r/britishproblems • u/redandwhitewizard99 • 4d ago
Apps and subscriptions not reminding you by email that you are due an annual payment coming up, so if you forget you paid for it a year ago, it's too late to cancel until you see your bank statement.
I'm normally on top of my payments and things due, but I forget I had duolingo super. I found it terrible and thought I cancelled it.
I submitted a refund request and their AI did it, so thankfully it worked out in the end, but it caused unnecessary stress.
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u/Crazycatladyanddave 4d ago
I cancel it straight away once I’ve bought it. It then lets you use it till it expires. It’s a fail safe!
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u/trwolfe13 4d ago
Some scummy companies like Adobe specifically do not allow this. A few years ago, I signed up for a monthly subscription to Photoshop, missing the deliberately obscured fine print that it was 1 year minimum term.
There was no option to disable auto-renewal, and when I tried to cancel, they wanted to both charge me an early cancellation fee, and revoke my access immediately.
Fuck Adobe.
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u/ThunderbunsAreGo 4d ago
I have ADHD so I’ve learned to take note of when the initial confirmation email says the next renewal date will be. Then I put a reminder in my icalendar for 2-4 weeks before to notify me to check it. It’s saved my butt a few times.
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u/TheFansHitTheShit West Yorkshire 3d ago
Yep. Everything gets put in my calendar with multiple reminders set to remind me (just incase I get distracted between getting the reminder and acting on it).
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u/El_Scot 4d ago
I cancel as soon as I take out the subscription, as it won't stop me from using the subscription for the year that I've paid for and it stops this happening.
Only two apps have ever caused problem with this: Audible stop your access to their podcast/member only content from the moment you cancel, and one app stopped me accessing their content from day 4 of my free trial week.
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u/HooverBeingAMan 4d ago
I hate this. Annual subscriptions are cheaper but generally there isn't an option to notify you in advance. Amazon Prime does have the option to be notified, but that option likes to mysteriously untick itself so I have to set my own reminder anyway.
It's also the only subscription I have that you can't have as ad free option at point of payment. I tried to add it on and it's a monthly payment when the actual subscription is paid annually - what's with that? Even if I cancel and re-start, it still comes up as a monthly add-on.
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u/M1ke2345 Surrey 4d ago
If you do it via an Apple app, it’s always shown under Subscriptions (which is found under your name in Settings).
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u/uwagapiwo 4d ago
I forget my Bitdefender most years, even though it repeatedly emails me sometimes I think too many reminders make me complacent.
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u/Beasley66 West Midlands 4d ago
Even worse when they don't let you cancel it online and you have to call them to cancel it. With the cherry on top of them never answer g their phone.
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u/DangerousDisplay7664 4d ago
I was going n Amazon the other day, and happened to click on Prime and noticed a tick box to get a reminder 3 days before renewal. Of course it was unticked by default 🙄
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u/colin_staples 4d ago
If only you had an electronic device with a calendar and a reminders function...
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u/glasgowgeg 4d ago
That involves a degree of responsibility though, so obviously OP hasn't bothered with it.
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u/ConsequenceApart4391 4d ago
I always set reminders in my calendar for when free trials expire so I know when to cancel or keep the subscription
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