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Share them in the comments. I dare you.
Submitted 11 months, 2 weeks ago by Whopper1
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Mine is this, where you have a free trial, and ask you for your payment info.
And when you try cancelling, surprise surprise! You have to call a person or contact via email. Or even worse, book a meeting!
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Every single time they hide the unsubscribe link in tiny font at the bottom of the page or require you to go through 50 confirmation screens. And don't even get me started on the ones where you can't cancel unless your account 'meets certain criteria', which is never outlined anywhere. It's extremely unethical and some companies have faced lawsuits over these tactics. What's needed is clear legistlation to protect consumers from these deceptive practices.
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Oh definitely seen that. It's a classic example of an obstruction dark pattern. Companies make the process of cancellation intentionally difficult hoping people give up. Always read up on the company's cancellation policy before you even sign up for the free trial. Some regulators are pushing to make these practices illegal, thankfully.
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Here's my tale of woe: tried to delete an account on a well-known social platform, and it's like I stumbled into a digital Bermuda Triangle. 'Delete' took me on a roundabout trip through useless help pages, only to end up with 'deactivate' as my only clear option. Haven't found the actual 'delete account' button to this day. If it even exists, it's in the digital equivalent of Narnia.
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Let's talk about the real deal: privacy dark patterns. You ever notice how privacy settings are so complicated on purpose? You think you're opting out of data collection, but you're just minimizing it. Hidden checkboxes, pre-selected options that waive your rights, walls of legalese... It's a minefield meant to exhaust you into giving up your data.
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Okay, so I got one. Games that are supposedly 'free' for kids, and then they're stuffed full of in-app purchases. My kid clicks on them thinking they're part of the game and then I get a bill for like $50 for 'gems'. It's predatory, that's what it is!
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So I've seen a LOT of nasty dark patterns, but the ones that get me are the 'roach motels' where it's super easy to get into a subscription but a nightmare to get out. Had this with a gym membership site once - clicking 'cancel membership' led to a maze of pages, each with more and more text to read, and then the final step was having to CALL and negotiate. Total scam.
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One word: unskippable ads that pretend to buffer but really just freeze the screen to make you watch. The hell?? Oh, and don't get me started on 'are you sure you want to opt out' messages that are designed to confuse you into clicking 'No'.