Four Degrees of Freedom
A billing fairness tool measures four specific aspects of your relationship with a service. Each represents a different kind of freedom you can lose through the T&C.
Freedom 1: Exit Freedom
Can you stop paying easily?
| Trap | Impact |
|---|---|
| Silent auto-renewal | You don't know when to exit |
| Phone-only cancellation | Exit requires effort during business hours |
| Minimum commitment / lock-in | Exit is expensive |
| 30+ day notice period | Exit requires advance planning |
| No pro-rata | Exit costs you prepaid money |
Full freedom: Online cancel + pro-rata refund + no lock-in
Freedom 2: Error Recovery
Can you recover if their billing system makes a mistake?
| Trap | Impact |
|---|---|
| Short dispute window | Limited time to catch errors |
| Conclusive records | Company's word is final |
| No-liability for errors | No compensation for their mistakes |
| Chargeback penalty | Punished for using legal rights |
Full recovery: 60+ day window + full liability + no conclusive records
Freedom 3: Price Stability
Is the price predictable?
| Trap | Impact |
|---|---|
| Unilateral price change | Price can change at any time |
| Tier discretion | Arbitrary reclassification |
| Retroactive pricing | Price change applies to past usage |
| Rounding | Effective price varies unpredictably |
Stable: Price locked for term + defined tiers + no rounding
Freedom 4: Data Control
Can you remove your financial data?
| Trap | Impact |
|---|---|
| Token without revocation | Card still chargeable after deletion |
| Blanket authorization | No per-transaction consent |
| No UI removal | Can't delete payment method yourself |
| Data retention after closure | Data persists after cancellation |
Full control: UI removal + token revocation + deletion on closure
Visualizing Your Freedoms
Score each freedom 0-100. The lowest score is your weakest link:
Exit Freedom: 85% ░░░░░░░░░▒▒▒ Error Recovery: 25% ░░░▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ ← WEAKEST Price Stability: 60% ░░░░░░▒▒▒▒ Data Control: 70% ░░░░░░░▒▒▒