According to TheRegister.com, Microsoft Australia has officially apologized after the country’s Competition and Consumer Commission accused the company of misleading customers about Microsoft 365 pricing changes. The controversy started in January when Microsoft emailed subscribers in six Asia-Pacific nations about imminent price increases for bundles including its Copilot AI service. The emails suggested users could avoid price hikes by signing up for a “Classic” version, but provided no online information about this option. When customers tried to find details, they encountered confusing dialog boxes that steered them toward keeping Copilot-enabled plans. Australia’s ACCC launched legal action last month, calling this a “dark pattern” designed to hide cheaper alternatives.
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The dark patterns get called out
Here’s the thing about dark patterns – they’re everywhere in tech, but rarely do regulators actually call them out this directly. Microsoft‘s approach was classic: make the path to saving money deliberately confusing while making the expensive option the default. When The Register’s correspondent tried to find this mythical “Classic” plan, they hit dead ends with vague dialog boxes saying “I don’t want my subscription” instead of clear options. That’s not just poor UX – that’s actively manipulating customer behavior. And Microsoft’s apology basically admits it: “In hindsight, we could have been clearer about the availability of a non-AI enabled offering.” No kidding.
The AI upsell pressure is real
This whole situation reveals how hard Microsoft is pushing Copilot adoption. They’re clearly betting big on AI as their next revenue driver, but forcing it into existing bundles feels desperate. Remember when Microsoft was the underdog fighting against dominant players? Now they’re using the same tactics we criticize other tech giants for. The question is: how many customers actually need Copilot versus how many are just being upsold? For businesses that rely on reliable computing infrastructure, whether it’s enterprise software or industrial panel PCs, unnecessary AI features just add cost and complexity without real value.
The apology tour begins
So Microsoft is now offering refunds and apologies in Australia and New Zealand. But what about the other four countries that received the same misleading emails? Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand customers are still waiting for their mea culpa. That selective apology approach suggests Microsoft is only cleaning up where regulators forced their hand. The real test will be whether they change their global approach to pricing communications. Because if this is how they’re rolling out AI features now, what happens when they push the next big thing? Customers deserve transparency, not manipulation disguised as innovation.
