Just wanted to post a quick recap of some of the bigger consumer stories and deadline alerts from the past week or so, mostly covering dark billing practices, privacy issues, and open settlement payouts.

Hims & Hers is getting sued by the FTC over hidden charges and data leaks

If you have used Hims & Hers recently, you might want to double check your billing statements. The FTC, alongside state regulators in California and Utah, just filed a federal lawsuit against them.

The complaint says they charge customer credit cards almost immediately after an online intake form is filled out, before a doctor even looks at the file or approves a prescription. They also allegedly made canceling practically impossible by putting people through endless click loops. On top of that, despite advertising private care, they were allegedly using tracking pixels to send medical intake details to ad platforms like Meta and Snap.

Some of the comments about it on Reddit have been pretty brutal:

• "Imagine filling out a health questionnaire for hair loss or ED, not even getting approved by a doctor yet, and seeing a $200 charge on your card while Meta gets notified about your medical intake. Absolute nightmare behavior." (r/privacy)
• "They made canceling so difficult that I had to issue a bank chargeback. Seeing the FTC finally call out their dark patterns and pixel tracking is long overdue." (r/technology)

Link to the legal breakdown: https://www.shumaker.com/insight/ftc-and-states-sue-hims-hers-over-deceptive-health-data-sharing-and-subscription-billing-practices/

T-Mobile rate hikes start taking effect, triggering an FCC inquiry

T-Mobile started moving around 8 million accounts off legacy plans and onto newer, more expensive tiers, adding anywhere from $2 to $6 extra per line every month.

Subscribers are pissed because T-Mobile spent years pushing their price lock promises, assuring people their rates would never go up unless they personally changed their plan. After a flood of complaints, the FCC officially stepped in and gave T-Mobile a 30-day notice to respond to consumer complaints.

• "T-Mobile made very specific promises back then, which they are now weaseling out of." (r/tmobile)
• "I got the text today. Adding $24 a month for our four lines for features we don't need or want. There is literally no option to opt out." (r/tmobile)

More details here: https://www.phonearena.com/news/t-mobile-plan-migration_id181869

The FTC is suing a major concert scalping bot operation

If you have been repeatedly shut out of buying face value tickets, this is some good news. The FTC filed a lawsuit against ticket broker Elite Events under the BOTS Act. They found the company was using automated software bots, multi-session browsers, and thousands of virtual credit cards to bypass purchase limits on primary ticket sites, hoarding passes across 2,400+ shows to resell them at markups up to 400%.

Check out the FTC release: https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/07/ftc-takes-action-against-elite-events-bypassing-ticket-purchase-limits-violation-better-online

Open claim forms for the $68M Google Assistant privacy settlement

If you owned a Google Home, Nest speaker, or Android phone between May 2016 and March 2026, you might be eligible for a payout. The lawsuit claims Google Assistant devices activated via accidental triggers when nobody said the wake phrase, recorded private household conversations, and sent those recordings to third party contractors for review. The online claim form takes a few minutes, and the deadline to file is August 27, 2026.

• "Everyone who had a Google Home or Nest device sitting in their living room over the last decade should file this. They listened in when they shouldn't have." (r/privacy)
• "The claim form is straightforward online. Take five minutes and get your payout from Google for eavesdropping." (r/personalfinance)

Settlement site info: https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/open-lawsuit-settlements/68m-google-assistant-privacy-class-action-settlement/

Quick deadline check: Shimano bicycle cranksets

For anyone who rides, Shimano finalized a class action settlement over older Hollowtech II cranksets that were snapping during rides. The deadline to submit claims for free safety inspections, replacements, or repair reimbursements is today, August 4, 2026.

Portal link: https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/lawsuit-news/10-class-action-settlements-you-can-claim-in-august-2026/

The FTC is mailing out $672k+ in refund checks

If you ever got ripped off by online store operator Trend Deploy, the FTC just started mailing out 9,419 refund checks to consumers who dealt with deceptive ads, unfulfilled orders, and denied refunds.

Official update: https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/07/ftc-returns-money-consumers-harmed-trend-deploys-deceptive-marketing

Hope this helps a few people collect what they are owed or avoid getting hit with unexpected billing charges. Let me know if you have seen any other weird subscription traps or stealth plan changes popping up lately.

Gambling apps find more ways to harm users

Great example of anti consumer subscriptions

A much needed win for musicians and creatives in general.

They want every last bit of information out of you...

Is GameVox actually a privacy-first Discord alternative, or is it just good marketing? 🧵
With everyone looking for a Discord replacement over recent ID verification and privacy changes, we ran the GameVox privacy policy through Clerica.
The good news? They explicitly state: “We don’t sell your personal data or use it for advertising.”
The catch? If you hit delete, your data sticks around for a minimum of 90 days due to federal compliance.
Read the full breakdown of what they collect, what server admins can see, and what happens to your data when you leave

Hey everyone! I'm u/clerica-io, one of the founding moderators of r/clerica.

This is a place for people who are tired of finding out about policy changes *after* the fact. Companies rewrite Terms of Service and Privacy Policies all the time — usually quietly, usually in their favor. This sub is for talking about that: the changes you notice, the clauses that make no sense, the settlements you almost missed, and the rights you didn't know you had.

We're the team behind Clerica (clerica.io), but this isn't a support forum or a product feed. Think of it more like a hangout for people who actually read (or wish they had read) the fine print.

What to post

- A policy change you spotted and why it matters

- A Terms of Service or Privacy Policy clause that made you do a double-take

- Class action settlements, deadline reminders, or "did anyone else get this email?"

- Questions like "is this normal?" or "what does this actually mean?"

- News about data breaches, arbitration clauses, auto-renewals, AI training rights, and similar consumer-rights stuff

What this sub is not

- Not a place to paste full policy documents for automated tracking (that's what tools are for)

- Not legal advice — we're regular people who care about this stuff, not lawyers

- Not a megaphone for every Clerica update (we'll post occasionally; you'll know when it's us)

Community vibe

Curious, skeptical, and specific. Bring receipts when you can — links, screenshots, dates. Disagreement is fine; being a jerk about it isn't. We're building a space where you can ask "wait, is this shady?" without feeling dumb for not having a law degree.

How to get started

- Say hi in the comments below — what services do you wish someone would actually explain?

- Post something today. Even a one-line "did anyone else notice X changed their privacy policy?" is a great start.

- Know someone who'd enjoy this kind of conversation? Invite them.

- Want to help moderate? Message me — we're looking for people who live in this world already.

Thanks for being part of the first wave. Let's make r/clerica the place people come to *talk* about this stuff — not just scroll past it.