Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Opt In, Yes ... Opt Out, No


Recently, Oceanic Time Warner Cable sent me a "Mahalo" card offering me a gift for 12 months - a free subscription to their EPIX movie channel.

Normally, as a movie lover, I'd jump at the chance. I watched several movies during their initial free promotional period, but then didn't subscribe. Ah, but wait. As the saying goes, "Nothing is free." And sure as tooting, when you read the fine print on the back of the card carefully, you find this:
After promotional periods, regular rates will apply. You may cancel at anytime by calling 643-2337.
Their hope, of course, is either (1) I will be so hooked on the channel that I won't want to cancel, or (2) I will completely forget that I can cancel at any time. Either way, more revenue for them, not that there's anything wrong about that.

Personally, I don't like "opt-out" agreements. I'd rather be able to "opt-in," to make my own conscious choice when I decide to do something.

I have until Jan. 15, 2015 to make up my mind, but it's already made up.

Thank you very much, Oceanic, but I think I'll pass on this great offer.


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm wondering if it might be possible for our legislators to outlaw "Opt Out" sales pitches in the state. I bet it would save a lot of people and families quite a bit of grief and money. I've been caught in opt out "traps" before and felt sort of tricked by them even thought I knew I probably would be caught by forgetfulness. It's an aggressive, maybe even predatory tactic, and I'd like to see a little push back in the law.

Craig Miyamoto said...

Good thought!

~ Craig