You've asked three times to cancel. The company keeps billing you. Now you need to turn the mess into evidence.
Start With a One-Page Timeline
- The date you signed up and the terms that applied.
- The date of your first cancellation request.
- Every subsequent request, with dates and the method used.
- Every response you received from the provider.
- Every charge taken after your first cancellation request.
- The current status of the account, as far as you can tell.
Identify the Contract Term That Matters
Find the clause covering cancellation, notice periods and any minimum term. Compare what the provider is doing against what the contract actually says — a provider that continues billing beyond what its own terms allow is on weaker ground than a provider correctly applying a notice period you did not account for.
Document the Money
- Every amount charged since your first cancellation request.
- The dates of each charge.
- The payment method used.
- Any refund already issued.
- The total amount currently in dispute.
- Bank or card statements confirming all of the above.
Ask for a Specific Remedy
The ACCC recommends contacting the business first and clearly stating what you want — for example, confirmation the contract is cancelled from a specific date, and a refund of charges taken after that date. A specific, well-evidenced request is easier for a business to act on than a general complaint.
Escalate Only After the Record Is Complete
The ACCC does not resolve individual consumer complaints, but your report can inform its broader compliance work. For your own dispute, escalate to your state or territory consumer protection agency, an applicable industry ombudsman, an alternative dispute resolution scheme the provider belongs to, or — as a last resort — a relevant tribunal or court.
What This Means for You
- Build a complete, dated timeline before escalating.
- Match what the provider is doing against its own contract terms.
- Quantify exactly what is owed to you, with statement evidence.
- State a specific, actionable request when you contact the business.
- Use your state or territory agency, an ombudsman or ADR if the business won't resolve it.
Related Kibbo Tools
Sources
- ACCC — Contacting a business to fix a problem. accc.gov.au
- ACCC — If a business will not fix a problem. accc.gov.au
- ACCC — Where to go for consumer help. accc.gov.au
- Australian Consumer Law — Competition and Consumer Act 2010, Schedule 2. legislation.gov.au