The online giant has been accused of tricking customers into joining its Prime service, "trapping" them in automatically renewing subscriptions. Such memberships are a main profit driver for the retail behemoth, Ednews informs via DW.
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on Wednesday filed suit against Seattle-based online retailer Amazon, for deceptive business practices.
The FTC, an anti-trust and consumer protection watchdog, says it filed suit against Amazon in the US District Court in Seattle for using "manipulative, coercive or deceptive user-interface designs known as 'dark patterns' to trick customers into enrolling in automatically renewing Prime subscriptions."
Prime, which affords members discounts on products as well as free shipping, access to films and music, and other benefits, is a major profit driver for Amazon. The subscription service boasts more than 200 million members worldwide.
On average, a Prime subscription in the US costs $139 (€127) yearly.
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