Have you ever signed up for a subscription to something, say a streaming service perhaps, and you forget to cancel it before it renewed?

I’ve been there, done that, and I usually just figure I’ll enjoy it for one more month until it renews again when I will definitely remember to cancel.

But it turns out you don’t have to do that. You can actually get a refund. It won’t be easy, but it is possible, and this story will give you all the details.

Spotify Support told me to read their refund policy. So I did, and forced them to give me a refund.

So, my Spotify Premium renewed today because I forgot to cancel.

I immediately checked their refund policy online and confirmed I was eligible, so I canceled the plan (literally within minutes) and hopped on support chat to ask for the refund.

Seemed simple, right?

Wrong.

The agent claimed he wasn’t eligible.

The agent, “Christina”, gave me the classic runaround.

She said the 14-day refund period only applies to your initial sign-up, and since I’d been a member for months, I was out of luck. She even sent me a link to the policy to prove her point, telling me to read it.

This is where the malicious compliance comes in.

I did exactly what she said. I read the policy, and then I went deeper and found their full, legally-binding Terms of Use.

Sounds like Christina’s wrong.

And what did I find?

In Section 3, under “Withdrawal right”, it clearly states you have “fourteen (14) days after your purchase to withdraw for any reason”.

A monthly renewal is a new purchase. My own research before the chat was correct.

I went back to Christina and quoted the Terms of Use directly.

If she wants to play hardball, OP will play hardball.

She put me on hold to “check backstage” then came back with the same denial.

Her team was doubling down on the incorrect script.

So I played my final card. I sent this message:

“Since this dispute is specifically about the legal interpretation of the ‘Withdrawal right’ in your Terms of Use, could you please provide the contact information for Spotify’s legal department or the appropriate office for handling formal contractual disputes?”

Finally!

The change was INSTANT.

Suddenly, she had to “see what she could do”.

Five minutes later? “I’ve managed to ask some support with our backstage team… and we can go ahead and process a refund for you.”

They folded like a cheap suit.

Their business model counts on you giving up. Don’t. You are entitled to your money back.

That was a great story that I’m sure will be helpful for many people who want to cancel a subscription and get a refund.

Let’s see how Reddit reacted to this story.

They’re counting on customers not reading.

Here’s a similar story about Planet Fitness.

This sounds like a good rule!

This is good to know about Apple!

Always ask to speak to legal!

If you thought that was an interesting story, check this one out about a man who created a points system for his inheritance, and a family friend ends up getting almost all of it.