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FTC urged to make smart devices say how long they will be supported
(arstechnica.com)
This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
Products that change the service they offer after you purchase it should also be eligible for a full refund (plus a % on top for the hassle). Such as offering a service through the product for free at the time of purchase but then moving it being a monthly subscription paywall later on, or just removing the feature completely.
So if you spent $130k on a Tesla that came with Disney+ and then the CEO has a completely irrelevant spat with Disney and removes it 5 years later, you should be able to return it for a full refund?
If your phone gets a software update and the WiFi and Mobile Data quick-toggle disappears and is replaced by an "internet" toggle 5 years later, does that entitle you to a full refund?
Just trying to see how deep this rabbit hole goes.
For the first example, absolutely. If some execs have a meltdown, it could change future services but anyone who was promised Disney+ on their Tesla with no limit on it should get a fair refund. I understand that there's a slippery slope argument here, and no– the value of Disney+ in a car isn't 100% the value of it. But it's BS that a manchild having an Internet meltdown loses people a service they had and "paid for"
Just trying to figure out exactly what "changing the service" means.
I don't know that non-lawyers need to figure out exactly what it means, but in an ideal world: if you pay for something that includes a continuation of services and the services stop continuing, you should be compensated fairly. I am not smart enough to word that in a way that can't be worked around, "gotcha'd", etc. but I'm guessing the spirit of the rules is fairly common ground for anyone who isn't trying to rug-pull a service out from under those they sell it to.
Yes
Might sound stupid, but perhaps then they shouldn't be offering services like Disney Plus and instead simply offer a car that lets you download any streaming app you have your own subscription for.
That's a fair point.