Apple Store Staff Accused of Signing Customers Up for Trials

How the sign-ups work

In U.S. stores, an employee asks whether a customer wants to scan a QR code for a personalized shopping experience called "Connect and Personalize." If the customer agrees, the employee can see on a company-issued device which Apple devices the customer owns, which services they subscribe to, and which subscription offers they qualify for based on recent purchases.

The offers appear with "Agree" and "Decline" buttons on the employee's screen, and the default payment method on the customer's Apple Account is available as long as it has not expired. According to the tipsters, some employees rushed through the process, did not explain that charges would follow automatically, or were told to present trials as "gifts." Some allegedly tapped "Agree" themselves.

Metric dropped, memo issued

Until early last week, Apple tracked a "services attach rate" with a 40% target per employee at at least some U.S. stores. In practice, staff were encouraged to get four of every ten customers buying a device to also take at least one subscription.

Apple removed that metric early last week, days after the videos appeared. The company's official explanation is that it matters less during the holiday season, when many purchases are gifts. Later in the week, Apple sent retail employees an internal memo stressing customer privacy and consent for subscription trials, "Connect and Personalize," Apple Upgrade sign-ups and Genius Bar work authorizations. It arrived ahead of the first holiday-shopping weekend, when extra staff join stores.

It is unclear whether the timing was driven only by the holidays or also by Rossmann's videos.

What customers can do

Apple emails customers when a trial starts, but the message is easy to overlook. To check, open Settings on an iPhone, tap your name, then tap Subscriptions. Select a subscription and tap "Cancel Subscription" or "Cancel All Services." To dispute a charge, go to reportaproblem.apple.com and choose "Request a refund." Checking card and bank statements regularly is also advisable.