Maturity

In a mature economy, freedom is not a threat; it’s a feature. When we talk about UX maturity in business, especially around cancellations and refunds, what we’re really talking about is predictability. Predictability is the currency of trust. It’s not kindness for kindness’ sake, It’s the understanding that when people know exactly how you behave under pressure, they feel safe engaging with you again.

A company that lets customers leave freely isn’t weak or naïve. It’s confident. It signals: “We don’t need to trap you. We believe our value speaks for itself.”

By contrast, companies that cling – through dark patterns, hidden fees, confusing offboarding – communicate the exact opposite. They say:
“We don’t trust that you’d stay if you had a choice.”

And customers intuitively sense this insecurity. I’m looking at you Adobe. Once they do, they hesitate. They read every interaction through the lens of “Will you act in your self-interest at my expense?” And that’s when a business becomes the antagonist in customer’s mental story: unpredictable, self-serving, emotionally unsafe, immature, not worth their money.