John Oliver criticizes subscriptions for smart home appliances
John Oliver, host of HBO’s Last Week Tonight, devoted the August 23 episode to the spread of subscription models — from streaming services to household appliances and car features. As The Guardian World reports, he noted that users often do not realize the total amount of their monthly payments or continue paying for services they do not need.
One study cited by Oliver found that Americans spend twice as much on subscriptions as they think they do. At the same time, about half of respondents were paying for one subscription they had forgotten about or did not use.
Paid appliance features
Oliver noted that subscriptions became commonplace for music, films and television in the late 1990s, when Netflix launched a DVD rental service and Salesforce began offering software by subscription. This approach is now also being applied to smart devices — from children’s alarm clocks to cat litter boxes.
According to him, carmakers can charge up to $75 per month for remote vehicle unlocking or advanced cruise control. General Motors plans to earn $25 billion annually from subscriptions by 2030. Oliver also said that HP automatically deactivates printer cartridges if a user does not pay a monthly subscription.
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Data collection and subscription cancellations
The host pointed out that smart dishwashers and washing machines allow companies, including General Electric, to collect data about owners’ households and habits. As an example, he cited an increase in the number of laundry loads after a child appears in a family.
Oliver also spoke about “dark patterns” — deceptive design choices that can push a user toward unwanted actions. He mentioned that the US Federal Trade Commission said in 2023 that Amazon used such mechanisms to sign people up for Amazon Prime. The host advised checking recurring charges in bank statements and the subscriptions section on a phone.
Last summer, a conservative US appeals court struck down the Federal Trade Commission’s proposed “click to cancel” rule, which was intended to make it easier to opt out of subscriptions.
