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A Reddit user going by the handle tammytrex attempted to remove her late mother’s Spotify account, but the platform’s automated system reacted. It was a rather ironic moment when Spotify surprised her with something out of the ordinary. Here’s what happened.
On Reddit, she shared her interaction with the Spotify cancellation system. On behalf of her mother, she simply entered “I am dead” when the application asked her to provide a reason for terminating the account. In the context of the situation, the response was strangely insensitive and hilarious.
Spotify’s automated system responded with,”It’s hard to say goodbye. But it’s easy to join Premium again at any time.” That was not the end of the conversation. the app created a “goodbye” playlist with the hashtag #SpotifyCares. The playlist even included a list of songs with titles such as “If. You. Leave. Us. Now. You’ll. Take Away. The. Biggest.”. Part of Us.” The autoresponse had the user feeling a little tearful as well as giggly over the situation’s sheer ridiculousness.
While this was most obviously an autoresponse, several of the commenters on Reddit thought that this is where dark humor comes into the game. A commenter said, “I had a good laugh/cry about it,” referring to the strange and mixed emotions many people experience in the face of technology when it comes to handling the death of a loved one. While there was unintentional comedy in the situation, the real issue is that automated systems do not seem to understand personal feelings associated with real-life issues like death.
Unlike subscription-based services, Spotify’s system cannot process the complex emotions associated with handling a loved one’s digital accounts after their death. This inability to tailor responses has seen other similar responses from users coming out to recount their experiences. A user at Reditt shared a similar story when they observed Hulu send a greeting saying, “Goodbye, Charles, we will miss you!” after their account was canceled following Charles’ death.
The Reality of Subscription Cancellations After Loss
As funny as this interaction with Spotify was about technology’s limitations, it does present a serious problem that many individuals face when cancelling accounts for a deceased loved one. Many have experienced frustration with trying to get subscription services to stop charging accounts after the loss of a family member. Yet one user on Reddit claims to have sent a death certificate to T-Mobile several times before the company stopped collecting money from their account.
When Tammytrex shared a story about the difficulties of terminating memberships and subscriptions after a loved one passed away, it also sparked a broader conversation among internet users. Others attempted to share their stories, some of which were equally frustrating, while others made fun of the irrationality of automated systems when dealing with the emotional burden of managing such conditions.
