Migliaccio & Rathod LLP is investigating whether Scientific American adequately disclosed its automatic subscription renewal terms and obtained proper authorization before charging consumers for recurring digital subscriptions.
Scientific American offers digital magazine subscriptions, including promotional offers and free trials that automatically convert into paid annual subscriptions.
Certain subscription offers include a 30-day free trial followed by annual billing. Other promotions provide discounted introductory pricing before subscriptions renew at a higher annual rate.
For example, promotional subscriptions may convert into plans costing approximately $39 per year or other annual rates, depending on the offer.
Consumers who enroll in these plans may be charged automatically when their trial or promotional period ends unless they cancel beforehand.
State automatic renewal laws may require businesses to clearly disclose recurring subscription prices, obtain affirmative consent, provide specified renewal reminders, and offer accessible cancellation methods.
Migliaccio & Rathod is investigating whether Scientific American’s subscription enrollment and renewal practices comply with these requirements, including whether consumers received adequate notice before promotional subscriptions converted into higher-priced annual plans.
Consumers May Have Experienced:
- Free trials converting into paid annual subscriptions;
- Promotional subscriptions renewing at higher annual prices;
- Unexpected charges following introductory subscription periods;
- Unclear disclosures concerning recurring subscription costs;
- Missing or inadequate renewal reminders; or
- Difficulty cancelling before an automatic renewal.
Potential Claims May Include:
- Failure to clearly disclose automatic renewal terms;
- Failure to obtain legally required consent to recurring charges;
- Inadequate renewal notices;
- Violations of applicable state automatic renewal laws; or
- Unfair or deceptive subscription billing practices.
Signs You May Be Affected:
- You purchased a Scientific American digital subscription;
- You signed up through a free trial or promotional offer;
- Your subscription automatically converted into an annual paid plan;
- You were charged a higher renewal price than you expected;
- You did not receive a required renewal reminder; or
- You experienced difficulty cancelling before renewal.
If you have encountered these issues, we would like to hear from you. Please complete the contact form on this page, send us an email at [email protected], or give us a call.