A fictional shop sells a €5 sample kit but treats the order as agreement to a €45 monthly delivery without naming a subscription beside the purchase button.
Hidden subscription or forced continuityPersonal-care checkoutCheckout
This is an original fictional comparison. It depicts no real company and is not a legal finding or safe harbour.
A fictional shop sells a €5 sample kit but treats the order as agreement to a €45 monthly delivery without naming a subscription beside the purchase button.
Potentially problematicTry the sample kit · €5
Try the sample kit · €5. The monthly continuation appears only after payment.. Selected: Buy sample. Not selected: Buy one-off sample €5
The monthly continuation appears only after payment.
Buy sample
Buy one-off sample €5
→
Neutral alternativeChoose one-off or subscription
Choose one-off or subscription. Each option states price, cadence and whether it renews.. Not selected: Buy one-off sample €5. Not selected: Buy sample. Choice consequences, expanded: The consequence of selecting “Buy one-off sample €5” is displayed beside the option.
Each option states price, cadence and whether it renews.
Buy one-off sample €5
Buy sample
Choice consequencesThe consequence of selecting “Buy one-off sample €5” is displayed beside the option.
Why the first version can mislead: The final commercial state diverges from the choice represented earlier in the journey. The problematic state records: “The monthly continuation appears only after payment.” Review the timing and affirmative selection needed before “Buy sample” changes price, product or recurring liability. A shopper may incur repeated charges after believing the transaction was one-off.
What a fairer design does: Offer one-off and subscription choices separately with clear recurring price, cadence and ending information.
Show annotated differences (2)
Potentially problematic version
Not selected: Buy one-off sample €5In “One-off sample silently creates monthly deliveries”, this element shows how hidden subscription or forced continuity can shape the decision.
Neutral alternative
Choice consequences, expanded: The consequence of selecting “Buy one-off sample €5” is displayed beside the option.In “One-off sample silently creates monthly deliveries”, this element keeps the clearer alternative visible at the same decision point.
Review questions (3)
Which affirmative action authorises “Buy sample”, and where is the resulting price, product or recurring state shown before commitment?
Capture every peer option, its default state and visual prominence; do those states support “One or more material terms are missing, low-salience, ambiguous or late before assent”?
Which specific affirmative event creates the final commercial state, and could “one-off purchase” explain the observed outcome instead?
Side-by-side personal-care checkout interface showing “Try the sample kit · €5” and the clearer alternative “Choose one-off or subscription”.Provenance: Original hypothetical personal-care checkout example created for this library; no real business, product or interface is depicted.
Complete pattern context
How this example relates to Hidden subscription or forced continuity
A transaction creates or continues recurring liability without effective, timely disclosure of the subscription, renewal and exit consequences. The label describes a recurring design mechanism; whether a particular implementation is harmful or unlawful depends on the complete journey, audience, evidence and rules within scope.
The full guide explains inclusion and exclusion criteria, harms, fair design principles, evidence questions and the relevant EU legal information layers. The example page isolates one scenario so it can be shared and discussed without reproducing the complete library on one page.
A fictional booking flow records a basic fare selection but the final action purchases a premium flexible fare without a new price-and-product confirmation.
Dark commercial patternsOrganisation for Economic Co-operation and Development · Secondary · checked 2026-09-14 · OECD Digital Economy Papers No. 336
Unfair Commercial Practices DirectiveEuropean Parliament and Council of the European Union · Primary · checked 2026-08-09 · Directive 2005/29/EC; CELEX 02005L0029-20220528
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