NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani Announces 1st Ever Rule Banning Deceptive Subscription Traps

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has already spent his short time in office giving his constituents what they voted for, and making New Yorkers — and anyone else who doesn’t hate Muslims, loathe immigrants and think “tax the rich” is a racial slur against billionaires — proud. Not only is Mamdani out here pushing policies for universal child care, affordable housing, and raising taxes for the uber-wealthy, and even voicing support for reparations for Black people, but he’s also addressing issues most people wouldn’t think to have an elected official address.

In fact, on Friday, the mayor announced a policy banning companies from using deceptive subscription services to trap customers into paying for gym memberships, streaming services, and other recurring charges that customers might not even be aware of. According to ABC 7, Mamdani is the first mayor ever to implement such laws.

From ABC:

The so-called “Click to Cancel” rule will require businesses to make it as easy for you to cancel your subscription as it was to sign up.

He made the announcement alongside New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) Commissioner Samuel A.A. Levine and other officials on Friday.

“I think many of us have come to feel this is inevitable,” Levine said. “The feeling like we’re navigating a minefield when we’re shopping is simply the price of modern convenience.”

The new rule is set to go into effect on October 1. According to The Guardian, companies that fail to provide a simple way to cancel subscriptions could pay $525 per user subscription, in addition to back fees and other fines.

In addition to the rule against predatory subscriptions, city officials are proposing a ban on what are known as “junk fees,” which “raise the final price of everything from apartments to sporting events,” as the Guardian reported. According to a news release, the city is proposing a rule that sellers must “advertise the total price for any good or service, including all mandatory additional charges and fees, up front.”

“For years, companies have built their business model around making it harder for working people to hold onto their money,” Mamdani said in his announcement. “Whether it’s hidden fees that suddenly appear at checkout or subscriptions that take one click to sign up for and a dozen steps to cancel, the result is the same: working people pay more while corporations profit. That ends now. If you can sign up with one click, you can cancel with one click.”

It really should be that simple, not just in NYC, but everywhere.

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NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani Announces Universal Child Care Plan

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