An Australian court has ruled that dating platform eHarmony misled customers about subscription prices, automatic renewals and cancellation terms.
Australia’s Federal Court just ruled that eHarmony engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct. The case was brought by the country’s consumer watchdog, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), back in September 2023.
The court found that the US-based dating giant breached Australian Consumer Law on several fronts. They misled users on free access, automatic renewals, membership lengths, cancellation rights, and pricing disclosures.
The biggest issue was how they handled the auto-renewals. Instead of making it clear upfront, the court found that eHarmony buried the terms in small font late in the purchasing process and tucked them away inside the terms and conditions.
They also advertised monthly prices without clearly showing the minimum total amount a user would actually pay over the entire mandatory subscription term.
ACCC Commissioner Luke Woodward made it clear that regulators are watching these tactics closely.
“The ACCC is concerned about subscription traps in digital services, and this decision highlights the need for clarity in ongoing consumer subscriptions,” Woodward said.
The court still needs to figure out the exact penalties and how much eHarmony might have to pay back to affected users in consumer redress.
For its part, eHarmony is not throwing in the towel just yet. In a statement, the company said it was “carefully reviewing the Federal Court’s judgment” and considering its options.
Love might be blind, but consumer protection laws are not. If you are going to charge people for a chance at romance, the courts are saying you at least have to tell them exactly what it is going to cost.
