Canceling Cable, Internet with a Click of Mouse? It Could Happen

LA CAÑADA FLINTRIDGE, CA -- "Why is it that you don't want faster speed? Help me understand why you don't want faster Internet."

That's the question San Francisco resident Ryan Block was faced with when he was trying to cancel his Internet services with Comcast two years ago. And it was this type of badgering that Southern California Assemblyman Mike Gatto wants to stop.

He has introduced a bill that would force companies that allow Californians to sign up for cable or internet services online to also allow them to cancel those services online.

"AB 2867 allows Californians to conveniently unsubscribe from a service with a simple click of the mouse," Gatto said. "It just makes sense, that if you are able to sign up for a service online, you should also be able to cancel it the same way."

Currently, canceling services is an ordeal that often involves the consumer calling in and a company's retention specialist trying to change the consumer's mind.

That was what happened to Block, a former tech journalist and current host of MVP with Ryan & Peter podcast. In 2014, he released an eight-minute comedy-of-errors clip where he's trying to cancel his subscription only to be continuous blocked by Comcast customer service.

The clip went viral and Comcast issued an apology and acknowledged that the representative was doing what he was trained to do.

“This is why we’re so excited by Assemblyman Gatto’s bill, which would finally allow most customers to be able to cancel their service online, without having to talk to someone whose job is specifically to prevent you from canceling,” Block said.

The experience of trying to cancel services has become so ornery that it has spawned a cottage industry where, for a fee, consumers can have a company cancel services for them, Gatto said.

"There are times when we, as the legislature, need to step in to protect consumers and make people's lives a little easier," Gatto said. "This is one of those times."

The bill hasn't made it out of committee yet, but let's hope in the future canceling services is just a single mouse click away.

--Photo via Shutterstock