Cannot Cancel Vitamin Subscription? Here's What to Do

It is a situation all too familiar for many – buying a dietary supplement only to find out the next month that you unknowingly signed up for a costly subscription, with your requests to cancel it going in vain. We asked three consumer protection experts what to do if you fall into a subscription trap.

Nearly three in four American adults take dietary supplements, and thanks to the rise in e-commerce, many people are doing it online. While making an order by a few clicks of the mouse is much more convenient than going to a brick-and-mortar store, it raises the risk of falling for scams like supplement subscription traps.

The number of subscription traps has been increasing in recent years, with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) receiving an average of nearly 70 consumer complaints per day in 2024, compared to 42 per day in 2021.

Here is what to do if you find yourself seeing unwanted charges on your credit card while being ignored by the company making them, according to law and consumer protection experts.

What are supplement subscription traps?

Attorney Danny Karon, an author of an upcoming book about fighting wellness scams, says many companies fail to clearly disclose subscription terms, charge accounts without proper notice, and make cancellation unnecessarily difficult. These practices are known as 'negative options.'

"This means a company keeps sending and billing you for a product unless you take action to stop it. It often appears in free 30-day trials that quietly convert into paid subscriptions unless you cancel," Karon tells WellnessPulse.

Data suggests that people may overestimate their ability to spot subscription traps. A behavioral experiment conducted in Europe found that only 11% of respondents noticed the monthly membership hidden in the small print.

How to recognize a subscription trap

The best way to deal with supplement subscription traps is to recognize them early and avoid giving your credit card information to the companies engaging in deceptive practices.

The most common warning signs of potential subscription traps include offers labeled as 'free trials' that require a credit card for shipping, overly aggressive marketing language, unclear terms of sale, or fine print that discloses enrollment in a recurring billing cycle, according to Chad D. Cummings, an attorney and CPA at Cummings & Cummings Law.

These traps often exploit urgency by using countdown timers or limited-time language.

Legitimate companies will clearly state all charges and provide transparent cancellation policies. In contrast, deceptive merchants frequently bury this information in hard-to-read disclosures or require consumers to agree to hidden terms by checking a box.

Chad D. Cummings

In Florida and Texas, such practices may violate state deceptive trade practices laws even if the company operates nationally.

Melanie McGovern, a director of public relations at Better Business Bureau, a non-profit promoting trustworthy business practices, says consumers should be cautious of any contract that takes payment from their credit card until they cancel.

Before clicking check out or purchase, make sure the cart only includes the items you wish to purchase and does not include signing up for a subscription unless this is an option you want.

Melanie McGovern

How do you get out of a subscription trap?

Despite your best efforts to avoid it, you may still fall into a subscription trap. Luckily, there are some things you can do to make the cancellation and refund processes easier.

Cummings recommends contacting the seller immediately using both phone and written communication.

"Email, website contact forms, and mailed letters should all be preserved, along with any cancellation confirmations. In case the seller fails to respond, this conduct strengthens the consumer's case for initiating a chargeback or filing a regulatory complaint," he explains.

Another important step is using the credit card dispute process. Under the Fair Credit Billing Act, consumers have 60 days from the date of the statement to dispute unauthorized charges.

Cummings says the issuer should be contacted by phone and in writing, citing the unauthorized nature of the recurring billing and referencing any documented cancellation attempts.

"In many cases, the card issuer will issue a chargeback and block future payments. This remedy is especially useful where the seller has been uncooperative. Debit cards offer weaker protection, so consumers should avoid using them for online purchases involving trials or unknown merchants," he says.

Consumers should report deceptive conduct to state and federal enforcement agencies. Filing complaints with the Federal Trade Commission, the Better Business Bureau, and state attorneys general can apply significant pressure, Cummings says.

A class-action attorney may be another effective option in fighting supplement subscription traps, according to Karon.

Recently, the food subscription company HelloFresh, the world's largest delivery meal kit service, was ordered to pay $7.5 million in penalties for making subscriptions unnecessarily difficult to cancel. So there definitely is hope for consumers to band together and fight these sorts of schemes.

Danny Karon

The takeaway

Experts say consumers who have been tricked into subscriptions can use the credit card dispute process and report deceptive conduct to enforcement agencies like the Federal Trade Commission.