You signed up in three clicks. Canceling should take the same. That's not just our opinion — since May 2025, it's federal law.
The FTC's "Click-to-Cancel" amendment to the Negative Option Rule established a simple principle: businesses that offer easy enrollment must offer equally easy cancellation. The mechanism used to cancel must be at least as simple as the mechanism used to sign up. If you enrolled online, you cancel online. If you enrolled by phone, you can cancel by phone — but the business must also offer online cancellation.
We tested this on 25 GLP-1 telehealth platforms in July 2026. Here's what we found.
The six dark patterns still in use
Pattern 1: The phone-call requirement (5 of 25)
Five platforms still require a phone call to cancel, despite offering fully online enrollment. Under the Click-to-Cancel rule, this is noncompliant. Period. The platforms that do this know it's noncompliant — the phone call exists as a retention mechanism, not a regulatory requirement.
The call typically routes to a "retention specialist" whose job is to offer discounts, delay the cancellation, or talk you out of it. The conversation often lasts 15-30 minutes. Some customers have reported being told the cancellation "didn't go through" after the call, only to be charged again the following month.
Pattern 2: The hidden cancellation page (4 of 25)
The cancellation option exists online, but it's not in the account settings dashboard where a reasonable person would look for it. Instead, it's buried three or four navigation levels deep — sometimes behind an FAQ page, sometimes in a "billing support" submenu that opens a separate portal, sometimes accessible only through a direct URL that isn't linked from any visible navigation.
Pattern 3: The multi-step confirmation gauntlet (6 of 25)
You click "cancel." Then you're asked why. Then you're shown a discount offer. Then you're asked again if you're sure. Then you're told about the benefits you'll lose. Then you're asked to confirm one final time. Each step is designed to create a moment of hesitation. Each screen is a chance for you to close the tab and give up.
The FTC rule doesn't explicitly limit the number of confirmation steps, but it does require that the cancellation mechanism be "at least as simple" as enrollment. If enrollment was a three-step process, a seven-step cancellation flow is arguably noncompliant.
Pattern 4: The billing-cycle trap (3 of 25)
"Your cancellation will take effect at the end of your current billing cycle." That's often fine — you paid for a month, you get a month. But three platforms we tested required cancellation requests to be submitted 7-14 days before the next billing date. Miss the window, and you're charged for another month. This window requirement was not disclosed at enrollment and was only discoverable in the terms of service.
Pattern 5: The "medical necessity" hold (2 of 25)
Two platforms declined immediate cancellation by stating that a clinician needed to review the request to "ensure continuity of care" and "safe discontinuation." While medically, there are valid reasons to discuss stopping a GLP-1 medication with a provider, using this as a cancellation delay mechanism — especially when the "review" takes 5-7 business days, conveniently straddling the next autoship date — is not a medical practice. It's a billing practice.
Pattern 6: The store-credit refund (3 of 25)
Upon cancellation, some platforms offer refunds only as platform credit rather than returning funds to the original payment method. This is particularly problematic when the patient is canceling because they no longer want to use the service — platform credit has zero value to someone who's leaving.
What compliant cancellation looks like
The platforms that scored best in our test share these features:
Account settings → Cancel subscription. Two clicks from the dashboard. The option is labeled clearly — "Cancel subscription" or "End membership" — not hidden behind euphemisms like "Manage plan" or "Pause options."
One confirmation step. "Are you sure? Your access will end on [date]. Cancel / Keep subscription." That's it. No discount offers, no guilt copy, no countdown timers.
Immediate confirmation. An email confirming the cancellation, the effective date, and the fact that no further charges will be processed. Sent within minutes, not "within 24-48 hours."
Refund of unshipped product. If a cancellation is processed before the next shipment is dispatched, the payment for that shipment is refunded to the original payment method.
How to force a cancellation if the platform won't cooperate
If you've attempted to cancel through the platform's process and been blocked, delayed, or ignored, you have escalation options:
Dispute with your credit card issuer. Call the number on the back of your card. Explain that you attempted to cancel a recurring subscription and the merchant did not process the cancellation. Request a chargeback for any charges processed after your cancellation request. Provide documentation — screenshots of your cancellation attempt, emails, chat transcripts.
File an FTC complaint. Go to ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Select "Online shopping and negative reviews" → "Recurring charges." Include the company name, website, the date you attempted to cancel, and a description of the obstruction. FTC complaints drive enforcement priorities.
File a state AG complaint. Your state attorney general's consumer protection division handles subscription and auto-renewal complaints. Some states (California, New York, Washington) have auto-renewal laws that are stricter than the federal standard, with specific statutory damages available to consumers.
Contact your bank directly. If the charge is on a debit card, you can request a stop payment on future recurring charges from the merchant. This is a blunter instrument than a credit card chargeback, but it prevents further charges from going through.
The subscription model works for GLP-1 telehealth — ongoing medication requires ongoing prescribing. But "easy in, hard out" is not a business model. It's a trap. And as of May 2025, it's an illegal one.