Microsoft has acknowledged a bug in LinkedIn that prevents users from easily canceling their subscriptions. Reports of the problem began being reported in LinkedIn’s Help Forum almost two weeks ago, with multiple users claiming that the ‘Change’ option under ‘Premium Subscription’ settings was either unresponsive or did not offer an option to cancel the paid subscription.
The issue also meant that users were billed for an extra term – or more – if they did not successfully cancel their subscriptions or were unaware that the cancellation did not go through, even if the ‘Cancel Subscription’ button was available. Users also report receiving no confirmation about the status of their cancellation request, adding to the confusion.
Microsoft said in a statement to ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley that it uncovered a bug that prevented users from accessing the “newly added cancellation flow” in Settings. Here is the complete statement:
“We want to make it as easy to cancel a Premium plan as it is to start one and are investing in ways to make that process simpler for our members. This week, we uncovered a bug in our Settings & Privacy page that prevented some members from accessing a newly added cancellation flow from that page. Members can still make changes or cancel their plans from the My Premium page while we work to resolve the issue. We are also helping members who have encountered this bug by working with them to cancel their Premium plans and offering refunds, including members who have posted in the LinkedIn Help forum you referenced."
In addition to fixing this bug, the company also noted that it is making more changes to better inform Premium subscribers of changes to plans or billing cycles. The firm will also be introducing reminder emails to notify users of upcoming renewals or when they approach the end of free trials.
Currently, the workaround for those facing problems with canceling their subscriptions is to head to the help page here and file a case under the ‘Other’ section with a ‘Premium’ comment.