Two Core Issues Identified by the FTC
The lawsuit focuses on two main problems:
- Prime enrollment was deceptively easy—so easy that consumers could be signed up without fully understanding what they were agreeing to.
- Canceling Prime was made intentionally complicated, involving numerous steps, repeated obstacles, and manipulative tactics that discouraged cancellation.
In court filings, the FTC stated that Amazon used “manipulative, coercive, and deceptive user-interface designs” that “tricked consumers” into membership and created a system known internally as the “Iliad Flow”—a reference to Homer’s epic poem intended to illustrate the intentionally long, frustrating process involved in canceling.
Examples Highlighted in the Complaint
One notable example occurred during checkout. When choosing shipping options, the default selection was often labeled something like “FREE Same-Day Delivery with a free trial of Prime.” Unless the customer changed the option manually, they were automatically enrolled.
The FTC also pointed to Prime cancellation screens that repeatedly presented “save offers” such as:
- “Remind me later”
- “Keep my benefits”
- “Switch to monthly payments”
- “Pause membership”
Many consumers did not realize that selecting these options prevented cancellation.
