When saving becomes expensive
A subscription for 10 dollars a month that, according to advertising, saves a lot on driving and food - sounds like a fair deal at first. But it is precisely this promise that is now the focus of a lawsuit brought against Uber by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The accusation: customers are promised the blue sky with "Uber One", while the reality looks rather gray. Not only are the promised discounts of up to 25 dollars a month virtually unattainable, the FTC also claims that canceling the service is a real nightmare.
The authority reports cases in which users continued to be ripped off despite canceling their contract. Or of a termination odyssey in which users have to struggle through up to 23 screens and 32 clicks just to get out of their contract. For many, this sounds less like customer friendliness and more like digital small print in XXL format.
From trial membership to cost trap
What is particularly piquant is that even during the supposedly free trial month, charges are said to have already been debited. If you're not careful or think you can simply opt out again, you'll end up in the cost trap sooner than you'd like. The FTC speaks of a systematic problem - namely that it is becoming increasingly difficult for consumers in the USA to get rid of unwanted subscription models, whether for streaming, delivery services or, as here, mobility and food delivery.
Uber firmly rejects all accusations. A spokesperson for the company told CNBC that the processes are clear, simple and legally compliant. However, many users and now also the FTC apparently see things differently - and want this practice to change fundamentally.
Political dimension: Trump's return as a catalyst?
One detail makes the matter even more explosive: The lawsuit is the FTC's first independent action against a major tech company since Donald Trump returned to the White House. An interesting side aspect: Uber and CEO Dara Khosrowshahi are said to have donated one million US dollars each for Trump's inauguration. Coincidence? Or is politics now knocking more clearly on the door of the tech giants?
In any case, the FTC's official announcement is pithy: they want to "strike back" in the name of the people because people are tired of being lured into obscure subscription traps from which it is almost impossible to escape. A clear tone - and possibly just the beginning.
Not an isolated case, but part of a larger problem
Let's be honest - who hasn't tried to cancel a subscription and almost despaired? What Uber is being accused of here is not an isolated case, but part of a much bigger problem: companies deliberately make it difficult to get out of contracts - and hope that people will simply give up at some point. That's not a clever service, it's a systematic digital rip-off. And as long as such practices have no real consequences, nothing will change. Anyone who needs 32 clicks to cancel should be automatically activated - for a special right of termination!
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