You should always listen to your gut. If you feel that something’s a bit too good to be true, then it probably is. However, some of us tend to let our guard down when dealing with (seemingly trustworthy) companies. We assume that they’ll do the right thing. Sadly, many of us know that’s not the case.
Redditor u/MMW_Oxford revealed how, with a bit of creativity and a dash of malicious compliance, they got back at a company that tried to trap them in a 3-year subscription for physical music albums. Read on for the full story!
Bored Panda reached out to the author of the viral story, redditor u/MMW_Oxford, and they were kind enough to answer a few of our questions. Scroll down for our full interview with the OP!
Getting your hands on a bunch of new records every month might sound swell, but you have to make sure you're not being played
Image credits: eKlectical_Designs (not the actual photo)
One person shared how they got locked into a predatory 3-year-long subscription, only to come up with a fab way to get out of it
Image credits: ELEVATE (not the actual photo)
Image source: MMW_Oxford
In this day and age, you can use the power of social media to stand your ground against unfair business practices
Bored Panda wanted to learn more about the redditor’s brilliant idea to get back at the company. We asked them how they came up with their plan in the first place.
“We had some building supplies in our back garden, and they said, ‘send back anything I did not want each month,’ and I’d been thinking about tidying up the garden,” Reddit user u/MMW_Oxford told us.
We also wanted to get to grips with why some businesses think that they can get away with this sort of predatory behavior. The OP was happy to share their perspective on this.
“I think it was the times [when] there was no way to get legal advice or know any better,” they said.
“I tried to talk to them, and they held me to the contract, so I held them to the cost of their free prepaid plastic envelopes.”
Meanwhile, redditor u/MMW_Oxford shared some advice with anyone who might find themselves in a similar situation these days.
Unfortunately, sending cement-filled envelopes isn’t a viable approach anymore.
“So, my response would not work anymore, but social media will,” the OP suggested harnessing the power of publicity to your advantage.
“I’d suggest contacting their PR people and telling them you plan to share your experience publicly to help others,” they told Bored Panda.
“That should galvanize their help.”
Some companies prioritize profit at the expense of quality and ethics
Image credits: Andrea Piacquadio (not the actual photo)
The Reddit user’s story proves that when diplomacy and politeness don’t work, you can still get the results you want. All you need is to approach the situation in an untraditional way. You don’t need to go outside the rules to use them to your advantage.
If you’ve been saddled with an incredibly predatory, long-term subscription and you’re told to send the company prepaid envelopes every month, you can have some fun with that.
Making the envelopes heavy and thus expensive, as the OP did, means that it’s no longer in the company’s best interest to keep the rolling contract going. To put it bluntly, companies tend to do what makes financial sense to them.
So it’s best to cut a dissatisfied customer who has turned their own rules against them loose. Keeping them shackled with the subscription is only going to escalate the situation further, costing the business money.
However, that’s not even the core question. The fundamental issue is that some companies clearly value profit over everything else. Don’t get us wrong, businesses need to make money to survive. And if you’re offering a valuable product or service, then good for you! Problems start popping up when you start putting profit above ethics, your customers, and the quality of the service.
Case in point, the company that redditor u/MMW_Oxford dealt with had a sneaky 36-month-long rolling contract in place that automatically extends after each purchase. This is obviously unfair and is set up in such a way as to reel in customers and then milk them for cash over an incredibly long period of time.
Everyone can end up getting scammed. It's up to each of us not to impulsively rush into any shady deals
Image credits: Mikhail Nilov (not the actual photo)
No matter how smart and educated we might be, nobody—absolutely nobody—is immune to getting scammed. We can all fall for weird wording and vague terminology, even if we do take the time to study the contracts and read the fine print before signing anything.
If you can’t spot anything wrong with the contract but your gut is telling you something’s wrong, it’s probably for the best to stop, put a step back, and sleep on it before making any decisions. Scam artists like to create a sense of urgency and tend to target vulnerable, desperate people so that they can trick them ASAP.
By taking some time to think about any deal that involves a large sum of money, you’re throwing a wrench in their plans. If you’re feeling particularly suspicious, you may even want to consider reaching out to a friend who’s well-versed in legal matters to see if they can spot any bizarre details in the contract.
Alternatively, do some research about the company and its products before committing to any purchase. Read some former customer reviews to get a general sense of the level of quality that the business (doesn’t) provide. And if you have any questions, talk to the company’s employees. Specifically, ask them about the terms of canceling a subscription. If you can, try to get this in writing so you have documented proof of what they said.
Tell us, Pandas, what did you think of the way the author of the post handled themselves in this situation? What would you have done differently if you were in their shoes? Have you ever been stuck with a predatory subscription or an unfair contract? If you have a spare moment, we’d love to hear from you. Scroll down to the comment section and share your thoughts!
The author engaged with a lot of their readers and shared some additional context in the comments
Here's how some internet users reacted when they read the story
Some folks felt inspired to share their own stories about getting payback
