My renewal clause said auto-renew unless I canceled 60 days out, nearly got stuck paying for a year

I signed a software subscription last February for a project management tool. Buried in the renewal section it said the contract auto-renews for another 12 months unless I gave written notice 60 days before the end date. I missed the window by 4 days, and when I tried to cancel in late January, they pointed right to that clause. No email reminder, no warning, just the fine print. I had to pay the full $1,800 for a year I don't need. I ended up emailing their legal team and got them to reduce it to a 3-month buyout, but it cost me about $450 and a lot of time. Now I calendar every renewal date 90 days out and screenshot the clause before I sign anything. Has anyone else had a vendor enforce a forgotten auto-renewal like this, and what did you use to get out of it?

1 comments

1 Comment

henry_anderson5419d ago

That's the part that gets me, the zero warning thing. They know exactly when your renewal is coming up, they could send a simple email but they choose not to because it's easier to collect the cash. I've started treating every subscription like it's out to get me, putting the cancellation window in my phone with three separate alerts so there's no way I miss it again. The screenshot trick is smart too, because their own wording is usually the only leverage you've got when they play dumb about what you agreed to.