MoviePass allegedly reactivates some cancelled subscriptions without clear consent

The whole MoviePass saga rivals some of the plots that its subscribers eat up at theaters across the country. Running out of money late last month, parent company Helios and Matheson Analytics Inc.failed to pay its merchant and fulfillment processors, which resulted in some MoviePass subscribers getting stranded at theater box offices. The company borrowed $5 million from a hedge fund on a very short term basis, and starting tomorrow, it will drastically limit the number of movies that subscribers can see each month to three from unlimited.

If a new report is legit, it would appear that the company is hoping to rebuild its subscriber list by using a little bit of tomfoolery. Those who previously canceled the service, but still have some time left until their previous subscription ends, have opened the MoviePass app and found themselves on a screen that lists the new terms (three movies a month, a $5 discount on tickets after the first three, all for $9.95 a month). On the bottom of the page is a button that reads "I Accept." Since it appears to be the only way to move on in the app, many tapped on the link and instantly received an email that reveals the cancellation of their cancellation. In other words, tapping on "I Accept" will result in another monthly charge and reactivate a closed MoviePass account.

MoviePass says that tapping on "I Accept" means that you have opted-in to the service, although this is not stated under "More details." And the language used on the app is as clear as the Hudson River (enough said). As a result, there have been several tweets disseminated from MoviePass subscribers who thought that they had ended their subscription only to get charged for another month. And some who found that their subscriptions were active despite cancelling the service, are having issues trying once again to close their MoviePass accounts.

So if you are a MoviePass subscriber who cancelled the service, you do not want to press the "I Accept" button on the app unless you truly want to continue under the new terms. If you think that your subscription is inactive, we'd suggest that you double check with the company to make sure.

source: Vox via Engadget