19 April 2006

Like Groundhog Day, But Expensive and You Can't Walk Out of the Theater

The problems at the MLS Gear store have been numerous and well documented over the years. Inevitable, once every three months a new thread will appear on Big Soccer and the stories will told again. Sadly, they're not the same stories as before, but new ones from new experience. So it is without surprise I read that I-66 is having problems. Now, can you imagine if this wasn't one single order, but rather a problem in that a non-functioning MLS related product was charging you again and again for?

What I'm getting at is this. MLS TV has an auto-renew feature.From MLS TV's FAQ (HT - MLSFanGirl):

Q. Do I have to renew my subscription each year?
For your convenience, your subscription automatically renews, without interruption, before the start of each subsequent MLS season at the rate then in effect unless you cancel your subscription by sending an email requesting cancellation to customerservice@website.mlsnet.com or by calling Customer Service at 877-557-3774. MLSnet.com will honor any refund request for a seasonal subscription made within 10 days of the purchase for the current season or at any time before the subsequent season begins.

This is fine and dandy provided everything is working well, but what if it isn't as great as we hope it is? No problem, we can just cancel our subscription for the next year. Except that as baseball fans have discovered, that can be easier said than done:

I’ve received no response yet. No auto-responder even. I’m extremely bitter. Obviously, I’m not in the mood to give my money to MLB right now, but the original reason I wanted this was to enjoy the product and I’d still like to do so… at least for now.

While I want MLS TV to work well, and be great, and not cause a problems for people, I do think everyone should be a bit wary. Yes, I'm putting in my $20, but keep your eyes peeled in case people start to have problems. For once, I am desperately hoping MLS is nothing like the other major sports leagues in the US.