A California state assemblyman has proposed a new law aimed it making it easier for ISP customers to cancel their service.
"AB 2867 allows Californians to conveniently unsubscribe from a service with a simple click of the mouse," said Assemblyman Mike Gatto, in a statement on his website. "It just makes sense, that if you are able to sign up for a service online, you should also be able to cancel it the same way."
"If a cable or Internet service provider enables an individual to subscribe to its services through an Internet Web site, it shall also enable all of its customers to cancel their subscriptions through the Internet Web site," he added.
The challenge associated with canceling such services came to light in a viral way back in the summer of 2014, when tech executive Ryan Block recorded an epic struggle with a Comcast rep, who simply would not comply with Block's simple request to cancel his service.
Gatto even mentions Block's 18-minute ordeal in his statement.
"There are times when we, as the legislature, need to step in to protect consumers and make people's lives a little easier," said Gatto. "This is one of those times."
Of course, Gatto's progress will be closely examined by pay-TV operators, who would almost undoubtedly see churn increase if service cancellation could occur based on a momentary impulse.
For more:
- read this statement from California Assemblyman Mike Gatto
- read this DSL Reports story
- read this St. Louis Today story
Related articles:
Comcast apologizes after service call gets 4M viral listens, exposes customer retention policies