9mo ago

Canceling Memberships Is a Pain. New FTC Rules Aim to Make It Easier.

The federal government just made it much easier to cancel your gym membership | CNN Business

5 comments

Lina Khan is a national treasure.
- One of the big warning flags of the next administration - whomever it ends up being - is whether Khan keeps her job or gets replaced.
TL;DR
The FTC unveiled its final “click-to-cancel” rule, which requires businesses provide a way for consumers to cancel their subscriptions that is just as easy as it is to sign up. That includes everything from gym memberships to digital streaming and e-commerce to cable TV service.
...
The new rule, which goes into effect 180 days after it is published in the Federal Register, is meant to address common issues with subscription plans. That includes sellers that misrepresent facts about the product or service, those who make it difficult to cancel, and people who are billed even when they didn’t agree to pay, such as when a free trial ends.
...
“This rule now makes it clear that you can’t collect the customer’s billing information until after you’ve disclosed all the terms of relationship with them,” Brett said.
- I hope classpass discloses its "credit system" more transparently once this goes through.
  You have to give them your CC info before you can see how much any of the classes "cost" in credits. It's so bad that there are several reddit threads dedicated to people asking for screenshots of class/credit costs in their local markets.
  It's like when I go to a store that doesn't clearly display price tags. I assume it's overpriced.
Federal courts seeing this: