In order to comply with European rules on consumer protection, Amazon will have to offer a simplified termination procedure for its Prime subscription.
Amazon has made its Prime subscription a strong argument to convince Internet users to use its platform. The service, which offers, among other things, free delivery for items purchased on the site, costs €49 and it is possible to subscribe to it in just a few clicks. Unsubscribing, on the other hand, is a more complicated story, too even according to the European authorities.
End of dark patterns
In a press release published on July 1, 2022, the European Commission announced that, in order to comply with consumer protection rules (and in particular the directive against misleading commercial practices) – Amazon will have to quickly offer a simplified cancellation procedure. for his service. “Signing up for a subscription online can be very convenient for consumers, as it is often a very simple process. But the reverse action, namely unsubscribing, should be just as easy. Consumers must be able to exercise their rights without any pressure from the platforms”justifies Didier Reynders, the commissioner responsible for justice at the European Commission.
Problem, until then, the termination procedure was not easy according to Brussels. “Previously, to cancel their subscription, consumers had to navigate through multiple pages that contained clutter and unclear buttons”, describes the EU executive. A recourse to dark patterns which Brussels tastes very little, going so far as to say that this kind of practice should be banned.
Ease above all
This slap on the wrist from the EU will have a very concrete effect since Amazon will soon offer a way for Internet users “to unsubscribe in two simple steps, thanks to an easy and visible cancel button”. The explanations surrounding the process will also be shortened and simplified “so that consumers are not distracted by warnings and dissuaded from cancelling”. In the same way that the GDPR requires that the refusal of cookies be as easy as their acceptance, article 4.2.7 of the European directive invoked here requires that it be “as easy to unsubscribe from a service as to subscribe to it”.
Amazon’s practices have been singled out by the European Bureau of Consumers’ Unions (BEUC), which considered that the e-merchant’s termination procedure included “a large number of barriers to unsubscribing, including complicated navigation menus, biased wording, confusing choices and repeated pressing”.