On Monday, approximately 22 states and the District of Columbia filed an amended complaint in the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) lawsuit against Uber. The lawsuit alleges that Uber charged consumers for its Uber One subscription without their consent, billed them prematurely before the end of a free trial, and made misleading claims regarding savings associated with the subscription. Additionally, it is claimed that subscribers faced significant obstacles when attempting to cancel their subscriptions, with reports indicating that the cancellation process could involve navigating up to 23 screens and completing 32 actions.
The states participating in the complaint include Alabama, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. The amended complaint requests civil penalties for what are described as violations of the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act, along with related state laws.
In response to the allegations, Uber has previously denied the claims made in the FTC’s original lawsuit. In a statement provided to The Verge, the company asserted that cancellation processes have improved and now allow users to cancel subscriptions directly through the app, reportedly taking most users around 20 seconds or less to complete.
The outcome of this legal action could have implications for Uber’s business practices and consumer rights in the subscription service sector.
Source: https://www.theverge.com/news/845071/ftc-uber-lawsuit-21-states-amended-complaint