Enlarge image
So far, providers have often made termination artificially difficult.
This should be over now
Photo: Getty Images
A subscription on the Internet is completed quickly.
Usually a few clicks are enough to book a new mobile phone contract, complete a gym membership and subscribe to a streaming service.
When you were fired, things often looked very different.
In many cases, this function was previously well hidden on the websites – or not even available at all.
That's over now.
From this Friday onwards, customers should also be able to terminate their contracts using an online button.
A year ago, the Bundestag passed a change in the law that would make it easier to switch to other providers.
We have collected the most important facts about the cancellation button.
What is the advantage of the cancellation button?
Many providers have made it artificially difficult for customers to terminate their contracts with a click of the mouse or a tap of the finger.
Either the way to the termination form was very well hidden - or there was none at all.
At times, customers were referred to a telephone hotline or to the post.
With the revised paragraph 312k in the German Civil Code, the online cancellation button is now mandatory.
"That's a good thing," says Oliver Buttler from the Baden-Württemberg consumer center to SPIEGEL.
"It's only logical that I can terminate contracts for paid continuing obligations that I conclude online in the same way."
Above all, terminating the mobile phone contract in good time is important to citizens in Germany.
This emerges from an evaluation of the online platform Abo-Alarm.
Almost a third of the two million cancellation alerts analyzed warned customers that cell phone contracts were about to expire.
After all, you can save a lot of money by resigning.
Because if you let your contract continue beyond the agreed time, you have to expect higher fees.
Which platforms must offer online termination?
The new rule applies to all providers who sell a term contract via a website or app.
This includes, for example, streaming services, electricity providers, mobile phone companies and fitness studios.
However, the rule does not apply to rental and employment contracts.
In addition, some providers are excluded: Financial service providers, for example, are not obliged to cancel online.
The Greens, among others, had complained about this exception.
Where can I find the cancellation button?
The law formulates the correct placement on a website quite vaguely.
It only states that the button must be "always available", "easily legible" and "easily accessible" on the website.
But what does it exactly mean?
"In my opinion, the button should appear prominently on the start page," says Buttler.
However, it is questionable whether all providers will comply.
»I think that some providers will try to cheat here.«
How is the button labeled?
Here the legislature is a little clearer.
Misleading wording is prohibited.
The button must be labeled with unique words such as "Cancel Contracts Here" or "Cancel Now."
Do I need an account to cancel online?
no
The button must also be accessible without logging in.
Since the provider without an account does not know the contract number, the click should lead to a contact form where the name, address, e-mail address and customer number are entered.
If there is no field for the desired termination date in the form, the date of the next possible date applies by default.
The provider must immediately confirm the termination in writing.
Can I still cancel by letter?
The online cancellation is just an additional option to letter, fax and e-mail.
The classic cancellation via registered mail is still a safe way to terminate contracts.
Does the button also apply to older contracts?
Yes.
Subscriptions that were taken out before July 1 of this year may also be terminated via the provider's website.
This also includes contracts concluded in writing or by telephone.
Do online platforms comply with the new rule?
Most major providers have already switched their websites.
Telekom, Vodafone, Telefónica and Co. have placed a button on the home page to initiate termination.
The buttons are not placed as prominently as the contract offers, but at least they are no longer hidden in the depths of the website.
But by no means all portals already offer the button on their websites.
Oliver Buttler sees possible initial difficulties, especially for smaller companies: "It might be a bumpy start for smaller providers who first have to change the programming."
What if the button is missing?
If no button is available on the website, the law allows customers to terminate the contract immediately without notice.
However, consumer advocate Buttler advises to remain calm.
"From experience, I would advise against starting a lawsuit right at the beginning because of a missing button." Judges may grant providers a grace period if the button is not immediately available in the first few days.
And even then, it's questionable whether going to court is financially worthwhile, says Buttler.
Instead, customers should document the facts with screenshots and forward them to the consumer advocates.
"We'll monitor the websites and take massive action if nothing happens there," says Buttler.
“Of course, it must not be that we have a new legal regulation that is not implemented.” If providers omit the button, then a warning is threatened.
In the meantime, the European Union is also putting pressure on it.
After consumer advocates complained to the European Commission, Amazon has now revised and simplified the termination of its "Prime" membership.
