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Adobe tricks users into a 12 month contract

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Re: Adobe tricks users into a 12 month contract

#541

Post by throwaway058527 »

bambax wrote: post #241
sibit wrote: post #58

For anyone stuck in this dark pattern here is a trick I've used in the past: Adobe won't let you cancel without paying the remainder of your subscription fee however you can switch to a different plan. As soon as you switch you'll have the ability to cancel your "new" plan within 14 days. If you cancel after 14 days they'll charge you the early termination fee.

Or you can just block the recurring payments and wait for them to come at you? Anyway a "free" trial that asks for your cc number is obviously not free. Better to stay away of those to be on the safe side.

No post body was provided.

Re: Adobe tricks users into a 12 month contract

#542

Post by throwaway058527 »

dymk wrote: post #366
nunez wrote: post #342

Earlier quoted context omitted.

kind of hard to have legal obligations when you use junk PII (which Privacy accepts; they allow any address and zip to be used)

No, that's just fraud, and it'll get you in way more trouble

That's not correct. At least not in this context.

This will invariably lead to a terminated account and a bunch of declined emails , but thats as far as it goes.

Re: Adobe tricks users into a 12 month contract

#543

Post by Too »

unfocussed_mike wrote: post #56

I am not quite sure why people don't grasp that it's an annual plan for really expensive software. "Annual plan, billed monthly" is about as easy as it's going to be in four words on a button or by a button. If you could rent it for just a month now and then, wouldn't you only rent it in the months you need it? They make it so you can't. There's a solution: DON'T USE IT. Ask yourself seriously: what is it you want to…

Sure, it says annual plan. But if we are going to be marking words, the very same screenshot also say: "You can cancel your subscription anytime", without any conditions declared up front, except a tiny "Learn more" link. Given this you'd likely win a consumer case or chargeback if you tried. If only this text had a more clear disclaimer i would give Adobe a pass, even though whole process contains a full load of other dark patterns.

Re: Adobe tricks users into a 12 month contract

#544

Post by sangnoir »

2muchcoffeeman wrote: post #438
josephcsible wrote: post #396

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Anyway a "free" trial that asks for your cc number is obviously not free. There is a legitimate reason to do that: to keep people from making a bunch of accounts and getting free trials with them forever.

Anyone with a legitimate use isn’t going to create large numbers of emails just to do this. It’s a complete waste of time for any professional.

Bots are an annoying adversary to have, I'll tell you that much. If there is any way to make money out of it - including those you couldn't have imagined - someone on the internet is going to figure it out and it will be worth their while

Re: Adobe tricks users into a 12 month contract

#545

Post by squeaky-clean »

2muchcoffeeman wrote: post #438
josephcsible wrote: post #396

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Anyway a "free" trial that asks for your cc number is obviously not free. There is a legitimate reason to do that: to keep people from making a bunch of accounts and getting free trials with them forever.

Anyone with a legitimate use isn’t going to create large numbers of emails just to do this. It’s a complete waste of time for any professional.

My engineering manager at my old job made double my salary and yet bragged about how every month he was on a new Netflix and Amazon Prime 30 day trial.

Re: Adobe tricks users into a 12 month contract

#546

Post by squeaky-clean »

arcticbull wrote: post #320
bambax wrote: post #241

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or you can just block the recurring payments and wait for them to come at you? Anyway a "free" trial that asks for your cc number is obviously not free. Better to stay away of those to be on the safe side.

You may get sent to collections and thats a whole pile of misfortune.

I can confirm from experience they don't.

Re: Adobe tricks users into a 12 month contract

#547

Post by squeaky-clean »

kevincox wrote: post #351
dheera wrote: post #337

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most online services just terminate your service after a couple warnings and don't bother with collections. In any case just set it as your policy that you don't talk to collectors, you only engage with businesses directly. Send Adobe a written notice of termination of the agreement, stop payments, and I believe that's all you need to do, but IANAL.

IANAL but if you agreed to a fixed term contract you can't just inform the other party that you are leaving early. You need to use an exit clause within the contract or somehow invalidate it. (For example by saying that you didn't knowingly enter into a 1 year contract.)

IANAL but I've successfully done exactly this. Told them I wouldn't be paying any longer and denying the charges on my card. Support sent me a grumpy email that I violated my contract and that's it.

According to them I won't be able to resubscribe with that email. Oh no! Anyways...

Re: Adobe tricks users into a 12 month contract

#548

Post by pkulak »

nopenopenopeno wrote: post #536
slovette wrote: post #516

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Privacy.com

Privacy numbers don’t work for Adobe trials. As it happens, I attempted that earlier this evening.

As a last resort I generate a temp number with my actual credit card.

Re: Adobe tricks users into a 12 month contract

#549

Post by berndi »

sibit wrote: post #58

For anyone stuck in this dark pattern here is a trick I've used in the past: Adobe won't let you cancel without paying the remainder of your subscription fee however you can switch to a different plan. As soon as you switch you'll have the ability to cancel your "new" plan within 14 days. If you cancel after 14 days they'll charge you the early termination fee.

I just used the chat to cancel my subscription and they waived the early-cancellation fee without any issues. Maybe its some sort of damage control.

Re: Adobe tricks users into a 12 month contract

#550

Post by sshine »

Abishek_Muthian wrote: post #522
sibit wrote: post #58

For anyone stuck in this dark pattern here is a trick I've used in the past: Adobe won't let you cancel without paying the remainder of your subscription fee however you can switch to a different plan. As soon as you switch you'll have the ability to cancel your "new" plan within 14 days. If you cancel after 14 days they'll charge you the early termination fee.

Also pirates, be reminded that Adobe indulges in very aggressive practices to target you. At least in India I've met people on unrelated events working for companies claiming to be contracted by Adobe to target small-business, raid their office and make them pay huge sums of money on the pretext of suing them for piracy of their products. One such person, told me that they got their previous employer into trouble wit…

It’s not worth it to pirate Adobe products... in India. I’m not sure how this story translates to countries that don’t have anti-piracy mobs that raid offices.
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