An unfair subscription model that is cumbersome to get rid of and also imposes a penalty on the user in the event of early cancellation are just some of the grounds for the lawsuit that the US government has now filed against Adobe.
The lawsuit describes how Adobe actively chose to harm its consumers through an insidious agreement that can lead to thousands of dollars in extra expenses for the unwary.
"Adobe hides the terms of its annual, paid monthly plan in the fine print and behind optional textboxes and hyperlinks. In doing so, the company fails to properly disclose the early termination fee incurred upon cancellation that can amount to hundreds of dollars."
Furthermore, criticism is also levelled directly at several high-ranking officials within the company who are pointed out as the driving force behind these ugly tricks. Samuel Levine of the Federal Trade Commission describes the situation as follows:
"Adobe trapped customers into year-long subscriptions through hidden early termination fees and numerous cancellation hurdles. Americans are tired of companies hiding the ball during subscription signup and then putting up roadblocks when they try to cancel."
The U.S. government has had an ongoing investigation specifically targeting Adobe since last year, and the company has also come under fire in the EU for its business model.
Do you use Adobe's portfolio of products and what are your views on their subscription model?