[misstuned]

The same goes for all services. I was able to sign up for an ISP service (in the UK) online very easily, with a few clicks and entries onto a form to enter my details, choose my installation date, choose my speed, etc. Fast forward a few years, I'm leaving that house and need to cancel the internet - snail mail letter needed.

[nanoservices]

There is zero incentive for a company to invest in tooling and tech to make processes that lose them customers more efficient. This is something that has to be regulated and enforced. I just don't see a c-suit clamoring to spend money on making it easier to leave.

[tialaramex]

There is a reason to invest in this, the rationale goes as follows: Some of my customers will legitimately need to cancel, unsubscribe, stop using, or whatever, but they like the product. If I piss these customers off, they may recommend against using it, and refuse to ever use it again so I should accept that they're leaving with grace and maybe they'll return later. You can offer to "pause" a subscription for example, "Posted to Amundsen-Scott† for six months? Alas Swim Fun Inc don't have a pool there, but when you get back just hit resume and you can keep the same pricing, meanwhile we won't charge you".

But far too many "business leaders" are focused on short term gains at any cost and so this doesn't compute for them. They don't care that you currently like the product and would resubscribe when you get back from the pole, because that's a year or more away, they care about next quarter, and if you aren't income next quarter you're irrelevant to them, fuck you.

† Amundsen-Scott is the name of the base at the South Pole of the planet. It's a cool place. But lots of services aren't available there or would make no sense. You can't live there permanently, so those people are coming back.

[unsupp0rted]

The harder they make leaving, the less % chance that I'm ever coming back.

But I suppose they know and don't care.

[intended]

I am also very surprised that this is the case in the UK. From my experience, it was very easy to cancel internet in the UK. As in nearly dead simple.

[al_borland]

I tried to delete a Sony account (I had 2). Their site said to talk to support to get this done. I waited for 45 minutes, finally got to someone and they said I can’t. When I tried to mention the support site, they disconnected me, throwing me back in a 45 minute line if I felt like being hung up on again.

For a company that has been hacked multiple times, I find this unacceptable.

[litenboll]

It's similar here in Sweden. Usually they require a call to support, officially. However, I think there is a law/policy that require them to accept unsubscriptions by mail/message, regardless of what they say on their website. I recently did this and it worked! Maybe there's something similar in the UK?

[eckesicle]

Yes that’s right. You can unsubscribe by any which way you want. Mail, phone call, pigeon. Any message sent to any employee or office in anyway is deemed acceptable for giving notice for any service or contract.

[meindnoch]

Counter-anecdote: cancelling my Virgin Media plan was very simple. I've clicked through their online cancellation process, then they've sent me a prepaid return box for the modem, and that was it.

[ZeroGravitas]

I spent literally hours over several days on hold to cancel and when googling it this was widespread and hated.

Possibly you were very lucky, or they've buckled to the pressure caused by previous anti-consumer BS.

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2023/dec/19/i-was-cut-off-...

> Unlike providers who use the rival Openreach cable network, Virgin Media does not allow its six million broadband customers to cancel expired contracts online. Thirty days’ notice is required before any switch, compared with the 14 days’ notice required to switch Openreach providers.

A link to the ongoing Ofcom investigation into their shabby tactics:

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/switching-prov...

[tengbretson]

I had an internet service that could be signed up for on the internet, but required a phone call to cancel. During covid they could not staff their phone service properly so it was effectively broken (20 minute holds, getting booted from the queue, etc.), so I just closed the card and told them to pound sand.