As a gamer with years of experience navigating various digital platforms and subscriptions, I must admit that I find the allegations against Discord concerning. Having encountered numerous subscription services myself, I can attest to the importance of a user-friendly cancellation process. If it’s truly as convoluted as described in this lawsuit, it does seem anti-consumer and obfuscated, which is disappointing given how much I value Discord for its gaming community features.

A class action lawsuit has been filed against Discord, accusing them of making it overly complicated to cancel their subscription service, Nitro. The plaintiffs argue that the cancellation process is intentionally made difficult, which they believe goes against consumer rights.

As a gamer, I’m part of a group bringing a class-action lawsuit in California. The heart of our case is based on a business practice law from this state, which we believe has been violated.

California Business and Professions Code 17602 essentially aims to prevent businesses from deceiving consumers by making it difficult for them to cancel subscriptions or signing them up without their clear understanding or consent, following a purchase.

And, according to some California consumers, Discord is doing just that.

Discord sued over subscription service practices

The lawsuit claims that there’s no clearly visible “direct link, button, or option” for users to easily cancel the service when they want to do so.

On Tuesday, it was announced that Discord is facing a class action lawsuit concerning its subscription policies. California consumers allege that Discord breached the state’s auto-renewal regulations by making it excessively challenging to terminate subscriptions.

— Rob Freund (@RobertFreundLaw) December 20, 2024

As a Discord user, you’ll need to visit the “User Settings” and specifically the “Subscriptions” tab. There, you’ll find a tiny “Cancel” button. Upon clicking it, Discord will guide you through a sequence of prompts, some of which appear designed to persuade you to reconsider cancelling your subscription.

Unfortunately, the suit doesn’t have any depictions showing how the real process appears. To clarify, here’s a brief explanation.

After navigating through the available choices, look for “Subscriptions” located under the “Account Billing” section. This is where you’ll find the screen you seek.

They’re talking about the “Cancel” button located beside “Switch Plans”, within the prominent Discord Nitro banner. Once you press it, you’ll be directed to this specific screen.

Discontinuing your Discord subscription means forfeiting numerous beneficial features that Discord offers, but they also extend a reduced rate if you choose to keep your subscription active instead. As you navigate through the options, the system highlights various perks you’d miss out on should you decide to unsubscribe.

In their lawsuit, they cited Code 17602, arguing that “This is not a ‘prompt and user-friendly mechanism for cancellation,’ nor does it provide a cancellation process that enables the consumer to end the automatic renewal or ongoing service instantly without encountering additional steps that hinder or postpone the consumer’s ability to terminate immediately.

The plaintiffs additionally argued that the requirement for guides on canceling a Discord subscription underscored its complexity in doing so.

As a devoted Discord user, I haven’t seen an official response from them regarding this class action lawsuit, but history tells us that California’s robust business regulations can bring about significant shifts in online transactions. So, let’s keep our eyes peeled for any updates!

Instead, for example, changes to California business laws could require companies such as Valve, Nintendo, and Sony to clarify that when you buy downloadable games, what you’re actually acquiring is a playing license, not ownership of the game itself.

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2024-12-23 19:15