consumerdisputes.org
Effective 2026-05-09Last updated 2026-05-09

California Auto-Renewal Disclosure Block

Effective: 2026-05-09 Last updated: 2026-05-09 Applies to: any Accreditation Subscription or other recurring-fee Business subscription where any subscriber may be a California resident or California-based entity

Where this disclosure must appear

This disclosure (or a substantially equivalent block conforming to current ARL requirements) must appear:

  1. At point of signup — visually distinct, immediately above or adjacent to the affirmative consent button, before payment information is requested
  2. In the order acknowledgment — as a separate, visually distinct section of the email/receipt sent immediately after a successful subscription
  3. In the renewal-reminder email — sent at least 7 days before each annual renewal date
  4. In the Business Account dashboard — accessible at any time under "Subscription details"
  5. In any update notice — when material terms change

The Disclosure Block (display verbatim)

The block below is the v0 of the disclosure. The formatting matters: it must be visually distinct from surrounding content (border, background tint, larger or bolder type, set apart by whitespace).

AUTOMATIC RENEWAL — IMPORTANT NOTICE

This is an automatic-renewal subscription. By signing up, you are agreeing to a recurring annual charge that will continue until you cancel.

What you are agreeing to:

  • Subscription: consumerdisputes.org Accreditation
  • Recurring charge: $499 per year, charged to the payment method on file on the anniversary of your initial subscription
  • Renewal frequency: Once every 12 months
  • First charge: $499, charged today
  • Future renewals: $499 per year on [renewal date], unless you cancel before that date

Your payment method on file: [last 4 digits of card] ending in [____]

You can cancel any time, for any reason. Cancellation must be received at least three (3) days before the renewal date to stop the next charge. We will send a renewal-reminder email to the address on your account at least seven (7) days before each renewal.

How to cancel:

  • Online: Sign in to your Business Account, go to Subscription details, click "Cancel subscription." Cancellation is effective immediately when you click the button.
  • By email: Email billing@consumerdisputes.org with the subject line "Cancel Subscription." Include your Business Account email and the business name. Cancellation is effective when our billing team confirms receipt.
  • By mail: Write to [your registered business address] with your Business Account information and a request to cancel. Cancellation is effective on the postmark date.

No fee, no penalty, no questions asked to cancel.

If we change the price of your renewal, we will email you at least 30 days before the change takes effect, and the email will include the new price and a reminder of how to cancel before the change.

No refund on renewal. If you forget to cancel and a renewal charge goes through, the charge is nonrefundable except as required by law. (See the Refund Policy and Section 6.3 of our Business Terms of Service for details.)

By clicking the [ "I Agree and Subscribe" ] button below, you:

  • Acknowledge that you have read this Automatic Renewal Notice
  • Agree to the recurring annual charge described above
  • Confirm you have authority to charge the payment method on file
  • Accept our Business Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Order acknowledgment email — auto-renewal section

This block must appear in the order acknowledgment email, in addition to (not instead of) the standard receipt.

AUTOMATIC RENEWAL CONFIRMATION

Hi [Business Name],

You signed up for a consumerdisputes.org Accreditation Subscription on [date]. Thank you.

This is your acknowledgment of the auto-renewal terms you agreed to:

  • Annual charge: $499, starting [renewal date]
  • Payment method: [card type] ending in [____]
  • Cancel any time: Sign in to your account → Subscription details → Cancel subscription
  • We will remind you 7 days before each renewal

You can also reply to this email or write to billing@consumerdisputes.org to cancel.

Your subscription confirms your acceptance of our Business Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

— The consumerdisputes.org team

Renewal reminder email (7 days before renewal)

This block is sent automatically at least 7 days before every renewal.

YOUR ACCREDITATION RENEWS IN 7 DAYS

Hi [Business Name],

Your consumerdisputes.org Accreditation Subscription will automatically renew on [renewal date] for $499.

The same payment method ([card type] ending in [____]) will be charged.

You don't need to do anything if you want to keep your subscription.

To cancel before the renewal:

  • Sign in to your account → Subscription details → Cancel subscription
  • Or reply to this email with "cancel" in the body

Cancellation must be received at least 3 days before the renewal date to stop the charge.

If you want to update your payment method, you can do that in Subscription details too.

Thanks, The consumerdisputes.org team

Price-change notice (at least 30 days before change)

This block is sent automatically when we change the price of an active subscription.

YOUR SUBSCRIPTION PRICE WILL CHANGE ON [DATE]

Hi [Business Name],

We're writing to let you know your consumerdisputes.org Accreditation Subscription price will change on [effective date].

  • Current price: $[OLD] per year
  • New price: $[NEW] per year
  • Why: [brief reason, e.g., "We've added new analytics features," or "annual price adjustment"]

You don't need to do anything if you accept the new price. Your renewal on or after [effective date] will be at the new amount.

If you don't want to continue at the new price, you can cancel at any time before [effective date]:

  • Sign in to your account → Subscription details → Cancel subscription
  • Or reply to this email

Thanks, The consumerdisputes.org team

Cancellation confirmation email

When a subscriber cancels, send the following confirmation immediately.

YOUR CANCELLATION IS CONFIRMED

Hi [Business Name],

Your consumerdisputes.org Accreditation Subscription is canceled.

  • Canceled on: [date]
  • Subscription remains active until: [end of current paid term]
  • No future charges: You will not be charged again

You can keep using Accreditation features until [end of current paid term]. After that:

  • Your Accredited Business badge will be removed from your profile
  • Premium features will deactivate
  • Your Business profile remains on the Service as a public listing

You can re-subscribe any time at the then-current price.

Thanks, The consumerdisputes.org team

Implementation requirements

For Phase 0 / Phase 4 engineering:

  1. Single source of truth for renewal date. The renewal date displayed in all notices, the dashboard, and the calculation of renewal must be the same value, sourced from the Stripe Billing subscription record.
  2. Audit log on every disclosure. Every send of every disclosure (signup, order acknowledgment, renewal reminder, price-change, cancellation) is logged with timestamp and recipient for legal-defense purposes.
  3. Click-to-cancel parity. The number of clicks required to cancel must not exceed the number required to subscribe (Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 17602.1).
  4. Email deliverability. Failed deliveries of any of these notices must be tracked and surfaced as a compliance issue. Repeated bounce → use alternative contact in subscription record.
  5. No "are you sure?" friction beyond a single confirmation. California ARL allows confirmation step but does not allow extended retention dialogs ("we'd hate to see you go," "wait — here's a discount") in a way that obstructs cancellation.