US EditionMicrosoft 365 refund fails to head off $59m lawsuit, customers making claims hit glitches
- Last week, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission began Federal Court proceedings against Microsoft Australia and Microsoft Corporation, alleging about 2.7 million Australians were misled over pricier Copilot-enabled Microsoft 365 plans.
- Since October 31, 2024, Microsoft told subscribers with auto-renewal they had to accept Copilot and higher prices or cancel, but the ACCC says an undisclosed Classic plan offered prior pricing without Copilot.
- The price changes show Microsoft raised the Microsoft 365 Personal plan from $109 to $159 and the Family plan from $139 to $179, with a $40 to $50 savings on the Classic plan.
- On Thursday, Microsoft Corporation apologised to subscribers in Australia, began contacting affected customers about a Microsoft 365 Family Classic alternative, and said it will refund eligible users.
- The ACCC is seeking penalties, injunctions, declarations, consumer redress and costs, and if the Federal Court rules for the regulator, Microsoft Corporation could face multimillion-dollar fines.
22 Articles
22 Articles
Microsoft Apologies for Price Rise, Offers Refund to Nearly 3 Million Aussie Customers
Following a lawsuit from the competition watchdog, tech giant Microsoft has issued an apology to nearly 3 million Australians affected by recent price rises to its popular office app. On Nov. 6, the company said it had reached out to subscribers of Microsoft 365 Personal and Family to express regret for its failure to communicate “more clearly” about the price changes announced in October 2024. At the time, people subscribing to a personal plan …
Microsoft apologises to millions of Australians
Just over a week ago, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) launched proceedings in the federal court against Microsoft over allegedly false or misleading communication regarding the renewal of their Office 365 subscriptions.The chair of the ACCC, Gina Cass-Gottlieb, alleged that Microsoft "deliberately" failed to mention the classic plan and "concealed" its existence to increase the number of users on the more expensive Copi…
Microsoft to refund customers for subscription price hike
Microsoft apologises to customers and says it will refund them, after the consumer watchdog alleged the tech giant misled about 2.7 million Australians over subscription costs so they would remain on more expensive plans.
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