Another safeguard already in place: after a first tacit renewal, the consumer can terminate their subscription without compensation, with a maximum of two months’ notice. On paper, the rights therefore exist. In practice, they often remain unknown or forgotten.
Because the real problem comes with time. Once the contract is signed, many users lose sight of the renewal deadlines. Result: unexpected bills, sometimes for services unused for a long time. This situation not only generates frustration among consumers, but also an administrative burden for companies, faced with late termination requests and complaints.
A clear warning before renewal
To remedy this situation, a new measure carried by the Minister of the Economy, David Clarinval, aims to strengthen prior information. The project provides for consumers to be informed in a clear and understandable manner of the imminent renewal of their subscription. This notification must occur no later than fifteen days before the termination deadline.
Concretely, companies will have to send a reminder via a durable medium, email, SMS or post, explicitly mentioning the possibility of opposing the renewal. The objective is simple: to allow the consumer to make an informed choice, with full knowledge of the facts.
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This development marks an important turning point in terms of termination. It does not call into question the principle of tacit renewal, but profoundly modifies its balance by giving the initiative back to the consumer. Better informed and alerted in time, they will be able to more easily end a subscription that has become useless.
A transition period of one year is planned to allow companies to adapt their internal procedures and communication tools.
