Outhouse › Dark Patterns › Pricing

Hidden fees and was-prices

Fees that appear late, and was prices that make today's price look like a saving.

Why it matters

A price is a first impression, and it should be small. Service fees, booking fees, platform fees and handling fees can follow, one per page of checkout, once the visitor has invested too much time to leave.

The was-price works the other way. A struck-through figure beside the price shows what the item would have cost, in a version of events where it ever did.

How Outhouse measures it

Outhouse counts fee wording (service fee, + fees, fees apply and similar) and was-prices: struck-through prices and RRP or was copy. Two or more in total scores in full.

This audit counts towards Dark Patterns, with a weight of 3. A category is 75% its two highest-scoring audits and 25% all of its audits, weighted, so a site is judged mostly on what it does most and partly on how many things it does.

How to improve your score

Install FeeDrip. Available on selected plans. See all products.

Related audits

• Trial and renewal traps: Trials and introductory offers that turn into payments unless the visitor remembers to stop them.
• Upgrade prompts: Buttons inviting the visitor to pay for features the page used to include.
• Paid plans with ads: Subscription plans that are paid for and still show adverts.