united-states payment
US magazine demanding a call to cancel subscription
<p>I have a subscription that I want to cancel before it is renewed. I emailed customer service that received my email and replied that they cannot cancel my subscription unless I call their number. 
Is this legal? I communicated that I want to cancel, they received my communication, why do I have to waste time calling, being on hold, and possibly have a representative trying to keep me on the phone to convince me to keep my subscription? Is it legal to require cancellation only through a particular mean of communication or can I argue that since they received my communication (and acknowledged it through their reply) they cannot refuse cancellation?</p>

<p>This is in the US.</p>

<p>Outside of California, this is legal, unless your contract precludes this (virtually inconceivable that they would have made that error). The specifics depend on your state, for example in Washington and Kentucky there are no statutory limits on the hoops you may have to jump through and no requirement to explicitly state how to cancel a subscription, but in Louisiana the procedure must be clearly and conspicuously stated. There is no general requirement (outside CA) that subscriptions must be cancellable by mail, or online, or in person. The required procedure cannot be unreasonable, but calling is not an unreasonable requirement, even if it's not convenient for you.</p>

<p>The most effective means of legal communication is with a letter, delivered certified mail, to the party in question, which clearly states your demand. You can hire an attorney to write such a letter, or you can write it yourself, depending on whether you feel that you can write an effective letter. </p>
