Scribd was reported to the Deceptive Design Tip Line over a difficult cancellation process with hidden steps and confusing language. According to the report, after pressing “cancel subscription” the customer is first shown a page stating how many days they have left, which gave the impression that the cancellation had already succeeded. In fact a further button at the bottom of the screen leads through a series of additional feedback and sales pages — including offers of “lighter” subscription options — and on each of these the “continue cancellation” button is placed right at the bottom, making it easy to miss, especially on a phone. The reporter says they ended up paying for several extra months because they repeatedly believed they had cancelled when they had not completed the full process, and adds that cancellation cannot be done through the app.
Scribd: Difficult cancellation process with hidden steps and confusing language
“After you press “cancel subscription,” you are first taken to a page saying how many days you now have left on your subscription. This made me think I successfully canceled my subscription, but eventually found out that there is a button on the bottom of the screen requiring you to go through a series of additional feedback and sales pages, including offering “lighter” subscription options before you can actually cancel. Also, on each of these additional pages, the “continue cancellation” button is all the way on the bottom of the page, effectively hidden (especially if you are on a phone – see screenshots). I ended up paying for my subscription a few months longer than I wanted to because I kept thinking I cancelled when in fact I didn’t complete the entire process Scribd requires. They also do not let you cancel through the app, again adding additional unnecessary and confusing steps to the cancellation process.”