It's nice if you're aware of it and willing to use it for discounts (faking that you want to unsubscribe, knowing that you'll get a better deal during the attempt), but if you actually want to cancel the service it's awful.
Tell HN: Udacity dark pattern to cancel a subscription
61–70 of 77 posts
Re: Tell HN: Udacity dark pattern to cancel a subscription
#62If you cancel your subscription it will be canceled with immediate effect, and the remainder of the month will be given back to you as "credits", which you're supposed to spend on some of their services at some point.
The only way to stop the subscription and not loose money/value is to cancel it exactly on the last day of your subscription.
So... of course people end up missing the reminder and get stuck with another month.
Vicious.
Re: Tell HN: Udacity dark pattern to cancel a subscription
#63Ending the subscription was relatively smooth, only some sad violin music and a questionnaire about why I wanted to close it, but man oh man did I have to go through an obstacle course to actually terminate the accounts. Emails had to be exchanged where I repeatedly confirmed that yes, this was actually something I wanted to do, and yes, I knew I could cancel the subscription instead.
Re: Tell HN: Udacity dark pattern to cancel a subscription
#64Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Where are the companies that don't pull this shit? Netflix? Amazon?
Amazon makes you jump through something like 5-10 app pages to cancel Prime. Almost felt like breaking up with a particularly desperate partner.
Re: Tell HN: Udacity dark pattern to cancel a subscription
#65Few months after that users got a lovely popup saying they can't complete the last unit (or last few units) that were required to get the certificate because they were on a free subscription. Why offer it to users, ask them to invest their time and then do something like that...
Re: Tell HN: Udacity dark pattern to cancel a subscription
#66How did we come to a conclusion that any online process should be 'easy'?
Re: Tell HN: Udacity dark pattern to cancel a subscription
#67Re: Tell HN: Udacity dark pattern to cancel a subscription
#68Ending your subscription is easy, there are no hidden buttons or instructions to call. However, if you have been inactive on the course for some time (a few weeks), your progress is rolled back to Week 1, even if you did the weekly quizzes and assignments on time.
Re: Tell HN: Udacity dark pattern to cancel a subscription
#69Management decisions like this policy are indicative of a sick company. This is your canary in a coalmine scenario. Get out before it becomes too toxic to survive.
Where are the companies that don't pull this shit? It's more like a pickaxe and railcar than a canary. Most companies use dark patterns because they're profitable and not illegal. People doing profitable work get bonuses - this is what sales teams are for. People won't do ethically ugly shit unless you pay them enough commission to hide the stink, or if you're good enough at bullshitting the bullshitters. Half the sh…
Re: Tell HN: Udacity dark pattern to cancel a subscription
#70I just have a "virtual" debit card to my name which stays empty until I purchase something online. So when these scam sites charge me, they fail. Haha.