to resolve, says Melanny McGavan nationwide. Better Business Bureau accepts complaints about all kinds of companies. Currently, it is a company that is not listed on the website BBB.org.
“If you hit the brick wall, please come to the BBB,” McGavan says.
Ask a bank or credit card issuer for help
If you are already working directly with the company and fail to cancel the subscription, Bell suggests that you will be charged with a credit card issuer or a “stop payment” order.
“It’s troublesome for you,” says the bell. He often says that you need to call your financial institution and then follow the process of documenting the problem. In addition, banks may request a fee, so use this method as a last resort.
Store the paper trail and use your personal email address
As Reddit users have experienced, McGOVERN recommends using personal emails for personal subscriptions so that you can not access the old work email address, so that it is difficult to cancel. Masu.
She also has another way to check her identity as needed to offer a backup email address or phone number if she requires one company.
“Cancellation can be a process, so keep a good record,” McGOVERN added and refer to all communication received from the company when you first sign up.
Saving these emails in a folder with a label called “Subscription” makes it easier to find when needed.
Reddit is an online forum that users share their thoughts in “threads” about various topics. Popular sites include a lot of debate about financial subjects such as (topic -life insurance), so how the users feel like sifting the Reddit Forum (provider or product -insurance company). I got a pulse check about. People post them anonymously, so they cannot check their individual experiences and situations.
Kimberly Palmer writes for Nardo Wallet. Email: kpalmer@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @kimberlypalmer.
Is there a simple way to cancel the subscription? Originally appeared in Nerdwallet.
Initially issued: January 30, 2025 4:10 pm EST
