Every trap Redline looks for
Seventy-nine named traps, each one with the exact wording it hides behind, how badly it bites, whether it survives in your jurisdiction, and what to do about it before you sign.
79 traps · 1789 verbatim clause phrases
Any contract
9 traps- Deemed acceptance / browsewrap
You are said to be bound merely by visiting or using the service (or by someone else's click on your account), cookies and…
- Forced arbitration, no class action
All disputes go to individual binding arbitration (AAA/JAMS/NAM), appraisal or the drafter's home forum; court, jury and class…
- 'As is', capped liability
Service provided 'as is / as available' with all warranties disclaimed; liability capped at $10-$100 or fees paid in the last…
- Unilateral terms change
The drafter may rewrite the terms, privacy policy, tariffs, house rules or scope of work at any time — often by posting a new…
- Charge any linked card
You pre-authorize charges to any payment method linked to the account, to card details refreshed by 'account updater' services…
- Foreign forum & law
The contract is governed by California/Delaware/Utah/Irish/Cypriot or 'tribal' law with exclusive jurisdiction of courts far…
- Overbroad perpetual NDA
'Confidential Information' means any information in any form, marked or not, forever, with no carve-outs; the existence of the…
- Short claim deadlines
Claims must be brought within one year (insurance: 12-24 months from the date of loss, not from denial) or are 'forever barred'…
- Unlimited guarantor liability
A parent, friend, spouse or the signing director guarantees 'all obligations' jointly and severally — including interest…
Terms of service
5 traps- Termination at will
The provider may suspend or terminate your account, membership or access at its sole discretion, for any or no reason, without…
- Overbroad content license
You grant a worldwide, royalty-free, transferable, sublicensable licence — often perpetual and irrevocable, surviving deletion…
- Forfeiture of balances/credits
Wallet funds, prepaid credits, virtual currency, loyalty points, 'purchased' games/media or data are declared revocable licences…
- Platform fines & payout holds
Marketplace, payment and SaaS platform terms let the operator impose fines, deductions, rolling reserves and 90-180-day payout…
- Service change/discontinue anytime
The provider may change features, remove catalogue content or channels, cut usage limits, change club facilities or class…
Subscription
10 traps- Silent auto-renewal
The contract re-bills for successive periods indefinitely unless the consumer affirmatively cancels, with no reminder promised…
- Unilateral price increase
The provider may change prices at any time or at each renewal ('at the then-current rate') with notice ranging from none to a…
- Cancellation channel restricted
Sign-up is online in one click, but cancellation requires calling during business hours, speaking to a 'retention specialist'…
- Early cancellation deadline
To stop renewal the consumer must give notice 30, 60 or 90 days before the term ends — or at least 24-48 hours before the…
- Early termination fee
Leaving before the minimum term triggers a flat fee, the balance of remaining payments or 50% of the remaining contract value…
- Trial silently turns paid
A 'free' or nominal-price trial requires a card up front and converts into a paid recurring subscription at the end of the…
- No refund for unused time
All sales final; payments non-refundable; cancellation takes effect only at the end of the paid period with no pro-rata refund…
- Cancellation obstacle course
Cancellation is technically online but requires many screens, repeated 'are you sure', mandatory retention offers, surveys…
- Pre-checked paid add-ons
Checkout pre-selects optional paid add-ons (protection plan, premium tier, personal training, insurance, 'Prime' membership) or…
- Hidden annual/junk fees
Beyond the headline monthly price the contract adds a yearly 'annual fee' or 'club enhancement fee'…
Lease
10 traps- Deposit easy to withhold
The security deposit is non-refundable, forfeitable in full for any breach, or deducted 'to the landlord's satisfaction' without…
- Full-term rent on early exit
A tenant who leaves early pays rent to the end of the term, a flat 'lease-break' fee (often 2 months), full re-letting costs…
- Lease auto-renewal trap
The lease 'shall be deemed renewed' for another full term unless the tenant gives written notice 60-90 days before expiry (no…
- Repairs shifted to tenant
The tenant declares the property is in 'good and substantial repair' or accepts it 'as-is' (inventory deemed correct unless…
- Landlord exits free, tenant locked in
The landlord can end the term early 'for any reason' on 7-30 days' notice, 'in the event of sale', 'if the landlord requires the…
- Daily compounding late fees
Late rent triggers flat fees plus per-day charges, 10%+ of rent, interest of 15%+ p.a. or 3% per month, 'notice'/'posting' fees…
- Self-help eviction/lockout
On arrears or 'breach' the landlord may change locks, restrict access, cut utilities, 're-enter' and 'determine' the tenancy…
- Mandatory hidden utility fees
Compulsory recurring charges beyond rent: amenity/community fees, valet trash, pest control, technology or smart-home packages…
- Unrestricted landlord entry
Landlord and 'agents, servants and workmen' may enter 'at any time', 'with or without notice', for viewings or 'any purpose'…
- One-way rent increase
The landlord may raise rent during the term at its discretion, to 'market rate', on short notice or more than once a year, or…
Loan and credit
11 traps- Forced insurance tie-in
Loan approval or a lower rate is conditioned on buying life/disability/job-loss/CASCO insurance from the lender's partner…
- Deferred interest, lost grace period
A '0%' or grace-period promotion under which interest silently accrues from the purchase date and is charged in full if any…
- Loan rollover trap
Payday and МФО loans offer «продление»: pay only interest and the principal rolls into a new term at the same daily rate; some…
- Unilateral rate/terms change
The lender reserves the right to change rates, fees, limits or 'any term' at any time, replace the reference index, reduce or…
- Add-ons packed into loan
Paid extras — extended warranty, GAP, 'юридическая помощь', 'телемедицина', SMS-informing, card servicing, credit monitoring…
- Penalty APR, fee pyramiding
A late fee plus a daily penalty on the overdue amount, re-pricing of the whole balance to a 'penalty'/'default' APR of 29.99%+…
- Hidden true cost / teaser rate
The headline rate is a best-case 'representative' or «ставка от» figure; origination, maintenance, statement, payment…
- Demand full balance anytime
The lender may declare the entire balance due 'without notice' for any breach — one missed payment, a 'reasonable belief you are…
- Debt sold to collectors
The lender may sell or assign the loan and your personal data to third parties (collectors, 'special financial companies')…
- Enforcement without a hearing
You pre-agree that the lender may obtain an enforceable judgment without a hearing (cognovit note), collect via an…
- Prepayment penalty
A fee or extra interest for paying early, 'precomputed' interest that front-loads finance charges so early payoff barely reduces…
Insurance
10 traps- Narrow benefit definitions
Illness claims barred for the first 14-30 days (pet/health), maternity/dental for 6-12 months, critical-illness benefits need a…
- Buried policy exclusions
An 'all-risks' or «полное КАСКО/имущество» headline is hollowed out by an exclusions list in a separate wording (Policy Booklet…
- Payout shrunk by depreciation
Pays the depreciated value (ACV, 'с учётом износа', roof-age schedules, 'betterment', monthly-declining sums insured) rather…
- Investment-life surrender penalty
Long-term 'savings' policies sold as deposits: early surrender returns a cash surrender value of 0-70% of premiums in the first…
- Pre-existing condition exclusion
Excludes any claim 'arising directly or indirectly' from a condition that existed, was diagnosed, treated or showed symptoms…
- Conduct-based coverage denial
Cover depends on behaviour and use: 'take all reasonable precautions', alarm set, property not unoccupied over 30/60 days, keys…
- Hidden sub-limits & deductibles
Inside the headline sum insured, categories are capped (jewellery $1,500, cash $200, single-article limits, mould, dental…
- Strict claim notice deadlines
Notice 'immediately' / 'within 24 hours', a police report within 24 hours, a sworn proof of loss within 60 days, specific…
- Insurer cancels, you get no refund
The policy renews automatically from stored card details at a premium inflated relative to new-business quotes, with opt-out…
- Any inaccuracy voids policy
The application or policy states that any inaccurate or incomplete answer, or failure to notify changes (new driver, renovation…
Vendor and freelance
7 traps- Long, conditional payment terms
Payment is due 60-90 days after an 'undisputed' invoice, or only after the client is paid by its own customer, or only after…
- One-sided unlimited liability
The vendor must 'indemnify, defend and hold harmless' the client from 'any and all claims' — third-party IP claims…
- Evergreen B2B auto-renewal
The agency/vendor contract renews automatically for successive 12-month terms unless cancelled in writing 60-90 days before term…
- Overbroad IP assignment
The client takes ownership of everything the freelancer creates — including own-time and unrelated work, pre-existing…
- Exit asymmetry, one side locked in
One side may terminate 'at any time for convenience' with no payment for work in progress, while the other may terminate only…
- Agency holds your assets hostage
The web/marketing agency registers the domain, hosting, CMS, analytics and ad accounts in its own name, keeps all credentials…
- Non-solicit / conversion fee
You may not work with the client's customers, staff or partners for 12-24 months after the contract, may not be hired by the…
Employment
5 traps- Fake contractor status
The contract declares the worker an independent contractor / самозанятый with 'no benefits, responsible for all taxes', yet…
- Discretionary bonus forfeiture
The offer advertises a 'target bonus' or commission but the plan says bonuses are 'discretionary', 'not earned until paid'…
- Post-term non-compete
After the contract ends you may not work for competitors or clients in the same sector for 1-2+ years, often nationwide…
- Non-binding offer, long probation
The offer 'does not constitute a contract', may be withdrawn at any time and is contingent on unspecified checks; probation runs…
- Training cost clawback
If the employee leaves (or is fired) within 1-3 years they must repay training costs, sign-on bonus, relocation or immigration…
Privacy policy
12 traps- Data sold to third parties
The operator reserves the right to sell, license or share personal, browsing, location, driving or purchase data with…
- Bundled consent, cookie wall
Acceptance of the ToS or оферта is defined to also constitute consent to marketing, profiling, sharing with third parties or…
- Indefinite data retention
Retention is defined only as 'as long as necessary', 'for as long as your account exists and thereafter' or 'indefinitely'…
- Third-party trackers & session replay
The policy authorises third-party cookies, pixels (Meta, TikTok, Google), analytics SDKs, chat widgets and session-replay tools…
- Content used for AI training
The policy or ToS grants the operator (and sometimes affiliates/third parties) the right to use messages, documents, images…
- Excess data collection (contacts, mic, location)
The policy authorises reading your address book, clipboard, installed apps, microphone/voice, TV viewing (ACR), camera feeds…
- Unrestricted cross-border transfer
Data may be stored or processed in the US or 'any country where we or our service providers operate' with weaker protection and…
- Sensitive data collection
The policy allows collecting or inferring special-category data — health conditions, reproductive data, sexual orientation…
- Default marketing consent/spam
Providing a phone number or email is treated as consent to advertising by SMS, calls, push, messengers and email from the…
- Automated profiling, no review
The operator may build profiles, infer sensitive traits, enrich your record from data brokers and 'publicly available sources'…
- Weak child age gate
The service disclaims collecting data from children ('we do not knowingly collect from under 13') while relying on self-declared…
- Obstructed data rights
Rights requests must be sent by post or notarized letter, with ID copies or a fee; consent can be withdrawn only 'in writing to…