An Italian court ruled that Netflix's price increases were illegal and ordered them to refund past price hikes.
On April 1, 2026, a ruling was handed down in a case in which the Italian consumer group Movimento Consumatori sued Netflix, claiming that the unilateral price increases were illegal. The ruling upheld the consumer group's claims.
Netflix
Netflix must refund customers for years of price hikes, Italian court rules - Ars Technica
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/04/netflix-ordered-to-refund-subscribers-up-to-e500-for-unlawful-price-hikes/
Italian consumer law states that 'unless a legitimate reason is clearly stated in the contract itself, it is illegal for a business to unilaterally change the terms of a contract or the characteristics of the products or services provided.' The Italian consumer group Movimento Consumatori argued that Netflix's four price increases between 2017 and 2024 were 'invalid because they violated consumer law.'
In the past, Netflix had given customers 30 days' notice before raising prices, allowing them to cancel their subscriptions before the increase. However, the court ruled that the price increase was made 'without providing customers with a valid reason,' invalidating the price increase and ordering Netflix to refund customers the increased amount.
For example, users who have been continuously subscribed to the premium plan since 2017 are entitled to a refund of approximately 500 euros (approximately 92,000 yen), while users who have been continuously subscribed to the standard plan since 2017 are entitled to a refund of approximately 250 euros (approximately 46,000 yen).
According to Movimento Consumatori, Netflix's customer base is estimated to reach 5.4 million by October 2025. The court also ordered Netflix to notify its millions of current and past customers within 90 days that they have the right to a refund via email, mail, website, newspapers, etc., stating that it will be fined 700 euros (approximately 130,000 yen) for each day of delay.
Movimento Consumatori further announced that 'users who subscribed before the price increase have the right to continue their subscription at the pre-increase price.' For example, the price of the premium plan as of April 2026 will be 19.99 euros (approximately 3,700 yen), but if you subscribed in 2017, you can continue your subscription for 11.99 euros (approximately 2,200 yen).
Meanwhile, Netflix stated, 'We take consumer rights very seriously, and we are confident that our terms of service have always been in line with Italian law and practice,' indicating its intention to appeal and fight the case.
Furthermore, Netflix amended its contract in April 2025 to explicitly state that 'terms and conditions may change in the future due to technical, security, or regulatory needs, clarification of clauses, or changes to the service.' Therefore, price increases for contracts made after April 2025 are considered legal in Italy.
Related Posts:
in Web Service, Posted by log1d_ts