My Quick N Easy 'How To' Write a Cancellation Letter

It may surprise you to learn how many internet searches are made for instructions on how to cancel a subscription. Just write 'cancel' on the bill, or email the subscription department, right?

Maybe. Email can be unreliable; I get emails addressed to someone else, and occasionally mine never seem to get to their recipient. Phoning might work, but that seems to work best with local publishers, so you might as well write a physical letter. I feel that phoning is prone to error, because the service person might click on a name on the computer list without verifying the street address, etc. They can easily have multiples of common names!

Canceling a Magazine: First of all, is this just a bill for a magazine that you accepted a free first issue of? If so, all you need do is write cancel across the bill and send it back in the self-addressed, prepaid envelope.

Then let us assume this is an ongoing magazine subscription that you wish to cancel. This is easy. I have done this several times, for myself or for others, and have had no problems. I always clip a mailing label from the magazine, and attach it near the top of my letter. That way, the office has all the mailing and personal ID codes off your label. This will help them cancel the subscription of the right Mike Johnson or Taylor Thomson, and not the one who lives three miles away.

Open up your computer office software (Word, Open Office, etc). Start a New Document. Put the date and your address as usual in the upper right hand corner. Leave adequate space for affixing the mailing label of your magazine on the upper left.

Recipient Address: Insert the correct address of the subscription services department of the publication. This is often very different from the editorial office's address! Look on the masthead of your magazine. The masthead is the box that lists the officers of the publication such as editor-in-chief on down, and addresses of various departments.

Looking at a Dell magazine product, the masthead is on the same page as the table of contents. The left column gives the editors names, the publisher and associate publisher, art directors, sales & marketing, circulation, etc. Then it gives phone numbers for advertising and subscription departments.

In small type along the bottom of the page, is further info about the location of the executive and editorial offices, along with some legal mumbo-jumbo. They have kindly highlighted in bold headings the details for where to send inquiries for subscription services, or change of address. Get out your magnifying glass if necessary because this is the key info here.

Now that you have the correct address for the circulation department, plug that information into the letter.

Salutation: Now start the letter with Dear Sirs:

Body: Get down to business. Be cordial and brief. Even if their service was abominable and they made you pull out your hair in frustration, do not bother with those details now. Please process a termination of my subscription to your wonderful magazine as soon as humanly possible. Could you also send me a pro-rata refund promptly?

I have attached a copy of my mailing label for your convenience.

[optional] While I have enjoyed your product and services a great deal, the magazine no longer fits my needs. My life has changed and so I must say goodbye.

Signoff: Hit tab several times till you are about halfway across the page. Yours truly or Sincerely Yours or just Yours,

Add an extra return, then type your name below the Sincerely Yours. You will sign your name between the Sincerely Yours and your typed name.

Canceling subscriptions to a local newspaper are best handled by phone. Ask for the Subscription department.

Canceling other subscriptions such as Netflix is best done online.

Canceling other monthly charges can require a bit more work to make it stick. It is far too easy for companies to ignore or delay processing such requests, although it is also likely that they are understaffed. Find the correct billing address on your latest monthly bill or statement from them. Plug that into the letter as for the magazine cancellation.

Type in your return address, the company address, and your account number.

Body: Be brief and cordial. Please terminate my subscription to your service within thirty (30) days. After that, you are no longer authorized to make charges to my credit card. A check for my current balance of XX.XX is enclosed. (OR, please refund us a security deposit of XX.XX, or whatever balance you calculate is in your account.)

Please send us a written confirmation of this cancellation; you may email us that confirmation at joeblow@hotmail.com.

It is a good idea to send this via delivery confirmation (not requiring a signature).

Saying goodbyes can be hard sometimes, I know, but canceling a magazine should be easy and painless. Au revoir, Journal, so long, A Monthly, sayonara, Beijing Bugle. You were all such dear friends while it lasted.