Apple staff allegedly called subscription trials 'gifts' while chasing a 40% sign-up target

A performance target allegedly prompted some Apple store employees to enroll customers in subscription trials without their consent.

Here's what to know

A store employee told repair technician and right-to-repair advocate Louis Rossmann that some colleagues accepted subscription offers on customers' behalf to reach a 40% sign-up target, 9to5Mac reported. Rossmann shared the allegations in a video posted to YouTube.

Employees displayed the offers on a staff device rather than the shopper's phone. During a personalized shopping experience, they could show customers which service trials were available with their purchases.

More background

Customers who do not cancel Apple's trials are automatically charged through their payment method.

Shoppers would need to cancel before a trial expired to avoid recurring payments, a requirement that could be unclear if an offer was described as a gift. The employee alleged that staff used that wording.

Rossmann became a prominent advocate for right-to-repair legislation, which Apple initially resisted but later supported. His repair work focuses on data recovery and component-level logic board repairs, according to 9to5Mac.

What's being done?

In a follow-up video, Rossmann shared an employee's account of two changes inside Apple stores. A memo read during a morning meeting instructed staff that customers must press the Accept button themselves, according to 9to5Mac.

The employee also reported that internal systems indicated subscription sign-ups were no longer part of staff performance grading.

Apple had not directly responded to the accusations when 9to5Mac published its report. The outlet said it had contacted the company for comment.

Where can I learn more?

The allegations against Apple focus on whether customers agreed to subscriptions that could later cost them money. These stories cover subscription price increases, disputed promotional charges, added ads, cancellation rules, and checkout upselling.

• A Utah customer says an Apple Music family plan rose from $17 to $20.

• An Xfinity customer says a supposedly free watch carried monthly charges for 36 months.

• In India, Amazon was ordered to refund a subscriber after adding Prime Video ads.

• Adobe subscribers say switching plans resets the cancellation window, allowing fee-free cancellation within 14 days.

• A Best Buy shopper says buying one keyboard involved four checkout sales pitches.

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