Netflix ordered to refund price increases to some users, but probably not to you

While Netflix subscribers in the US are still reeling from another round of price increasesThe streaming service was just told to give some of its users the exact opposite treatment. A court in Rome ruled that several of its previous price increases in Italy were illegal, which could entitle affected subscribers in the country to refunds and lower current prices.

According Ars TechniqueThe case was brought by the Italian consumer group Movimento Consumatori, which argued that Netflix had increased prices in a way that violated the country’s Consumer Code. The problem was that Netflix’s contracts reportedly did not adequately explain in advance why those prices or other terms might change in the future. In other words, the platform had not adequately justified the price increases before imposing them, a sentiment you might share wherever you live.

That ruling covers four increases imposed between 2017 and 2024, and could represent a nice chunk of change for some longtime subscribers. Consumatori Movement says a Premium A customer who has been paying continuously since 2017 could be owed up to €500, while a Standard subscriber could be owed around €250. Even Basic plan users saw a small increase in that time.

Despite the timing of the ruling on the first of the month, this was no April Fool’s Day joke. The court reportedly gave Netflix 90 days to inform current and former customers in Italy of their refund rights via email, postal mail, its website and Italian newspapers. If you fail to do so, you will face a fixed daily fine.

This doesn’t mean that all Netflix subscribers in Italy will suddenly receive a huge payout, and it definitely doesn’t mean that viewers elsewhere are about to receive the same good news. The ruling applies only in Italy and appears to have been adopted based on the nuances of Italian consumer law. If you think Netflix will suddenly decide it’s a fair decision and apply the same refund to the rest of us, you might want to lower your expectations.

On the contrary, the company will not even abandon the matter in Italy. Netflix is ​​reportedly appealing the decision, saying it takes consumer rights seriously and believes its terms have always complied with Italian law and practice. While this kind of victory for the little guy is generally considered a good thing, given the timing of Netflix price increases elsewhere, some of us will struggle not to feel a little jealous of our Italian counterparts.