Customers who want to unsubscribe from Amazon Prime must go through a real ordeal, as denounced by the Federal Trade Commission of the United States. This body has sued the company for creating a complex and labyrinthine method to unsubscribe from its premium service, which brings in most of its income. The goal is for your customers to give it up as impossible and end up renewing their subscription.
iliad. This is how Amazon has named this system, in reference to Homer’s Greek epic, known for its dense and convoluted plot. This controversial method has eventually run up against the FTC, which alleges the online commerce website intentionally misled millions of consumers into signing up for its flagship Prime program and “sabotaged” their cancellation attempts.
The Federal Trade Commission denounces that the company violated different laws with its tactics: “Amazon deceived and trapped people in recurring subscriptions without their consent, not only frustrating users, but also costing them significant money,” said the president. of the FTC, Lina Khan.
The lawsuit alleges that Amazon made it difficult for consumers to purchase items on its site without Prime, and a button telling users to complete their transaction did not clearly indicate that they were also agreeing to join Prime for a recurring subscription, Khan explains.
For her part, Amazon spokeswoman Heather Layman denies all the accusations: “Customers love Prime, and by design we make it clear and simple both to sign up and cancel your membership,” she says. Jeff Bezos’ company alleges that the FTC’s complaint is based on “false” claims.
The FTC’s indictment comes after the regulator spent more than two years investigating Prime opt-in and opt-out processes and Amazon agreed to pay the agency more than $30 million to settle cases alleging privacy lapses in your Alexa and Ring units.
