Baller Alert
  • Home
    • News
    • Entertainment
    • The Baller Alert Show
    • Baller Alert Lists
    • Baller Alert Exclusives
    • Let Me Liv
    • Ballerific Music
    • That’s Baller
    • Fashion
    • Metaverse
    • Tech
    • Lifestyle
    • Sports
    • Op-Ed
    • Travel
    • Health
  • EVENTS
  • Videos
  • Shop
  • About
  • Political News
  • en español
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
    • News
    • Entertainment
    • The Baller Alert Show
    • Baller Alert Lists
    • Baller Alert Exclusives
    • Let Me Liv
    • Ballerific Music
    • That’s Baller
    • Fashion
    • Metaverse
    • Tech
    • Lifestyle
    • Sports
    • Op-Ed
    • Travel
    • Health
  • EVENTS
  • Videos
  • Shop
  • About
  • Political News
  • en español
No Result
View All Result
Baller Alert
No Result
View All Result

FTC Implements New Rule to Make Canceling Your Gym Membership and Subscriptions Much Easier

by Simone
October 16, 2024
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0
FTC Implements New Rule to Make Canceling Your Gym Memberships and Subscriptions Much Easier

istock

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has announced a new rule to simplify the cancellation process for subscriptions and memberships that consumers no longer want. The “click-to-cancel” rule, finalized on Tuesday, requires businesses to make it just as easy for customers to cancel subscriptions as it was to sign up for them.

FTC Chair Lina Khan emphasized the importance of this rule, explaining that consumers must be able to cancel on the same platform and with the same ease they used to enroll. “If you signed up online, you should be able to cancel online in the same number of steps,” she said in an interview.

The rule comes as part of the FTC’s broader “Time Is Money” initiative, aimed at addressing consumer frustrations. Khan noted that complaints about difficult-to-cancel subscriptions have surged, with the FTC now receiving about 70 complaints per day on the issue—up dramatically from previous years. When the rule was first proposed last year, the agency received over 16,000 comments from consumers voicing their concerns.

Khan explained that businesses often make signing up for services incredibly easy but create “doom loop” cancellation systems—such as unhelpful phone menus or repeated transfers between agents—that trap consumers into paying for services they no longer want. “All people want is some fairness and honesty, and that’s what this rule will do,” Khan said.

Not everyone supports the rule. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the nation’s largest business lobbying group, criticized the FTC’s move, saying it would “micromanage business practices.” In response, Khan argued that businesses shouldn’t rely on tricking customers into staying subscribed. “At the end of the day, if a business is dependent on tricking or trapping people into subscriptions, that’s not a good business model,” she said.

The new rule comes as the FTC ramps up legal action against companies accused of using deceptive subscription practices. The agency is currently suing Amazon over its Prime service, alleging that the tech giant makes it difficult for customers to cancel their subscriptions. Amazon has denied any wrongdoing, and the case is scheduled to go to trial next summer.

The challenges of canceling memberships aren’t limited to tech companies. NBC News reports that Haley Nelson, a Planet Fitness member from Minnesota, described her struggle to cancel her gym membership, which required her to do so in person despite her busy schedule. Nelson ended up paying for months of unused membership fees before finding time to cancel. “If they made it as easy to get out of a membership as it is to join, it would be very helpful,” she said, calling the FTC’s new rule a “positive step in the right direction.”

Planet Fitness responded by saying that their standard cancellation policy requires members to cancel either in person or by mail, though some locations and membership types offer online cancellation options. The company noted that 30% of its new memberships come from previous members.

 

Share this:

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest

Like this:

Like Loading...

Discover more from Baller Alert

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Related Posts

Amazon’s Delivery Robots Could Hit the Streets Sooner Than Expected
News

Amazon’s Delivery Robots Could Hit the Streets Sooner Than Expected

June 7, 2025

Amazon is moving deeper into robotics, and this time it’s not about warehouse automation. The company is reportedly working on...

Former Proud Boys Leader Enrique Tarrio Arrested Near U.S. Capitol
News

Proud Boys Suing U.S. for $100M Over Jan. 6 Convictions After Trump Pardons

June 7, 2025

Some of the Proud Boys who helped lead the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6 are now suing...

Fani Willis Breaks Her Silence After YSL Trial Ends Without Murder Convictions—Blames Judges, Not Prosecutors [Video]
News

Fani Willis Breaks Her Silence After YSL Trial Ends Without Murder Convictions—Blames Judges, Not Prosecutors [Video]

June 7, 2025

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is standing firm on the results of the highly publicized Young Slime Life (YSL)...

ICE Raids Spark Panic, Lockdowns and Protests in Los Angeles
News

ICE Raids Rock Los Angeles, Prompt Panic at Schools and Outrage in Latino Communities [Video]

June 7, 2025

Los Angeles turned into a scene of fear and chaos on Friday as ICE agents launched a series of immigration...

Next Post
Kamala Harris Launches HBCU Tour in Key Battleground States This Homecoming Season

Kamala Harris Throws Shade at Trump During BET Interview: “He’s Weak”

Leave a ReplyCancel reply

Baller News

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

* indicates required

Follow Us

Subscribe to Blog

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

© Copyright 2024, Baller Alert Inc. All Rights Reserved

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
    • News
    • Entertainment
    • The Baller Alert Show
    • Baller Alert Lists
    • Baller Alert Exclusives
    • Let Me Liv
    • Ballerific Music
    • That’s Baller
    • Fashion
    • Metaverse
    • Tech
    • Lifestyle
    • Sports
    • Op-Ed
    • Travel
    • Health
  • EVENTS
  • Videos
  • Shop
  • About
  • Political News
  • en español
%d