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FTC sues Amazon over ‘deceptive’ Prime sign-up and cancellation process

cnbc.com

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Re: FTC sues Amazon over ‘deceptive’ Prime sign-up and cancellation process

#71

Post by temp_account_11 »

laweijfmvo wrote: post #65

For anyone that works on something like this, either at Amazon or elsewhere, I'm genuinely curious how the meetings/discussions around building a purposefully terrible UI go. I assume everyone knows what's going on (i.e. making it difficult to cancel); does anyone ever speak up? Do people just go along with it?

Speaking up is a career limiting move in the short term. In the long term you have survivorship bias. The people that speak up tend to not be there for long. Not directly because they're fired, but indirectly because they get frustrated.

Even if it's designed correctly initially, the areas has a permanent bull-eyes for someone's promo packet to go and optimize.

Re: FTC sues Amazon over ‘deceptive’ Prime sign-up and cancellation process

#73

Post by [deleted] »

duringmath wrote: post #52

This administration selected the current FTC commissioner because of an op-ed attacking Amazon and a glowing profile both published in the New York Times. The FTC lawsuits against Meta and now Amazon are politically motivated and are a misuse of the the system if not outright corruption.

[deleted]

Re: FTC sues Amazon over ‘deceptive’ Prime sign-up and cancellation process

#74

Post by hourago »

Growth at any cost is creating a dystopian society. Tax share price increases so companies can focus again in making good products and providing good services.

To reward growth above all, and share price instead of profits does that, creates incentives to grow now at the cost of the future of the company and the trust of customers or even society.

Re: FTC sues Amazon over ‘deceptive’ Prime sign-up and cancellation process

#75

Post by hospitalJail »

everdrive wrote: post #69

I remember when this was first rolled out. You'd go to buy something on Amazon, and the whole page would be a Prime ad, while some tiny little text would say something like "no thanks take me to checkout." This change was when I knew that Amazon had jumped the shark and was certainly no longer "obsessively customer focused." We had actually bought Prime accidentally via this method. Now in my family we make it a spec…

Same. This was scary to me.

It means Amazon knows they are kings of online retail and have no problem abusing customers now.

Walmart online is sometimes cheaper, but also sometimes more expensive. Makes it really hard to make the switch. I have refused to give money to bad companies, but with the rest of the world being manipulated into giving them money, I realized I never made a dent.

Re: FTC sues Amazon over ‘deceptive’ Prime sign-up and cancellation process

#76

Post by [deleted] »

PaulHoule wrote: post #2

I wouldn't say the process of unsubscribing from Prime is 'deceptive' but it sure has many steps. They tried just about everything to persuade me to stay except offer to bring back two day shipping. (I know many of you in urban areas are getting one day shipping but those of us in less favored geographies, such as the same ZIP code as AMZN warehouses, have seen two day shipping turn into five, which makes Amazon unco…

[deleted]

Re: FTC sues Amazon over ‘deceptive’ Prime sign-up and cancellation process

#77

Post by hospitalJail »

londons_explore wrote: post #9
adoxyz wrote: post #5

The whole Amazon.com experience has been getting worse and worse as the years go by. Everything from the products they sell, quality control, customer service, dark patterns in the UI, etc. I wonder how long until you have to call someone or mail in a 1,000 word letter on why you don't need Prime to cancel it.

The experience has been getting worse for customers, but better for shareholders. Can't please everyone! Life Pro Tip: Be a shareholder, don't be a customer.

Isnt this the truth. I have no problem owning Apple and MSFT shares, but boy do I want to avoid their products!

Re: FTC sues Amazon over ‘deceptive’ Prime sign-up and cancellation process

#78

Post by at_a_remove »

The Little Old Lady I help out with her computer got hit by this. Didn't understand that she has signed up for Amazon Prime. I cancelled it but saw the trick. Basically, they re-used the "Amazon yellow EXECUTE!" style for purchases as part of the sign-up flow.

The elderly seem to favor a lot of muscle memory over reading the screen, so any UI updates are painful.

Re: FTC sues Amazon over ‘deceptive’ Prime sign-up and cancellation process

#79

Post by JohnFen »

temp_account_11 wrote: post #71
laweijfmvo wrote: post #65

For anyone that works on something like this, either at Amazon or elsewhere, I'm genuinely curious how the meetings/discussions around building a purposefully terrible UI go. I assume everyone knows what's going on (i.e. making it difficult to cancel); does anyone ever speak up? Do people just go along with it?

Speaking up is a career limiting move in the short term. In the long term you have survivorship bias. The people that speak up tend to not be there for long. Not directly because they're fired, but indirectly because they get frustrated. Even if it's designed correctly initially, the areas has a permanent bull-eyes for someone's promo packet to go and optimize.

> Speaking up is a career limiting move in the short term.

What do you mean by "career limiting"? Just at the company in question, perhaps, but speaking up like that should be considered a good thing. If it's not, why would you want to continue working there?

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