Surprise Paywalls: The Bigger Story Behind the SNOO Bassinet Controversy
Surprise Paywalls: The Bigger Story Behind the SNOO Bassinet Controversy
SNOO maker Happiest Baby is just the latest OEM to erect a surprise paywall between its product and customers. Also: a group fighting for the right to repair your body.
We are more reliant on internet-connected devices than ever before. You wake up and what’s the first thing you do? Grab your smartphone and begin checking notifications. Your smart watch monitors your sleep quality and smart doorbells let you know when a package was dropped at your doorstep - even if you’re out and about.
Contents:
Letter urges FTC to require smart devices to specify support
Podcast: Auto Care On Air talks about the right to repair
Group fights for right to repair (your body)
Big Tech (hopefully) faces scrutiny in the states over repair
China Ambassador emphasizes cooperation at circular economy forum
Maine AG moves closer to implementing auto repair bill
Charge Forward Network wants independent EV repair
Stop Killing Games focuses on getting games to last longer
Massachusetts gives $140K in micro grants to boost circular economy
Wanted: a shift from passive consumers to active repair-ers
Software makes HMD's repairable phones not-so-repairableThis revolution in connected technology even extends to childcare, where next generation products like the smart-bassinet known as SNOO, with smart, connected features designed to monitor infants’ sleep and help sooth them with white noise and programmed rocking. As this review suggests: its a life saver for parents anxious for their newborns to get rested - and also worried about rare but devastating risks like sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). It also isn’t cheap - retailing for close to $1,700. (By comparison, “dumb” bassinets of the kind used for…oh…a couple centuries retail for around $150).
As a potential SNOO buyer weighing a $150 dumb bassinet or a SNOO at more than 10x the cost, you might simply conclude that the extra cost is worth it for all the smart features you get with the bassinet and that keep your baby safe and rested.
When your smart bassinet turns dumb
What you don’t know is that those features aren’t necessarily included with the purchase price. That’s right, as reported by The New York Times and others, SNOO bassinet owners in July received notice that the previously free features they relied on to monitor their newborn’s sleep schedule would now cost $20 a month. The newly designated “premium” features include access to the mobile app needed to control the bassinet’s rocking level, track the baby’s sleep and manage what’s known as SNOO’s “weaning mode” feature, The Times reported.
With infants spending anywhere from four to six months in a bassinet, the addition of a monthly subscription effectively increases the total cost of ownership (TCO) of the SNOO by as much as 7% - on top of an already expensive product.
Customer frustration over the hastily erected paywall boiled over online as Happiest Baby (the company that owns SNOO) received backlash over their decision. And while the resale market offers cheaper options, Happiest Baby is incentivizing direct purchases, further complicating access for those seeking affordability.
Meet the last ditch paywall
SNOO isn’t the first smart device maker to erect post-sale paywalls to try to squeeze more revenue from its customers. In August, Stephen Svajian, the CEO of Anova, which makes a smart sous vide cooking device announced that people who want to use the Anova Culinary App - which has been offered for free for close to a decade - will now have to pay $2 per month, or $10 per year, Ars Technica reported.
Back in 2020, smart home device maker Wink faced a backlash after imposing a $4.99/month subscription for previously free/inclusive features like adding new devices, updating the firmware on the hub, using voice control, and accessing their home remotely.
With internet-connected devices like the SNOO becoming the norm in the decades to come, the need for new rules protecting consumers from surprise fees and - even worse- “brickification” is growing. If that’s something that interests you, check out our new group, Secure Resilient Future Foundation, a 501 C4 that is looking to promote smart policies regarding our connected stuff.
Other News
Letter urges FTC to require smart devices to say how long they’ll be supported
Incidents like the surprise SNOO paywall aren’t going unnoticed. In a letter co-signed by 17 environmental and consumer rights groups, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission was urged this week to crack down on software “tethering,” in which manufacturers use software to control and limit how devices function - and even how long they live - after a consumer has purchased them.
“Consumers need a clear standard for what to expect when purchasing a connected device,” Justin Brookman, director of technology policy at Consumer Reports and a former policy director of FTC’s Office of Technology, Research, and Investigation is quoted in the letter. “Companies that sell connected devices must recognize their responsibility to the people buying them. The FTC should step up and ensure that businesses not only market these devices transparently but also decommissions them in a way that respects the consumer’s investment and trust.”
The letter cited a number of devices that have been altered or even disabled by software updates including Oral-B toothbrushes, Google Dropcams, Amazon Halos, and others, Ars Technica reports.
Groups that were signatories to the letter include Consumer Reports, US PIRG, iFixit, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, FixIt Clinic and SRFF, the Secure Resilient Future Foundation.
Auto repair: the canary in the coal mine for smart, connected stuff
Fight to Repair Editor in Chief and Secure Repairs founder Paul Roberts recently appeared on the Auto Care Association’s Auto Care On Air: Traction Control podcast to talk about the state of the fight for a right to repair, and about the work Secure Repairs has done to promote both federal and state-level right to repair laws.
Paul speaks with host Stacey Miller about the critical importance of repairability across industries like automotive, agriculture, and personal electronics. Paul and Stacey also take on the myths surrounding the security risks of repair, the EU’s comprehensive right to repair laws with state-level initiatives in the United States and the paradox of right to repair laws like the pending federal REPAIR Act, with vast, bipartisan support that languish and die in state houses and on Capitol Hill.
Group fights for right to repair (your body)
An article (paywalled) at 404 Media highlights the Four Thieves Vinegar Collective and its effort to teach individuals how to manufacture medications at a fraction of the price they are sold for and give individuals a "right to repair for your body." Jason Koebler interviews Mixæl Swan Laufer and his group, which is known for handing out DIY pills and medicines at hacking conferences. The Collective offers courses of drugs like the abortion medication misoprostol that can be manufactured for 89 cents (normal cost: $160) and which has become increasingly difficult to obtain in some states following the Supreme Court decision in Dobbs.
Big Tech will (hopefully) face scrutiny with new state repair laws
With state electronics right-to-repair laws coming into effect in recent months, there are lingering questions about what the tangible changes will be for consumers Maddie Stone writes in Grist. One thing is certain, there have been no serious consequences to date for companies who have not complied with the law—but time will tell. No state “has brought a public action against a company yet” writes Stone, but repair advocates are hopeful that these laws will offer motivation through fines or public shaming to change behavior that keeps customers from repairing electronics.
China Ambassador emphasizes cooperation at Circular Economy Forum
China’s Ambassador Xie Feng called for close cooperation between the U.S. and his country to stem human-induced climate change and foster the development of circular economies. Speaking on Friday via video link at the opening ceremony of the China-U.S. Circular Economy Cooperation Forum Xie said that climate change was “in essence it is a development issue, and the way out lies in cooperation.” While talking up China’s domestic policies focused on reducing its carbon footprint and the production of greenhouse gasses, Xie said China and the United States are “partners in addressing climate change, and circular economy cooperation can be a growth point.” The two countries should “explore mutually beneficial cooperation, so as to inject positive energy into the stable, healthy and sustainable development of China-U.S. relations, and create a favorable atmosphere for the cooperation in addressing climate change,” he wrote. China and the U.S. agreed to a mutual agreement to triple global renewable energy capacity by 2030. China is the world’s largest coal user, but also the largest producer of renewable energy.
Maine AG moves closer to implementing auto repair law
The state of Maine has gotten one step closer to enforcing its automotive right to repair law. A working group, led by the attorney general of the state, has begun defining the creation and role of an independent entity to oversee the implementation of the state's Right to Repair law, addressing issues such as data access, compliance, and privacy. Arguments surfaced earlier this year among lawmakers over concerns of the state’s role in managing the data system the ballot initiative called for, but no substantive changes to the law materialized. And so, the law is rolling closer toward full enforcement—with a goal of making vehicle repair more accessible.
Charge Forward Network wants independent EV repair
With 100 million electric vehicles projected on U.S. roads by 2040, the Charge Forward Network is helping independent repair shops prepare for the rising demand in EV service. By joining, you’ll gain access to expert guides, insights, and a supportive community focused on tackling EV repairs.
Stop Killing Games wants games to last longer
Stop Killing Games is working to stop the volatility of digital game ownership. By gathering petitions and shaming companies that give up on games with massive audiences, the group is trying to make games that last longer. Explore the site to see what petitions you can sign onto and other actions to take!
Massachusetts gives out $140k in grants to support circular economy projects
The micro grants, issued by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) are for organizations, municipalities and academic institutions focused on reducing waste generation and prolonging the lifespan of products by offering donation, rescue, reuse and repair services across the state. The funding, awarded through MassDEP’s Reduce, Reuse, Repair Micro-Grant Program, is given to projects that provide innovative and impactful ways to curb waste and keep products in use through donation, rescue, reuse and repair. Approximately 74 percent of the awarded projects will serve environmental justice communities. The grants went to a wide array of recipients and articulated a shared vision for sustainability across sectors. They included a $3,000 grant for The Bike Connector, MIT's Office of Sustainability ($7,000), Free Start Furniture Bank ($1,750) and Computers For People ($5,000).
Wanted: a shift from passive consumers to active repair-ers!
Writing over at Suston magazine, Ben Blischke, ESG Manager in Circularity and Products, argues for DIY repairs of clothing and other products. While such repairs “may not generate short-term profitability, there are many important benefits to promoting them.” Paid-for repair is “an important pillar in a circular future, and something that is rapidly expanding throughout the sports and fashion industry,” he notes. But “what excites me the most is self-repair. The type of repair that connects you, the fellow citizen, back to your product instead of sending it away for repair out-of-sight-and-out-of-mind. The kind of repair that forces you to dust off your grandparent’s sewing machine, or spend 15 minutes of bewilderment selecting the right glue, or asking a friend if they know what to do.” Such DIY repairs are the “kinds of actions are deeply human, rooted in community, and are the things that living a good life needs.”
Software limits make HMD’s ‘repairable’ phones not-so-repairable
In an article over at Spacebar, Corbin Davenport notes that efforts by HMD to make and sell repairable phones is falling short. The reason? Software support.
“It's great that HMD is trying to make more repairable smartphones, especially when the only competition has been devices like the Fairphone 5, which starts at €549 (down from its original €699 price) and is only sold in Europe,” Davenport writes. But limitations on HMD’s software support makes him reluctant to call them sustainable phones.
Specifically: “the specifications pages for the HMD Fusion and HMD Skyline explain the phones are only guaranteed to receive two major Android operating system updates and three years of Android OS security patches. There's no guarantee of a release schedule for security updates on the Skyline, while the Fusion will get two years of monthly updates and quarterly updates for the last year.”