Washington, D.C. — Consumer advocates are proud to announce the launch of EndSubscriptionTraps.com, a powerful new digital campaign designed to spotlight and end deceptive subscription practices through legislation. The website serves as a one-stop resource for states that want to adopt strong laws that give people the freedom to end their subscriptions without getting stuck in endless traps. States across the country are passing legislation, as it has become painfully clear that Americans are frustrated by subscription traps, free trials or low-cost sign-ups that are easy to start but nearly impossible to cancel.
“For too long, sellers have competed on who can design a more effective subscription trap rather than who can offer a product that people actually want to keep paying for,” said Erin Witte, Director of Consumer Protection at Consumer Federation of America. “Click to cancel laws give people the freedom to break up with products they no longer want, and they allow honest businesses to compete. We are ready to join the fight with states that want to end subscription traps.”
Backed by leading consumer groups, the Consumer Federation of America, the Center for Law & Economic Justice at UC Berkeley, and the American Economic Liberties Project, the site outlines legislative solutions, including model provisions in “Click to Cancel” legislation that would require companies to make cancellation as simple as signup.
“With prices rising across the economy, states today have a critical opportunity to save people money, make their lives easier, and level the playing field for honest businesses,” said Sam Levine, Senior Fellow at the UC Berkeley Center for Consumer Law and Economic Justice and former director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “This campaign will show that ending subscription traps is a reform that is overdue and bipartisan.”’
Additionally, the site empowers consumers to share personal subscription trap stories, highlighting the real-world harms of these deceptive cancellation tactics. With an interactive legislative tracker map, Wall of Shame, and further advocacy resources, the site transforms aggravation into action and supports reform at every level.
“As people’s budgets are increasingly strained past their breaking points by rising prices, some of the few expenses they can cut are subscriptions for services that are non-essential,” said Shelmun Dashan, National Director at the Economic Justice Policy Advocates Conference. “It is particularly outrageous for companies to illegally trap struggling consumers in subscriptions when they are fighting to afford to pay for basic necessities like housing, transportation, and food.”
“After the Trump administration failed to rein in deceptive subscription practices, state lawmakers have a clear and urgent opportunity to act,” said Pat Garofalo, Director of State and Local Policy at the American Economic Liberties Project. “Making it just as easy to cancel a subscription as it is to sign up is simple common sense and overwhelmingly popular. These subscription traps are designed to drain consumers’ wallets through confusion and obstruction, and ending them will bring immediate relief to households across the country. This campaign gives policymakers the tools they need to understand the harm, see what works, and take meaningful action to stop these abuses once and for all.”
Visit EndSubscriptionTraps.com to learn more and join the movement today.