Click-to-cancel: Difference between revisions

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The '''click-to-cancel''' (CtC) rule is a [[Federal Trade Commission]] (FTC) rule which requires that subscription services make it as easy to cancel the service as it was to sign up.<ref>https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/10/federal-trade-commission-announces-final-click-cancel-rule-making-it-easier-consumers-end-recurring</ref> This is designed to combat an anti-consumer practice, where a subscription service makes it very easy to sign up for a service, but requires the customer to jump through hoops to cancel the subscription. The law has been finalized~~, but does not come~~ into effect ~~until~~ May 14, 2025.<ref>https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2024-25534/p-6</ref>

The '''click-to-cancel''' (CtC) rule is a [[Federal Trade Commission]] (FTC) rule, specifically [https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-425/section-425.6 16 CFR Part 425.6], which requires that subscription services make it as easy to cancel the service as it was to sign up.<ref>https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/10/federal-trade-commission-announces-final-click-cancel-rule-making-it-easier-consumers-end-recurring</ref> This is designed to combat an anti-consumer practice, where a subscription service makes it very easy to sign up for a service, but requires the customer to jump through hoops to cancel the subscription. The law has been finalized and came into effect May 14, 2025.<ref>https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2024-25534/p-6</ref>

==How it works==

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Prior to state-level laws, Planet Fitness's FAQ stated that "You can fill out a cancellation form at the front desk of your home club, or send a letter (preferably via certified mail) to your club requesting cancellation. Memberships can’t, unfortunately, be cancelled by email or phone"<ref>https://www.planetfitness.com/about-planet-fitness/customer-service/membership-faqs</ref> despite allowing online signups. As of Jan 18, 2025, its terms state "our cancellation process may vary from club to club", and that "Some members may also be eligible to cancel their membership online based on their membership type and the location of their home club."<ref>https://archive.ph/XSG0Q</ref> As of Feb 17, 2025, the link to the "[https://www.planetfitness.com/about-planet-fitness/contact-us Member Services department]" leads to a 404 page.

====~~L..A Fitn" leads to a 404 ess~~====

As of June 10, 2025, Planet Fitness (https://www.planetfitness.com/) requires billing (credit card and bank account) information before clearly and conspicuously disclosing material terms of its negative option in violation of [https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-425 FTC 16 CFR Part 425.4].

====LA Fitness====

In a similar vein, LA Fitness's current policy states that "via your online account or as may otherwise be provided in your agreement (for example, depending on your state of enrollment, you may be able to cancel by email)", but previously stated that they "recommend you mail the notice by certified mail and keep a record for your files. Or, you can deliver the notice directly to the Operations Manager at the nearest LA Fitness facility between 9AM and 5PM on Monday through Friday."<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20210616083544/https://lafitness.com/Pages/MembershipQuestions.aspx#</ref>

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===Adobe===

[[Adobe]] allegedly "trapped customers into year-long subscriptions through hidden early termination fees and numerous cancellation hurdles", according to the FTC.<ref>https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/06/ftc-takes-action-against-adobe-executives-hiding-fees-preventing-consumers-easily-cancelling</ref> Some of their plans are confusing "annual paid monthly" plans, in which the customer receives a discount as if they had signed up for an annual subscription, but are billed monthly. The FTC alleges that they did not prominently disclose the early termination fee associated with these plans, which is half of the remaining monthly payments if the consumer cancels before the annual subscription runs its course. The complaint also alleges that the cancellation process is difficult and costly:<blockquote>In addition to failing to disclose the ETF to consumers when they subscribe, the complaint also alleges that Adobe uses the ETF to ambush consumers to deter them from cancelling their subscriptions. The complaint also alleges that Adobe’s cancellation processes are designed to make cancellation difficult for consumers. When consumers have attempted to cancel their subscription on the company’s website, they have been forced to navigate numerous pages in order to cancel.When consumers reach out to Adobe’s customer service to cancel, they encounter resistance and delay from Adobe representatives. Consumers also experience other obstacles, such as dropped calls and chats, and multiple transfers. Some consumers who thought they had successfully cancelled their subscription reported that the company continued to charge them until discovering the charges on their credit card statements.</blockquote>

[[Adobe]] allegedly "trapped customers into year-long subscriptions through hidden early termination fees and numerous cancellation hurdles", according to the FTC.<ref>https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/06/ftc-takes-action-against-adobe-executives-hiding-fees-preventing-consumers-easily-cancelling</ref> Some of their plans are confusing "annual paid monthly" plans, in which the customer receives a discount as if they had signed up for an annual subscription, but are billed monthly. The FTC alleges that they did not prominently disclose the early termination fee associated with these plans, which is half of the remaining monthly payments if the consumer cancels before the annual subscription runs its course. The complaint also alleges that the cancellation process is difficult and costly:<blockquote>In addition to failing to disclose the ETF to consumers when they subscribe, the complaint also alleges that Adobe uses the ETF to ambush consumers to deter them from cancelling their subscriptions. The complaint also alleges that Adobe’s cancellation processes are designed to make cancellation difficult for consumers. When consumers have attempted to cancel their subscription on the company’s website, they have been forced to navigate numerous pages in order to cancel. When consumers reach out to Adobe’s customer service to cancel, they encounter resistance and delay from Adobe representatives. Consumers also experience other obstacles, such as dropped calls and chats, and multiple transfers. Some consumers who thought they had successfully cancelled their subscription reported that the company continued to charge them until discovering the charges on their credit card statements.</blockquote>

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-The '''click-to-cancel''' (CtC) rule is a [[Federal Trade Commission]] (FTC) rule which requires that subscription services make it as easy to cancel the service as it was to sign up.<ref>https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/10/federal-trade-commission-announces-final-click-cancel-rule-making-it-easier-consumers-end-recurring</ref> This is designed to combat an anti-consumer practice, where a subscription service makes it very easy to sign up for a service, but requires the customer to jump through hoops to cancel the subscription. The law has been finalized, but does not come into effect until May 14, 2025.<ref>https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2024-25534/p-6</ref>
+The '''click-to-cancel''' (CtC) rule is a [[Federal Trade Commission]] (FTC) rule, specifically [https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-425/section-425.6 16 CFR Part 425.6], which requires that subscription services make it as easy to cancel the service as it was to sign up.<ref>https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/10/federal-trade-commission-announces-final-click-cancel-rule-making-it-easier-consumers-end-recurring</ref> This is designed to combat an anti-consumer practice, where a subscription service makes it very easy to sign up for a service, but requires the customer to jump through hoops to cancel the subscription. The law has been finalized and came into effect May 14, 2025.<ref>https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2024-25534/p-6</ref>
 ==How it works==
@@ Line 21: / Line 21: @@
 Prior to state-level laws, Planet Fitness's FAQ stated that "You can fill out a cancellation form at the front desk of your home club, or send a letter (preferably via certified mail) to your club requesting cancellation. Memberships can’t, unfortunately, be cancelled by email or phone"<ref>https://www.planetfitness.com/about-planet-fitness/customer-service/membership-faqs</ref> despite allowing online signups. As of Jan 18, 2025, its terms state "our cancellation process may vary from club to club", and that "Some members may also be eligible to cancel their membership online based on their membership type and the location of their home club."<ref>https://archive.ph/XSG0Q</ref> As of Feb 17, 2025, the link to the "[https://www.planetfitness.com/about-planet-fitness/contact-us Member Services department]" leads to a 404 page.
-====L..A Fitn" leads to a 404 ess====
+As of June 10, 2025, Planet Fitness (https://www.planetfitness.com/) requires billing (credit card and bank account) information before clearly and conspicuously disclosing material terms of its negative option in violation of [https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-425 FTC 16 CFR Part 425.4].
+====LA Fitness====
 In a similar vein, LA Fitness's current policy states that "via your online account or as may otherwise be provided in your agreement (for example, depending on your state of enrollment, you may be able to cancel by email)", but previously stated that they "recommend you mail the notice by certified mail and keep a record for your files. Or, you can deliver the notice directly to the Operations Manager at the nearest LA Fitness facility between 9AM and 5PM on Monday through Friday."<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20210616083544/https://lafitness.com/Pages/MembershipQuestions.aspx#</ref>
@@ Line 30: / Line 32: @@
 ===Adobe===
-[[Adobe]] allegedly "trapped customers into year-long subscriptions through hidden early termination fees and numerous cancellation hurdles", according to the FTC.<ref>https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/06/ftc-takes-action-against-adobe-executives-hiding-fees-preventing-consumers-easily-cancelling</ref> Some of their plans are confusing "annual paid monthly" plans, in which the customer receives a discount as if they had signed up for an annual subscription, but are billed monthly. The FTC alleges that they did not prominently disclose the early termination fee associated with these plans, which is half of the remaining monthly payments if the consumer cancels before the annual subscription runs its course. The complaint also alleges that the cancellation process is difficult and costly:<blockquote>In addition to failing to disclose the ETF to consumers when they subscribe, the complaint also alleges that Adobe uses the ETF to ambush consumers to deter them from cancelling their subscriptions. The complaint also alleges that Adobe’s cancellation processes are designed to make cancellation difficult for consumers. When consumers have attempted to cancel their subscription on the company’s website, they have been forced to navigate numerous pages in order to cancel.When consumers reach out to Adobe’s customer service to cancel, they encounter resistance and delay from Adobe representatives. Consumers also experience other obstacles, such as dropped calls and chats, and multiple transfers. Some consumers who thought they had successfully cancelled their subscription reported that the company continued to charge them until discovering the charges on their credit card statements.</blockquote>
+[[Adobe]] allegedly "trapped customers into year-long subscriptions through hidden early termination fees and numerous cancellation hurdles", according to the FTC.<ref>https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/06/ftc-takes-action-against-adobe-executives-hiding-fees-preventing-consumers-easily-cancelling</ref> Some of their plans are confusing "annual paid monthly" plans, in which the customer receives a discount as if they had signed up for an annual subscription, but are billed monthly. The FTC alleges that they did not prominently disclose the early termination fee associated with these plans, which is half of the remaining monthly payments if the consumer cancels before the annual subscription runs its course. The complaint also alleges that the cancellation process is difficult and costly:<blockquote>In addition to failing to disclose the ETF to consumers when they subscribe, the complaint also alleges that Adobe uses the ETF to ambush consumers to deter them from cancelling their subscriptions. The complaint also alleges that Adobe’s cancellation processes are designed to make cancellation difficult for consumers. When consumers have attempted to cancel their subscription on the company’s website, they have been forced to navigate numerous pages in order to cancel. When consumers reach out to Adobe’s customer service to cancel, they encounter resistance and delay from Adobe representatives. Consumers also experience other obstacles, such as dropped calls and chats, and multiple transfers. Some consumers who thought they had successfully cancelled their subscription reported that the company continued to charge them until discovering the charges on their credit card statements.</blockquote>
 ====Brigit====