Agencies launch initiative that makes it easier to click the unsubscribe button

The Biden administration on Monday launched a new initiative, “Time is Money,” which aims to crack down on “corporate tricks” that cause unnecessary aggravation in the lives of Americans.

Federal agencies have announced new measures to reduce excessive paperwork, shorten wait times, and make it easier to cancel subscriptions and memberships.

“These hassles don’t happen by chance. Companies often deliberately design their business processes to be time-consuming or burdensome for consumers in order to prevent them from getting a discount or refund they are due or canceling a subscription or membership they no longer want – all with the goal of maximizing profits. profits,” the government wrote in a press release Monday.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is currently reviewing public comments on a proposed rule to require companies to make canceling a subscription or service as easy as signing up for it. On Monday, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) launched an inquiry into whether it should extend these requirements to communications companies.

Other measures target shortcomings in customer service, including cracking down on endless “doom loops” that prevent customers from speaking to a real person when they ask for assistance.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is adopting a rulemaking process to require businesses under its jurisdiction to allow consumers to speak to a real person with the press of a button. The FCC will launch an inquiry to consider the same requirements for phone, broadband and cable companies, the Biden administration said.

“Too often, customers seeking assistance from a real person are sent through a maze of menu options and automated recordings, wasting time and not getting the support they need. In a recent survey, respondents said that being forced to listen to long messages before being allowed to speak to a live representative was their top customer service complaint,” the press release read.

Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and acting Labor Secretary Julie Su are calling on health insurance companies to consider implementing the same requirement.

Becerra and Su also wrote a letter Monday to insurers and health insurance providers, urging them to take “concrete actions to save people time and money as they interact with their health coverage.”

The Office of Personnel Management will also require Federal Employee Health Benefits and Postal Service Health Benefits to facilitate the submission of out-of-network online claims.

The announcement builds on previous steps the administration has taken to eliminate some of the problems Americans face every day. The administration is targeting hidden “unwanted fees” and the Department of Transportation also created a new automatic cash refund rule for airlines, requiring them to refund customers when flights are canceled or significantly changed.

This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story