this post was submitted on 06 Sep 2023
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Privacy
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I haven't seen it but what I often do is that I create a virtual credit card with only the amount needed - my bank makes that possible - and then they just can't get any more money and more often than not just give up. I try to cancel but sometimes it's impossible.
I like this idea too, but in some countries if you don't pay something, the company can add you to a nationwide "blacklist" that will give you a lot of headaches later. For instance, trying to get a loan from a bank, or insurance for something. There's a good chance those will be denied if you are on that list.
I had a subscription with special pricing to my local paper. After the introductory period was over, they raised the price from like $5 a month to $22. I didn't want to pay that much so I went to cancel but they do one of those, sorry, you can only cancel by calling us and listening to us plead with you to keep your subscription. I ended up just changing my card to a virtual one with a penny on it and after a thousand phone calls and mailers and a few months they finally auto cancelled my subscription. In this scenario, you'd still be pegged with a negative remark where you're from?
Well i'm from Germany. You can't just stop paying and they can't force you to listen to their pleas.
A simple informal email is enough to cancel most anything.
You can always get back money that was withdrawn from your bank account (probably a SEPA thing) and as long as payments are in dispute (you have to disagree with wrong invoices in writing) they can't charge you extra.