Great News: It Just Got Much Easier to Cancel Your Subscriptions
By Movieguide® Contributor
Tired of tearing your hair out trying to unsubscribe from a streaming service or cancel a gym membership? The Federal Trade Commission is coming to the rescue!
The FTC just announced that they are requiring businesses “to make it as easy for consumers to cancel their enrollment as it was to sign up,” per Deadline.
“Too often, businesses make people jump through endless hoops just to cancel a subscription,” FTC chair Linda Khan said in a statement about the decision. “Nobody should be stuck paying for a service they no longer want.”
The FTC said they decided to move forward with the decision after receiving more than 16,000 complaints from the public — typically, up to 70 a day.
This rule will apply to everyone, from streaming services and cable companies to home shopping networks and gym memberships. The rule will go into effect in six months.
AP News reported that the rule means “businesses must also disclose when free trials or other promotional offers will end.”
This new rule is part of the Biden administration’s “Time is Money” initiative, designed to crack down on “consumer-related hassles,” AP News wrote. “The initiative featured new regulations and the promise of more for industries spanning health care and fitness memberships to media subscriptions.”
The FTC is also working on an investigation into TikTok and whether or not they are violating child privacy laws. Movieguide® previously reported:
TikTok is facing increased pressure from the U.S. government concerning children’s privacy violations.
“The investigation uncovered reason to believe named defendants are violating or are about to violate the law and that a proceeding is in the public interest, so the Commission has voted to refer a complaint to the Department of Justice,” the FTC announced of the complaint filed against TikTok and its parent company ByteDance.
They continued, “Although the Commission does not typically make public the fact that it has referred a complaint, we have determined that doing so here is in the public interest and that a proceeding is in the public interest.”
This filing is separate from the legislation passed earlier this year that would ban TikTok if they don’t divest from ByteDance, but many see it as increased pressure from the U.S. government.
A spokesperson from TikTok responded to the FTC’s decision, saying the company had “been working with the FTC for more than a year to address its concerns.”
“We’re disappointed the agency is pursuing litigation instead of continuing to work with us on a reasonable solution,” they continued.
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