Tennessee Automatic Renewal Cancellation Letter
Cancel a Tennessee subscription or continuous service under Tennessee Code Annotated Section 47-18-133, which requires an exclusively online exit for online sign-ups, listed cancellation contacts, affirmative consent before charging, and a refund of an unconsented charge on a request made within seven days.
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Introduction
Seven days is the window Tennessee Code Annotated Section 47-18-133(g) sets for asking a business to refund a charge it made without your affirmative consent, and a Tennessee automatic renewal cancellation letter is the dated written notice that ends your subscription and can carry that request. Under that subsection the business shall refund the charge on a timely request. Under subsection (c), a business that let you accept online shall allow you to terminate exclusively online, which may include a termination email it formats for you. Subsection (b) requires a toll-free telephone number, electronic mail address, a postal address if the seller bills you directly, or another cost-effective, timely, and easy-to-use mechanism, described in your acknowledgment. Violating the section is listed among the unfair or deceptive acts in Section 47-18-104(b) of the Consumer Protection Act of 1977, and Section 47-18-109 lets a person who suffers an ascertainable loss sue for actual damages. The letter dates your cancellation and any refund request.
Key Things to Know
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The letter is a dated notice ending a Tennessee automatic renewal, which Section 47-18-103 defines as a plan in which a paid subscription or purchasing agreement is automatically renewed at the end of a definite term for a subsequent term, or a continuous service, meaning an agreement that continues until the consumer cancels. It fixes when you cancelled and puts any refund request inside the seven-day window that subsection (g) of Section 47-18-133 sets.
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Subsection (b) of Section 47-18-133 sets the cancellation contacts. A business making an automatic renewal or continuous service offer shall provide a toll-free telephone number, electronic mail address, a postal address if the seller directly bills the consumer, or another cost-effective, timely, and easy-to-use mechanism for cancellation, and that mechanism must be described in the acknowledgment the business sends under subdivision (a)(3).
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Online sign-ups get an online exit. Subsection (c) says a business that allows a consumer to accept the offer online shall allow the consumer to terminate exclusively online, which may include a termination email formatted and provided by the business that a consumer can send without additional information. A letter can confirm a termination made that way, or record the date you looked for one and did not find it.
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Before charging your credit or debit card, or an account through a third party, subdivision (a)(2)(A) requires the business to obtain your affirmative consent to the renewal terms, including any promotional or discounted price for a limited period. Subsection (f) defines affirmative consent as a clear, affirmative act signifying your freely given, specific, informed, and unambiguous agreement, and it includes a written statement, including one written by electronic means, or an unambiguous affirmative action.
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Subsection (g) pairs with that consent rule. If the business does not obtain affirmative consent under subdivision (a)(2)(A) and charges your card or third-party account, the business shall refund the charge upon your request submitted within seven days of the date of the charge. The 2024 public chapter that added this rule took effect July 1, 2024 and applies to agreements entered into, renewed, or modified on or after that date.
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Two notices may have been owed. Subdivision (a)(2)(B) says that where the automatic renewal will occur more than sixty days after affirmative consent, the entity with the direct billing relationship must give clear and conspicuous notice of when the business will charge you. Subsection (d) says that after a material change in accepted terms, the business shall give clear and conspicuous notice of the change and information on how to cancel that you can retain.
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Free gifts and trials carry disclosure duties. Under subdivision (a)(1), an offer that includes a free gift or trial must clearly and conspicuously explain the price charged after the trial ends or how pricing will change. Under subdivision (a)(3), the acknowledgment must disclose how to cancel and allow you to cancel before you pay for the goods or services.
Key decisions before you file
Before you file a Automatic Renewal Cancellation Letter in Tennessee, a few decisions shape the document: which option to choose and what each one means. The Automatic Renewal Cancellation Letter guide walks through them.
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Tennessee Requirements for Automatic Renewal Cancellation Letter
Whether It Is an Automatic Renewal or a Continuous Service
Section 47-18-103 defines an automatic renewal as a paid subscription or purchasing agreement renewed at the end of a definite term for a subsequent term, and continuous service as an agreement that continues until you cancel. State which one you have and the date it began.
Personal, Family or Household Purpose
Section 47-18-133(f)(2) defines a consumer as an individual who acquires goods or services for personal, family, or household purposes. Confirm the subscription was not bought for a business, and check that the seller is not a bank, credit union, utility, communications provider, Title 56 licensee or service contract provider excluded by subsection (e).
The Cancellation Contact Named in Your Acknowledgment
Subsection (b) requires a toll-free telephone number, electronic mail address, a postal address if the seller bills you directly, or another cost-effective, timely, and easy-to-use mechanism, described in the acknowledgment required by subdivision (a)(3). Name the contact you used and the date.
Online Acceptance and the Exclusively Online Exit
If you accepted online, subsection (c) says the business shall allow you to terminate exclusively online, which may include a termination email it formats and provides that you can send without additional information. Record the date you accepted online and what online exit you found or did not find.
Any Charge Made Without Affirmative Consent, With Its Date
Subdivision (a)(2)(A) requires affirmative consent before charging your card or third-party account, and subsection (f)(1) defines it as a clear, affirmative act signifying freely given, specific, informed, and unambiguous agreement. List the date and amount of any charge made without that act.
Refund Request Dated Within Seven Days of the Charge
Subsection (g) says the business shall refund a charge made without affirmative consent upon a request submitted within seven days of the charge date. The rule applies to agreements entered into, renewed, or modified on or after July 1, 2024. Date the letter and send it inside that window.
Notices on Delayed Charges and Material Changes
Subdivision (a)(2)(B) requires notice of when you will be charged if the renewal comes more than sixty days after consent, and subsection (d) requires clear and conspicuous notice of a material change with cancellation information you can retain. Record whether each notice arrived and when.
The Consumer Protection Act Reference, Stated Without Predicting an Outcome
Violating Section 47-18-133 is listed in Section 47-18-104(b), and Section 47-18-109 lets a person who suffers an ascertainable loss sue for actual damages, up to three times actual damages for a willful or knowing violation, with possible attorney's fees and costs. Cite it factually; attorney review is available as an option.