Adobe, the company behind popular design software like Photoshop, is facing a lawsuit from U.S. regulators over allegations that it made it difficult for customers to cancel their subscriptions. The Justice Department claims that Adobe concealed information about expensive cancellation fees in small print and behind optional text boxes and hyperlinks.
According to the lawsuit, Adobe’s website and customer service representatives added to the challenges customers faced when trying to cancel their subscriptions. The government alleges that Adobe was aware of these barriers but did not make it easy for consumers to opt out.
This legal action against Adobe follows a similar case brought by the Federal Trade Commission against Amazon regarding Prime membership cancellations. The government is pushing for new rules, such as “click to cancel,” that would require companies to provide a simple way for customers to stop paying for a service.
These efforts to hold companies accountable for challenging subscription cancellations are part of a larger initiative by federal regulators to address the power of Big Tech. The Justice Department and the F.T.C. have taken legal action against major tech companies like Google, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, and Meta for allegedly engaging in anti-competitive practices.
In the lawsuit against Adobe, David Wadhwani, the president of the company’s digital media business, and Maninder Sawhney, a company vice president, were named as defendants. The F.T.C. conducted an investigation into Adobe’s practices prior to the lawsuit.
It is essential for companies to be transparent and make it easy for customers to cancel subscriptions without facing unnecessary hurdles. Consumers deserve clear and fair practices when it comes to managing their subscriptions, and the government is taking steps to ensure that companies like Adobe comply with these standards.