Canceling your Amazon Prime subscription can be confusing and tricky, and it often takes longer than necessary.
However, by the end of August, subscribers in Europe will be able to cancel their Prime subscription with just two clicks.
Easy Amazon Prime Cancelation
According to The Verge, the new rule will be implemented after complaints from several consumer groups succeeded in bringing changes to the Amazon Prime subscription service across Europe.
The move will be replicated across the United Kingdom by the end of August. The retail giant now allows European users from the EU member state to unsubscribe with just two clicks through a prominent and clear cancel button.
Under the current system in the United Kingdom, users need to click on several links before they can successfully cancel their Prime service.
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In a complaint from consumer groups, the EU's executive arm said users had to go through a lot of hurdles like complicated navigation menus, skewed wording, and confusing choices to unsubscribe from Amazon Prime.
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A membership to the Prime service costs £7.99 a month or $10 a month or £79 a year or $95 a year in the UK, and it includes unlimited one-day delivery on specified items as well as access to Amazon's video and music streaming services and its exclusive Kindle library.
Norway's consumer council, one of the consumer groups behind the EU complaint against Prime, said that Amazon made it difficult to cancel their memberships by using manipulative design tactics known as "dark patterns."
Norway joined the consumer complaint as a member of the European Economic Area, covering the EU, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein. All of them will also implement the two-click alteration for Prime subscriptions, according to Business Standard.
Meanwhile, Amazon has denied that they've made it difficult for consumers to cancel their service. A spokesperson for the retail giant said that customer transparency and trust are their top priorities.
The spokesperson added that they've made it clear and simple for customers to sign up and cancel their membership and that the company will continually listen to customer feedback and look for ways to improve their experience.
After the EU decision on June 1, the EU's justice commissioner, Didier Reynders, said that "consumers must be able to exercise their rights without any pressure from any platforms." Reynders added that they are working on banning "dark patterns."
EU's Unfair Commercial Practices
Aside from the cancelation process, Amazon was also forced by the European Commission to change the label of the cancel button to make it clearer and shorter for customers.
According to TechCrunch, the changes comply with EU's Unfair Commercial Practices directive. Amazon has shorted the explanatory text on the cancel page, and the changes will be made across mobile, desktop, and tablet versions.
EU legislation could clamp down on user interfaces like these in the future. The Digital Services Act or DSA, which EU lawmakers agreed to in early 2022, is expected to contain explicit prohibitions related to "dark patterns."
The DSA will be rolled out 15 months after being voted into law or from January 1, 2024.
Related Article: EU Commission Announces Second Formal Investigation Into Amazon's Alleged Breach of Antitrust Rules
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Written by Sophie Webster
