How to easily Cancel the NBA.com League Pass subscription

 I preparation for the NBA Finals, I've purchased the NBA.COM League Pass. Now, with the playoffs behind us, trying to be a better consumer, I thought it is time for a little savings and wished to cancel my subscription. But it turned out a little more complicated than I had anticipated, so I thought it might be beneficial for others to know how this can be done. 

At first, I went to the website (using a deeper url, such as www.nba.com/playoffs so that I won't be directed to the local - Israeli - website version). After I logged in, I went over the options, seeking a way to update or cancel my packages... and lo and behold! the interface did not enable a cancellation of my purchased package! 

That was surprising. Very surprisng, actually. 

Why? Because I used the NBA.com League Pass trial during the early season, before choosing the cheaper and more social forms of watching the NBA regular season games. I clearly remembered that back then, in early November, the cancellation procedure was a simple option on the interface. 

I remembered myself cancelling my trial subscription with no trouble. I did not remember anything that would require my current bewildered scratching of my head. 

I told myself that maybe this was some new and weird browser incompatibility issue. After all, technologies get updated from time to time, and bugs are a natural part of our lives in this day and age. Testing that, I tried viewing the website using Internet Explorer. But the same lack of link or button to update my renewing package persisted. 

With no other obvious solution, I tried the consumer's FAQ on the NBA website. 

AS browsing thru the FAQ Did not help, I tried searching "cancel" the, but the only outcome was 

"How can I cancel my NBA League Pass on iTunes Subscription". Now, as much as this is a good thing to know about, what should someone who subscribed using his web browser do?

I felt Helpless. 

It was as if I was thrown back a decade ago to the time my then-girlfriend (and now-spouse) wished to send an online greeting card only to discover later that she actually made a (surprisingly) renewing subscription to a website selling online greeting cards,  whose interface gave no obvious way to cancel the subscription. 

Before I go any further, I wish to make this clear - I knew I was making a renewable subscription on NBA.com (after all, playoffs do last longer than one month, thank heavens). 

My discontent grew out of the assumption that like all other web services I use, I will find cancelling my subscription as easy as making it was. 

Facing this new and brave world of having no easy option, I buckled up and started reading the terms and conditions...  And there I discovered the new cancellation procedure: 

"You may elect to cancel your subscription at any time by sending an 

email to nbasupport@neulion.com with a cancellation request. "

Happy that I did not give up with the first hardship, I sent the following cancellation request by email:

"To:  nbasupport@neulion.com

Subject: NBA LEAGUE PASS Subscription cancellation request

Dear NBA.COM support representative, 

I request to cancel my monthly subscription to the NBA LEAGUE PASS. 

My username is: XXXXX

With regards, 

YYY ZZZZZZZ "

(evidently, my username is not XXXXX. But privacy is important with all those robots running out there, and besides this makes the letter a convenient template for anyone out there who is as lazy as I am, in the endless battle against marketing bureaucratics).

That was yesterday, the 23/06/2015 at 09:47 in the morning, Israeli time (which is the middle of the night in New York, where the NBA headquarters is located). 

Three Minutes later, at 09:50 AM (Israel time) that day a robot replied, confirming the receipt of my email, providing me with a ticket id for any future reference, and assuring me that "One of our agents will get back to you as soon as possible."

At 8:39 PM (Israeli time; mid-day New-York clock) I received a polite email, informing me that 

"As per your request, your NBA Game Time subscription service has been cancelled. "

Now, that wasn't so hard, was it ? I actually found myself thinking fondly of those nice people who obliged so quickly. 

But that was only a moment of weakness. Then I thought a little more, and found myself a little less happy. The cancellation procedure might be well documented on the terms and conditions, and it might be executed with politeness and care, but - 

• it is vastly different from the registration procedure 
• it is not visible through the interface 
• it requires an extra effort on the consumer's behalf

And I don't like that. Which makes me sad, because I like the NBA very much. 

I'd better find a way to cheer myself up. How about some vintage sports that can be watched freely on the web?