An unexpected charge from Amazon's Alexa service has drawn attention to the intricacies of its voice-activated purchasing system. Patricia Collinson, an 87-year-old woman, unknowingly subscribed to a premium service while using her Alexa speaker to request prayers. The incident highlights the potential for confusion among users, especially those unfamiliar with technology, regarding voice-based transactions.
Patricia Collinson, who received an Alexa speaker from her sister Catherine, frequently asked the device for prayers. Unbeknownst to her, the simple act of saying "yes" to a prompt led her into a premium subscription for the service called Catholic Prayers. The subscription, offering a free seven-day trial, cost £1.99 per month thereafter. Fortunately, Catherine spotted the confirmation email from Amazon and canceled the subscription before any charges were incurred.
Amazon's Alexa Developer Rewards program allows developers to create skills for Alexa, which can generate revenue through in-app purchases. In the UK alone, there are approximately 45,000 skills available on Alexa, ranging from security features to culinary tips. Developers are required to declare if their skills target children during the submission process to Amazon.
“Developers are required to identify if their skills are directed to children when submitting the Skill to Amazon,” – Amazon
The Catholic Prayers skill, developed by Nicholas Azzarello, reportedly serves around 10,000 users monthly. Azzarello, not affiliated with the Catholic Church, created the skill for recreational purposes. While Amazon encourages IT developers to monetize through its platform, some users like Patricia remain unaware of the financial implications of their interactions.
“Maybe your mother said yes and then Alexa explained to her how much the premium subscription would cost a month after the seven-day trial. Then Alexa asked if she is sure she would like to sign up and your mother may have said yes to that as well, even though she may not have fully understood what Alexa was talking about.” – Azzarello
Amazon clarified that customers make voice purchases by affirming a product offer message. This occurs either when a customer requests a product directly or responds positively to an in-skill suggestion.
“For purchases by voice, customers can buy content by saying yes to a product offer message, generated when a customer requests the product directly or when the customer responds positively to a proactive suggestion within the applicable skill.” – Amazon
Following a voice purchase, Amazon sends an order confirmation email. In Patricia's case, this email alerted Catherine to the subscription.
“Following a voice purchase, customers receive an order confirmation email from Amazon. With the Catholic prayers skill, customers are offered a free seven-day trial after which time they are asked if they would like to continue their subscription for a fee.” – Amazon
Patricia Collinson expressed surprise upon learning about the charges associated with her requests for prayers.
“I got into the habit most mornings of coming downstairs, sitting in my recliner and saying: ‘Good morning, Alexa. Can you say the Hail Mary please,’” – Patricia Collinson
“It never asked for money. It never said it was charging me. It was completely news to me.” – Patricia Collinson
Catherine humorously remarked on the situation:
“Thank goodness she didn’t ask Alexa to say the Rosary,” – Catherine
The incident underscores the broader issue of user awareness regarding digital transactions via voice assistants. Other platforms like Google's Assistant provide similar services without immediate payment requests. This raises questions about transparency in digital ecosystems and the need for clearer communication with users.
Amazon's model has proven lucrative for some developers. A US-based developer reportedly earned $25,000 in six months from creating "good night messages" for Alexa.
“One developer in the US earned $25,000 in six months from ‘good night messages’ over Alexa that he had produced just ‘for fun’.” – Amazon