this post was submitted on 08 Aug 2026
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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/50434194

Proton VPN's pricing page exposed an ab-test identifier linked to two VPN Plus prices: €2.99/month (70% off) and €3.49/month (65% off). Repeated testing produced B → A → B → A → B, with the variant matching the rendered price each time. €12 difference over 24 months.

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[–] ruby@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 5 days ago

the standard price expectation is how it tricks the customer, if you open a webpage and go pay for something then you expect that the price you're paying from the same vendor is set the same for everyone (or at least constant for your geographic location to accomodate for purchasing power). pretty much no customer would expect opening the page in another session to offer a better price, which is why they did it this way.

if people knew there's a better price available, they'd not take the worse deal. and people in general don't like having tricks pulled on them, especially if they're meant to gauge how much they can get away with charging you.