In a recent news story issued by the Department for Business and Trade a consultation was launched to crack down on the use of online “subscription traps”. The full story says:

“New proposals to crack down on subscription traps have been unveiled today as the government launches a consultation on measures to make it easier for consumers to get a refund or cancel unwanted subscriptions. 

“”Subscription traps” are instances where consumers are frequently misled into signing up for a subscription through a “free trial” or reduced price offer. In some cases, if the consumer doesn’t cancel the trial within a set amount of time, they are often automatically transferred to a costly subscription payment plan. 

“It comes as new figures reveal consumers are spending billions of pounds each year on unwanted subscriptions due to unclear terms and conditions and complicated cancellation routes. Nearly 10 million of 155 million active subscriptions in the UK are unwanted, costing consumers £1.6 billion a year. 

“Subscriptions can be for anything from magazines to beauty boxes, with many subscriptions having complicated or inconvenient cancellation processes such as phone lines with long waits and restrictive opening hours that can leave consumers feeling trapped. 

“The consultation sets out proposals to make the refunds and cancellation processes simpler, with a requirement on retailers for greater transparency on their subscription programmes in a way that is proportionate to balance consumer rights without placing unnecessary burdens on businesses.”

It will probably be some time before the consultation publishes its findings, and further delays for legislation to be drafted and to complete the Parliamentary processes. But this announcement will be a welcome step, helping consumers challenge subscriptions to which they had no idea they were subscribed.