NOTE: This article is not about any of the “normal” topics of this newsletter: genealogy, history, current affairs, DNA, and related topics. However, it is information that I believe every computer user should know.
Don’t let unethical companies force you to call to cancel.
Most services are easy to sign up for. You enter some info, punch in those credit card numbers, and shazam! A subscription is born. The reverse isn’t always the case. Many companies make canceling their services way harder than subscribing, which should be illegal. And in some places, it is—a fact you can use to your advantage.
Being forced to call in is unacceptable when subscribing takes 30 seconds online. But if the FTC isn’t going to do anything more than issue a warning or rely on regular people to report these shady companies, there is something you can do to fight back: Lie.
You can read the full article by Jake Peterson published in the LifeHacker web site at: https://lifehacker.com/how-to-cancel-a-subscription-online-even-when-the-compa-1850117577.
Comment by Dick Eastman: I have a similar method that I found works well. I go to privacy.com at https://privacy.com/ and sign up for a pseudo credit card for a maximum charge of $1.00 or some similar amount. Then I go to the questionable web site and change my credit card number on file to the new (low maximum price) card number. When it comes time to automatically renew, the charge bounces (as long as the charge is for more than $1.00).
After sending me 2 or 3 notices that I “need” to change my credit card number (which I will never do), the vendor then cancels my account for non-payment.
Simple. Effective.