Amazon sued by U.S. regulator over thwarting attempts to cancel Prime membership
1 year, 6 months ago

Amazon sued by U.S. regulator over thwarting attempts to cancel Prime membership

The Hindu  

Amazon has been sued by the Federal Trade Commission after it “knowingly duped millions of consumers” into signing up for an Amazon Prime membership and then made it difficult for them cancel the service, according to a press release from the FTC on Wednesday. The release said that for years, Amazon has used ‘dark patterns’ or user interface manipulations in order to trick users into signing up for its Prime membership and then stopping them from cancelling the membership by making this process complicated. The FTC also alleged that Amazon delayed or stopped changes that would have made it easier for consumers to cancel their Prime membership. “Amazon tricked and trapped people into recurring subscriptions without their consent, not only frustrating users but also costing them significant money,” said FTC Chair Lina M. Khan, in a statement, calling out ‘dark patterns’ in digital markets.

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History of this topic

Amazon Prime Day is a big event for scammers, experts warn
5 months, 1 week ago

Amazon Prime Day is a big event for scammers, experts warn

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — Amazon Prime Day is here, and experts are reminding consumers to be wary of scams. But phishing attempts increase amid the heavy spending seen during significant sales events, whether it’s Black Friday or Prime Day, according to the Better Business Bureau. Amazon’s Knapp has said that with artificial intelligence “starting to leak in,” the scams targeting e-commerce …

Mexican regulators tell Amazon to wall off Prime TV, reveal its algorithms and open up delivery
10 months, 1 week ago

Mexican regulators tell Amazon to wall off Prime TV, reveal its algorithms and open up delivery

Hindustan Times  

MEXICO CITY — Mexican regulators have ordered online retailers Amazon and Mercado Libre to reveal their algorithms and to wall off TV streaming to avoid stifling competition. “They also increase the cost of competition entering the market.” The commission ordered Amazon and Mercado Libre “to separate memberships from streaming services, or other services such as games or music, that are …

Mexican regulators tell Amazon to wall off Prime TV, reveal its algorithms and open up delivery
10 months, 1 week ago

Mexican regulators tell Amazon to wall off Prime TV, reveal its algorithms and open up delivery

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Mexican regulators have ordered online …

It’s Surprisingly Easy to Live Without an Amazon Prime Subscription
10 months, 3 weeks ago

It’s Surprisingly Easy to Live Without an Amazon Prime Subscription

Slate  

This article is from Big Technology, a newsletter by Alex Kantrowitz. I still regularly buy things from Amazon with free shipping, but I’m happily out on Prime. Related From Slate How I Get High-Quality Workout Gear Without Paying Full Price After canceling Prime, I’ve been able to reevaluate the necessity of that ultra-fast, always-free shipping and have found it mostly …

Amazon Prime Membership Rates Slashed, Check New Tariff
1 year ago

Amazon Prime Membership Rates Slashed, Check New Tariff

Deccan Chronicle  

Title: Amazon Adjusts Prime Lite Membership Pricing and Benefits Amazon Prime, a popular subscription service offering various perks to its members, has recently made adjustments to its Prime Lite membership, providing users with an altered pricing structure and revised benefits. Originally launched at Rs 999 in June, the Prime Lite membership now comes with a reduced price tag of Rs …

Amazon defends Prime program in bid to defeat FTC lawsuit
1 year, 2 months ago

Amazon defends Prime program in bid to defeat FTC lawsuit

The Hindu  

Amazon.com has denied duping millions of subscribers to its Amazon Prime service, asking a U.S. judge in Seattle to dismiss a Federal Trade Commission lawsuit that the ecommerce giant said "fails in its entirety." Attorneys for Amazon on Wednesday urged U.S. District Judge John Chun to dismiss the FTC's claims that the company had tricked consumers into enrolling for Prime …

Amazon sued by FTC and 17 states over allegations it inflates online prices and overcharges sellers
1 year, 2 months ago

Amazon sued by FTC and 17 states over allegations it inflates online prices and overcharges sellers

Associated Press  

U.S. regulators and 17 states are suing Amazon over allegations the e-commerce behemoth abuses its position in the marketplace to inflate prices on and off its platform, overcharge sellers and stifle competition. They are asking the court to issue a permanent injunction that they say would prohibit Amazon from engaging in its unlawful conduct and loosen its “monopolistic control to …

Amazon using ‘coercive tactics’ to protect its dominance, claims FTC chair Lina Khan
1 year, 2 months ago

Amazon using ‘coercive tactics’ to protect its dominance, claims FTC chair Lina Khan

The Telegraph  

Joe Biden’s competition tsar has accused Amazon of using “punitive and coercive tactics” to lock in businesses and squeeze money from Prime subscribers. Lina Khan, the 34-year-old Democratic chair of the Federal Trade Commission, has sued Amazon to block its “unlawful” online marketplace monopoly. Sellers also need to secure eligibility for “Prime” delivery discounts by using Amazon’s own delivery services. …

Amazon sued by FTC and 17 states over allegations it inflates online prices and overcharges sellers
1 year, 2 months ago

Amazon sued by FTC and 17 states over allegations it inflates online prices and overcharges sellers

LA Times  

The antitrust lawsuit filed by the Federal Trade Commission and 17 states is one of the most significant legal challenges brought against Amazon in its nearly 30-year history. They are asking the court to issue a permanent injunction that they say would prohibit Amazon from engaging in its unlawful conduct and loosen its “monopolistic control to restore competition.” The complaint …

Amazon Prime Video will soon come with ads, or a $2.99 monthly charge to dodge them
1 year, 3 months ago

Amazon Prime Video will soon come with ads, or a $2.99 monthly charge to dodge them

Associated Press  

Amazon Prime Video will include advertising during shows and movies starting early next year, joining other streaming services that have added different tiers of subscriptions. Members of Amazon Prime can pay $2.99 per month in the U.S. to keep their service ad-free, the company said Friday. Amazon said limited Live events on Amazon Prime, like sports, already include advertising. Amazon’s …

Amazon imposes new fees on sellers who ship their own products to customers
1 year, 4 months ago

Amazon imposes new fees on sellers who ship their own products to customers

Associated Press  

Amazon will impose new fees on third-party sellers who ship their products to customers instead of using the company’s fulfillment service. Effective October 1, the company will get a 2% cut of every product sold by merchants that are members of Amazon’s Seller Fulfilled Prime Program, or a minimum of $0.25 per item, according to a notice sent by the …

Be wary of scams as Amazon Prime Day kicks off, experts warn
1 year, 5 months ago

Be wary of scams as Amazon Prime Day kicks off, experts warn

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — Amazon Prime Day is here. In guidance published last week, the Better Business Bureau reminded consumers to watch out for lookalike websites, too-good-to-be-true social media ads, unsolicited emails or calls and more near Prime Day and other sales events this month beyond Amazon’s. Then, they were asked for payment information, like a credit card, and sometimes login …

I’m in the Amazon Prime of my life, but I won’t get fooled again
1 year, 6 months ago

I’m in the Amazon Prime of my life, but I won’t get fooled again

The Independent  

In legal proceedings initiated last week, Amazon has been accused by America’s Federal Trade Commission of effectively tricking consumers into signing up for Prime accounts. There was also a time, possibly when I briefly thought it was useful to get anything I ordered on Amazon within 10 minutes of clicking “buy”, that I genuinely thought I needed my own Prime …

Amazon is accused of enrolling consumers into Prime without consent and making it hard to cancel
1 year, 6 months ago

Amazon is accused of enrolling consumers into Prime without consent and making it hard to cancel

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — Amazon was sued Wednesday by the Federal Trade Commission for allegedly engaging in a yearslong effort to enroll consumers without consent into Amazon Prime and making it difficult for them to cancel their subscriptions. “Amazon tricked and trapped people into recurring subscriptions without their consent, not only frustrating users but also costing them significant money,” FTC Chair …

The FTC sues Amazon over hard-to-cancel Prime memberships
1 year, 6 months ago

The FTC sues Amazon over hard-to-cancel Prime memberships

NPR  

The FTC sues Amazon over hard-to-cancel Prime memberships Federal regulators have sued Amazon, alleging that the company for years "tricked" people into buying Prime memberships that were purposefully hard to cancel. SELYUKH: So they say Amazon for years used, quote, "manipulative, coercive or deceptive tactics," designing its platform to get people to sign up for Prime even if they maybe …

Amazon duped millions of people into enrolling in Prime: US FTC
1 year, 6 months ago

Amazon duped millions of people into enrolling in Prime: US FTC

Al Jazeera  

FTC alleged that Amazon used ‘manipulative, coercive’ interface designs to trick users into enrolling in auto-renewal. The FTC said Amazon used “manipulative, coercive or deceptive user-interface designs known as ‘dark patterns’ to trick consumers into enrolling in automatically renewing Prime subscriptions”. The FTC said that “one of Amazon’s primary business goals – and the primary business goal of Prime – …

FTC accuses Amazon of tricking consumers into signing up for Prime
1 year, 6 months ago

FTC accuses Amazon of tricking consumers into signing up for Prime

LA Times  

An Amazon Prime delivery vehicle is seen in downtown Pittsburgh on March 18, 2020. The Federal Trade Commission sued Amazon on Wednesday for what it called a years-long effort to enroll consumers without consent into its Prime program and making it difficult for them to cancel their subscriptions. In a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western …

FTC sues Amazon for 'tricking and trapping' people in Prime subscriptions
1 year, 6 months ago

FTC sues Amazon for 'tricking and trapping' people in Prime subscriptions

NPR  

FTC sues Amazon for 'tricking and trapping' people in Prime subscriptions Enlarge this image toggle caption FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images Federal regulators have sued Amazon, alleging the company for years "tricked" people into buying Prime memberships that were purposefully hard to cancel. The Federal Trade Commission, in a legal complaint filed on …

Why Amazon is Prime target for cancellation as households cut spending
2 years, 4 months ago

Why Amazon is Prime target for cancellation as households cut spending

The Telegraph  

The drop comes as Netflix fell by 210,000 year on year to 17.1m over the period. Sarah Simon, a Berenberg analyst, says consumers cutting back their spending are targeting their Amazon Prime subscription because most people buy it for free shipping. “The Amazon Prime Video content budget is also way smaller than Netflix. It is not aggressively marketed either.” It …

Amazon claims FTC probe hounding Jeff Bezos, Andy Jassy
2 years, 4 months ago

Amazon claims FTC probe hounding Jeff Bezos, Andy Jassy

The Hindu  

Amazon has complained to federal regulators that they are hounding company founder Jeff Bezos and senior executives, making “impossible-to-satisfy demands” in their investigation of Amazon Prime, the popular streaming and shopping service with free delivery and an estimated 200 million members around the globe. The petition asks the FTC to cancel, or extend the deadline for answering, subpoenas sent last …

How to cancel Amazon Prime and the best alternatives explained
2 years, 4 months ago

How to cancel Amazon Prime and the best alternatives explained

The Independent  

Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. How to cancel Amazon Prime If you want to cancel your Amazon Prime membership, you’ll need to …

Amazon to allow Prime users to unsubscribe
2 years, 5 months ago

Amazon to allow Prime users to unsubscribe

The Hindu  

U.S. online retail giant Amazon has made it easier for users to cancel their subscriptions to its fast shipping club Prime with just two clicks, following complaints from consumer groups, the European Commission said on Friday. European Consumer Organisation, the Norwegian Consumer Council and the Transatlantic Consumer Dialogue took their grievances to the EU executive in April last year. They …

Amazon raises price of annual Prime membership to $139
2 years, 10 months ago

Amazon raises price of annual Prime membership to $139

NPR  

Amazon raises price of annual Prime membership to $139 Enlarge this image Ted S. Warren/AP Ted S. Warren/AP Amazon is increasing the cost of its Prime membership service to $139 a year and $14.99 a month. A recent Morgan Stanley analysis estimated that households with Prime membership last year spent over $3,000 on Amazon on average, which was twice as …

Amazon sued over treatment of vendors
3 years, 6 months ago

Amazon sued over treatment of vendors

The Hindu  

The District of Columbia has sued Amazon, accusing the online retail giant of anticompetitive practices in its treatment of sellers on its platform. The suit filed Tuesday in the District of Columbia court maintains that Amazon has fixed online retail prices through contract provisions and policies it applies to third-party sellers. “We filed this antitrust lawsuit to put an end …

Amazon Discontinues Month-Long Prime Subscription in India Due to RBI Guidelines, Cancels Free Trial
3 years, 7 months ago

Amazon Discontinues Month-Long Prime Subscription in India Due to RBI Guidelines, Cancels Free Trial

News 18  

Seattle-based tech giant Amazon has discontinued its month-long Prime membership in India following a new RBI guideline that asks banks and financial institutions to implement an additional factor of authentication for processing online transactions. The Amazon Prime monthly subscription was priced at Rs 129 per month, but it has now been removed to adhere with the new RBI guidelines The …

Amazon discontinues one-month Prime subscription plan worth Rs 129, will no longer offer free trial
3 years, 7 months ago

Amazon discontinues one-month Prime subscription plan worth Rs 129, will no longer offer free trial

India Today  

OTT platform Amazon Prime will not allow users to buy the one-month subscription plan worth Rs 129. Amazon has updated on its FAQ page that it will be discontinuing certain plans because the banks will not be able to process any new requests for automated payments on your credit/debit cards. “Please note that effective 1 April 2021, owing to a …

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