It is not a secret

that everyone wants to make money on their products, and to achieve this, companies need to introduce new methods of monetization and implement them in such (and often tricky) ways to make users pay for services. Today, we will take a look at manufacturer-loved and consumer-hated online subscriptions.

To start with,

a paid subscription is a service that provides you access to certain products/features that are not available for free and are locked behind a "paywall," requiring payment for access.

The key point of subscriptions is that you get access only for a limited time, and then you will be charged again if you don't cancel your subscription.

Subscriptions typically

have 2 options: you pay monthly or annually. Moreover, annual subscriptions (12 months) often offer a discount.

For example, if a subscription costs $10 per month, and the yearly plan costs $100 for 12 months, you are saving $20 by choosing the yearly subscription. If you paid monthly, the total for the year would be $120. But when you pay for the whole year at once, you pay $100, thus saving $20. 

The tricky nature

of subscriptions has always been a concerning topic due to certain implementation methods that sometimes raise questions and even lead to a lack of understanding of the terms by customers or consumers. 

Any subscription

can technically be canceled, but the process of canceling itself can be very tricky. For instance, the "cancel" button might be hidden at the bottom of the page, or its color might blend in with the background. Furthermore, I think that almost every subscription cancellation process nowadays is multi-step. For example, you press “cancel,” and then you are prompted with messages like "Why are you leaving?"; "Take this survey"; or "You will lose access to these features." So, before canceling, you might need to complete multiple surveys, decline offers several times, and so on.

Additionally, there are services that do not offer a "cancel" button at all. Instead, they require you to "call us to cancel your subscription" or "write an email to customer support." 

All of these factors highlight just how tricky the nature of subscriptions has become today.

These problems

need to be solved. All of these factors that I mentioned above are legal because “any subscription can technically be canceled.” Consequently, I think the government needs to address this by introducing a customer-friendly subscription standard. By doing so, the features you receive, as well as the subscription and cancellation processes, will become easier for customers to understand. 

Furthermore, I have heard that the EU is already working on regulating subscriptions.

Companies always try

to get more profit from various sources. While in some services subscriptions are the only option, sometimes it is the only viable way of service provision. Nevertheless, subscriptions can be a source of profit without problems with the law or reputation damage. However, this will work out only if the subscription is implemented in the right way. 

Under the "right way," I mean getting rid of the tricky nature I mentioned above. Secondly, setting normal and not overpriced costs. Thirdly, every important drawback of the service should be mentioned before the payment page. Finally, providing fast and operative customer support to solve various problems and answer customers' questions.

I think that most customers

hate subscription services because of the automatic withdrawals from their bank accounts, the headache of remembering to cancel subscriptions, and obviously, because of all the problems I mentioned above. 

However, subscriptions can be convenient for some users, for example, those who do not want to pay full price for lifetime access or need a company's services for a limited time.

Generally,

subscriptions are a good way of profit for companies, sometimes hated by customers, sometimes convenient - depending on the way of implementation. For you, readers, I recommend READING TERMS OF USE before subscribing. 

Furthermore, reading other customers' reviews also helps to understand what you are getting, what the drawbacks are, and how to cancel. 

Be careful to avoid situations where the monthly subscription cancellation page reveals that you need to be subscribed for at least 3 months before canceling.