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action or later. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /home4/scienrds/scienceandnerds/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6114Source:https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2023\/06\/21\/ftc-sues-amazon-over-deceptive-tactics-used-to-sign-up-customers-for-prime\/<\/a><\/br> The Federal Trade Commission sued Amazon on Wednesday, alleging the retailer worked for years to enroll consumers into its Prime service without their consent, while knowingly making it difficult for them to cancel their subscriptions.<\/p>\n The complaint<\/a>, which was filed in federal court in Seattle, alleges that Amazon used \u201cmanipulative, coercive, or deceptive user-interface designs\u201d to trick consumers into enrolling in automatically renewing Prime subscriptions.<\/p>\n \u201cAmazon tricked and trapped people into recurring subscriptions without their consent, not only frustrating users but also costing them significant money,\u201d said FTC Chair Lina M. Khan in a press release<\/a>. \u201cThese manipulative tactics harm consumers and law-abiding businesses alike. The FTC will continue to vigorously protect Americans from \u201cdark patterns\u201d and other unfair or deceptive practices in digital markets.\u201d<\/p>\n Amazon Prime costs $139 per year and gives consumers access to free two-day shipping, along with additional perks like access to Prime Video and music streaming.<\/p>\n The FTC says Amazon knowingly complicated the cancellation process for Prime subscribers who were looking to end their membership, alleging that the main goal of the cancellation process is not to allow subscribers to cancel their memberships, but to stop them from doing so. The FTC also says Amazon leadership slowed or rejected changes that would have made it easier for users to cancel their subscriptions \u201cbecause those changes adversely affected Amazon\u2019s bottom line.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDuring Amazon\u2019s online checkout process, consumers were faced with numerous opportunities to subscribe to Amazon Prime at $14.99\/month,\u201d the FTC wrote in the press release. \u201cIn many cases, the option to purchase items on Amazon without subscribing to Prime was more difficult for consumers to locate. In some cases, the button presented to consumers to complete their transaction did not clearly state that in choosing that option they were also agreeing to join Prime for a recurring subscription.\u201d<\/p>\n The complaint says Amazon internally used the term \u201cIliad\u201d to describe the service\u2019s cancelation process, which is a reference to Homer\u2019s lengthy epic poem about the Trojan war. The FTC also says users have to click through five pages on desktop or six on the mobile app when trying to cancel their subscriptions.<\/p>\n The FTC has been investigating Amazon Prime\u2019s sign-up and cancellation processes since 2021. In its complaint, the FTC alleges that Amazon attempted to \u201cdelay and hinder\u201d its investigation in multiple instances. The Commission also alleges that Amazon executives failed to address the issues until they were aware of the FTC investigation.<\/p>\n \u201cThe FTC\u2019s claims are false on the facts and the law,\u201d an Amazon spokesperson said in an email to TechCrunch. \u201cThe truth is that customers love Prime, and by design we make it clear and simple for customers to both sign up for or cancel their Prime membership. As with all our products and services, we continually listen to customer feedback and look for ways to improve the customer experience, and we look forward to the facts becoming clear as this case plays out. We also find it concerning that the FTC announced this lawsuit without notice to us, in the midst of our discussions with FTC staff members to ensure they understand the facts, context, and legal issues, and before we were able to have a dialog with the Commissioners themselves before they filed a lawsuit. While the absence of that normal course engagement is extremely disappointing, we look forward to proving our case in court.\u201d<\/p>\n The news comes a few weeks after Amazon agreed<\/a> to\u00a0pay the FTC a $25 million penalty<\/a> as well as \u201coverhaul its deletion practices and implement stringent privacy safeguards\u201d to avoid charges of violating the Children\u2019s Online Privacy Protection Act to spruce up its AI.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n <\/br><\/br><\/br><\/p>\n
\nFTC sues Amazon for using \u2018deceptive\u2019 tactics to sign up customers for Prime<\/br>
\n2023-06-21 21:53:05<\/br><\/p>\n