‘For millions of households, the problem is not finding the “unsubscribe” button. It is finding that £50 buys remarkably little at the supermarket.’ Photograph: Yui Mok/PAView image in fullscreen‘For millions of households, the problem is not finding the “unsubscribe” button. It is finding that £50 buys remarkably little at the supermarket.’ Photograph: Yui Mok/PAConsumer affairsLettersAndy Burnham’s great British rip-off list just got even longerReaders respond to the prime minister’s promise to end unexpected payments and hidden catches for consumersThu 13 Aug 2026 18.39 CESTLast modified on Thu 13 Aug 2026 21.40 CESTShareMisleading discounts and obstructive cancellation procedures certainly deserve regulation. But presenting this as a significant response to the cost of living crisis feels like rearranging the cushions while the sofa is on fire (Subscriptions you can’t easily cancel, sales that aren’t sales – I’ll end the rip-offs that British people hate, 9 August).For millions of households, the problem is not finding the “unsubscribe” button. It is finding that £50 buys remarkably little at the supermarket, while housing and essential bills consume ever more of their income.Perhaps this is merely the appetiser and something considerably more substantial is coming for the main course. I sincerely hope so. Otherwise, perhaps ministers could extend their new consumer-friendly approach to democracy: one-click cancellation for political subscriptions that no longer offer value for money.Fernando Quintana MarreroLondon The issue that Andy Burnham intends to address stems from what Cory Doctorow has described as “enshittification” – that is, the intentional process of making tech services worse to increase profits once customers are hooked in.The PM needs to be careful not to end up sweating the small stuff and finding that all efforts are futile as his government’s apparent fixation with the likes of Palantir and desire to build more and more datacentres creates a dependency on foreign corporations that undermines our economic, environmental and national security, and the only jobs that arise are for serfs in the warehouses and delivery vans of the techno-feudal overlords.Dave HunterBristol “Every ‘sale’ seems to come with an asterisk,” writes Andy Burnham. Was your inclusion of a large asterisk next to his name at the bottom of the article in the print edition a cheeky nod to a sales pitch by the PM?Thomas RyderNottingham Maybe Andy Burnham should look at the practice, used by energy companies, of “standing charges”?Dougie FirthLondon How about ending the scandal of the rip-off student loan scheme?Richard HollisSt Albans Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.Explore more on these topicsConsumer affairsAndy BurnhamOnline shoppingUK cost of living crisisHousehold billsUtilitiesStudentslettersShareReuse this content
