They will not let me cancel my subscription

Direct answer

Since 2022, a contract you can sign online must be cancellable online too, and after the first term it renews only month to month with a one-month notice in most EU countries. Cancel in writing (email is fine), keep the proof, and stop the direct debit if they keep charging. SignalConso — DGCCRF (0809 540 550) is the consumer body for France and takes complaints about subscription traps; for a company in another EU country, Centre Européen des Consommateurs France (europe-consommateurs.eu) helps free of charge. The last step is Médiateur de la consommation (economie.gouv.fr).

Call firstSignalConso — DGCCRF

Report toCentre Européen des Consommateurs France

If that failsMédiateur de la consommation

🗣️ What to say

"I cancel my subscription [number] with effect from the earliest possible date. Please confirm the end date in writing within 14 days. I do not consent to any further charges after that date."

🪜 Step by step

Cancel in writing, datedEmail to the address in the terms, or the online cancel button. Screenshot the confirmation. Phone-only cancellation is not allowed for consumers.
Know the termAfter the initial period, the contract is month to month with one month's notice in most countries. A tacit renewal for another year is not valid unless you were clearly warned.
Stop the moneyRevoke the direct debit or card mandate at your bank. Charges after a valid cancellation can be reclaimed.
Complain to SignalConso — DGCCRFAttach the cancellation and the charges. Repeated complaints about the same company trigger enforcement.
Cross-border or stubborn: Centre Européen des Consommateurs France, then Médiateur de la consommationECC for companies elsewhere in the EU; the dispute body if the company simply refuses.

📇 All contacts

SignalConso — DGCCRFReport to the seller and the consumer-protection authorityWhen the seller refuses📞 0809 540 550 🔗 signal.conso.gouv.fr

Centre Européen des Consommateurs FranceFree help with sellers in other EU countriesSeller in another EU country, Norway or Iceland🔗 www.europe-consommateurs.eu

Médiateur de la consommationFree mediation, mandatory for every traderAfter a written complaint without a solution🔗 www.economie.gouv.fr/mediation-conso

Tribunal judiciaire — juge des contentieux de la protectionSimplified claim without a lawyerIf conciliation fails🔗 www.justice.fr

❓ Frequently asked

They say I must call to cancel

For a contract signed online, no. Write instead and say the online route was unavailable.

I cancelled but they keep charging

Reclaim the amounts through your bank (unauthorised direct debits can be reversed) and send the company a final demand.

Gym, dating app, streaming — same rules?

Same EU rules, with national details on notice periods. Gyms are the classic case; the one-month rule applies after the first term.

📎 Sources

Last checked: 2026-09-26

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