u.s. government sues Adobe: hidden fees scandal exposed

The United States government is taking legal action against Adobe, accusing the software giant of deceiving customers with hidden fees and making it difficult to cancel subscriptions. The DOJ's complaint, backed by a referral from the FTC, claims that Adobe misled consumers by not clearly disclosing early termination fees associated with their "Annual, Paid Monthly" subscription plans. This tactic effectively locked customers into year-long agreements. Additionally, the DOJ alleges that Adobe intentionally complicated the cancellation process, further frustrating consumers' attempts to opt-out. FTC Director of Bureau Consumer Protection, Samuel Levine, emphasized the FTC's commitment to protecting consumers from such deceptive practices.

Customers attempting to cancel Adobe subscriptions often encounter multiple obstacles such as phone calls and live chats that abruptly end, requiring them to restart the cancellation process and explain their situation repeatedly. This convoluted system discourages and delays customers from successfully terminating their subscriptions.

Adobe, known for flagship products like Photoshop and Illustrator, has faced criticism over its subscription model for years. In 2021, backlash arose when a user shared a $300 cancellation fee on social media after terminating their Creative Cloud subscription. More recently, controversy erupted over Adobe's Terms of Service update for Photoshop, which led to concerns about the company accessing user content to train its AI models. Adobe later revised these terms to address the public's concerns.