Monthly charge after cancellation - any recourse?

October 18, 2024 9:18 AM

Hello! I cancelled an online newspaper subscription to the Sturgis Journal last year. Looked at my credit card and I found that they've still been charging me. They say they will reimburse me, because they have the record of me calling to cancel last year. Are there any penalties for them above and beyond that reimbursement for cancelling my subscription?
posted by rednikki to Shopping (5 answers total)

No, at most you’d sue them for the refund plus your costs in small claims if they don’t refund. You have a right to do this if they don’t make good on their reimbursement.
posted by michaelh at 10:11 AM on October 18

The next step is to initiate the dispute with the credit card company. Do this before going to small claims court
posted by dum spiro spero at 10:19 AM on October 18

I would not expect them to take any steps beyond refunding your money, and I don't believe there would be any penalties. It sounds like they made a mistake and are owning up to it.

It might be different if there was a pattern of fraudulent behavior, but I'm not seeing that from your description.
posted by Winnie the Proust at 10:30 AM on October 18

It’s too late for a credit card chargeback since they canceled last year.
posted by michaelh at 11:04 AM on October 18

If you were in Washington state, I would recommend reporting it to the State AG office, as ours has a history of filing class actions over stuff like that, but your locality may not be as consumer friendly.
posted by funkaspuck at 11:41 AM on October 18