3 ms·

Handy's a terrible service, actually. Creepy automatic recurring subscriptions for house cleaning, no way in the UI to cancel the subscription (!), frequent sit

Handy's a terrible service, actually. Creepy automatic recurring subscriptions for house cleaning, no way in the UI to cancel the subscription (!), frequent site downtimes. Had to go to great lengths to cancel an appointment I didn't create in the first place.

potatolicious 11y ago
> "no way in the UI to cancel the subscription" Handy isn't the only one, and this ought to be illegal. If I can sign up online I ought to be able to cancel online. These companies can lie to themselves and the public all they want - the exclusive purpose of making you call to cancel (or worse, visit a physical location) is to discourage cancellations. It compromises the notion of a free and voluntary exchange of money for services.
- JonFish85 11y ago
  I'd love for this to be the case. The New York Times also does this (you must call to cancel), which is a fantastic pain.
- FireBeyond 11y ago
  LA Fitness has this one down to a fine art. You have to send a form, -by certified mail- to an address. They will not let you cancel in person, on the phone, or online. And if you send in the paperwork, but not by certified mail? They'll toss it, unactioned.
  - Elepsis 11y ago
    Sounds like a recipe to have most of your cancellations be via chargeback.
  - duskwuff 11y ago
    This dark pattern is common to many gyms and fitness programs. :(
  - sireat 11y ago
    Was the cancellation form in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying "Beware of The Leopard"? :) How can the gyms get away with this?
    - potatolicious 11y ago
      If you look into the ownership of major gym chains you'll find that they are owned by financial companies - more specifically billing companies. It seems like providing the gym itself is more of a side hobby to the main business: find people to bill and keep billing them whether they like it or not, and build a core competence to avoid ever not billing someone.

potatolicious 11y ago

> "no way in the UI to cancel the subscription" Handy isn't the only one, and this ought to be illegal. If I can sign up online I ought to be able to cancel online. These companies can lie to themselves and the public all they want - the exclusive purpose of making you call to cancel (or worse, visit a physical location) is to discourage cancellations. It compromises the notion of a free and voluntary exchange of money for services.

JonFish85 11y ago
I'd love for this to be the case. The New York Times also does this (you must call to cancel), which is a fantastic pain.
FireBeyond 11y ago
LA Fitness has this one down to a fine art. You have to send a form, -by certified mail- to an address. They will not let you cancel in person, on the phone, or online. And if you send in the paperwork, but not by certified mail? They'll toss it, unactioned.
- Elepsis 11y ago
  Sounds like a recipe to have most of your cancellations be via chargeback.
- duskwuff 11y ago
  This dark pattern is common to many gyms and fitness programs. :(
- sireat 11y ago
  Was the cancellation form in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying "Beware of The Leopard"? :) How can the gyms get away with this?
  - potatolicious 11y ago
    If you look into the ownership of major gym chains you'll find that they are owned by financial companies - more specifically billing companies. It seems like providing the gym itself is more of a side hobby to the main business: find people to bill and keep billing them whether they like it or not, and build a core competence to avoid ever not billing someone.