Now the online giant is paying a massive price: a record-breaking $2.5 billion settlement. That includes $1.5 billion in refunds for Prime members and another $1 billion in civil penalties. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says Amazon tricked people into Prime subscriptions and deliberately made it difficult to cancel.

Amazon will be required to pay a $1 billion civil penalty, provide $1.5 billion in refunds to consumers harmed by shady enrollment practices, and cease unlawful subscriber and cancellation practices ...

“The evidence showed that Amazon used sophisticated subscription traps designed to manipulate consumers into enrolling in Prime, and then made it exceedingly hard for consumers to end their subscript...