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Cox, a major cable operator, allows you to sign up and add any services you want online. However, partially removing or cancelling services online is expressly

Cox, a major cable operator, allows you to sign up and add any services you want online. However, partially removing or cancelling services online is expressly forbidden. For example, if you wish to keep Internet service but cancel cable TV, a call is required. I know it’s a different process, but wanted to reilluminate the some of the measures taken against disconnecting a service in general. Once you do call, which I had to do for some older relatives recently, they invoke a high pressure sales pitch in the form of a question decision tree script. The script requires the reps to start down the decision tree asking questions like, “Why are you disconnecting your service today?”, and then using that answer and others to slowly incent/coerce you into a corner intended to make you feel it would be an absurd decision to downgrade service. I recorded the call (legal because they are recording it as well) to avoid misunderstandings about the precise details of what was being politely requested. In response to every script question, I gave one simple answer. “Sir, why are you downgrading your service today?”. I reply, “It’s a secret”. After a few seconds of hesitation, another question follows. “Is there anything you are not happy about with our service?”, “If we could save you more money than any other service would you be interested in hearing about it?”. Sorry, that’s also a secret. Surprisingly, it short circuited the script pretty quickly without any social discomfort or feeling a need to justify myself. They allowed the changes to proceed, fully documented.

sokoloff 9y ago
Blue Apron is the same way (easy sign-up online, cancellation on the website tells you to call this phone number). So for the last year, I've been typing in "Blue Apron" to google every couple of weeks, clicking on their paid ad, and skipping the next 5 weeks of deliveries. :)
- prklmn 9y ago
  We need single click online cancellation legislation at the federal level. If you can sign up online, you should be able to just as easily cancel online. https://techcrunch.com/2016/03/30/tech-blogger-makes-good/ https://techcrunch.com/2016/03/30/tech-blogger-makes-good/
- briandear 9y ago
  The New York Times uses this cancellation process as well. I don’t feel bad about violating their paywall now after being forced to actually talk to a person to do something that should be enabled with a single click.
  - omerhj 9y ago
    The NYT now has an option to cancel using a chat window -- and I'm pretty sure the operator that you're chatting with is a bot.
idle_processor 9y ago
Time Warner didn't respect the choice to not disclose a reason. They went in circles a few times, instead of dropping the question and advancing the script.
- WhitneyLand 9y ago
  Facinsating, although I empathize. I assume peaceful resistance of politely reiterating the reason is private would require them to yield eventually? If not, seems like it’d make for a great audio clip for some morning news show.
  - graedus 9y ago
    You can listen to a classic example of this behavior from Comcast here: https://soundcloud.com/ryan-block-10/comcastic-service https://soundcloud.com/ryan-block-10/comcastic-service
- reificator 9y ago
  It's likely on a per-callcentre and per-agent basis. Remember the agent is often required to record your disposition at the end of every contact, they can face consequences if they misuse buttons like "Answering Machine" and "Hang Up". So if they get ahold of you, they really want to get a reason out of you.
flukus 9y ago
Fortunately the bank allows me to block transactions online. What's the appropriate due diligence to ensure the don't try to continue charging you? Would an email requesting disconnection suffice in front of a judge?
fma 9y ago
Same with Simplisafe. You can activate online, but need to call the cancel. This is for "security"...which is bull crap because if you have access to the online account, you have access to the "safe word" that supposedly protects your account. I called a few times to cancel, each time I hung up after 10 minutes. Finally I opted to leave a voicemail to get a call back. After a few days I finally got a call back and cancelled. Service was terminated immediately. If they really wanted to protect you, you would give you a few more days for free and also confirm that you is 2FA so a burglar doesn't cancel your system without you knowing and then robbing you.
1812Overture 9y ago
My tactic is always to pretend to be an assistant doing it for my boss so I have no authority to do anything but cancel/downgrade etc.
- conorcleary 9y ago
  Sometimes will backfire if you are not 'authorized' to even do that, by the service you are cancelling.
ams6110 9y ago
Don't call. Go into the local customer service office. There you will talk to a real human being who is not making a lot of money and probably struggling to pay her own cable bill. She will be sympathetic. She will put you on the new customer discount plan, or cancel whatever you want without a lot of pushback.
rdtsc 9y ago
> Cox, a major cable operator, allows you to sign up and add any services you want online Yap I am with them and noticed that as well. Pretty annoying. But same as many gyms (some even require you to send a letter, a call is not even enough). I am lucky there is Verizon Fios so every few years I call whichever service I have and scare them that I am switching to the competitor. So then they either give me a discount or I switch and get a discount.
stryk 9y ago
I have always just said "we are moving to an area that you do not service" and that's the end of that. The worst is at the freakin' grocery store. If you have to go to the aisle with a cashier, they ask for your store-brand 'saver[slash-spyware] card'. If you tell them you don't have one it's usually followed by a "would you like to sign up..." "No, thank you." and then a "Can I have your phone number" at that point I'm annoyed. I am just trying to buy some Golden Grahams here lady you don't need my phone number, no I'm not giving you that. I actually had one poor girl look at me like a lost puppy at this point. I don't think she'd ever had anyone decline before - and that scares the hell out of me. She had no idea what to do, the register wouldn't continue the transaction without inputting a phone number. After a few seconds of her staring at me bewildered I had to suggest she try just holding her finger down on the 1 key.
em3rgent0rdr 9y ago
They might get wise to the "it's a secret" tactic and add that case to their decision tree.
DrScump 9y ago
However, partially removing or cancelling services online is expressly forbidden. Same with the Wall Street Journal. I went through this twice. The first time, they didn't process the cancellation at all. The second time, they delayed it two extra days so that they charged me another cycle. Both times, I was routed to an offshore call center.

sokoloff 9y ago

Blue Apron is the same way (easy sign-up online, cancellation on the website tells you to call this phone number). So for the last year, I've been typing in "Blue Apron" to google every couple of weeks, clicking on their paid ad, and skipping the next 5 weeks of deliveries. :)

prklmn 9y ago
We need single click online cancellation legislation at the federal level. If you can sign up online, you should be able to just as easily cancel online. https://techcrunch.com/2016/03/30/tech-blogger-makes-good/ https://techcrunch.com/2016/03/30/tech-blogger-makes-good/
briandear 9y ago
The New York Times uses this cancellation process as well. I don’t feel bad about violating their paywall now after being forced to actually talk to a person to do something that should be enabled with a single click.
- omerhj 9y ago
  The NYT now has an option to cancel using a chat window -- and I'm pretty sure the operator that you're chatting with is a bot.

idle_processor 9y ago

Time Warner didn't respect the choice to not disclose a reason. They went in circles a few times, instead of dropping the question and advancing the script.

WhitneyLand 9y ago
Facinsating, although I empathize. I assume peaceful resistance of politely reiterating the reason is private would require them to yield eventually? If not, seems like it’d make for a great audio clip for some morning news show.
- graedus 9y ago
  You can listen to a classic example of this behavior from Comcast here: https://soundcloud.com/ryan-block-10/comcastic-service https://soundcloud.com/ryan-block-10/comcastic-service
reificator 9y ago
It's likely on a per-callcentre and per-agent basis. Remember the agent is often required to record your disposition at the end of every contact, they can face consequences if they misuse buttons like "Answering Machine" and "Hang Up". So if they get ahold of you, they really want to get a reason out of you.

flukus 9y ago

Fortunately the bank allows me to block transactions online. What's the appropriate due diligence to ensure the don't try to continue charging you? Would an email requesting disconnection suffice in front of a judge?

fma 9y ago

Same with Simplisafe. You can activate online, but need to call the cancel. This is for "security"...which is bull crap because if you have access to the online account, you have access to the "safe word" that supposedly protects your account. I called a few times to cancel, each time I hung up after 10 minutes. Finally I opted to leave a voicemail to get a call back. After a few days I finally got a call back and cancelled. Service was terminated immediately. If they really wanted to protect you, you would give you a few more days for free and also confirm that you is 2FA so a burglar doesn't cancel your system without you knowing and then robbing you.

1812Overture 9y ago

My tactic is always to pretend to be an assistant doing it for my boss so I have no authority to do anything but cancel/downgrade etc.

conorcleary 9y ago
Sometimes will backfire if you are not 'authorized' to even do that, by the service you are cancelling.

ams6110 9y ago

Don't call. Go into the local customer service office. There you will talk to a real human being who is not making a lot of money and probably struggling to pay her own cable bill. She will be sympathetic. She will put you on the new customer discount plan, or cancel whatever you want without a lot of pushback.

rdtsc 9y ago

> Cox, a major cable operator, allows you to sign up and add any services you want online Yap I am with them and noticed that as well. Pretty annoying. But same as many gyms (some even require you to send a letter, a call is not even enough). I am lucky there is Verizon Fios so every few years I call whichever service I have and scare them that I am switching to the competitor. So then they either give me a discount or I switch and get a discount.

stryk 9y ago

I have always just said "we are moving to an area that you do not service" and that's the end of that. The worst is at the freakin' grocery store. If you have to go to the aisle with a cashier, they ask for your store-brand 'saver[slash-spyware] card'. If you tell them you don't have one it's usually followed by a "would you like to sign up..." "No, thank you." and then a "Can I have your phone number" at that point I'm annoyed. I am just trying to buy some Golden Grahams here lady you don't need my phone number, no I'm not giving you that. I actually had one poor girl look at me like a lost puppy at this point. I don't think she'd ever had anyone decline before - and that scares the hell out of me. She had no idea what to do, the register wouldn't continue the transaction without inputting a phone number. After a few seconds of her staring at me bewildered I had to suggest she try just holding her finger down on the 1 key.

em3rgent0rdr 9y ago

They might get wise to the "it's a secret" tactic and add that case to their decision tree.

DrScump 9y ago

However, partially removing or cancelling services online is expressly forbidden. Same with the Wall Street Journal. I went through this twice. The first time, they didn't process the cancellation at all. The second time, they delayed it two extra days so that they charged me another cycle. Both times, I was routed to an offshore call center.