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I had a similar ordeal cancelling The Economist subscription in 2020. I had to call someone (offshore) who tried to retain me with months free, and then starte

I had a similar ordeal cancelling The Economist subscription in 2020. I had to call someone (offshore) who tried to retain me with months free, and then started trying to push emails (???) which I explicitly said no to... and then they turned them all on anyway when I cancelled. I don't have a way to turn them off so they go straight to spam now ("unsubscribe" doesn't work, and I don't care enough to escalate any further) Never subscribing for news again - they're killing themselves at this point.

cgriswald 4y ago
I wonder if it is still possible to subscribe by mail. I originally subscribed that way awhile ago, but within the last couple of years let my subscription lapse and that was the end of it (other than the frequent letters trying to get me to re-subscribe).
the_biot 4y ago
Yup, The Economist are terrible spammers. I tried many many times to get them to stop sending me all that garbage about their events and whatever, and they just don't do it. Fortunately I have an email address custom to them, so I just deleted it. Now when my subscription lapses I won't get the notifications. Here's the thing about The Economist: everything they do that is not related to journalism is a complete shitshow. Subscriptions, phone app, spamming, just awful.
- nindalf 4y ago
  I can’t say I’ve had an issue with spam. I remember receiving a few emails that I unsubscribed from. The link at the bottom of the email worked. Phone app - subjective, but it’s one of the few I allow on my phone.
- jasomill 4y ago
  Agree, but this isn't all bad: their broken Web platform gave me free online access for years, because I noticed the "temporary instant access" link from the original subscription confirmation email was both reusable, and had no apparent expiration date, so continued to yield "temporary instant access" on-demand for at least five years after my subscription lapsed, and only stopped working as an apparent side-effect of a site reorganization that included a new authentication flow that wasn't compatible with the old link. As far as I know, it'd still work if I took the time to figure out how to enter promo codes into the new system, but, hey, it was a good run.
Veen 4y ago
It's a little easier now. They have a chat interface. When I cancelled recently I included "I'm not interested in offers for reduced price subscriptions" in my first message. They didn't push it and my subscription was canceled 5 minutes or so.

cgriswald 4y ago

I wonder if it is still possible to subscribe by mail. I originally subscribed that way awhile ago, but within the last couple of years let my subscription lapse and that was the end of it (other than the frequent letters trying to get me to re-subscribe).

the_biot 4y ago

Yup, The Economist are terrible spammers. I tried many many times to get them to stop sending me all that garbage about their events and whatever, and they just don't do it. Fortunately I have an email address custom to them, so I just deleted it. Now when my subscription lapses I won't get the notifications. Here's the thing about The Economist: everything they do that is not related to journalism is a complete shitshow. Subscriptions, phone app, spamming, just awful.

nindalf 4y ago
I can’t say I’ve had an issue with spam. I remember receiving a few emails that I unsubscribed from. The link at the bottom of the email worked. Phone app - subjective, but it’s one of the few I allow on my phone.
jasomill 4y ago
Agree, but this isn't all bad: their broken Web platform gave me free online access for years, because I noticed the "temporary instant access" link from the original subscription confirmation email was both reusable, and had no apparent expiration date, so continued to yield "temporary instant access" on-demand for at least five years after my subscription lapsed, and only stopped working as an apparent side-effect of a site reorganization that included a new authentication flow that wasn't compatible with the old link. As far as I know, it'd still work if I took the time to figure out how to enter promo codes into the new system, but, hey, it was a good run.

Veen 4y ago

It's a little easier now. They have a chat interface. When I cancelled recently I included "I'm not interested in offers for reduced price subscriptions" in my first message. They didn't push it and my subscription was canceled 5 minutes or so.