Have you ever signed up for a subscription service online but been forced to cancel by picking up the phone and talking with a human? It’s incredibly common for companies to make it a breeze to sign up for a service only to then have it be a total chore to cancel. President Joe Biden wants to change all that in his last few months in the White House, and it would be a huge win for consumers if he can pull it off. The White House put out a press release on Monday about what it’s dubbed the “Time is Money” effort to, “crack down on all the ways that corporations—through excessive paperwork, hold times, and general aggravation—add unnecessary headaches and hassles to people’s days and degrade their quality of life.
” And if there’s any initiative put out by this White House that would have nearly universal support among the American people, it would probably be this one. The White House explains that businesses often trick consumers into paying for subscriptions they no longer want or didn’t sign up for, giving the examples of gym memberships, newspaper subscriptions, and cosmetics. But acknowledges that consumers “shouldn’t have to navigate a maze just to cancel unwanted subscriptions and recurring payments.
” “The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has proposed a rule that, if finalized as proposed, would require companies to make it as easy to cancel a subscription or service as it was to sign up for one,” the White House said in the release. “The .