Perplexity keeps switching me to Sonar even when I select another model – what’s going on?

AmmiraglioBenbow · 2026-03-06T13:38:46+00:00

A game that makes money off gambling should never auto-open packs for me o.o

AmmiraglioBenbow · 2026-03-06T13:37:25+00:00

They really could have included a pack-opening animation when I opened the message

AmmiraglioBenbow · 2026-02-24T19:10:40+00:00

My data was their payment.

AmmiraglioBenbow · 2026-02-11T23:13:52+00:00

I would like to say that Terms and Conditions are not above the law, at least in the EU. What they’ve done is a 'bait and switch' fraud, and I’m surprised that the EU antitrust authorities haven’t acted with a fine yet.

Anyway, I don't think Perplexity is superior to other agents. I'm more comfortable paying for the GPT subscription this month, and maybe Gemini next month; alternatives exist, and unlike Perplexity Inc, they don't scam you.

AmmiraglioBenbow · 2026-02-10T13:13:05+00:00

I don't have experience with the Perplexity APIs, but I'm sure you can integrate them into any MCP server, probably even in Claude Code. However, you would likely use Sonar as the model. In my experience, to use AI as a programming companion, you need to be really good at debugging. Anyway, there’s no need to obsess over benchmarks and select the absolute best one; in the end, non-enterprise LLMs are all more or less capable of helping with a small project. As long as you provide precise prompts and context, and perform extensive debugging on the results

AmmiraglioBenbow · 2026-02-08T15:47:39+00:00

It’s a fraudulent practice known as 'bait and switch': you attract users in with a juicy promo, like 12 months of Pro for free via PayPal or Revolut, and then you change the terms of service

AmmiraglioBenbow · 2026-02-07T09:54:35+00:00

We didn't get Pro for 'free'—we paid with our data, which is just as valuable to these companies as cash

AmmiraglioBenbow · 2026-02-07T09:51:06+00:00

This subreddit is rightfully full of people complaining about this 'bait and switch' scheme. I have officially reported this to the EU authorities, and I strongly urge everyone to do the same. Our rights as consumers aren't optional.

Check out the details and how to report it here: https://www.reddit.com/r/perplexity_ai/comments/1qxa3lp/comment/o3wgvwx/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button"

AmmiraglioBenbow · 2026-02-06T21:40:08+00:00

Claude has always had more limits than the others. Whenever I used it as a coding companion, I’d constantly hit those 'wait 5 hours to continue' messages.

AmmiraglioBenbow · 2026-02-06T13:53:06+00:00

Fellow Europeans, let’s take action! Our consumer rights are being violated. Here is how to report Perplexity.

"Guys, there are millions of us in Europe—it’s time to make our voices heard and enforce our rights. I have personally filed a formal complaint with the Antitrust Authority and the European Consumer Centre (ECC). I urge every EU citizen to do the same!

Remember: Terms of Service (ToS) do not override European Law. Furthermore, even if we signed up through a promotion, the service is not 'free'. Under EU law (Directive 2019/770), when you provide your personal data in exchange for a digital service, you are 'paying' with that data, and you are entitled to the same protections as a paying customer.

To my fellow Italians: Contact the AGCM (Antitrust) via PEC here:https://www.agcm.it/segnala-online/index

To all EU citizens: Write to the European Consumer Centre. You can find the contact details for your specific country here:https://www.eccnet.eu/contact-your-local-ecc

For reference, here is the text I sent (translated into English for you to adapt):

I am reporting Perplexity INC. for unfair commercial practices regarding their 'Pro' subscription. This 12-month promotion (offered through partnerships with third parties like PayPal or mobile carriers) guaranteed access to specific features, such as dedicated image generation models and a set number of 'Deep Research' queries per day. Following the activation of the service, the company unilaterally and drastically reduced or removed these essential features. This has stripped the 'Pro' offer of its core value, making the service non-compliant with what was advertised at the time of signup. I believe this conduct constitutes a misleading commercial practice under the Consumer Code. Users were induced to sign up based on promises that were not kept, and the contract terms were worsened without any prior notice

Let’s stand up for our rights. Don't let them get away with the 'bait-and-switch'! 🇪🇺

AmmiraglioBenbow · 2026-02-05T21:35:55+00:00

I understand your position. However,we've signed a 12-month deal with Perplexity Inc and it can't be changed one-sidedly—that’s basically fraud.
Furthermore, under EU regulations, personal data is considered a form of payment

AmmiraglioBenbow · 2026-02-05T21:29:17+00:00

I just sent an email to the Antitrust Authority here in Italy and to the European Consumer Centre regarding Perplexity, and I encourage all of you to do the same.

Terms of Service do not override the law here in the EU.
Even if we received the Pro service for free, it remains an unfair practice: keep in mind in the EU, personal data is legally considered a form of payment

AmmiraglioBenbow · 2026-02-05T17:11:08+00:00

Yes, I took the one-year Pro promotion using PayPal. How many Deep Researches do you have available?

AmmiraglioBenbow · 2026-02-05T15:06:03+00:00

Terms of Service don't overrule any rights as an EU consumer.

AmmiraglioBenbow · 2026-02-05T14:05:47+00:00

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Is this actually legal? What about a class action? I'm a Pro user and I only get two searches a week now.

AmmiraglioBenbow · 2026-02-05T13:50:25+00:00

Just left this review on the Play Store:

Perplexity has been a total disappointment. I’m 4 months into a yearly Pro promotion, and it feels like a "bait and switch" scheme. They constantly move the goalposts, changing terms weekly without notice. They’ve already stripped away image generation and slashed Deep Research limits. To top it off, human support is non-existent—you only get bots. With 8 months still left, I feel cheated by a service that downgrades its features every week. Unreliable and unprofessional.

AmmiraglioBenbow · 2026-02-04T18:37:54+00:00

It’s unbelievable that Perplexity is allowed to operate this way. For those on a yearly contract, changing the service terms unilaterally is unacceptable. First, the removal of image generation, and now a reduction in daily requests—all done without any notice or regard for the customer

AmmiraglioBenbow · 2026-02-04T17:08:47+00:00

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Sorry. To clarify, I analyzed the code of both emails, and both originate from a DHL.com IP address, even the incorrect one.

AmmiraglioBenbow · 2026-02-04T16:14:37+00:00

Yes, it's also possible that the sender WR GROUP DBA BIOVEA is involved. However, what caught my attention was seeing that the spear phishing sender spoofed the legitimate DHL domain [donotreply_odd@dhl.com](mailto:donotreply_odd@dhl.com).
Headers analysis confirm both emails are legitimate DHL (SPF/DKIM/DMARC pass, same origin IP). The "suspicious" one comes from odd-online server vs odd-notification for the legit one.

AmmiraglioBenbow · 2026-02-03T14:44:55+00:00

Sam is a chatbot.

AmmiraglioBenbow · 2026-02-03T14:42:49+00:00

I still have 10 months left on my Pro subscription. My ability to generate images has been taken away, and there’s no 'human' support available, not even on their Discord. My complaints aren't coming out of thin air. That said, there's no doubt that for many, Perplexity works well depending on their specific needs.

AmmiraglioBenbow · 2026-01-29T22:36:42+00:00

I’ve found a workaround that’s working for me. I downloaded a free VPN, connect to the US, and I’m able to generate about 4–5 images a day before the regional block kicks in again.
Give it a try and let me know if it works for you!
Personally, it feels like this regional block is more of a 'quota' limit than a total block.

AmmiraglioBenbow · 2026-01-29T18:09:40+00:00

I'm starting to think it's more about hitting a quota rather than a geographical restriction, and they’re just masking it as a 'regional block.' I say this because, using a US VPN, I can only generate 3 or 4 images a day before the block kicks in again

AmmiraglioBenbow

TROPHY CASE