FTC Takes Action Against Amazon for Enrolling Consumers in Amazon Prime Without Consent
FTC Takes Action Against Amazon for Enrolling Consumers in Amazon Prime Without Consent and Sabotaging Their Attempts to Cancel
June 21, 2023
The Federal Trade Commission is taking action against Amazon.com, Inc. for its years-long effort to enroll consumers into its Prime program without their consent while knowingly making it difficult for consumers to cancel their subscriptions to Prime.
In a complaint filed today, the FTC charges that Amazon has knowingly duped millions of consumers into unknowingly enrolling in Amazon Prime. Specifically, Amazon used manipulative, coercive, or deceptive user-interface designs known as dark patterns to trick consumers into enrolling in automatically-renewing Prime subscriptions.
Amazon also knowingly complicated the cancellation process for Prime subscribers who sought to end their membership. The primary purpose of its Prime cancellation process was not to enable subscribers to cancel, but to stop them. Amazon leadership slowed or rejected changes that wouldve made it easier for users to cancel Prime because those changes adversely affected Amazons bottom line.
Amazon tricked and trapped people into recurring subscriptions without their consent, not only frustrating users but also costing them significant money, said FTC Chair Lina M. Khan. These manipulative tactics harm consumers and law-abiding businesses alike. The FTC will continue to vigorously protect Americans from dark patterns and other unfair or deceptive practices in digital markets.
https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2023/06/ftc-takes-action-against-amazon-enrolling-consumers-amazon-prime-without-consent-sabotaging-their
( Lina Khan! )
grumpyduck
(6,636 posts)Customers would have had to provide CC numbers. How did Amazon trick them into it?
Specifically, the FTC describes how Amazons checkout process would allegedly present customers several options to subscribe to Prime, making it difficult to locate the option to simply finish a purchase
https://www.theverge.com/2023/6/21/23768372/ftc-amazon-lawsuit-prime-dark-patterns-subscriptions
grumpyduck
(6,636 posts)Despicable.
BeckyDem
(8,361 posts)to shifty business practices.