Law NY Attorney General sues Sirius XM - claims their process to cancel subscription is illegal

[MicroBrew]

TL : DR
The Attorney General of New York is suing Sirius XM, for making their subscription cancellation process unreasonably tedious and long. The AG says this is illegal business practice.


New York Attorney General Letitia James this week filed a lawsuit against SiriusXM, accusing the satellite radio and streaming audio company of “trapping consumers” in subscriptions and “maintaining deliberately long and burdensome cancellation processes.”

An investigation by James’ office found that SiriusXM “forces its subscribers to call or chat online with an agent to cancel a subscription, then deliberately draws out those interactions as part of its strategy to prevent subscribers from canceling.” The lawsuit alleges that SiriusXM violated state and federal laws concerning subscriptions that renew automatically by failing to provide subscribers with a cancelation mechanism that is “simple, timely and easy to use.” In addition, the suit alleges that SiriusXM engaged in fraud and deception by misleading subscribers seeking to cancel their accounts.

SiriusXM Sued Over ‘Illegal’ Cancellation Process, New York Attorney General Says

The process of canceling a SiriusXM subscription isn’t just annoying — it’s illegal, according to a lawsuit filed by New York’s attorney general. New York Attorney General Letitia James this week filed a lawsuit against SiriusXM, accusing the satellite radio and streaming audio company of...

www.yahoo.com

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I've never had Sirius; but I have run into some auto-renewal online subscriptions that are very long and tedious to cancel. I know these companies are doing this very deliberately, to make it as much a hassle as possible, so that people just give up or are confused on how to cancel.

 

[ferrisjso]

The Attorney General of New York is suing Sirius XM, for making their subscription process unreasonably tedious and long. The AG says this is illegal business practice.

New York Attorney General Letitia James this week filed a lawsuit against SiriusXM, accusing the satellite radio and streaming audio company of “trapping consumers” in subscriptions and “maintaining deliberately long and burdensome cancellation processes.”

An investigation by James’ office found that SiriusXM “forces its subscribers to call or chat online with an agent to cancel a subscription, then deliberately draws out those interactions as part of its strategy to prevent subscribers from canceling.” The lawsuit alleges that SiriusXM violated state and federal laws concerning subscriptions that renew automatically by failing to provide subscribers with a cancelation mechanism that is “simple, timely and easy to use.” In addition, the suit alleges that SiriusXM engaged in fraud and deception by misleading subscribers seeking to cancel their accounts.

SiriusXM Sued Over ‘Illegal’ Cancellation Process, New York Attorney General Says

The process of canceling a SiriusXM subscription isn’t just annoying — it’s illegal, according to a lawsuit filed by New York’s attorney general. New York Attorney General Letitia James this week filed a lawsuit against SiriusXM, accusing the satellite radio and streaming audio company of...

www.yahoo.com

--

I've never had Sirius; but I have run into some auto-renewal online subscriptions that are very long and tedious to cancel. I know these companies are doing this very deliberately, to make it as much a hassle as possible, so that people just give up or are confused on how to cancel.

I think this is one of the reasons more and more people just don't buy any media related products. While being economically squeezed is a bigger part of it signing up for things has slowly become perceived as a risk. It feels more predatory than a simple transcation.

 

[emefer]

I can attest. The cancellation process is a never ending sales pitch. I found myself repeating the phrase “cancel my subscription” to a living person about ten times in a row before she got it.

 

[HereticBD]

They're certainly not unique in that regard, but yeah, canceling shit should be as easy as signing up for it. Not sure what laws are being broken here, though. They're not technically stopping anyone from canceling. They're merely preying on our laziness.

 

[panem-et-circenses]

It's true. They aren't just persistent, it's a weirdo way of doing things, and the people on the other line are trained to press you in an obnoxious manner, refusing to listen.

 

[BreatheSherBro]

I had to wait over an hour to cancel mine. They put me on hold multiple times and made me listen to a sales pitch. Never again.

 

[mb23100]

Good. Do Cox Cable next

 

[terrapin]

This is the right kind of move I would expect from a government that serves its people. This is the kind of stuff that adds up and creates mass shooters.

 

[MicroBrew]

They're certainly not unique in that regard, but yeah, canceling shit should be as easy as signing up for it. Not sure what laws are being broken here, though. They're not technically stopping anyone from canceling. They're merely preying on our laziness.

It's not laziness when the companies give people the run around, making them wait for an unreasonably long time and have to make repeated calls and repeat everything they said multiple times. It's a deliberate policy by some companies to stop people cancelling their subscription.

 

[HereticBD]

It's not laziness when the companies give people the run around, making them wait for an unreasonably long time and have to make repeated calls and repeat everything they said multiple times. It's a deliberate policy by some companies to stop people cancelling their subscription.

No, it is still counting on people to go "Oh' fuck this shit", and keeping their subscription, rather than deal with the hassle. I'm not saying it's right, but it is what it is. You can still cancel it, if you have the resolve.

Not against this move, and hopefully it will cause some changes, but them boys have good lawyers, and I don't see a crime here.

 

[fedorthegoat777]

I cancel my credit card every other year to avoid crap like this. Start fresh.

 

[nhbfan8080]

There should be a law to make it easy to cancel subs by forcing companies to include a cancel option in their app or website without speaking to anyone. Just need to enter the login password to confirm the process and done.

 

[Siver!]

There should be a law to make it easy to cancel subs by forcing companies to include a cancel option in their app or website without speaking to anyone. Just need to enter the login password to confirm the process and done.

Totally agree.

It's incredibly easy to unsubscribe from, say WWE Network, and it should be the exact same process for every single subscription service out there.

If they're employing people to 'handle' people cancelling subscriptions, it's purely to delay/filibuster, and not in the interest of the consumer.

 

[Michaelangelo]

Comcast Xfinity makes you call them or send in mail to make your cancellation. Meanwhile you can sign up online but can’t cancel online. It’s just like a gym membership.

 

[terrapin]

It's not laziness when the companies give people the run around, making them wait for an unreasonably long time anld have to make repeated calls and repeat everything they said multiple times. It's a deliberate policy by some companies to stop people cancelling their subscription.

Framing it as laziness is batshit insane actually. It's just wanting to deal with honest actors who aren't full of s*** and playing games constantly. Its certainly not too much to ask from a company you are giving money to.

Nobody should have to walk into a spider's web of hidden design when they sign up for a product.

 

[mixmastermo]

I can attest. The cancellation process is a never ending sales pitch. I found myself repeating the phrase “cancel my subscription” to a living person about ten times in a row before she got it.

I hear you. It takes a special kind of person to do that kind of job.

Ever deal with sales people who are persistent and will not take no for an answer? Like someone trying to sell you a phone- you can tell them you have a phone you like and they will say "ok, get another one, check the features of this one" etc.

I could never work that kind of job. I feel like it takes a special combination of ignorance and psychopathy to be that pushy.

 

[Belaya Smert]

I have successfully canceled my internet provider. Operating under the name Spectrum. They call twice a week, send emails weekly, and weekly mail fliers to my home. This has been going on for over two years. They need a service to get some of these outfits to lose your data and contacts all together.

 

[lilelvis]

They are dicks, for sure.. I cancelled one vehicle out of three about a year ago. I still get a monthly ”we want you back” email. they must have a 15 year old emo chick as the head of customer service.
#godamhowardstern

 

[650lb Sumo]

Can you not just unilaterally cancel the subscription with your bank or credit card provider?

 

[panamaican]

I hear you. It takes a special kind of person to do that kind of job.

Ever deal with sales people who are persistent and will not take no for an answer? Like someone trying to sell you a phone- you can tell them you have a phone you like and they will say "ok, get another one, check the features of this one" etc.

I could never work that kind of job. I feel like it takes a special combination of ignorance and psychopathy to be that pushy.

It's one of the things I hated in college jobs - the responsibility of upselling. Not my cup of tea.