Six scenarios drawn from the patterns we see in Cancel Costs engagements. Industry profile, headcount range, and the categories of waste are typical. Specific names and dollar figures are illustrative, not direct client data, because client engagements are confidential.
Found duplicate licences across two case-management platforms (transitioned mid-2024, kept the old contract paying). Two SaaS subscriptions silently increased prices 22 and 35 percent over 18 months. One vendor was billing for users who left the firm 8 months prior. Audit cancelled and renegotiated 7 line items.
Cloud-cost waste in unused autoscaling groups, one orphan database, plus 11 zombie SaaS accounts (users had churned but seats kept billing). Two enterprise contracts renegotiated mid-term using contract language the team had not realized was leverage. Total spend dropped from A$24k/mo to A$17.5k/mo, headcount unchanged.
Used the DIY A$47 kit (not the done-for-you audit). Found: a video-call subscription unused since the prior firm, a CRM trial that converted to paid 14 months ago, a phone system charging for a second line. Took 70 minutes to run the audit. Cancellations done by next billing cycle.
Marketing software stack consolidation: 3 overlapping tools collapsed to 1, saving A$1,400/mo. Internal Microsoft Copilot Premium licenses unused on 14 of 22 seats. Plus a 3-year-old phone system contract that auto-renewed at a 28 percent uplift. Renegotiated the phone contract, cancelled overlapping tools.
The biggest hidden tax: a managed services agreement that had silently shifted from monthly to annual prepay with a 19 percent rate hike. Plus two SaaS tools billed in USD without anyone updating to the better AUD pricing. Plus excess Shopify Plus capacity (paying for 4x current transaction volume). Renegotiated and consolidated. Total spend dropped from A$31k/mo to under A$20k/mo.
Pre-COVID-era contracts that had never been re-papered: a payment processor still charging legacy 2.4 percent rates when the industry standard had moved to 1.6 percent for their volume. Plus duplicate POS subscriptions across 2 venues that share a database. Plus a marketing automation tool no one had logged into in 11 months. Renegotiated, cancelled, consolidated.
Three questions, instant personalized estimate based on the same data behind these cases.
Run the calculator See the full audit detailsSolo or 2 to 10 staff: the A$47 Hidden Tax Kit gets you 80 percent of the way there. 11+ staff: the done-for-you audit returns 3 to 15x the fee.
DIY (A$47) Done for you (A$2,500+)