Before I tell you about my experience, let me tell you that I love the WWE Network. The idea, the quality and content. Like many wrestli… uh, sports entertainment fans out there, I’ve grown up watching WWE my whole life. It was always on my fathers TV. As a child, I loved the superhero aspect of it, as a teenager, I loved the athleticism and had a dream of one day being a WWE superstar, and as an adult, I’m more into the story line. It is an amazing variety show, and a soap opera that I wasn’t alive for the beginning of and most likely won’t see the end of. Though not a WWE superstar, I have become an independent professional wrestling referee (really cool BTW).
So when I heard of the WWE Network, I jumped to subscribe, all be it a few weeks late because I was on vacation, no problem, I was able to catch up, because it’s an on demand service.
I have had the WWE Network for, well exactly a year. You see when the WWE Network started, there was a six-month commitment. I was fine with that as as previously stated, I’m a lifelong fan. When my first six months were up, I was sent an email asking me if I wanted to renew for another six months, I clicked every yes and accept the email links provided as fast as I could because I didn’t want to ever be without it.
Which brings me to my current dilemma… I received an email from the WWE Network saying 
it was time to “Renew Now”. As before, I immediately clicked the link in the email that took me to the website where I was already logged in and was given two choices, 1) Cancel My Subscription – I didn’t pick that one, and 2) Renew My Subscription – That’s the one I chose. Yup, sure, you betcha.
The problem was, when I clicked renew it brought me back to the exact same page where I had to decide all over again… I chose Renew My Subscription. I did this again and again until I remembered what is said to be the definition of insanity.
OK, no big deal, some kind of website glitch. I’ll call customer support in the morning. I tried at 8:35 am, a recorded message let me know they weren’t opened until 9 am. I called back at 9 am on the dot. I got right through without too much menu or waiting. I explained my situation to the nice gentleman and explained to him that I didn’t want my subscription to expire. I went so far as to say “I don’t want my subscription to expire, ever, ever. Ever.” He informed me since I was signed up (like a lot of the early subscribers) to a six-month commitment plan, and that that plan no longer exists, and further more that I had to renew online, and there was nothing that they could do. I re-informed him about my problem with the site and how it just loops back to the beginning, and I wouldn’t have called if the website worked, AND I’m just asking for them to “Please take my money”. He then asked me to hold while he talked to his supervisor and see if he could resolve this situation. After being on hold for a few minutes, we got disconnected. I honestly believe it was my iPhone 6+ that dropped the call for some reason, and I’m not faulting the network or insinuating in any way that they hung up on me.
After about 15 minutes I called them back, I waited a little longer this time, no big deal. Luckily I was reconnected to the exact same person that was helping me previously, so it saved me a lot of explaining. I was put on hold, again, while he talked to his supervisor, again. This time he informed me that one other person had called with the same issue that day, and that he didn’t have a solution and he would make it a priority for himself to get this resolved. I thought to myself, “Wow, now we’re getting somewhere.” I asked if there was a way to make a note on my account that I wanted to keep the network, and please don’t cancel me. He said he would.
Later, and also a few days later I received two voice mails…
All this because I didn’t cancel WWE Network, and I asked them never to cancel me. Ever. How difficult is it to understand, “Please Don’t Cancel Me.”
I received this email…
For the first time I left a not so favorable review of my experience, Saying while the people were very nice to me, they were however not able to resolve my problem. Again, I just want them to not cancel me, and take my money, and if possible put me on auto renew so I wouldn’t have to deal with this craziness anymore.
I then received this email…
………… and my subscription has ended through no fault of my own and even calling to ask them to never… and I mean EVER, cancel me again.
That is $9.99 a month ($119.88 a year, maybe $2,400 in my lifetime) they would have gotten for the next however many years I was still able to hold a Roku remote. I’m sure some of you are thinking, why don’t I just call and get a new subscription? I did that originally, AND I did that before my subscription was to run out, AND I asked them not to cancel me, AND I told them I would like to keep the WWE network forever. I didn’t want a new subscription, I wanted to keep the one I had.
Then, this came in today…”Thank you for your interest in the WWE Network. I appreciate the time you have taken to contact us. Your subscription has already been cancelled and there’s no option to update billing information. We suggest you to re-purchase the network by following these steps:…”
WWE network created a problem where there shouldn’t have been one. They have my credit card information, I was happy with the WWE Network, they could have kept taking my $9.99 and I would have remained very happy. In fact, WWE network, if you are reading this, please renew my subscription.
Tonight, I go to bed melancholy, not falling asleep watching Prime Time Wrestling with Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby The Brain Heenan, with the damn $9.99 song stuck in my head, but not with an up-tempo fun beat, but as a sad, sad ballad. 