I went to the Trafford centre the other week. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but lots of shops (mainly in those vast temple-like shopping centres) have escalators leading in.

Once you’ve taken a ride up, you’ve perused the fine goods on display, wandered around a bit and maybe bought something, it becomes time to leave. Being a rational person, you sensibly return the way you came to find that you’ve been snared.
There’s no escalator going back down.

So the hunt for the exit begins. It’s always at the back, and it’s always down some stairs (why expend precious energy once they’ve got you inside their elaborate commerce trap) and they’re even sometimes hidden behind a door at the back somewhere so you’re forced to walk the entire length of the shop to get out.

I’ve started seeing a direct translation of that thinking to online services.

It’s becoming more common to make it simple, easy and quick to sign up for a service online, but impossible to unsubscribe or cancel in the same way. It’s a particularly manipulative dark pattern called a “Roach Motel”.

People are often forced to phone a number (at their own expense), wait on hold, speak to someone who’s job it is to talk them out of cancelling, resist the inevitable hard-sell/up-sell/cross-sell and generally be hugely inconvenienced to cancel. I’ve even heard of people having to cancel in writing. On paper.

Please don’t do it.

While the numbers of ‘accounts retained’ might be higher, what you’re doing is creating bad feeling, animosity and a reputation for playing people. It can’t be good for business in the long run.

Make it easy for people to sign up and an equally pleasant and quick process to cancel.

A pleasant: “We’re sorry to see you go, we’d love to have you back.” is just more respectful and civilised. That’s the world I want to live in and I suspect it’d be better for your business too.