Is it just me, or does it feel like Amazon has placed you in some sort of endless loop? That’s all I have been thinking since I canceled my Amazon Prime. Whatever I do, somehow, Amazon just keeps trying to get me hooked again. Every time I try to make a purchase, this big screen keeps popping up, asking if I can sign up for Prime. The whole Web seems to be designed to trap me into subscription.

Lately, it’s gotten even sneakier. As I moved to go through checkout, a big full-screen display came up as large as day with a great big sign-up box for Amazon Prime. If that wasn’t bad enough, there was some pre-ticked little box that allowed Amazon to take any balance of a gift card to pay for the subscription. I couldn’t help but think Amazon was trying to trick me into subscribing.

Not the Only One Duped
Turns out, I’m not alone. According to research by the campaign group Which?, around 4.5 million people in the UK have accidentally signed up for Amazon Prime. For £95 a year, members get perks such as faster delivery and access to movies and music. It’s a big moneymaker for Amazon, with more than 200 million people signed up worldwide. No wonder Amazon is using every trick in the book to keep its customers hooked.

When it comes to Amazon shopping, the website will use the guerilla tactic to subscribe you. Just after adding the items into the basket and moving toward checkout, it displays a full-screen pop-up. In bright color, a big button is saying next-day delivery as if it was an only option. In much smaller blue text beneath that, another option reads, “an extra week of Prime for just £0.99.” Those who click the bright green button are unknowingly signing up for a rolling monthly subscription for £8.99.

There is this little line of text down at the bottom of the page that says so, but it is easy to miss, in the hurry. Even if you successfully dodge the button to avoid future nagging reminders to sign up for Prime the next time you shop.

Subscription Surprise
The shock really does not come until they see that the fee is being taken out of their bank accounts. While it takes merely one click to subscribe to Amazon Prime, canceling the membership is an entirely different story. It requires a lot more effort than that, and in fact needs a Google search and several steps to find the option of canceling the subscription.

For its part, Amazon claims that the basis of the research by Which? is “incorrect assumptions.” As the company puts it, “Customer transparency and trust are top priorities for us, and we go to clear and simple lengths for customers to both sign up or cancel this membership.”

But the Consumer Contract Regulations ban companies from pre-selecting boxes in contracts of sale. “It is, simply, illegal, but it is down to the regulators or the courts to do something about this,” he said. Consumer expert Martyn James says, “Companies are pushing the grey areas of the law to get away with aggressive and unclear sales methods. For instance, Amazon might say that it is merely giving customers two boxes to click on and therefore is doing nothing wrong. Except if one of those boxes is already highlighted in such a way to mislead the customer, the courts may disagree. But it would require a very determined customer to sue on that basis.”

Pressure from Across the Pond
It seems like Amazon has its share of controversies in America, too. The US Federal Trade Commission filed a lawsuit against the company, alleging it has utilized “manipulative, coercive, or deceptive user-interface designs” to enroll millions of people into its Prime service without their permission. A trial in the case is scheduled for next June.

This is huge, because it means some are not willing to allow Amazon to continue in these tactics. A decision in this trial could very well set a significant precedent in how companies are allowed to design their websites and promote their services.

What Can You Do?
So, what is the best way to avoid getting tricked into signing up for something you do not want? Perhaps the easiest answer is to take your business elsewhere, down to that little shop on the high street. Of course, that is easier said than done. Amazon offers convenience and low prices, pretty unbeatable.

But the good news is that to know about these surreptitious methods alone is half the battle in dodging them. Always read the fine print, even when you’re in a hurry. And remember, if some deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Final Thoughts
Clever, perhaps, except that Amazon is leaving a great number of its customers tricked and frustrated in the process. The company speaks of customer transparency, but all these guileful designs and tricky sign-up methods tell another story. It is up to us as consumers to be vigilant and know our rights. Who knows? Maybe this pressure from the FTC will drive changes that make online shopping a little less tricky for all of us.