New York City starts enforcing its rule that cancelling must be as simple as signing up

The rule's test is comparative. A cancellation process has to be as "straightforward" as the sign-up process ^[20], so each company is measured against its own funnel. A service that takes a card number on one web page has already set how simple its exit must be. Sam Levine, the commissioner of the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, ran into this as a customer when he could not cancel a meal prep subscription online ^[21]. "I got on the phone, they said, 'Are you sure? We can give you a discount. We want to send you more meals.' It's a huge pain," he said ^[8].

Optimum's spokesperson made the case for keeping a person on the line. "Each customer has different needs," the spokesperson said ^[11]. Bundles do vary. Alex Aminov, a Brooklyn software developer, tried to drop a landline that added $25 a month to his Optimum internet package, and calling was the only way to do it ^[9]. A representative talked him into moving the line to a mobile plan with promised discounts ^[9]. Later another representative said only some of the discounts applied, and a third called to ask why he was not using the number ^[10]. He is still not sure what is happening with his plans ^[10]. "In general, I would like to have an option to cancel anything online," he said ^[19].

In my view the fines alone are small next to what a retention call can keep. A first violation costs $525 ^[3]. That equals 21 months of the landline charge Aminov tried to drop ^[23]. Repeat offenses can reach $3,500, about 6.7 times the first fine ^[3][22]. The department can also require a business to reimburse affected consumers for services they did not want ^[4]. Business Insider's account does not say how the department counts a violation, whether per complaint or per practice.

New York Sports Club shows where compliance breaks down. Its parent company was sued by the New York State Attorney General for allegedly charging illegal fees and blocking membership cancellations ^[16]. The case ended in a settlement and bankruptcy ^[16]. The club put membership cancellation online in February 2025, when a state law requiring the option took effect ^[17]. Until October 1, members who wanted to stop personal training or a locker still had to go to the club or reach it by phone or email ^[18]. Kari Saitowitz, the club's chief marketing and creative officer, said it changed its process the day the city rule took effect ^[14]. "The easier you make it for somebody to cancel, we believe the easier you make it for them to sign up," she said ^[15].

For operators, the trade-off is retention revenue against fines and refunds. Emily Peterson-Cassin, director of competition and market fairness at the Consumer Federation of America, said cancellation hurdles fall hardest on people who are older or not as tech-savvy ^[12]. "We're tired of our time and annoyance being extracted in the same way as our money," she said ^[13]. This quarter's decision is whether a retention offer stays inside the cancel flow. Next quarter, a company that kept one will have to defend it against its own sign-up page whenever a New Yorker files a complaint ^[20][2].