The Irish Times do not make it easy to cancel a subscription, but I've done it.
They've carefully crafted the subscription process to make it quick and simple, but when I needed to cancel it was a very different story. I looked in my profile and settings for an option to cancel but couldn't find one. Then I thought that maybe the option probably exists on desktop rather than mobile browser, but no. Nothing.
After searching their site I found some ... 1/?
Instructions. Basically you have to contact them directly first to cancel. I followed the instructions, sent the email, thinking that would be the end of the effort. Not so.
Weeks passed and then I was billed by them for another period! I replied to the email (forward it to the correct email address), objecting, but heard nothing back. Another three weeks passed, so I phoned them.
The person at the end of the phone asked for my details and could see that I had sent the emails. 2/?
At least that much didn't have to be repeated. They told me that "everyone is very busy" and that they couldn't get to it at the moment but that they would ask someone to take a look at it.
I didn't know what to say at this point. I got the feeling that the person at the end of the phone genuinely did not enjoy (and was not responsible for) telling me this, so I gave them the benefit of the doubt.
Within 48 hours, my subscription was cancelled and they haven't taken another payment since. 3/?
They also returned the payment that they took.
I was so busy during that period and I think it's insulting to treat people cancelling like this, when it's clear from the sign-up process that they know exactly how people should be treated. 4/4
Contracts can no longer bind consumers for a year upon renewal, businesses must provide a “cancellation” button for consumers to easily cancel online subscriptions and terms and conditions may no longer prohibit the assignment of claims to third parties. The recent adoption of the Fair Consumer Contracts Act (FCCA) has far-reaching consequences for all consumer-facing businesses operating in Germany. These affect subscription-based business models in particular, including gaming, streaming and other provisions of digital content. The FCCA not only increases the implementation efforts that business are currently already facing with the European New Deal for Consumers – it also thwarts the European goal to harmonise the digital single market. Once again, Germany has decided to implement additional consumer regulation that deviates from the European consensus. Transition periods apply for the new regulation, which require businesses to adapt their user interfaces and business models for the German market.
I had exactly the same experience a few years ago with the IT. Delays, mistakes, and I needed to repeatedly harass them to cancel. Even if they had content I wanted to read now that experience totally excludes them from consideration.
Iarlaiṫ
Gerard Cunningham ✒️
Doomstrike
Joe Mansfield
Calamity Joan 😷