Nora Kelly from Montreal expressed feeling deceived by Uber upon discovering multiple unauthorized charges for a monthly membership she never knowingly agreed to. Kelly identified five consecutive $11.49 charges on her credit card statements dating back to February for Uber One, a program offering discounts on the company’s ride-share and food delivery services. Despite her claims of never signing up for the membership, the charges persisted.
Leah Billard of Ottawa shared a similar experience, receiving a mysterious $108.48 charge for Uber One in March, which she insists she never authorized. After disputing the charge with her bank, Billard successfully obtained a refund, despite Uber contesting the claim.
Following the initial report, CBC News received numerous complaints from individuals across Canada reporting unauthorized sign-ups and subsequent monthly charges for Uber One. The situation mirrored complaints in the United States, leading to a lawsuit by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and 21 states against Uber for allegedly engaging in deceptive billing practices.
Tech expert Ritesh Kotak suggested that dark patterns, subtle design tactics aimed at influencing user decisions online, could be responsible for customers unknowingly subscribing to services. Instances of companies using dark patterns to manipulate consumers have been previously documented, including the FTC’s allegations against Amazon in 2023.
Uber Canada denied using dark patterns to enroll customers in Uber One without consent, emphasizing that customers must actively choose to sign up. However, complaints regarding the difficulty of canceling unwanted memberships and obtaining refunds have surfaced, with some users struggling to navigate the cancellation process.
While Uber maintained that customers can easily cancel their memberships through the app, some individuals, including Kelly, faced challenges in recovering all unauthorized charges. Despite Uber’s assertion that Kelly voluntarily signed up for Uber One, the company apologized to her, issuing a refund for the remaining charges and providing a credit for Uber services.
As concerns over dark patterns grow, stakeholders are calling for clearer regulations to address deceptive marketing practices in Canada. The Competition Act currently governs such practices at the federal level, but consumer advocates argue for specific legislation targeting dark patterns to protect consumers from manipulative tactics.