Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — MoviePass users who had previously canceled their subscriptions learned this week that they had been opted-in to the company’s new plan, despite canceling the service.
The company chalked it up to bugs and is working to fix the issue, according to a MoviePass spokeswoman.
MoviePass subscribers took to Twitter to complain about the difficulties with canceling the service.
“I cancelled my @MoviePass account over the weekend and tonight I got an email claiming that I ‘accepted’ a new deal and that my cancellation has been overwritten,” Twitter user @_aldomacias wrote on Monday. “When I try to cancel my subscription again the app displays an error message. Not OK!”
Twitter user @Cheesyry said he tried to cancel again after learning he was re-subscribed to the company’s new plan, but still had trouble.
“I cancelled my Moviepass this morning & tonight I get an email claiming that I “accepted” a new deal and my cancellation has been overwritten,” he wrote. “@MoviePass this is shady and unacceptable.”
After changing the way it operates multiple times in the last few months, MoviePass announced new terms of service last week that take effect today.
The new plan still costs $9.95 per month, but users will only be allowed to see up to three standard movies per month, according to a statement from MoviePass CEO Mitch Lowe that was emailed to subscribers last week.
MoviePass became aware of users having trouble with cancellations on Monday, according to an emailed statement from the company.
“We have fixed the bugs that were causing the issue and we have confirmed that none of our members have been opted-in or converted to the new plan without their express permission,” the statement said. “In addition, all cancellation requests are being correctly processed and no members were being blocked from canceling their accounts.”
Anyone with further questions about cancellations is asked to contact MoviePass customer support through the company’s app, the statement said.
Here are some of the best alternatives to MoviePass
When MoviePass broke onto the movie-watching scene last year, it seemed revolutionary and incomparable. Now, though, there are several companies that offer similar subscription services.The new $9.95-per-month subscription no longer will include peak pricing, a feature that required MoviePass users to pay a fee to see movie showings at certain times. Ticket verification, which required users to submit a photo of their movie ticket stub to the MoviePass app after purchasing it, also has been axed from the service.
Previously, the company disallowed users from seeing major films, such as “Mission: Impossible — Fallout” and “Christopher Robin” for up to several weeks after they opened. Now, many major studio first-run movies will be included with the service, but there will be some exceptions, according to Lowe.
Users will be able to opt-in to the new plan or cancel their service by their next billing date if they haven’t already done so, according to the MoviePass statement. Users who don’t respond by the end of their next billing cycle will automatically have their service canceled, the statement said.
People who are on annual or quarterly subscription plans won’t be impacted by the changes until it is time for them to renew, according to Lowe.
“It’s been an exciting journey so far, and MoviePass is here to stay,” Lowe said in the email. “Your endless support, understanding and enthusiasm are greatly appreciated.”
