"Should be illegal.
Edit - No one said anything about not reading the contract or knowing what they're signing for. It's a simple argument. Automatic renewals without confirmation should be illegal."
See Tidwell vs. Pritchett-Moore. Alabama Court of Civil Appeals
No, it should not be illegal. If YOU enter into a contract and YOU have every opportunity to read/study the contract you're entering into...and YOU choose to agree to it, then don't bitch when the other side wants to enforce one of the key components YOU were too lazy to read up on and put on your calendar.
Contract law in this area is pretty damn easy. If the wording is unambiguous and clear to both parties within the 4 corners of the contract..... well, you fill in the rest. If you don't want the automatic renewal provision in there when you sign it, then negotiate it out. Otherwise, don't agree to it!!!
Porn sites are auto renew. I get that.
But when somebody signs an annual contract that includes seven visits and then the contractor -- at its own choice -- does the seven visits in six months with no notification other than a bag on the door, I don't think the auto-renew should kick in. They should have called, emailed or texted me letting me know. I had this on my calendar to renegotiate next week because I wasn't completely satisfied with the service. I've got dead patches, weeds where I shouldn't, and some other concerns. But now they can't tell me when it actually renews. They just want me to pay another yearly fee plus $80-100 in late fees. And hey, we can do aeration for another $300. Surprised they didn't just do that and send me the bill.
I do agree with THS in that the auto-renew should not be a standard practice. There should be a choice and you should have to specifically select that you choose to auto renew. Auto renew should not be the only option. So maybe not illegal, but regulated differently.
Unless I have no other choice, I usually don't sign auto-renew contracts because they're notoriously hard to get out of. To my understanding the lawn care service would not renew unless we reviewed the year's service and I agreed to subsequent treatment. That is how it was verbally explained to me. I would not have signed it otherwise.