Kindle 'free trial' newsletter furor: Opt-out, or be charged

Summary: Amazon's latest move to auto-subscribe Kindle users to a newsletter is stirring anger in its discussion forums. Many are angered by the lack of clarity and communication from the retail giant.

By Zack Whittaker for Between the Lines | January 5, 2012 -- 14:00 GMT (06:00 PST)

Follow @zackwhittaker

Update: see below.

Kindle customers are flooding to Amazon's discussion forums with messages of anger and confusion, after the company said they would be automatically charged for a newsletter unless they opted-out.

The furor began when Amazon sent out the Kindle Compass, a newsletter for Kindle customers, which automatically subscribes its members to a 14-day free trial. Users must opt-out within that time frame or they will be "charged" for the subscription. Change.org already has a petition up.

Amazon's bi-weekly newsletter is to "keep updated the customer of Kindle", and also be updated of the "news and features", according to an Amazon customer service representative.

The representative also said the newsletter was, "sent for a trial to a random amount of Kindle users", but added: "There will be a charge if you do not unsubscribe in 14 days".

The email sent out either did not say how much users would be charged, or that it would cost "$0.00". One user spoke to another customer service representative who said, "there is no charge for it".

But another user said the charge was $2.25, adding to further confusion. "Not much, but it adds up especially if lots of people do nothing", the user said, adding: "I feel violated".

In a frank state of honesty, the customer service representative I spoke to said: "For now I don't have the info [sic] myself; which is a little inconvenient for the position I'm in today. But rest assured, you'll be properly notified of everything on time".

"It sure took us by surprise here at customer service", they said, shortly before signing off.

One user confirmed the automatic subscription to the newsletter:

"This is Amazon. I went to the link to see my subscriptions and there it is. It was easy to cancel and I got my confirmation email that it was cancelled, but I shouldn't have been signed up for this in the first place. I plan to reach out to various websites such as Consumerist, Gizmodo, Engadget, etc. to make sure that a firestorm is created over this extremely underhanded way that Amazon plans to make money."

Another user "had a chat" with someone in customer service. The full conversation can be found on the forums. More responses can be found here also, while other users are simply, "disgusted"

While the Amazon customer service representative said: "We try to make sure you are properly notified so there are no charges you may not be aware of resulting in angry customers", there is a clear lack of information out of the company regarding this matter.

Update: An Amazon spokesperson gave the following statement: "This morning we sent an email regarding The Kindle Compass, a new free publication built by the Kindle editorial team that we’re piloting to a small number of Kindle customers."

"This email incorrectly referred to The Kindle Compass as a subscription with a free trial. We built it to always be free for customers, and you will never be charged for it. We apologize for any confusion."

Image source: CNET.

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Topics: Mobility, Hardware

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4 comments

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RE: Kindle 'free trial' newsletter furor: Opt-out, or be charged

If these stories are true, naughty Amazon. But has anyone asked the company? It is conceivable (just) that it's a c***-up rather than a conspiracy. I think we need the facts.

Heenan73
5 January, 2012 15:29

Reply Vote
- RE: Kindle 'free trial' newsletter furor: Opt-out, or be charged
 
 @Heenan73 My sister was thinking of purchasing a Kindle Fire for my daughter as a present. I mentioned to my sister my trepidation over the one click purchase on the Kindle and the challenges it could lead to with unsuspecting and easily confused/tricked children using the device. My daughter received some nice things but thankfully no Kindle Fire. My sister has grand kids that are often at her home and my sister decided to forgo a Fire for herself. It would have been a luxury and not a necessity so she has decided against the Kindle for now. With this new event from Amazon, and Amazon's stance on the one click purchase for the Kindle, it makes me consider simply staying away from Amazon. There are almost always alternatives to using Amazon.
 
 John238
 5 January, 2012 15:53
 
 Reply Vote
 - Restricting use of the Fire
 
 In the Kindle Fire manual, it clearly states that the Wi-Fi should be turned off whenever a child is going to be using the Fire. It is a very easy way to restrict the use to only what is currently on the Fire.
 
 LadyGray
 5 January, 2012 16:27
 
 Reply Vote
 - RE: Kindle 'free trial' newsletter furor: Opt-out, or be charged
 
 @John238 I keep seeing people complaining about the Fire and children, including one that was mentioned in a newspaper article complaining about how they found it unsuitable even though they were looking forward to buying their five and six-year-olds one for Christmas. I posted somewhere that I was outraged, too, at Cadillac. I'd wanted to buy my 1-year-old nephew a 556HP Cadillac CTS-V coupe for his birthday, but the pedals wouldn't adjust high enough for him, there was no booster seat included and the cup holders won't fit his bottle!
 
 The point: these are not Fisher Price toys. In my day, we kids had plastic toy phones, not cell phones. These are adult entertainment devices, not intended for children and shouldn't be dumbed down to children's level. It's not Amazon's job to replace adult supervision or common sense - as LadyGray points out with her common-sense suggestion to disable WiFi. One-click purchase is great, easy and convenient. In fact, it's probably the only way my 68-year-old mother is able to use the Kindle Touch she got for Christmas. :-) If you make these things safe for children, you're going to make them impossible to use for older folks - just ask anyone who's had to struggle with an infernal "child-proof cap"! :-)
 
 Here's one more suggestion: your sister is an adult. She can simply not allow her grand kids to play with her Fire, the same way my grandfather never let me jump on his riding mower and give it a spin.
 
 jgm@...
 5 January, 2012 20:53
 
 Reply Vote