You have the cancellation email. The company has your money. The strongest response is a clean timeline showing what you cancelled, when you cancelled it and what was charged afterwards.
Start With Proof That the Subscription Was Actually Cancelled
- The cancellation confirmation email or screen.
- The date and time you submitted the cancellation.
- The method used — account settings, email, phone or chat.
- Any reference or ticket number provided.
- The account or subscription ID shown on the confirmation.
Contact the Business First
The ACCC recommends raising the problem directly with the business first, explaining clearly what happened and what outcome you want — a refund of the charges taken after cancellation, and confirmation the subscription has actually stopped.
A Chargeback May Be Available — But It Is Not Automatic
AFCA's chargeback factsheet explains that a chargeback is a process your card provider can use to reverse a transaction in certain circumstances, including some billing disputes. It is not guaranteed and depends on your card scheme's rules and the specific facts. It is also important not to describe an originally authorised subscription payment as "unauthorised" merely because the merchant failed to properly process your cancellation — that is a different type of dispute from a genuinely unauthorised transaction, and describing it accurately affects how the bank and scheme assess the claim.
Time Matters
Chargeback rights are generally subject to time limits set by the card scheme, so raise a disputed post-cancellation charge with your bank or card provider promptly rather than waiting.
Where to Escalate After the Merchant
The ACCC does not resolve individual consumer complaints but can accept reports that inform its enforcement work. For unresolved individual disputes, your state or territory consumer protection agency, an applicable industry ombudsman, or — for financial service and chargeback disputes involving your bank — the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) may be able to help.
What This Means for You
- Keep the cancellation confirmation and every charge that followed it.
- Contact the business first, in writing, with a clear requested outcome.
- Describe the payment accurately — an authorised payment the merchant failed to stop, not an unauthorised one.
- Raise a chargeback with your bank promptly if the merchant does not resolve it.
- Escalate to AFCA or the relevant state/territory agency if it remains unresolved.
Related Kibbo Tools
Sources
- ACCC — Where to go for consumer help. accc.gov.au
- AFCA — Chargebacks factsheet. afca.org.au
- ASIC — MoneySmart, problems with a purchase and chargebacks. moneysmart.gov.au