Do subscription-cancelling services actually work?

Have you ever had a hard time cancelling a subscription service and wish someone could do it for you?

Websites are offering to cancel services on your behalf by sending templated letters, claiming to help customers unsubscribe from a range of services from streaming platforms and software to gym memberships and newspapers.

Netherlands-based Unsubby and Xpendy offer to send cancellation letters to a range of services available in Australia. The Xpendy website says companies are “legally required” to cancel subscriptions within 10 business days of receiving a letter.

Both websites charge $25–$30 per letter, and also offer their own subscription models where users can send multiple letters and track subscriptions across different platforms.

Consumer Policy Research Centre (CPRC) deputy CEO Chandni Gupta says using these third-party services can seem enticing given how difficult it can be to cancel a subscription.

“Being a consumer today is just as taxing as a full-time job, or at least a side hustle no one signed up for.” 

A 2024 report by CPRC found three in four Australians had trouble cancelling a subscription  and one in ten find it so difficult they give up and continue paying for a service they don’t want.

Can these services actually unsubscribe you?

While these subscription-cancelling services offer to make life easier, can they actually cancel, say, your Netflix subscription?

No, according to Netflix. A spokesperson told CHOICE third-party letters are not an effective means of cancelling your Netflix membership.

“Our members shouldn’t be paying for these services when cancellation via Netflix is free and easy,” the spokesperson said.

Netflix has received notice indicating that some customers may be attempting to cancel their subscriptions through Unsubby under the mistaken belief that Unsubby is affiliated with Netflix.

Even Unsubby’s terms and conditions say the company cannot assure the successful cancellation of contracts and that it is the customer’s duty to ensure this is correctly executed, though it does say it offers a full refund to unsatisfied customers.

Telcos say no too

Xpendy and Unsubby also offer to cancel services with Australian telcos, however, both Optus and Telstra told CHOICE they would not accept these templated letters to end customers’ services.

Professor of Law at the University of Melbourne Jeannie Paterson says subscription-cancelling services should not be making claims they cannot deliver on.

“You should not tell people that you, as a third party, are able to terminate subscriptions, and do it promptly, if that is not the case,” Paterson says.

While these companies are based in Europe where there are different laws, she says that is no excuse for misleading Australian customers.

Neither Unsubby nor Xpendy responded to CHOICE’s questions.

However, Paterson says companies like Netflix who refuse to accept these letters are being unreasonable. “I cannot see why there is a problem with accepting a letter as a way of cancelling a contract,” she says.

Paterson says many older people, for example, may not be comfortable navigating online accounts, often set up by their children, and need to be given an accessible way to cancel subscriptions.

She says she cannot see a good reason for a letter not to be sufficient, and a subscription provider may just be avoiding extra work.

CHOICE understands that Netflix does not wish to accept these letters due to the fact that it is a global company with customer service operations based overseas. 

In response to these letters, customers are being directed to their website to complete the cancellation process.

Both Telstra and Optus told CHOICE they do not accept third-party cancellation letters due to privacy and security reasons.

“We have really strong protections in place to ensure we only deal directly with our customers or their properly authorised representatives,” Telstra customer service executive Amy Child says. 

“A letter that says it is being sent on their behalf isn’t enough.”

An Optus spokesperson told CHOICE “we must verify the identity and authority of the person making the request before any account changes can be processed”.

Subscription traps

While there may be legitimate security concerns around cancelling services through a third party, making it difficult to cancel subscriptions is often used as a business strategy.

Chandni Gupta from CPRC says businesses use a series of so-called “dark patterns” on their websites to create subscription traps, making it hard to find the cancellation button, or using language to make customers feel guilty about unsubscribing.

While the 2024 CPRC report found unsubscribing from Netflix to be relatively easy, companies like Adobe lock customers into what looks like a monthly contract, but is actually annual, and imposes a cancellation fee if they want to cancel before the year is up. 

The report also found that Amazon Audible persuades customers who are looking to cancel to instead temporarily pause their subscription before it automatically resumes and HelloFresh was found to be bombarding former customers with frequent marketing emails after they unsubscribed. 

A spokesperson from consumer watchdog the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), says it has long been concerned by businesses implementing unnecessary friction and onerous requirements to deter people from cancelling subscriptions, which are not adequately covered by existing laws.

A new Unfair Trading Practices bill has just passed federal parliament, which the ACCC says introduces requirements for businesses to make cancelling subscriptions easier. 

These laws will come into effect in July 2027. However, Gupta says there is nothing stopping businesses from making their subscriptions easier to cancel right now. 

According to CPRC research, around 90% of Australians would happily re-engage with a business if cancelling a subscription was easy.

“So it’s not just good business practice, it actually makes good business sense,” Gupta says.

If you are having trouble cancelling a subscription

• Figure out where you signed up, as some subscriptions can only be managed where they were purchased. Other than the service itself, you may have signed up through a third-party app or an account such as Apple.
• Search your emails for an order confirmation, receipt or renewal notice that might give you instructions for cancelling your subscription.
• Beware of free trials and offers enticing you to stay when you try to cancel. Check the fine print – you may be locked in for longer than you expected.
• If you can’t find a cancellation option, contact customer support via phone, email or dedicated help page on a service’s website.

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James Worsfold

James is a Master of Journalism student from the University of Melbourne. He has published in Cosmos, The Citizen, and has created podcast series for We Are Explorers and Protect Our Winters Australia. James has a particular interest reporting on science, environmental and social issues, and was a recipient of a JEERA Ossie Award for his journalism. LinkedIn

James is a Master of Journalism student from the University of Melbourne. He has published in Cosmos, The Citizen, and has created podcast series for We Are Explorers and Protect Our Winters Australia. James has a particular interest reporting on science, environmental and social issues, and was a recipient of a JEERA Ossie Award for his journalism. LinkedIn