OLYMPIA, Wash. — Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson released the results of a survey that showed 59% of Washingtonians may have been unintentionally enrolled in subscription services while they were trying to make a one-time purchase.
The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that just over 6 million people live in Washington, and 59% represents 3.5 million residents who may have been affected.
Those surveyed said pre-checked boxes were a significant source of the problem.
In addition, about 100,000 Washingtonians may have been unable to cancel an unwanted subscription because it was too difficult to do so.
The survey included 1,207 adult consumers in Washington.
Highlights include:
59% of the 1,207 people surveyed said that in the last four years, they accidentally signed up for a subscription plan that automatically billed them when they thought they were making a one-time purchase.
Of those people, 51% said a pre-checked box was the reason they unintentionally enrolled. 37% said they didn’t remember if there was a pre-checked box, and 12% reported there was no pre-checked box.
63% said they accidentally enrolled in a subscription more than once, and 2.75% reported they did not cancel a subscription because it was “too difficult to cancel.”
70% of the respondents said pre-checked boxes for subscriptions should be prohibited.
29% said online stores were the most common source of the problem, with consumers mentioning Amazon the most.
Ferguson urges people to file a complaint with his office if they unintentionally enrolled in a subscription program while making a one-time purchase.
Find more about the survey at this link.