Part 4: Consumer rights and disputes Duties of traders Section 260: Arrangements for consumers to exercise rights to end contract
This section imposes requirements on traders that are designed to ensure they provide an easy and accessible means for consumers to end the contract. It makes it clear that consumers should not be hindered when trying to leave a subscription contract or stop it renewing.
	Subsection (1), paragraph (a) requires that traders enable consumers to end the contract in a way which is straightforward.
	Subsection (1), paragraph (b) provides that the process for consumers to end the contract must not require them to take any steps other than those which are reasonably necessary to end the contract. This requirement precludes traders adopting practices which unreasonably hinder a consumer exercising their contractual right to exit the contract.
	Examples of practices that are likely to breach subsection (1), paragraphs (a) and/or (b) could include:
For online contracts (where consumers have been able to sign up at the click of a button online), making the process to exit the contract more onerous e.g. requiring customers to phone a call centre.
When a consumer contacts the trader by phone to end the contract, they are required to answer questions about the quality of the product, or why they’re leaving.
Requiring customers to go through an excessive number of steps, or unnecessary steps, to turn off auto-renewal online e.g. requiring them to complete a mandatory free text box or by not giving them the clear and prominent option to turn off auto-renewal or press a cancel button.
	Subsection (2) and subsection (6) specify that the consumer may choose to notify a trader that they wish to exercise their contractual right to bring their subscription contract to an end by making a clear statement setting out their decision.
	Subsection (3) provides that a consumer may exercise a right to bring a subscription contract to an end at any time permitted by regulations under section 277 subsection (1) paragraph (c), and subsection (5) provides that arrangements under section 260 must comply with any other requirements specified in such regulations.
	Subsection (4), paragraph (a) provides that where a contract is entered into online, there must be a way for the consumer to exercise their right to cancel online. It does not prevent other means of doing so also being made available.
	Subsection (4) paragraph (b) provides that traders must ensure that consumers do not find it hard to locate and access the mechanism for turning off auto-renewal or ending the contract online. An online mechanism offered by traders for consumers to end a subscription contract may breach this requirement if e.g. it is not clearly and prominently labelled, or it is only accessible by the consumer activating hover text or a drop-down menu.