In recent times, a large number of Chinese citizens have discovered that they have been charged hundreds, or even thousands, of yuan due to forgetting to cancel automatic renewal services. These fees involve video memberships, various software memberships, and more.
According to reports from Chinese media on September 21, disputes arising from automatic renewals have been frequent lately. Many users have unknowingly been charged hundreds to thousands of yuan by video platforms and various software services because they forgot to turn off automatic renewal for their memberships.
Some mainland netizens have suggested checking payment apps for “password-free payment/automatic deduction” settings to avoid being charged unknowingly.
One user, upon checking their payment account, found 15 hidden signed items in the list of password-free payment/automatic deduction, including password-free payments for ride-hailing, automatic repayments for ride-hailing apps, regular deductions for investment and financial management, food delivery apps, and video memberships.
This user realized that recently, a video membership service automatically renewed and charged them over 200 yuan for the annual fee.
Another netizen mentioned being unknowingly charged 5199 yuan on their Alipay account, initially suspecting theft, only to discover they had signed up for automatic renewal of a premium software membership.
Furthermore, numerous netizens shared similar incidents:
“My Alipay account was automatically deducting long-term medical insurance fees for my child and me for years. After complaining to Alipay, they refused to refund me! I am continuing to complain to Alipay!”
“I was charged over 200 yuan, but managed to turn off the automatic renewal in time.”
“How do I complain about the automatic deductions by iQIYI, the video streaming app?”
“I had a novel-reading app deducting 48 yuan per week for over a year without my knowledge or receiving any deduction notifications.”
In recent years, issues with automatic renewals in China have become increasingly common. Complaints related to “automatic renewals” on the mainland’s public service platform for consumers, “Hei Mao Complaints,” have exceeded 180,000.
What can users do when they suffer losses from the automatic renewal mechanism?
In response to this, Lawyer Wu Mingliang from Beijing Jing Shi (Chengdu) Law Firm told Cover News that if regular consumers are debited without prior notice, they can negotiate refunds with the merchant or file complaints with the market supervision authorities.
He mentioned that according to the “Regulations on the Implementation of the Consumer Rights Protection Law,” services provided through automatic renewal must receive user consent and cannot default to opt-in or force bundled opening.
Mr. Zhao from Chengdu shared his experience of being continuously charged by a certain long video platform for a super membership despite the automatic renewal status showing as not activated. He sought help from netizens as he couldn’t find the cancel automatic renewal button in the platform’s options. After going through several menu levels, the issue was finally resolved with the help of a friend. He questioned whether the company might be engaging in consumer inducement practices.
Wu Mingliang pointed out that if companies intentionally complicate or hide the cancellation of automatic renewal options, they share the same responsibility as those who do not provide notifications, which is considered illegal behavior. Consumers can similarly complain to the industrial and commercial department or pursue legal action. He recommended that in the event of disputes arising from automatic deductions, the best course of action is to file a complaint with the market supervision bureau, as refunds are likely for small amounts.