Meanwhile:
> Andrew, who was sitting fourth on a waitlist for a class later that week, asked if it was possible to move him to the top of the list.
The human asked the agent to move them to the top of the waiting list, and the agent started kicking the ones ahead of them in the list. Seems to me like it was doing what it was asked to do? Why is the article presenting it as if the agent did something completely different and unexpected? "Move me to the top of the list" does not sound like something that can be achieved through legitimate means.
Maybe it's what he asked it to do, but it's not what he wanted it to do. Which we know because (a) normal people don't want to break the law to get into a gym class, and (b) "But Andrew was shocked by what happened next." and "Alarmed, Andrew asked the agent to undo this."
[Yes] [Ask me later]
"harmful cancellation practices, including automatic renewals, early termination fees and non-cancellation clauses" are all illegal. Exit fees can't be excessive.
If there isn't a simple one-click cancel in their online portal, then your state Consumer Affairs is one email away and will sort it for you. And the consumer affairs bodies have named this as a priority, for this year and next.