It's one thing if your subscription services or favorite TV shows are ad-supported in a transparent fashion. It's a bridge too far when your literal property is sneaking in the ability to hawk products in the fine print of your purchase.
A driver shared a frustrating example to the r/mildlyinfuriating subreddit from their car's touchscreen display.
In the screenshot, the screen suggests they "Purchase Peace of Mind" through a maximum care plan. Doing so is just a button press away through the Bluetooth Call option, which, of course, is closer to the driver than the OK option to bypass the unwanted ad.
"This is my car," the OP responded. "Not a billboard damnit."
Unfortunately for them, it's likely that Jeep got them to agree to allow them to make their car a funnel for ads.
"It's undoubtedly way down the T&C you signed that Jeep can do this," a user suggested. The OP agreed, but it was of little solace.
"It's absolutely mildly infuriating that we have T&C when purchasing a vehicle," they wrote. "The definition of 'property' is broken."
Sadly, it's the state of the world in cars and on the roads, with advertisers tapping into every possible piece of real estate for ads. That includes distracting and dangerous moving billboards put on trucks and even ads on school buses.
Gas stations are another hotbed for ad inundation, while other drivers of Jeep's parent company, Stellantis, report identical in-car schemes to the OP's.
All of these ads encourage overconsumption, which puts a strain on many customers' already stretched finances. It is also a big negative for the planet, too, as it can lead to more waste for planet-heating landfills and greater pollution via increased production.
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Cost concerns 💸 There are consumers willing to confront companies for blatant schemes, like the one in this vehicle.
A Redditor advocated for this: "Name and shame the company and its audacity, boycott, make blogs, vlogs, TikToks, reels, stories…"
In Stellantis' case, Family Handyman reported the backlash did result in the company claiming the vehicle features an instant opt-out that was impacted by a "temporary software glitch."
Ideally, the OP was able to extinguish the ads forever, but in the meantime, Redditors provided some gallows humor.
"Next they will want to charge you a subscription fee just to use your touchscreen display," one wrote.
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