The problem of "subscription traps"

Australians are confronting so-called subscription traps, with three quarters revealing to have had some form of negative experience trying to cancel a subscription.

FILE - In this Sept. 24, 2013 file photo, the 8.9-inch Amazon Kindle HDX tablet computer is held up for a photo in Seattle. Amazon is rolling out a new subscription service that will allow unlimited access to thousands of electronic books and audiobooks for $9.99 a month in the online giant's latest effort to attract more users. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File) Credit: AP

Key Points

• A report by the Consumer Policy Research Centre also found 3 per cent of Australians have felt pressured into keeping a subscription they wanted to cancel, and that Australia's consumer laws are falling behind other countries.
• There are methods that businesses are using to make it difficult for consumers to unsubscribe.
• The ACCC said in a statement to SBS that they have been advocating for some time for an unfair trading practices prohibition, and in 2023 made a submission to the federal government's consultation calling for this prohibition to be introduced.