zlacker

Fair enough. But what if you bought the product, paid a fair amount for it (i.e., you can't just shit-can it) and *then* X months later the brand suddenly require a sign up, subscription fee, etc.

Then what?

>>chiefa+(OP)
Exactly. I have hundreds of dollars tied up in MY hue products. I paid the market price for a device that didn't require me to sign up for an account.

As far as I'm concerned these companies should get hit with deceptive advertising charges. Yes, I realize that buried somewhere two or three hundred paragraphs deep in the TOS I "agreed" to let them do this. Then again maybe I didn't, because I also likely "agreed" to have the TOS changed at any time for any reason without warning. That is key here.

IMO These companies get away with this because they can toss out one of the basics of contract law. It is unconscionable that one party can _unilaterally_ change the terms of the contact (the "terms of service") without prior warning or input from the other party (me, as the purchaser of said device/service).

Basic contract law should apply here. What _tangible_ benefits are there to me

>>chiefa+(OP)
Step 1: Make discontent known to brand Step 2: Create/join community of fellow disaffected individuals Step 3: Use community to spread awareness of said dissatisfaction Step 4: Observe as sales of product fall off and brand reputation falters Step 5A: Observe as brand reverses unpopular decision and recovers OR Step 5B: Observe as brand is replaced in the market by one which better meets consumer preferences

>>Daz1+R3
Has this ever actually happened?

>>Daz1+R3
This has no actual effect on the underlying issue that nothing is stopping companies from doing this. In fact, if what you describe active ually happens a lot, it would be trivial to set up puppet competitors to your own products in order to recapture leaving costumers, repeat ad infinitum.

>>themoo+vm
"it would be trivial to set up puppet competitors to your own products in order to recapture leaving costumers"

Citation needed

>>pdonis+tj
The market is littered with the corpses of companies who failed to meet consumer demand.

>>Daz1+R3
> Step 5B: Observe as brand is replaced in the market by one which better meets consumer preferences

Step 0A- Realize that most mature industries are incestuous. They share the same consultants, they swap employees, they compete for the same market with the same group-think mindset, etc. They all have the same incentives and paradigm for success and thus often act in murmuration'ing way. That is, they're too big and too risk-adverse to consider innovation so they feign being competitive and milk the market the best they can.

Step 0B - Realize that for the most part the gov - via Cronie Capitalism - will not protect consumers, and will put the thumb on the scale for the largest players. Your rights and privacy - in the context of Surveillance Capitalism (which the gov benefits from) - are more myth than they are real.

Step 0C - Realize that all the steps follow are rarely successful. Sure, you can try but the odds are not in your favor. You end up paying the subscription and/or having your usage data sold in some black box cyber back room.

>>Daz1+Fv
> companies who failed to meet consumer demand

What you claimed was a lot more specific than that. Do you have any actual examples of the specific sequence of events you claimed?