China subscriptions auto-renew after '1 yuan' or free trials, yet hard to cancel via WeChat or Alipay. 35,000+ complaints; rules require clear consent and easy opt-out.
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One Tap to Subscribe, Five Steps to Escape: Why Auto-Renewal Is Causing Anger in China
A growing number of consumers in China say that subscription services are easy to activate but surprisingly difficult to cancel.
The issue has become a recurring complaint involving video platforms, reading apps, cloud storage services, delivery lockers, insurance products and other online services.
The discount appears first — the renewal terms come later
Many services attract users with offers such as “free for the first month,” “one yuan trial” or discounted annual memberships.
However, the automatic-renewal terms may appear in small grey text, inside a long agreement or below the main payment button. In some cases, the next month’s full price is not shown as clearly as the promotional price.
Consumers may believe they are buying a one-time service, only to find that the membership continues automatically.
Cancelling can involve several different systems
The most common complaint is that users cannot find where to cancel the service.
Some platforms require users to enter the app’s account page. Others direct them to a separate “renewal management” page. Some subscriptions must be cancelled through WeChat Pay, Alipay or the phone’s own subscription settings.
This means that users may need to check several different places before they can stop the payment.
Some consumers also said that uninstalling an app did not stop the charges. In certain cases, reminders were sent only through internal app messages, meaning users who no longer opened the app might never see them.
The problem has been described by consumers as: “one click to activate, many clicks to cancel.”
Complaints continue to increase
The report said that complaints involving automatic deductions have continued to grow. On the Black Cat Complaints platform, searches related to one payment service had produced more than 35,000 complaints, many involving deductions that consumers said they had not clearly authorised.
Other complaints involved platforms refusing refunds after the payment had already been taken.
What the rules say
Chinese regulations require businesses using automatic-renewal services to obtain the consumer’s consent and provide clear reminders before the subscription renews.
Platforms are also expected to offer a convenient way to cancel the service. The cancellation process should not be significantly more complicated than the activation process.
The controversy is not about whether automatic renewal should exist. Many consumers accept it as a convenient option.
The dispute is about whether users can clearly understand what they are agreeing to — and whether cancelling the service is as easy as starting it.
Source: China National Radio
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