Apple’s Predatory Free Trial
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Apple’s Predatory Free Trial
1–10 of 18 posts
Re: Apple’s Predatory Free Trial
#2I just set a reminder for +1 year minus 2 days in my calendar and live happily knowing I'll be notified when the time is right.
Re: Apple’s Predatory Free Trial
#3I don't get it.
One seems to be a free trial, the other a paid service. Is the complaint that if you cancel your free trial it ends right away instead of running for a year?
They are canceling the trial - the user wants it to end!
Re: Apple’s Predatory Free Trial
#4Ok .. but the user cancelled the free trial. Even then, if they didn’t, about a month before the trial ends Apple sends an email (for any subscription, even yearly non-trial renewals). Afterwards, about a week before, they send another reminder. The reality is they’re extremely up front with it all, so perhaps we should put away the pitchforks for once Twitter :).
Re: Apple’s Predatory Free Trial
#5This might be various things, but “predatory” is not the right term for not allowing the user to benefit from a free promotion when he or she does not want to continue it. They even make clear exactly what will happen, no dark UI pattern involved.
I agree that this is a step back for Apple, we should keep the outrage for things that merit it.
Re: Apple’s Predatory Free Trial
#6Ok .. but the user cancelled the free trial. Even then, if they didn’t, about a month before the trial ends Apple sends an email (for any subscription, even yearly non-trial renewals). Afterwards, about a week before, they send another reminder. The reality is they’re extremely up front with it all, so perhaps we should put away the pitchforks for once Twitter :).
They're only upfront about it because chargebacks are expensive...
Re: Apple’s Predatory Free Trial
#7A free trial is intended for you to decide whether or not to subscribe. If you already know you won’t, it’s not a trial, it’s just free, and arguably signing up like that is not acting in good faith.
Re: Apple’s Predatory Free Trial
#8Ok .. but the user cancelled the free trial. Even then, if they didn’t, about a month before the trial ends Apple sends an email (for any subscription, even yearly non-trial renewals). Afterwards, about a week before, they send another reminder. The reality is they’re extremely up front with it all, so perhaps we should put away the pitchforks for once Twitter :).
They're only upfront about it because chargebacks are expensive...
By that logic, people don’t commit murder or steal because prison is undesirable. I’d like to think that there’s other motives than just 50 bucks for chargebacks (which, as far as I know, can be negotiated with payment providers anyway..)
Re: Apple’s Predatory Free Trial
#9I don't get it. One seems to be a free trial, the other a paid service. Is the complaint that if you cancel your free trial it ends right away instead of running for a year? They are canceling the trial - the user wants it to end!
The issue here is that Apple has given away an item in the hopes of getting you to subscribe later, but is relying on users making a mistake or forgetting to cancel as opposed to choosing to subscribe. The wording is a bit strong as well, but that's not such a big deal. I would absolutely call this a dark pattern.
Re: Apple’s Predatory Free Trial
#10A free trial is intended for you to decide whether or not to subscribe. If you already know you won’t, it’s not a trial, it’s just free, and arguably signing up like that is not acting in good faith.
Exactly. If you’re telling them that you’ve already made a decision not to convert to a paid user, then your trial evaluation is already complete. If you’d like to string them along until the last minute, that’s your prerogative, but don’t expect them to make it easy for you.
That being said, this “1 year free trial” of Apple TV+ is fairly ludicrous. It’s more like a public beta because they know that the service doesn’t yet have enough content to justify its cost, and the promo users are helping them create the perception of a popular service.