- Netflix asked to refund price increases to customers in Italy
- A court ruled that the price contravened the country’s Consumer Code
- Similar cases are unlikely to occur worldwide
Netflix prices continue to rise and customers are fighting back, at least in Italy. A court in Rome has just ruled that the streaming giant has to pay back up to 500 euros (around $585 / £435 / AU$830) for price increases dating back to 2019.
According to lawyers representing consumers in Italy (via Ars Technica), the “illegal increases” cover price increases in 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2024. The exact refund figure depends on when the subscriber signed up and which plan.
What’s more, Netflix has to refund each customer the price they had when they originally subscribed. Unsurprisingly, Netflix appealed the decision, which will slow down the refund process: the streaming company says its terms and conditions have always “been in line with Italian law and practice.”
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The case revolves around Italy’s Consumer Code, which states that the contract must state a “justified reason” for the price increase. However, even in Italy, the situation has changed: in April 2025, Netflix changed its terms to include future price increases. In the future, there will be no possibility of further refunds.
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Any chance of consumers in other countries getting similar compensation seems slim, despite occasional landmark cases like Italy’s. The Consumer Code is specific to Italy, and while countries like the US and UK have their own consumer protections, Netflix has been careful to stay on the right side of the laws and regulations.
Most of the time, all Netflix has to do is give subscribers plenty of notice of a price increase and offer them the option to cancel, which, of course, it does. That makes it difficult for lawsuits to be filed when Netflix viewers recognize that price increases can occur when they sign up for a plan.
This may well end up being an isolated incident, and online reactions have generally been negative about Netflix and other streamers constantly increasing their fees. The ruling “does not solve the larger problem of streaming becoming too expensive and fragmented again,” says one Redditor.
Another user points out that we are returning to the stage of cable television: expensive tariffs, an increasing number of advertisements, licensing problems and the need to have several subscriptions on the go if you want to watch everything.
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