money Amazon must now let users leave Prime in just two clicks
Amazon has been forced to make it easier for users to quit Amazon Prime.
Subscribers in the UK will be able to leave the service within two clicks as a result of complaints from consumer groups and new legislation from the European Union. The new cancel button – which replaces the labyrinth of menus that have to be navigated to unsubscribe – will come at the end of the month.
“Opting for an online subscription can be very handy for consumers as it is often a very straightforward process, but the reverse action of unsubscribing should be just as easy. Consumers must be able to exercise their rights without any pressure from platforms,” Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders said in a statement.
“One thing is clear: manipulative design or ‘dark patterns’ must be banned. I welcome Amazon’s commitment to simplify their practices to allow consumers to unsubscribe freely and easily”.
Amazon has said that it will implement these changes on websites and for all devices – on desktop, mobile and tablet.
The project, code-named “Iliad” after the lengthy poem, put multiple layers of questions and offers between the main Amazon page and the final cancellation in the hope that users would eventually stay on the service.
Prime cancellations dropped as low as 14 per cent at one point in 2017.
In a statement, an Amazon spokesperson said: “Customer transparency and trust are top priorities for us. By design we make it clear and simple for customers to both sign up for or cancel their Prime membership. We continually listen to feedback and look for ways to improve the customer experience.”
