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TechCrunch Minute: Spotify kills the Car Thing, leading customers to demand refunds

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Back in 2022, Spotify announced an in-car streaming gadget that was actually called the Car Thing — and then it discontinued the Car Thing just a few months later.

That was obviously bad news for anyone who’d already paid $90 for the device. At the time, at least, Spotify said it would continue to support existing Car Things. Now, however, the company says all Car Things will stop working on December 9.

Customers were understandably unhappy about the news, and they’ve been taking to TikTok and other social platforms to complain. One TikTok user wrote, “SPOTIFY PLEASE SPARE ME 😭😭😭 I LOVE MY CAR THING.” Some even filed a class action lawsuit claiming that Spotify misled them by selling a product that was about to go obsolete and then refusing to offer refunds.

Spotify’s response has been all over the place. Some customers reported being offered several months of Spotify Premium, while others said they were told no one’s getting reimbursed at all. More recently, the company told TechCrunch that it’s instituting a refund policy for anyone who has proof of purchase.

Hit play to learn more, then let us know what you think!

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