You can still do the same now. Go to cancellation and be offered a package without AI.

I am in the UK.

I got Microsoft's emails, did not want Microsoft's forced imposition of Copilot in my Office subscription (regardless of price), found the classic option mentioned in online forums, and managed to switch to it just before my renewal.

My 89 year old aunt on the other hand got stung for the unwanted forced upgrade. I had to call Microsoft, complained about them unfairly exploiting vulnerable customers, and eventually got a downgrade and the difference refunded.

What really annoys me about this - quite apart from the initial deception/misrepresentation - is I now expect Microsoft to pull similar tricks in future. A real disincentive to sign up to any other 'value-added' services.

Why make subscriptions so full of traps that consumers end up hating you? (Yes, I know, so some GM can hit this quarter's bonus)

That reminds me, having just cancelled Spotify (due to their price rise), Disney+ is next on the list. Maybe Netflix too.

I cancelled my family subscription on renewal day, once they snuck in copilot and jacked up the subscription fee.

We rarely use their services beyond email and storage so Microsoft was making free money; and for my family it was a nice to have Office on hand.

But I refuse to play their opt-out game.

> "Following a detailed investigation, the ACCC alleges that Microsoft deliberately hit this third option, to retain the old plan at the old price, in order to increase the uptake of Copilot and the increased revenue from the Copilot integrated plans," ACCC chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb said.

The product is so good that they need to scam people into buying it.

Looks like Microsoft is taking a page out of the cable companies' playbook. Next up, there will be "discounted" Copilot 365 or whatever: a 2 year contract with the "promotional price" locked in and a penalty fee for cancelling early.

Awesome that the ACCC, Australia's consumer watchdog, is taking this up.

It's really shitty that companies believe they can pull these stunts and get away with it.

Semi tangential, but I'm amazed there isn't more uproar over what Microsoft is doing with Windows 10 <-> 11 and devices that don't have hardware TPM. Just completely fucking their user base, to what end? A one-time bump in sales for hardware partners?

Pretty sure Microsoft is going to try and get a settlement. The evidence is very clear.

Have the family plan prepaid for 2 years, mostly for the 1TB OneDrive. The new plans are almost double the cost here, hope this AI bundling dies a painful death by then. Though that doesn't guarantee price cuts I guess.