Why Confirming Choices Matters: Lessons from an Instacart Experience
Have you ever thought you clicked on something thinking it would give you more details, only to have been surprised by a surprise charge? This is what happened to me recently while using Instacart. I wanted to subscribe to their monthly rate and by tapping the Instacart+ info, it automatically charged me for the full year without a confirmation step, and I only had learned I had become a member thanks to their email receipt; no in-app confirmation whatsoever.
I contacted them to try and switch to the monthly rate, but they said I could not. The only thing I could do would be to cancel the automatic renewal. I reached out using their chat and phone support and had no luck.
I am learning this experience was not in compliance with WCAG’s Success Criterion 3.3.4, which focuses on error prevention in legal, financial, and data transactions. It ensures that users are given the opportunity to verify, correct, or confirm their data before submission, thereby preventing costly mistakes.
If Instacart had implemented a confirmation step before finalizing the charge, I would have had the chance to review and verify my order, thereby avoiding an unintended purchase. This criteria is not just about preventing poor user experiences; the stakes can be significantly higher for users with disabilities. A single failure to offer confirmation from users can lead to significant data loss, financial repercussions, or other serious consequences.
Despite Instacart being a big company, I have since put my guard up when assuming companies want users to know before they’re about to make a significant change causing an irreversible charge. I’ve since put in a dispute with my credit card because of this, but if enough people have the same experience, I could foresee legal action being taken.
I am studying for the Trusted Tester for Web Certification Training Program and am learning so much I took for granted as both a consumer and developer of the web. I’ve decided to document some things I’ve found eye-opening and worth sharing. More here: https://medium.com/accessibilty
