Spotify is still getting bad feedback about its choice to stop supporting Car Thing, its in-car streaming device, which it announced in May. The company said that the gadget will stop working on December 9, 2024. Gen Z users are making videos on TikTok to say they don’t like what Spotify did and what it suggests they do, like switching to Android Auto or CarPlay. Users say that they often couldn’t use the infotainment systems that came with their cars, which makes them a good fit for a specialized player like Car Thing.
The streaming service’s car kit hadn’t been on the market long enough for it to be considered old-fashioned. It came out in February 2022 and stopped working later that same year, but people who had already bought units were promised that they would still be able to use them. Before it came out, Daniel Ek, CEO of Spotify, told investors on an earnings call that more than 2 million people had signed up for the Car Thing queue. This showed that people were interested in such a product.
Though Spotify never gave out official numbers, it’s possible that Car Thing didn’t do well or wasn’t worth investing in anymore in today’s tougher market. In the second case, Spotify let go of about 1,500 employees at the end of last year, after letting go of hundreds earlier in the year.
Car Thing users, on the other hand, don’t care about how the company makes money; they just want their $90 gadget to work or be returned.
Because of this, some people have tried to report to Spotify directly through direct messages on X with @SpotifyCares or on Reddit through different emails shared by Spotify. Some users said that Spotify gave them a Premium license for a few months to make up for it, while others said they called customer service and were told that no one was getting their money back.
Spotify told that it has recently started giving refunds for Car Thing, as long as the user has proof that they bought it.
People who used Car Thing were officially told they could contact customer service in a second email sent out last Friday, after the backlash over the app’s closure had grown. Spotify tells people where to find the right customer service link to get in touch with the company. The email doesn’t promise refunds, but it does say that people can contact the company if they have any questions.
Save Right Now
Some users who are mad about Car Thing might be happy with a return, but a lot of people are still begging the company in TikTok videos and the comments on Spotify’s TikTok posts not to brick their device. So many people are complaining about the Car Thing on Spotify’s videos now that “what is the spotify car thing” is the search term that TikTok offers for some videos.
“Please give me a break, Spotify ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ Carla, whose TikTok name is @carlititica, wrote, “I LOVE MY CAR THING.”
Another person, @nikkilovestech, wrote, “Sad.” Her video showing off a Car Thing on her dashboard had the title, “It’s like they want people to use their phone, which is distracting.” She also talked about the electronic waste that is made when a product that still works “perfectly fine” is taken off the market in her video.
Car Thing’s cancellation caused Spotify a lot of trouble, and it’s still not over, even though a return process was made public recently. A class action lawsuit was also brought against the company in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. It says that Spotify lied to customers by selling them a product that would soon be obsolete and then not giving them refunds, as reported by Billboard. The lawsuit was put in on May 28.
Spotify can’t say anything about the case, but this is what a spokesperson said about Car Thing:
The point of our U.S. Car Thing trip was to find out more about how people listen in their cars. We said in July 2022 that we would no longer be making the devices, and now it’s time to say goodbye to them for good. Users will have until December 9, 2024, to turn off all of their Car Thing gadgets. Check out For The Record to learn more about all the ways you can still listen to Spotify in the car. If you have any questions, Car Thing users can contact Customer Support at https://support.spotify.com/us/call-spotify-support.
The problems with Car Thing won’t affect all of Spotify’s users, but the news comes at a time when users are already angry that they have to pay more for things they think are basic to a music service, like words, which Spotify recently made paid. Users are not only unhappy with Car Thing, but they are also threatening to leave Spotify because they have to pay to see the words.
Also Read: Spotify is Testing Video Classes That Teach Everything From How to Make Music to How to Use Excel
Bloomberg also said that Spotify will raise its subscription prices again in 2024, after raising them last year.
What do you say about this story? Visit Parhlo World For more.
