Have you ever tried to unsubscribe from a website or service, only to find the process long, overly complex and far too annoying? You’re not alone, and many people in this position simply give up on cancelling the service they’re trying to – often continuing to pay monthly fees as a result.
The companies know this, in fact they rely on it, and the practice of sending someone trying to cancel a subscription through a series of increasingly complicated steps is known as a ‘dark pattern’ and unfortunately the practice is not illegal in Australia.
Now, research from the Consumer Policy Research Centre (CPRC) has found 75 per cent of Aussies have had a negative experience when trying to cancel a subscription. These ‘traps’ cost people time and money. The same study found one in 10 people had given up trying to cancel a subscription entirely due to how difficult the cancellation process was.
CPRC deputy CEO Chandni Gupta told The New Daily says the practices may be legal, but they’re certainly not ethical.
“If you’ve decided to join, but then you’ve decided I actually no longer want that, and then you’re trying to get yourself out and you can’t – that’s where the real harm is,” she said.
“It’s not a genuine choice.”
Ms Gupta says her group is calling on the government to crack down on dark patterns from businesses, as well as pushing for the ability to cancel a subscription via your bank, bypassing the original company completely.
“It would be amazing to be able to cancel [subscriptions] straight from your bank account,” Gupta said.
“And this is where we really need to see different sectors working together to help customers get out of paying for things they no longer need or want.”
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