| I used to work as an editor for my city's metro newspaper. As someone who wants to see local journalism succeed, I would be willing to subscribe at a reasonable rate. But the only subscription plan they offer is {ridiculously low rate for first 6 months} then {ridiculously high rate after that). And I know what a hassle it is to cancel. No online option. You have to phone in, endure 20-30 minutes on hold, then resist a retention specialist's multiple efforts to get you to reconsider. No thanks. I want to support local journalism, but this is not the way. The FTC recently announced that it's ramping up enforcement of subscription services cancellation rules: https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2021/10/ftc-r... "Marketers should provide cancellation mechanisms that are at least as easy to use as the method the consumer used to buy the product or service in the first place." I hope that these efforts do make a difference with news subscriptions. |