Deceptive Patterns
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Bissell.com: Confusing unsubscribe toggles

Author
Dark Patterns Tip Line
Date
2 Jun 2021

“Ordering from their site or registering for a warranty signs you for a slew of emails. Their unsubscribe form says “Receive request emails to write reviews after you make purchases from this site” with a Yes/No option, but the trick thing is “unsubscribe” is just above the Yes/No option in much smaller font. So it’s likely you’ll answer “No” to the statement, but you’re really saying “No” to unsubscribing.”

Bissell.com was reported to the Deceptive Design Tip Line over its unsubscribe form. According to the report, ordering from the site or registering a warranty signs the customer up for a range of emails. The unsubscribe form presents the statement “Receive request emails to write reviews after you make purchases from this site” with a Yes/No option, while the word “unsubscribe” appears just above it in much smaller font. The reporter states this makes it likely a user will answer “No” to the statement when they are in fact answering “No” to unsubscribing.