Saying No to Your Customers

At my old job, I built subscription management pages. The kind that should let customers cancel with a few clicks. We were a customer service automation company. Most clients understood this basic courtesy. One did not.

The Subscription Trap

The dirty secret of ecommerce is how easily one-time purchases become recurring charges. Companies bury auto-renewal clauses in microscopic text during checkout, then claim you consented to their terms. Technically true. Ethically bankrupt.

When "Fun" Becomes Manipulation

During a demo call, this client proposed their cancellation "innovation": Users would need to reply to an email with the exact phrase "Yeah, I don't want to shave my balls"—no variations accepted. Their team laughed. I didn't.

This wasn't humor. It was calculated obstruction disguised as brand personality. Make cancellation embarrassing and tedious, and more people will give up trying.

The Dark Pattern Playbook

Their request was egregious, but not unique. Common tricks include:

• Bait-and-switch renewals: Free trials that silently convert to paid
• Interface sabotage: Cancellation buttons hidden behind five menus
• Emotional blackmail: "Are you sure? Your [body part] will suffer!" prompts

These tactics work. That's why California's AB 2863 now mandates equal effort for sign-up and cancellation by 2025.

Why We Walked Away

As a startup, we needed clients. But not like this:

1. Data showed frictionless cancellations increased repeat buyers by a significant margin
2. Legal risk grew daily as regulators targeted dark patterns
3. Basic decency shouldn't be negotiable

When we refused, they vanished. Weeks later, Planet Fitness was sued over their in-person cancellation policy—proof this isn't just about one bad actor.

The Way Forward

Subscriptions aren't inherently predatory. The problem is companies viewing customers as hostages rather than partners. Until that changes, we'll keep needing laws to enforce what should be obvious: if you wouldn't tolerate it as a consumer, don't build it as a business.

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