TikToker DJ’s Random Thoughts (@ummm_dj) received an email in the middle of the night from Hulu—a subscription streaming media service—about a price increase. She shared her reactions in a viral video.
“Hulu, you think you’re slick by sending that price change email in the middle of the night, but I’m up. I’m alert. Ten dollars, and we still have commercials. [Expletive] that,” she says.
“I’m about to buy a DVD player. I watch the same five shows anyway,” she added in the video’s caption.
On Hulu’s website, the company details these price changes: The ad-supported plan that DJ’s Random Thoughts subscribes to will rise from $7.99 per month to $9.99 per month starting Oct. 17, 2024.
A fellow TikToker commented on her video, saying, “Went to cancel and they lowered it to $2.99, thank you.”
A day later, DJ’s Random Thoughts uploaded another video responding to this comment.
“Let me tell you something, baby. I hope you have the best year of your life because this just saved me,” she shares.
“I just went to do exactly what you said, and it worked, y’all,” she explains, pulling up a screenshot of the offer from Hulu, which reads, “Get 6 Months of Hulu at $2.99/month.”
“It’s only for six months, but six months is better than nothing,” she urges.
@ummm_dj Replying to @Aishah Calloway ♬ original sound – DJ’s Random Thoughts 🤔💭
The viral video garnered 59,000 views and hundreds of comments, with many viewers sharing their own successes with this hack.
“Definitely worked; just did it!” one comment reads.
Does this work on other subscriptions?
Some viewers mentioned using this strategy on other platforms and at different times of the year. “I wait until Black Friday every year and get my favorite channels. Right now, I’m on a year of Hulu for 99 cents per month. I wait to get Showtime, Max, Paramount+, Disney, etc.,” one viewer shared.
Another added, “Starz does it too but for 12 months.”
“This can work in a lot of places. They’re called ‘save tools’ or something similar. They’re meant to keep people subscribed by offering discounts or perks,” another viewer commented.
This viewer is correct.
According to Life Hacker, it’s not uncommon for platforms like Hulu to present a counteroffer when you attempt to cancel your subscription.
“Subscription services do not want to lose you,” Life Hacker argues, sharing ways to “get a better deal on subscriptions by threatening to cancel.”
When canceling, most services ask, “Why are you canceling?”
Life Hacker advises selecting that the subscription is too expensive. “That clues the automated cancellation process into the fact that you might be swayed to stick around by a financial incentive,” it notes.
The publication also suggests researching the company before trying this tactic. “Not all companies will behave the same when you hit that initial ‘Cancel subscription’ button, so do a little research before you try this move,” it continues.
The Daily Dot reached out to TikToker DJ’s Random Thoughts via TikTok comment and Hulu via email.
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