Amazon has been sued due to introducing Ads

[Bagpuss]

All Amazon needs to do is make the changes effective on the next renewal.

I'm guessing technically that would be a pain in the butt.

Not that it couldn't be done, each user getting a different experience based on when they signed up, trickier than just everyone switching over at once but possible.

However you are selling that advertising, and you can't say it will be seen by 200 million subscribers!!! It will actually only be seen by a 12th of that for now... then later 2/12ths and a bit later 3/12ths... etc.

 

[delericho]

But, changing terms on renewal is fair game. All Amazon needs to do is make the changes effective on the next renewal.

Yeah, that wouldn't be an issue. As it is, I was six months into an annual subscription when they brought this in.

That said, I'm yet to actually see any ads, which probably shows just how much I use the streaming side of things.

 

[trappedslider]

The actual filing if you're interested

 

[Ryujin]

If I had to guess, there's probably fine print in the Amazon Prime agreement that customers have to agree to before subscribing protecting Amazon by saying they reserve the right to change the terms of the subscription without notice. I'm sure this will go nowhere.

California has some really strange consumer protection laws, when compared to the rest of the US, and this suit was filed in California. you never know, until it plays out.

 

[R_J_K75]

California has some really strange consumer protection laws, when compared to the rest of the US, and this suit was filed in California. you never know, until it plays out.

I have no clue the difference of laws between state to state let alone the feds. I would think that Amazon being a multi-billion-dollar company they'd have consulted their legal team before implementing these changes. But then again sometimes all it takes is one exec with a little bit of knowledge to make an ill-informed decision, so who knows maybe all of us Prime member might get a check for $2.63 in 10 years.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

Some quick thoughts-

1. This doesn't affect people who are paying for Prime on a monthly basis, of course. But it is my understanding that the vast majority of people are paying for Prime on an annual basis, and as alleged, changing the terms and conditions for those people would be problematic under the causes of action alleged.

2. Next, while Amazon could rightly claim that many people don't even care about the video service that are annual members, I doubt they would even think of raising this argument given the FTC lawsuit ... and the issues they are having with bundling.

3. A brief review of the T&C of prime indicates that it does not have a mandatory arbitration clause, but it does have a venue clause (King County, Washington) where this case was filed (federal court, W.D. Wash.). And while it does have a waiver of jury trial, it doesn't have a waiver of class action. Notably, it does have a provision allowing agreement changes (including any aspect of Prime membership).

While I have questions about the interplay of the underlying claims with contract, in the end I assume that this is just an attempt to leverage a class action to get some amount of money out of Amazon for the class (and, of course, the attorneys) for the change.

 

[payn]

Good. Should be sued for being so full of garbage that you can't find anything good too.

Prime is like a flea markets DVD bin of options.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

Prime is like a flea markets DVD bin of options.

The problem with Prime is the interface.

There are some genuine gems on Prime. Programs and movies that I want to see. And if I already know about them, I will watch them on Prime. Also? I genuinely appreciate the X-Ray feature ... it is nice to be able to see who an actor in a particular scene is on occasion.

But ... Prime's interface is bad, and doesn't seem to be getting better. It's almost deliberately confusing. It's terrible for browsing- it's really hard to tell if a particular show is available on Prime, is available "for free" through FreeVee (but with a lot of ads), available with an upcharge through a partner subscription, or available as a rental/purchase.

Contrast that with the other streamers, like Netflix. If you see something there (and it has a great search feature and categories as well) you know you can just watch it.

I never go to Prime unless I already know what I'm going to watch.

 

[Morrus]

The problem with Prime is the interface.

Yeah, it's not a good UI. I think Netflix has the best UI--easy to see what something is, access a trailer, etc.

 

[R_J_K75]

The problem with Prime is the interface.

I agree 100%. The selection is not good either IMO. There are the same movies and shows in multiple genres. I can never find anything I'm looking for. To make matters worse if there is ever a random movie that pops in my head that I want to watch and then search for it, it's either not available period or I have to buy or rent it. The only time I watch anything on it is after browsing for half hour until I stumble upon something that looks like it's worth watching.