产品停摆后用户权益保护

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当产品被厂商“抛弃”,用户的“自救权”该如何保证
3 6 Ke· 2025-08-25 00:21
Core Insights - The article discusses the challenges and outcomes of consumer electronics products, particularly focusing on the case of Spotify Car Thing, highlighting the importance of consumer rights when companies abandon projects [1][5][18] Group 1: Product Success and Failure - The consumer electronics market sees a constant influx of new products, with successful ones leading to further investment and support from manufacturers [1] - Not all products succeed; some may be overpriced or lack market competitiveness, leading to poor sales despite potentially good designs [3][9] - Products can be abandoned for various reasons, including perceived lack of profitability, leaving consumers feeling unfairly treated [5][9] Group 2: Case Study - Spotify Car Thing - Spotify Car Thing was launched in 2022 as a hardware product aimed at enhancing music playback in older cars without connectivity features [7] - Despite positive user feedback, the product struggled with sales and was discontinued within a year, leading to service shutdown two years later [9][10] - After consumer backlash, Spotify refunded customers and transferred some code to the open-source community, allowing continued use and development of the device [12][14] Group 3: Consumer Rights and Industry Practices - The outcome for Spotify Car Thing illustrates a rare case where consumer rights were prioritized, allowing users to benefit from the device even after official support ended [16] - The article notes that such positive outcomes are uncommon in the industry, as many companies do not transfer maintenance rights to users or open-source communities when abandoning projects [18][20] - Companies could adopt practices to support older devices post-abandonment, such as unlocking bootloaders or allowing third-party system installations, to respect consumer investment [20]