Ahead of Prime Day, Amazon is sued for 'manipulative tactics' that trick customers into taking out and renewing Prime subscriptions
The Federal Trade Commission is suing Amazon for fooling customers into "unknowingly" subscribing to Amazon Prime. The company is accused of using manipulation and "dark patterns" to dupe people into what the FTC describes as "Nonconsensual Enrollments".
As well as the accusation of tricking customers into Prime Subscriptions, the FTC's complaints say that the company makes the cancellation process "labyrinthine". The Commission points out that while signing up for an auto-renewing Prime account takes just two clicks, bringing the subscription to an end requires navigating "four-page, six-click, fifteen-option cancellation process".