Editing The Economist (section)

=== '''Difficult Cancellation Process''' ===
Signing up for a subscription is really easy and can be done through the website,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Your clearest view yet. |url=https://subscribenow.economist.com/?state=state-39b6585399d77b85ffed11a0bfca93db |access-date=16 Aug 2025 |website=The Economist}}</ref> but canceling, on the other hand, is only possible by calling customer support or by using the customer service chat function on the website.<ref>{{Cite web |last=@hyperxenophiliac |title=Want to cancel a subscription to The Economist? Have to chat to a service rep, you are #15 in line |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/assholedesign/comments/13i9fa6/want_to_cancel_a_subscription_to_the_economist/ |access-date=16 Aug 2025 |via=[[Reddit]]}}</ref> Subscription made through  App Store and Google Play Store can be easily cancelled through Apple ID or the Play Store app, while website ones online offer a "manage your account" page without a cancel button.<ref>{{Cite web |title=How do I cancel my subscription? |url=https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/How-do-I-cancel-my-subscription |access-date=16 Aug 2025 |website=The Economist}}</ref> 

[[File:Want-to-cancel-a-subscription-to-the-economist-have-to-chat-v0-zyii7v6q500b1.webp|thumb|The economist cancelation form. [https://www.reddit.com/r/assholedesign/comments/13i9fa6/want_to_cancel_a_subscription_to_the_economist/ Uploaded on Reddit]]]

Many users claim that The Economist deliberately obfuscates the cancellation process once a user pays for a subscription. Frequent complaints cite the lack of quality customer service. Many users attempting to cancel or change their subscription repeated uses of The Economist's online customer service chat bot ending the help session unexpectedly and forcing the customers to start the chat bot process over, and customer service employees being unable to transfer customers on the phone to a manager or telling customers their issue is with another team and will take 3-5 business days to resolve. When users attempt to cancel, they are often repeatedly offered continuing subscriptions at lower rates. Sometimes this is enough to persuade customers not to cancel, but for those users that continue asking for subscriptions to be cancelled or for refunds on automatically renewing subscriptions, chatting online or speaking over the phone can take upwards of 30 minutes to be told their subscription will be cancelled. [https://www.reddit.com/r/theeconomist/comments/190p5cb/the_economists_attempt_to_keep_you_from/] Some customers report customer service verbally confirming subscription cancellation but seeing continuing charges to their payment method. Depending on the user's country, some users find it easier to cancel than others. [https://www.reddit.com/r/theeconomist/comments/1l1lcj1/i_was_able_to_cancel_my_subscription_without/] Generally, in the US, users claim it is difficult to cancel since the only way is by speaking on the phone with customer service of using the website's online support chat.

According to TrustPilot, a website that claims to not allow companies to pay for or remove reviews, The Economist had a 1.2/5 star rating out of 812 reviews on the date accessed with many users citing the extreme difficulty of cancelling their subscription as the reason for poor experience with the company. One reviewer wrote on May 17, 2025: <blockquote>"Trying to cancel my subscription has been a nightmare — the chatbot is useless, the website is a maze, and getting in touch with an actual human being feels like a bad joke. I’ve wasted hours navigating their broken system, only to be met with automated dead ends and unresponsive links. Their so-called “customer support” is an insult to paying subscribers. This is not just poor service — it's deliberate obstruction." [https://www.trustpilot.com/review/www.economist.com]</blockquote>Some users have complained about not being able to use the cancel subscription button on The Economist's website due to "pending changes to my subscription" without giving a time frame of when cancellation would be available. This user also claims the contact page link the website showed was broken, resulting in a page not found error. Even those who were able to somehow cancel their subscriptions without using the customer service online chat or by calling customer service needed to confirm their subscription cancellation 3 distinct times on the website before their subscription stopped auto-renewing.  [https://www.reddit.com/r/theeconomist/comments/1fte9x1/economist_wont_allow_me_to_cancel_my_subscription/]