Tinder commits to transparency amid EU probe on pricing discrepancies

European Commission is investigating Tinder’s pricing policies due to concerns from users in Netherlands and Sweden

The pricing policies of dating app Tinder are being looked at by the European Commission as a result of concerns from users in the Netherlands and Sweden. The app’s variable pricing techniques, which charged customers various amounts for the same service without providing enough information, have drawn criticism.

The European Commission said on Thursday that it had come to the attention of a network of consumer authorities that Tinder was enforcing EU consumer law violations by applying tailored pricing without providing clear and transparent information to users. It was decided that this lack of openness was unjust since it prevented people from making well-informed subscription decisions.

According to a 2022 Swedish research, Tinder had 36 distinct pricing tiers; some users paid as low as $3 per month, while others were required to spend as much as $36. Remarkably, customers in Sweden and the Netherlands were shown subscription costs that were set exclusively by the business; they were not given the chance to contrast them with alternative offers.

Younger users often got discounts on Tinder’s premium services up to April 2022, while senior users had to pay more. As a result, in July 2022, the European Commission opened an inquiry against Tinder.

As a result of the investigation, Tinder promised to end age-based tailored pricing by the middle of April and to be transparent with consumers about any price differences. The business has also promised to tell customers about the automatic distinction of discounts for premium services and to explain this differential.

Tinder’s adherence to these promises will be observed by the Consumer Protection Cooperation Network, which is in charge of the Swedish and Dutch legal proceedings.

Ownered by Texas-based Match Group, Tinder is a dating app company with its headquarters located in California. Its global operations include Hinge, Meetic, OKCupid, and Plenty of Fish. There are 10 million paying Tinder users worldwide, according to Match Group, however the figure is somewhat down. Some of the company’s offerings include artificial intelligence.

With its applications, Match Group claims 4.5 million paid customers throughout Europe. Of Match Group’s $3.4 billion in worldwide sales, Tinder alone brought around $1.9 billion

Source: AFP