A note on cancellations

[Mystic]

Never ever use a debit card for anything you might have to return or cancel. It's like trying to pry cash out of people. Credit card much better - you don't have to pay for a month and you can always dispute the charge with the credit card company.

Seconded.
And thirded if not already taken.

 

[satkinsn]

Absolutely. After the abysmal experience that prompted this thread, I switched from debit to cc. When this goes south again - as it inevitably will - I'll make it their problem.

s.

 

[Decatur Greg]

I called to cancel before my auto renew kicked in, but I called a few weeks ahead. It was the most irritating call ever.

I want to cancel my subscription before auto renew.

Is there anything I can help you with today?

Yeah, I want to cancel my subscription before auto renew.

Are there any additional services or packages or channels we can offer?

No, I just want to cancel my subscription before auto renew.

Would you care to answer a few questions about why you want to cancel?

No, I just want to cancel my subscription before auto renew.

Maybe you could answer a few questions so we could help you with your service.

All I want to do is cancel my subscription before auto renew. Is there anybody I can speak to that can help me do this?

Yes, I can help you with that, but first let's talk about what additional services you might be interested in.

It went on like that for a bit, I just kept repeating what I was trying to do and finally had to resort to getting a cancellation confirmation number emailed before I'd hang up. I had to get a lawyer to send a letter to Dish to get them to terminated my dad's service after he died, so not quite that bad.

When I've encountered this before... usually on cable, DSL, gym, whatever monthly service. I stop them after the second time of stating that I "just want to cancel" Then I tell them "Look, I know you're told to read from a script when people call to cancel, but I don't want to do anything other than cancel my service. Please cancel the service now." That has usually stops them. I know they're told to do this and their calls are being monitored to make sure they try to "save" the customer. If they didn't back off then I'd get more forceful, but I've never had to do this.

We had a similar issue with QVC who wouldn't cancel my deceased Mother's account without sending them a copy of her death certificate. Home Shopping Network didn't require this and cancelled the account immediately. The DC took several days to get and I believe we had to pay for that copy too.

 

[Danddd]

Not cancellation but I call every 5 months to cancel my service and they give me five months for $30 including all fees and taxes (basically $6/mo). So I'm essentially on the $72/year plan. You have to call BEFORE the 5 months are up or there is hell to pay. I put a reminder on my smartphone calendar to keep it going.

I do that too. Usually I have to argue with them a bit and say I'm cancelling. And if they didn't cancel, I'd be on the phone with Amex to dispute the charge.

 

[AlTinkster92]

Heck, try calling Time Warner to cancel. they are terrible as well!

 

[whoaru99]

A tip for subscriptions: some credit and debit card companies offer a "virtual" card which is only good for a year, or less if you specify. That way, the virtual card could expire long before the renewal, and their authorizations will fail. I use this often for anything requiring periodic automatic payments. All you do is go online and generate your own card--you are issued a genuine 16-digit card number, expiration and CVC code.

That's exactly what I do for subscriptions, and pretty much all online purchases for that matter.

I always put a dollar and time limit on mine.