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Comment by danaris | Hacker News Reader

You can probably avoid this—or, rather, cover your ass legally—by doing something like sending them a letter registered mail informing them that you are cancelling and will be blocking further payments.

It's far from a good solution, but it should at least put you in a better position vis-a-vis the courts if it comes to that.

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Suddenly waiting on the phone for 45 minutes doesn't sound so bad, unless proving a point is your main goal.

Actually there is another option. Make a complaint to your state's Attorney General's Office. They usually have a website for filing consumer complaints, and AGO will contact the business, and the business is usually responsive when contacted by AGO.

How does this work? Do you provide the AGO with your name, phone and address? Subscription details?

Yes. Here's the Texas AGO's web site, as an example: https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/consumer-protection/fil...

It certainly takes less that 45 minutes to send registered mail. There are even online services to which you can upload a PDF or document of your message. I have done this on numerous occasions.

For some people, being on the phone for 45 minutes (and what guarantee is there that you'd actually get to talk to them after 45 minutes?) during business hours is simply not an option. They would have to take time off from work, which a) might not be allowed, and b) if allowed would certainly reduce their pay.

Furthermore, there's an entire category of people for whom "talk on the phone" is not an option, period. If they wanted to cancel by the approved method, they'd not only need to take that time themselves, they'd need someone else willing to take that time with them.

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