NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Lawmakers want to get money back in your pocket. A bill being taken up Thursday aims to make it easier to cancel subscriptions you might have signed up for.
You've likely been in this situation. You sign up for a service online but canceling it isn't as easy.
"The day comes where we want to be unsubscribed and we find it extremely difficult to do," said Sen. Kerry Roberts, R-Springfield, at a hearing on the bill in February. "We may find there's no link online to unsubscribe or there might be a 1-800 number that we're supposed to call and nobody answers."
If this bill passes, businesses will have to offer a toll-free phone number, an email address or a postal address if they directly bill you, or some other kind of easy-to-use way, to cancel the subscription.
If the business handles everything online, the service needs to be able to be canceled online.
The bill mentions the possibility of going as far as having a formatted email from the business that you can send back to the company without having to add any extra details.
It also mentions if they change the terms of your subscription they have to tell you how to cancel.
There are some businesses that would be exempt from these rules, like financial institutions, utilities and insurance companies.
This could become a reality soon. The bill has already passed the state House. If the Senate passes it Thursday, it will go to Gov. Bill Lee's desk to sign into law.
