The Billing Fairness Scoring Engine
The Four Factor Dimensions
A. Disclosure Completeness (Weight: 30%)
Are billing terms presented clearly and completely?
- 100: Full pricing shown before purchase, auto-renewal in bold, cancellation method clear
- 50: Pricing in T&C only (not at checkout), auto-renewal mentioned but not prominent
- 0: Fees hidden until checkout, no mention of renewal, cancel phone-only
B. Bilateral Symmetry (Weight: 25%)
Are both parties treated equally?
- 100: Consent required for changes, errors symmetrical, equal cancel rights
- 50: Price change with notice but no opt-out, errors symmetrical on paper
- 0: Unilateral change without notice, errors asymmetrical (undercharge=collect, overcharge=credit)
C. Remedy Accessibility (Weight: 25%)
Can you realistically enforce your rights?
- 100: Court available (not arbitration), 60+ day dispute window, full error liability
- 50: Arbitration with opt-out, 30-59 day window
- 0: Binding arbitration + class waiver, under 30 day dispute window, conclusive records
D. Financial Neutrality (Weight: 20%)
Are billing practices fair and transparent?
- 100: Exact amounts (no rounding), known billing descriptor, pro-rata available
- 50: Rounding disclosed but direction unspecified, surcharge at 3%
- 0: Unbounded surcharge, unrecognizable descriptor, no pro-rata
The Formula
BFS = (0.30 × A) + (0.25 × B) + (0.25 × C) + (0.20 × D) RedFlags = count of detected signals from the Detection Matrix FinalScore = BFS × (1 - 0.15 × RedFlags)
Grade Scale
| Score | Grade | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 80-100 | A | Consumer-friendly billing |
| 65-79 | B | Good — minor issues |
| 50-64 | C | Proceed with caution |
| 35-49 | D | Several red flags |
| 0-34 | F | Do not subscribe |
Example Scores
Streaming service (good): A=90, B=95, C=100, D=95 → BFS=94.75, Red flags=0 → Grade A
SaaS with arbitration (bad): A=60, B=40, C=15, D=40 → BFS=39.75, Red flags=6 → Grade F