A Long Day, A Longer Night, and the Relentless Advocate

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Today has been a very long day—one of those days where your bones creak with exhaustion, your mind is a maze of loose ends, and you’re convinced—absolutely sure—that sleep is mere minutes away. The bed calls, the sheets rumpled and just right, and then out of nowhere, a sharp digital chime splits the stillness—a transaction alert, just as I’m about to surrender to unconsciousness. My stomach drops, my mind races. Why is there a PayPal withdrawal? Nothing should be coming out, there are no subscriptions due, no pending purchases, nothing I haven’t already accounted for in the endless ledger that is modern life. But there it is: PayPal, again.

So, naturally, I set aside the notion of sleep because this is how these nights always go—the universe, it seems, has a sense of timing that borders on comedic. I dig into my phone. The charge is for an app, and for now I will refrain from naming and shaming them unless this ordeal continues, but let’s just say I know every pixel of their dashboard intimately by now. I had canceled this app back in 2022, or at least I thought I had. You see, as a Canadian citizen, the subscription part of the app might as well have been a brick—useless unless I was physically present in the States. The hardware? Great. The free side of the app? Wonderful. But the paid subscription? Completely pointless, a digital paperweight. I have no idea how I ended up subscribed in the first place. Maybe I clicked something in a haze, or maybe the app is just that insidious, lurking in the weeds for unwitting prey like me.

I thought this was all behind me. Ha. Fool that I was. In 2023, the charge popped up again, uninvited and unwelcome. I reached out to customer support, found an email address buried five layers deep in their help center, and—credit where it’s due—was refunded the 2023 charge immediately. I thought I had slain the beast, unplugged the drain. But as is always the case in my life, just when you think you’ve sealed the cracks, something slithers through. 2024 was chaos incarnate, and somewhere between medical appointments and advocacy marathons, I didn’t catch the charge until long after it was hopeless. Honestly, I chalked it up as a lost cause, another $100 (or whatever it was in Canadian funds) lost in the digital ether, a toll paid to the gods of bureaucracy.

But tonight, in the glow of my phone screen, there it was again. The 2025 charge. PayPal, like a persistent ex, refusing to get the message. (Do keep in mind it is not paypal at fault here they are like the credit card company being charged so they are not at fault here) By now, unimpressed is an understatement. Irritated, annoyed, maybe even a little bit vengeful. I am nothing if not persistent, a trait honed by years of advocacy and the kind of stubbornness only inherited from growing up with a narcissist and a sociopath as your parents. I did what I do best: dug in, started researching, poked around with the tenacity of a terrier after a scent. And what I found was, frankly, astounding. In the best possible way, too.

Turns out, there are laws—real, actual, federal laws—that forbid precisely this sort of nonsense. Not just the unauthorized charges, but the misleading advertising: omitting that the paid part of the app doesn’t even function in Canada, making it look like an all-access pass when in reality it’s nothing but a locked door unless you’re south of the border. Maybe that’s changed, maybe they do things differently now, but it doesn’t matter. I didn’t subscribe, and when I supposedly did in 2022, it was useless. I’ve received no magical notification saying “Hey, Canada, you can finally use this now!” and so as far as I’m concerned, the clock is still stuck at useless o’clock.

Now, listen, I’m not a lawyer—never have been, probably never will be, though I’ve been told I argue like one even as a child against being grounded and guess what? I would win because logic and facts are hard to combat and not look foolish or pig headed. What I am is an advocate, and not just any advocate: a medical advocate. The kind people don’t like to cross. I’ve gone toe-to-toe with doctors and surgeons and specialists who are convinced the sun rises and sets at their word. I’ve wrangled with the government over EI (employment insurance, for the blissfully uninitiated)—a system so labyrinthine that unless you know your rights backwards and forwards, you’ll never see a dime, your tax dollars swirling down the drain. Then there’s WCB, the Workers Compensation Board, a whole other breed of beast. They hire their own doctors—impartiality not included—and have a habit of violating the law regarding one-party consent. You can’t bring your electronics in; you have to leave them at the door or in a locker. But here’s a little-known fact: when they take your bag, they assume all legal responsibility for it. Same goes for those stores that try to make you leave your things at customer service. Mention it and watch them backpedal.

And as a side note (because isn’t life just a series of side notes?), the one-party consent law means that, in Canada, if you want to record a conversation, your consent is the only one that matters when it comes to your OWN protected information not just medical but many other areas to. Not the doctor’s, not the nurse’s, not the WCB’s. The “no recording” signs in medical offices? Legally meaningless, and you’d better believe I use that bit of knowledge every chance I get. I sure as hell record my appointments and if I don’t need them later after two years I will delete them, every so often you need those good appointments as a point of reference or as an admission of knowledge. Personally I record because medical trauma and C-PTSD are not friends to the memory. They’ve tried to shut me out as a patient advocate, too—denied me access, denied spouses, even denied translators who weren’t on their payroll. But it doesn’t fly. It’s called a chaperone. It’s called an impartial witness. It’s called bodily autonomy and the right to have support in the room, especially when the stakes are high.

So, with all that as context, when someone tries to cross me with something like unauthorized charges—especially at the end of a day that’s already stretched me thin, when my mind is sharp from hours of advocacy and my patience is on life support—they are in for a rude awakening. I channeled all my irritation, all my accumulated wisdom from years of battling medical bureaucracy and government red tape, and I drafted a letter that was part legal brief, part war cry, part comedy routine. The evidence is clear, the laws are transparent, and while I may not be able to say, “you broke the law!” with the finality of a judge, I can make it very clear that I know my rights. Just have to be careful of the wording thanks to that innocent until proven guilty aspect of things though that is easy enough to get around as you will see as I have included the letter itself minus identifying information of course. If they deny this then there isn’t even a hint of slander or the such as the proof is in the bag so to speak.

Oh, and I did my research—both Canadian and US federal laws, because why not be thorough when you’re already in the trenches? A company that is based in the USA is obviously bound by USA law, however if they also operate, provide services or product they are bound by the law there as well in this instance it is obviously Canadian law as well. Doesn’t that make it international then? Turns out, I’m not alone. There are reviews, angry ones, from other people who have faced the same nonsense. It’s almost comforting, in a way, to know that you’re not the only one swinging at windmills. So, I brought my A-game, but with a wink and a smile, the kind of “let’s play” energy that no one wants to hear from me—because it never ends well for the other side.

Growing up with a narcissist and a sociopath as parents teaches you things they don’t cover in school. How to read between the lines which is insanely hard when you have AuDHD but to survive I had to learn to at least mimic it, I can go yea I get the meaning of that however how the hell that phrasing works is beyond me so basically pattern recognition. How to keep your cool when the storm is raging. How to play the long game, and how to win it. There are perks to surviving that kind of chaos, and tonight, as I finally, finally crawl into bed—well, after I finish writing this, and after I leave room for my own example below—those perks come in handy.

So, to help you in how you can approach things like this and to give you a view into my world as an advocate when I have reached the point of “enough of this asinine garbage” no more pussyfooting around or being polite, now it’s time to be the hard ass I can be even if I dislike having to get to this level I can and I will when needed. If it is something I don’t know that I am having to help with or been approached about guess what? I research the hell out of it. Here are the laws this app has fallen under the scrutiny and the way I put it to them. You can tell I was cranky though to be fair.

I will note that I did include the refund of 2022 as I had only just learned due to their pattern of billing about other legal rights I had which because there was no pattern to me in 2023 was not applicable however now it is because of this screw up as the statute of limitations has reset under this unique circumstance. The consequences they COULD face are below this letter example. I want you to have an idea of how to go about things for a huge impact, why not I already did the work after all.

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Subject: Unauthorized Subscription Charges – Request for Refund and Cancellation

Dear Support Team,

I got the app in 2022, was charged and did not fight it despite its uselessness for me. In 2023 I got charged again despite canceling the subscription the year before. I emailed support and got the 2023 charge refunded. As of today, I now recognize that the 2022 charge—although previously unchallenged—was also unauthorized and subject to refund under the same pattern of billing abuse. I missed noticing the 2024 charge, and today I discovered the 2024 charge when I was charged for 2025—despite contacting support in 2023, talking to a rep about exactly the same thing, and asking to make sure I was removed.

Issues

– Service Not Usable in My Country:

The Premium service offers features like repair shop referrals and a mechanic hotline that are centered around the U.S. As someone outside the U.S., I receive no benefit from these features. I cannot access U.S. repair facilities, and the cost estimates and mechanic advice are not applicable to my local region. In short, I have been paying for a service that I cannot use at all due to geographic limitations. This makes the subscription inherently without value to me.

– Unauthorized Recurring Charges:

I have been billed for the annual Premium subscription in 2024 and again in 2025 without my consent. These charges were processed via my PayPal account as automatic renewals. I did not knowingly agree to any auto-renewal, nor was I given clear notice before these charges. The payments came as a surprise to me, as I had no intention to continue the service after realizing it was not usable in my country. Charging my account without explicit authorization or adequate notice is unacceptable. It resembles “negative option billing,” where a company charges a customer unless they explicitly cancel—a practice widely criticized and illegal in many jurisdictions.

– Repeated Billing Despite Cancellation Attempts:

I only became aware of the 2024 charge when I saw the 2025 billing hit, despite having clearly canceled the service in 2023. This suggests that either my cancellation was not processed or billing continued regardless. It is extremely frustrating that my best efforts to cancel were ignored. I have continued to use the OBD2 hardware through the free portion of the app, but had long stopped engaging with any paid Premium services—yet the billing persisted. I’ve discovered numerous customer reports echoing this problem—being charged for subscriptions they thought were canceled, some even forced to block payments or cancel credit cards to stop the charges.

Demands

Given the above issues, I require an immediate resolution. I also expect appropriate compensation for the financial disruption, emotional stress, and excessive time wasted over multiple years due to the company’s failure to honor cancellation and its repeated unauthorized billing. I now formally include the 2022 charge in my refund request, having newly understood that legal protections apply retroactively to this billing.

I request the following actions be taken without delay:

– Full Refund for 2022, 2024 and 2025 Charges:

I expect a 100% refund of all subscription fees charged to my account in 2022, 2024, and 2025, since I derived no benefit from the service and did not authorize these renewals. These charges were made without my informed consent, and retaining my money for a service I cannot use is unjust. A prompt refund via the original payment method (PayPal) should be issued.

– Permanent Cancellation of Subscription:

The subscription must be fully canceled immediately (if it is not already). I want written confirmation that my subscription is terminated and that no further automatic renewals or charges will occur. Under no circumstances should I be billed again from this point forward. The company should ensure that my account is marked as closed/canceled in whatever systems are necessary to prevent any future billing.

– Removal of Payment Information:

I request that the company remove my payment details (PayPal billing agreement, credit card info on file, etc.) from its records. Given the breaches of trust so far, I do not feel safe having them retain my billing information. Deleting my payment data will add assurance that no unauthorized charge can be processed in the future. Please confirm in writing that my payment information has been expunged from the system.

– Confirmation of Actions:

Once the above steps are completed, please email me a confirmation that includes the refund transaction details, the effective date of subscription cancellation, and acknowledgment that my billing info has been removed. I would like this confirmation for my records.

Consequences

I urge you to address this matter promptly and professionally, as the current situation raises serious legal and consumer protection concerns. The company’s ongoing charging of my account for an unusable service, without consent, may be in violation of several laws and regulations:

– United States Law – Unauthorized Charges:

This service is U.S.-based, and U.S. consumer protection laws explicitly prohibit the kind of charging practices I’ve experienced. The Federal Trade Commission’s Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act (ROSCA) requires clear, conspicuous disclosure of recurring charges and the express informed consent of the consumer before initiating any subscription payment. Charging a customer’s account without such consent—or burying the consent in fine print—is considered a deceptive and unfair business practice under the FTC Act. Furthermore, the Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA) and its regulations mandate that companies obtain a valid written authorization for recurring electronic payments, and that this authorization be clear and readily understandable. Hidden or implied authorizations (where the customer is not fully aware they are agreeing to be charged later) are not valid. If explicit agreement was not obtained to be charged annually—in a manner recognizable and understandable—then these charges are unlawful under U.S. law.

– Canadian Law – Negative Option Billing:

As a consumer outside the U.S., I am protected by federal and provincial laws against unauthorized or predatory billing practices. In Canada, “negative option” billing (charging consumers for a service unless they proactively cancel or opt out) is broadly frowned upon and, in some cases, outright illegal. For example, the province of Ontario banned negative option billing in 2005. Charging me for a subscription renewal that I never explicitly requested (and indeed tried to cancel) could be seen as an unfair or deceptive act under consumer protection statutes. Additionally, selling me a service that cannot be delivered or used in my country might constitute a misrepresentation of the product’s fitness for purpose. It is simply not acceptable to take money for a U.S.-only service with no disclosure of its limitations.

The above points illustrate that these actions are not just oversights—they potentially breach consumer protection laws in both the U.S. and Canada. I am providing these references so that the team understands the gravity of the situation and the legal risk of continuing on the current course. I am hoping we can resolve this amicably, but I want to be clear about my position and rights.

If I do not receive a satisfactory resolution (full refunds and confirmed cancellation) in a timely manner, I will have no choice but to escalate this issue. The steps I am prepared to take include:

– Disputing Charges:

I will file disputes/chargebacks for the 2022, 2024 and 2025 charges through PayPal and my credit card institution, on the grounds of unauthorized billing. Given the evidence (including lack of use of the service and my prior cancellation attempts), I am confident these disputes will be found in my favor.

– Reporting to Authorities:

I will lodge formal complaints with relevant consumer protection agencies. In the United States, I will report this matter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for potential investigation of subscription practices. In Canada, I will contact the Competition Bureau or my provincial consumer affairs office to report what has happened. Continuous charging of consumers without consent, especially across borders for services not provided, is the kind of issue these agencies take seriously.

– Legal Action:

I genuinely hope it doesn’t come to this, but I am prepared to seek legal advice on recovering my funds and potentially pursuing action for any statutory violations. This could include small claims court action to retrieve the money taken from me, and citing the laws mentioned above as context for the claim.

Please understand that I do not want to escalate to the above measures. However, I am fully prepared to do so if necessary. The company’s reputation and legal compliance are at stake. Numerous other customers have already described the subscription as a “scam” or fraudulent, which is extremely concerning. I would prefer to resolve this directly and give your team the opportunity to correct this wrongdoing.

In summary, I expect the company to do the right thing: acknowledge the mistake, refund the unauthorized charges from 2022 onward, compensate me fairly, and ensure no further charges occur. This is a straightforward resolution that will satisfy me as a customer and close the matter. I have been a paying customer in good faith, but I cannot continue to be charged for a service I neither want nor can use. I trust that you will treat this complaint with the seriousness it deserves and respond promptly.

Thank you for your immediate attention to this issue. I look forward to your quick response confirming the refunds, cancellation, and compensation.

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💸 Direct Financial Liability

Charge Year	Amount Owed (USD)	Reason
2022	$99	Unauthorized charge for unusable service
2024	$99	Recurring renewal after cancellation attempt
2025	$99	Latest charge despite prior dispute
Additional Compensation	$50–$200+	Emotional distress, time lost, breach of trust
Legal Exposure	Up to $1,000+	If pursued through formal dispute or small claims

🧾 Estimated Range:

• Low-End Total: ~$350
• High-End Total: ~$1,500+

This is what they could owe me—not including damages from a wider pattern of billing abuse many others have reported. Let that sink in.

🏢 Operational & Reputational Fallout

Beyond one frustrated subscriber, here’s what companies risk when they mishandle subscriptions:

Category	Estimated Cost	Impact
Chargeback penalties	$15–$25 per incident	Fees from payment platforms like PayPal or Stripe
Lost time & customer service labor	Variable	Hours of back-and-forth, draining support resources
Payment processor risk	High	Recurring complaints may trigger fines or suspension
Regulatory agency fines	$1,000s per case	FTC (US), Competition Bureau (Canada), etc.
Legal consultation costs	$200–$500/hour	Preparing defenses, settlements, rewriting terms
Negative public feedback	Long-term impact	Damaged reputation on app stores, review sites, blogs like this one 😏
Customer churn & lost revenue	Ongoing	Users who leave won’t come back—and they tell others
Forced system & policy changes	High dev/staff cost	Redesigning flows, retraining, rewriting TOS—all under pressure

✊ Closing Note for Companies Reading This

You might think one refund request isn’t a big deal. But if you’re seeing more of these, the financial bleeding is likely deeper than you realize. Fix your cancellation flows. Respect geography. Honor informed consent. Because if someone like me—Siearra Frost—has to call this out publicly, you’re already behind.