As of: January 19, 2024, 5:20 a.m
By: Anna-Lena Kiegerl
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You shouldn't have to log in to cancel an online subscription.
Until now, it has not always been easy for subscribers to end their contract.
Munich – Whether streaming services, music providers or apps – online subscriptions can now be taken out almost anywhere.
Some streaming offers are becoming more and more expensive, like Netflix.
But these must also be easy to cancel, as the law requires.
It must also be possible to cancel without logging in.
This is what the Munich regional court decided after a lawsuit brought by the Federal Association of Consumer Organizations (vzbv) against Sky Deutschland Fernsehen GmbH & Co. KG.
End your online subscription: Register first, then cancel?
“An unnecessary and illegal hurdle”
As vzbv reports, the WOW streaming service operated by Sky could only be canceled after logging into the customer account.
Both your email address and password are required.
However, since July 2022, the following applies to paid subscriptions on the Internet: a cancellation button must be positioned on the website in an easily and immediately accessible manner.
The Sky service WOW had a “cancel WOW subscription” button on the page, but this was neither immediately nor easily accessible due to the necessary registration.
A lawsuit was filed against Sky Deutschland, and it became clear that it must be possible to cancel online services without registering.
© Imago/Waldmüller
“The cancellation button is important: consumers must be able to cancel online contracts simply with a click of the mouse.
The legal requirements for providers are clear.
“You must not impose unnecessary hurdles on consumers,” said vzbv board member Ramona Pop. “If consumers first have to log in with an email and password, this represents an unnecessary and illegal hurdle that makes termination more difficult,” explains Pop.
Sky Deutschland's actions are illegal: no registration is necessary before termination
The regional court ruled that the actions on WOW's website were unlawful.
The button must lead directly to a page where the cancellation can be submitted.
Information such as name, date of birth or address should be sufficient for cancellation, as a possibly forgotten password would limit the possibility of cancellation.
The justification for the law is formulated unambiguously.
You also have to take out a subscription for the Deutschlandticket.
However, what causes anger for many customers is the termination.
In order to cancel the 49 euro ticket for the coming month, you must do so by the 10th of the current month at the latest.