In a series of YouTube videos shared over the past two weeks, electronics technician and consumer rights advocate Louis Rossman has exposed a controversy in which some Apple Store employees have allegedly signed up customers for auto-renewing subscription trials for Apple One and other services without their informed consent. Here is how the process works at Apple Stores in the United States: A customer visits an Apple Store.

An employee at the store asks if the customer would like to scan a QR code for a personalized shopping experience ("Connect and Personalize").

If the customer agrees, the employee can view some of the customer's information on their company-issued device, including which Apple devices they own, which Apple services they are subscribed to, and which Apple subscription offers are available to them based on their recent purchases.

The employee can proceed to show the customer their available subscription offers, presented with "Agree" and "Decline" buttons on the employee's device. The default payment method associated with the customer's Apple Account is automatically available for subscription sign-ups, so long as it has not expired.

The problem is that some employees allegedly activated these trials without adequately explaining to the customers that they would be automatically charged at a later date, according to tipsters who contacted Rossman. S. stores. In other words, employees were encouraged to get at least four out of every 10 customers they assisted with a device purchase to also sign up for at least one subscription. In some cases, employees allegedly even tapped the "Agree" button themselves without receiving the customer's informed consent, seemingly in an attempt to ensure that their "services attach rate" was as high as possible.

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