mexicanโ Congress Unanimously Approves Bill to โฃCurb Predatory Subscription Practices
Mexico City โ – The Mexican Chamber of Deputies has overwhelmingly approved a newโ bill designed to protect consumers from theโ increasingly common practice of tough-to-cancel subscriptions forโ services like streaming,โค telecommunications, and entertainment. the legislation passed with a unanimous โฃ438 votes in favor, spurred by a personal anecdote fromโข Ricardo Monreal รvila, coordinator of the Morena partyโ deputies.
Monreal revealed he himself hadโค fallen victim to these practices, detailing โa frustrating experience attempting toโข cancel an entertainment subscription. He was required to appearโ in person – despite having initially signed up โคwith โa single click – and even โขafter cancelling his credit cardโ to avoid further โขcharges, found himself listed on a credit bureau. “I โam in a โloan bureau, I must โคconfess it with humility,” he stated to his colleagues.
The bill aims to address this imbalance by mandating that companies notify consumers โatโค least five days before a subscription renewal, reinforcing the principle of informed consent and preventing surprise charges. Monreal emphasizedโ the scale of the problem, stating that an estimated 62 โขmillion citizens are vulnerableโ to these abusive practices and struggle to terminate unwanted subscriptions. He highlighted the stark contrast between the ease of signing up for theseโข services and โขthe arduous processโ of cancellation.
While the bill enjoyed broad support, it wasn’t without a degree of political maneuvering. Josรฉ Elรญas โLixa, coordinator of the National Action Party (PAN) deputies, used the prospect โคto demand greater consideration for proposals originating from his party.
Lixa also used his platform toโ raise concerns about excessive fees levied on debit and credit card users,โข and proposed further legislation to ban charges for checkingโข bank balances, eliminate VAT on water bills, offerโฃ tax deductions for medical expenses and tuition, and sanction officials complicit with organized crime – a reference to the growing issue of “narcopolitics” in mexico.
The โขpassage of this bill represents a significant win