Starz Class Action Lawsuit Challenges ‘Free’ 7-Day Trial Subscription

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Earlier this month, video content provider Starz Entertainment LLC was hit with a class action lawsuit alleging it lures consumers with a “free” seven-day trial subscription that is seemingly impossible to cancel.

As a result, consumers end up paying for a service they never wanted to pay for, plaintiff Tawanna Roberts argues in the Starz class action lawsuit.

According to Roberts, Starz does not provide any easy-to-use methods, such as an email address or toll-free phone number, to cancel their subscriptions at the end of the “free” Starz trial. In fact, Roberts alleges, Starz makes it “difficult or impossible” to cancel the subscription.

To make matters worse, Starz allegedly renews subscriptions automatically on a monthly basis without notifying consumers that their subscription is being renewed. According to the Starz class action lawsuit, Starz automatically charges the customer’s credit card on file, which violates New York’s law that regulates automatic renewal policies.

Roberts says she signed up for a free seven-day trial on the Starz app on Sept. 3, 2017. As part of the sign-up process, she was asked to create an account and enter her payment information to start the free trial. She says she was not required to view or consent to any contract during the process.

Two days after starting her free Starz trial, Roberts says she went back to the app to cancel her subscription.

“Starz ignored her cancellation request, and on September 10, 2017, without prior notification, Starz charged Plaintiff $8.99 for a one month subscription,” the Starz class action lawsuit alleges. “Despite Plaintiff’s repeated requests to cancel her service since then, Starz has continued to charge Plaintiff on a monthly basis.”

Roberts claims her experience is not unique, and points to dozens of consumer complaints posted online by others who allegedly experienced similar difficulties when attempting to cancel their Starz subscriptions.

These consumers express a variety of complaints, including spending extensive time on the phone attempting to cancel the Starz subscription; being unable to reach a customer service representative by phone; and being billed for a monthly Starz subscription despite receiving proof from Starz that the subscription had been cancelled.

According to the Starz class action lawsuit, one Twitter user posted: “Warning to anyone listening: Don’t get @STARZ subscription because they make it impossible for you to cancel.”

By filing the Starz class action lawsuit, Roberts seeks to represent herself and a proposed nationwide Class and a New York Class of consumers who signed up for a “7-day free trial” and cancelled their Starz subscription on or before the seventh day of the free trial.

She also seeks to represent a Class of New York consumers who were automatically charged for at least one monthly Starz subscription without receiving prior notification.

The Starz class action lawsuit asserts claims for breach of express warranty and violations of New York consumer protection laws.

Roberts is represented by Todd S. Garber and Jean M. Sedlak of Finkelstein Blankinship Frei-Pearson & Garber LLP and by Jeffrey Kaliel of Kaliel PLLC.

The Starz Free 7-Day Trial Class Action Lawsuit is Tawanna Roberts v. Starz Entertainment LLC, Case No. 1:17-cv-09452, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.