More and more people have succumbed to invitations of free trials and have been bamboozled into paying more for a subscription they never even wanted in the first place. Free trials of products or services are introduced to consumers hoping to try out the said product or service. Months later, they discover they have been paying up to hundreds or thousands for something they have not agreed to.This is an example of a subscription trap.
Subscription traps are a way of presenting products and services in a way that consumers who had signed up for free trials and unwittingly pay for a continued subscription after the trial period has passed. These products may be in the form of magazines, wellness products, pharmaceuticals, streaming services, or mobile services and products.
In principle, free trials are a good marketing strategy for companies to increase brand and product recognition without customers having to incur costs and there is nothing wrong with this. However, if the consumer is automatically signed up to a continued subscription without the consumer’s prior knowledge, then that would be considered misleading, which leads to a problem. They somehow do this by asking for specific details and account or credit card numbers as proof of identity, then retaining those details to draw monthly or yearly payments.
One big problem faced by consumers lured to subscription traps is that they sometimes find they are unable to cancel the subscription right away or that they are suddenly locked into a contract without them knowing. Most companies do this by placing specific conditions as fine print on their Terms & Conditions page.
To avoid falling into subscription traps, always take time to read the terms and conditions before paying and be on the lookout for specific clauses that pertain to future subscriptions. Never provide any details about your account or credit card without doing any research about the product, service, or provider. If account details were provided, be sure to check your account history from time to time to spot any anomaly. Make sure that there is no lock-in period or contract to avoid any breach of contract in the future.
If you somehow find that you have fallen victim to a subscription trap, contact your bank immediately to cancel all payments. Also make sure to contact the product or service provider to immediately cancel the subscription if the bank will not do it for you and demand reimbursement. You may need to report to government agencies if you are unable to cancel these subscriptions if you are unable to cancel the subscription and collect reimbursement from the bank or the product or service provider.