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Spirit airlines is a user of dark patterns. But its almost like a game on their site trying to avoid all of the up-sells! I may stay away from LA Fitness just

Spirit airlines is a user of dark patterns. But its almost like a game on their site trying to avoid all of the up-sells! I may stay away from LA Fitness just because of this article.

mrgreenfur 10y ago
The fun part of spirit is that it doesn't end on the site, you have to dodge the dark patterns on the flight too!
- dawnerd 10y ago
  At least they're pretty honest with it. Every time I walk by their counter at the airport I laugh at the sign because it's like, no frills but you'll pay for everything! In a way I kind of like that model - just not on an airplane.
  - mrgreenfur 10y ago
    I kind of disagree, I want it to be that way in theory, but in reality it is rather predatory. A no frills flight for low budget where you pay for everything (and debatably more than an equal seat on another airline) and then they pressure-cook the passengers for a high interest credit card. Their pitch went on forever, way way longer than the usual "signup and get extra miles". I watched a bunch of folks sign up on the flight and it made me feel really badly; the same way that check-cashing places scam their, mostly not-affulent, customers. These folks are even more vulnerable to these kinds of dark-patterns.
exolymph 10y ago
Spirit Airlines is an interesting case, though, because like someone else said, they're very up-front about this. Is it still a dark pattern if the company admits it and essentially warns the user?
- eric_h 10y ago
  The unmissable warnings don't really happen until you get to the terminal though. Admittedly, I have not used spirit for some time. But the signs that say "we don't really want you to have to pay $100 for the carryon you forgot to pay for on the website, but you didn't pay for it, so tough shit" don't seem terribly genuine. I will never fly spirit again, though. They just straight up cancelled a flight of mine an hour and a half before the flight for literally no reason, I got no notification via email/text or phone until I went to the airport to check my baggage (another thing I hate doing, but I was traveling for a pool tournament and you can't carry pool cues on a plane...). I had to book a last minute flight with another airline and my total airfare ended up being almost double what I paid for spirit.
  - djsumdog 10y ago
    I've flow then once. Both the flight there and return were over an hour late. They had no automated bag tagging terminals, so you still had to wait in line even if you checked in via phone. The prices were just crazy too. They depend on people overlooking fees and getting screwed over to make them profitable. I got away with paying nothing over what I was quoted on the website. I will still never fly them again.
jedmeyers 10y ago
My recent experience with LA Fitness, or City Sports, as they call them here in the SF Bay Area, have been similar to what the video describes. However, it was not as painful as I'd imagined it will be. I went to my account page and clicked on the Cancellation Form link (not necessary but recommended). After several screens I got a cancellation form for my account which I printed and mailed using USPS Certified Mail. After two business days I got an email stating that my account will be closed and when my access privileges will end.
- djsumdog 10y ago
  I quit one in Ohio in person. They just printed out a form to sign and put the end date. I suspect this works better on people who sign up and then never show up for four months.

Spirit airlines is a user of dark patterns. But its almost like a game on their site trying to avoid all of the up-sells! I may stay away from LA Fitness just because of this article.

mrgreenfur 10y ago

The fun part of spirit is that it doesn't end on the site, you have to dodge the dark patterns on the flight too!

dawnerd 10y ago
At least they're pretty honest with it. Every time I walk by their counter at the airport I laugh at the sign because it's like, no frills but you'll pay for everything! In a way I kind of like that model - just not on an airplane.
- mrgreenfur 10y ago
  I kind of disagree, I want it to be that way in theory, but in reality it is rather predatory. A no frills flight for low budget where you pay for everything (and debatably more than an equal seat on another airline) and then they pressure-cook the passengers for a high interest credit card. Their pitch went on forever, way way longer than the usual "signup and get extra miles". I watched a bunch of folks sign up on the flight and it made me feel really badly; the same way that check-cashing places scam their, mostly not-affulent, customers. These folks are even more vulnerable to these kinds of dark-patterns.

exolymph 10y ago

Spirit Airlines is an interesting case, though, because like someone else said, they're very up-front about this. Is it still a dark pattern if the company admits it and essentially warns the user?

eric_h 10y ago
The unmissable warnings don't really happen until you get to the terminal though. Admittedly, I have not used spirit for some time. But the signs that say "we don't really want you to have to pay $100 for the carryon you forgot to pay for on the website, but you didn't pay for it, so tough shit" don't seem terribly genuine. I will never fly spirit again, though. They just straight up cancelled a flight of mine an hour and a half before the flight for literally no reason, I got no notification via email/text or phone until I went to the airport to check my baggage (another thing I hate doing, but I was traveling for a pool tournament and you can't carry pool cues on a plane...). I had to book a last minute flight with another airline and my total airfare ended up being almost double what I paid for spirit.
- djsumdog 10y ago
  I've flow then once. Both the flight there and return were over an hour late. They had no automated bag tagging terminals, so you still had to wait in line even if you checked in via phone. The prices were just crazy too. They depend on people overlooking fees and getting screwed over to make them profitable. I got away with paying nothing over what I was quoted on the website. I will still never fly them again.

jedmeyers 10y ago

My recent experience with LA Fitness, or City Sports, as they call them here in the SF Bay Area, have been similar to what the video describes. However, it was not as painful as I'd imagined it will be. I went to my account page and clicked on the Cancellation Form link (not necessary but recommended). After several screens I got a cancellation form for my account which I printed and mailed using USPS Certified Mail. After two business days I got an email stating that my account will be closed and when my access privileges will end.

djsumdog 10y ago
I quit one in Ohio in person. They just printed out a form to sign and put the end date. I suspect this works better on people who sign up and then never show up for four months.