New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani promoted the city’s new “click to cancel” rule, which makes it easier to cancel subscriptions.
In a short video on X, Mamdani appears in a satirical clip taking a jab at businesses that make it difficult to cancel subscriptions. One fake cancellation process required Mamdani to solve a calculus problem. Mamdani’s “answer” to the equation was “this should be illegal.”
“Cancelling a subscription shouldn’t be this hard,” the caption of the post reads. “If you can sign up with a click, you must be able to cancel with one.”
As of Oct. 1, New York City residents can file a complaint against businesses that make it difficult to cancel subscriptions. Businesses found liable by the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection are subject to civil penalties starting at $525 and may also be required to refund the consumer.
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“Too often, businesses force their customers through confusing, time-consuming hurdles to cancel unwanted subscriptions,” the website states. “This first-in-the-nation municipal rule protects consumers from such subscription traps.”
Subscribers can file a complaint for a variety of reasons, including difficulty canceling, not being informed of an auto-renewal, or confusing subscription terms. Companies also cannot ask consumers to pay to ship items back if they were sent for free.