Page 3 | to be saturation point with everyone and everything wanting me to pay them a subscription fee?

Brystar · 2024-06-21T20:02:34+00:00

There is a well known chef and cookbook writer whose newsletter I subscribe to, I have all their books and even paid £100 to buy an online course that they made to teach various cooking methods. I love their work, am a big fan of their books and recipes and feel like their work has really helped me to become a better cook. Today in that newsletter they said how they were moving their online blog and content to a paid platform where I could pay a monthly fee to read their musings about food and get access to recipes which are already in their book which I bought so it would be paying to read a blog. I get that if you have an online audience and you look around and see everyone moving their content behind a paywall that it is quite likely you feel like a bit of an idiot if you don't do it yourself. I also understand if people are actually providing a service of some kind or producing courses but for lots of these paid sites it is just milking your fans for cash at this point. Lots of musicians and youtube people are doing it and for not very much and sure it is only a few pounds a month but everyone wants you to pay and I feel like I have total monthly subscription fatigue and anyone asking me to pay to get a link to their spotify playlist of the month, their monthly mood board and exclusive behind the scenes musings is just off putting to me now. Add to that there are the various apps and bits of software which want you to pay £8.99 a month or more when it used to be a one time payment. Hairdressers locally now are saying that you need to be on their subscription plan to ensure you can get an appointment, ditto for any beauty service. I do get it makes good business sense but as a consumer, a customer it is wearing me down and is putting me off the people who keep insisting on this model.

coxesorangepippin · 24/06/2024 02:58

Equally Microsoft Office - I am quite happy muddling along on an old version of Excel, but in future the only way I will be able to use Excel is by an annual subscription giving me updates I can manage without
^

Google sheets - free

coxesorangepippin · 24/06/2024 02:57

I don't pay for anything I read online

Even LinkedIn learning is free through my job

Apileofballyhoo · 24/06/2024 01:33

MereDintofPandiculation · 21/06/2024 22:26

A trouble with the subscription model is if you stop paying you lose access to the stuff that was available when you were paying. This matters when it's for example a scientific journal which you will want to refer back to time after time. Much prefer the paper journal where, once you've bought it, it's yours to keep.

Equally Microsoft Office - I am quite happy muddling along on an old version of Excel, but in future the only way I will be able to use Excel is by an annual subscription giving me updates I can manage without.

The subscription model doesn't work if you want to dip into a lot of things. At the moment anyone can dip into the Guardian and the Daily Mail for two radically different views of the world - but you can no longer just dip into the Telegraph or the Times. One subscription doesn't sound much, but once you've added a few together it mounts up. So people are ecnouraged to stick with one or two favourites and not dip into other areas with possibly different views. The barriers between different parts of society are going to get even worse, giving rise to more extreme political views.

I'd be happy to pay per article providing it was relatively reasonable, but I won't subscribe. I would have bought a newspaper or magazine in the past for just one article and read the rest, but that was a once off payment, not signing up to buy the newspaper everyday for a month, 3 months or a year.

srailfonaidraug · 24/06/2024 01:05

And stay away from those subscription-based coffee sellers who’ve posted blogs all over the internet advising you not to buy supermarket coffee beans.

I’ve heard it can be very difficult to get these small-time sellers to stop sending you coffee and taking your money when you try to part company with them and, in my experience, supermarkets sell beans at least as good (and often better) than these “specialist” weak and bland-tasting offerings in pretentious packaging.

PrimaDoner · 23/06/2024 22:54

Brystar · 23/06/2024 20:58

Yep, they say piracy is making a big come back with how the subscription model is going with software and media content.

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Good!

Original poster

Brystar · 23/06/2024 21:07

@NeelyOHara1 What parts do you mean? An actually service like Spotify fair enough but there are a lot of "creators" who just hope you like their inane ramblings enough to pay them for it!

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Original poster

Brystar · 23/06/2024 21:04

Precipice · 22/06/2024 12:55

I agree that what you're describing is insane, but it's not my experience of life. I am against shifting to the the subscription model. I would say that I have no subscriptions, but depending on the flexibility of the definition, maybe it's not true. If I pay a fee to have a VPN for a month or a set number of months, but it's not rolling, is that a subscription?

I don't pay these subscriptions either but it doesn't stop me being annoyed at all the constant requests to pay a monthly fee for literally everything. I am older but for a lot of younger people subs are just a way of life and there was a video on youtube recently where a guy broke down his monthly subscriptions costs and he was paying over £1000 a month!

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NeelyOHara1 · 23/06/2024 21:01

With the benefit of hindsight many aspects of Internet provision should have been charged for from the start to soften us up, as it's a difficult sell suddenly charging for things that people have been accessing for free for years.

Original poster

Brystar · 23/06/2024 21:00

@MoveOnTheCards Exactly, especially when people seem to start channels and have tons of engagement just to up subscriber numbers so that when they hit a certain number they start a subscription, it was always the plan and it just seems really grifty they are just hoping enough of their subscribers will be dumb enough to pay and then forget to cancel, their content is not worth it.

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Original poster

Brystar · 23/06/2024 20:58

Hankunamatata · 22/06/2024 09:17

Urgh I hear you microsoft, Adobe, paying for extra apple storage

Yep, they say piracy is making a big come back with how the subscription model is going with software and media content.

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Original poster

Brystar · 23/06/2024 20:56

LelyKelly23 · 23/06/2024 18:31

Totally agree. I listen to a lot of podcasts and have done for many years, it’s frustrating how many of them have additional episodes via a paid platform. I understand they want to make money but it’s the constant referral to additional episodes or the slip-in of ‘how funny’ or ‘shocking’ the additional episode is on the main platform. I wouldn’t be able to pay for all of the additional platforms it would cost an arm and a leg! Not to mention it’s usually another app to download.

I have noticed this as well, also some podcasts will stop half way though and then say if you want to hear the rest of my discussion with this guest the second part is exclusive to paid subscribers so pay up to hear the rest. I always feel like someone has just tried to rob me when they do that!

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NeelyOHara1 · 23/06/2024 20:55

@D20

Sounds like your content was freely given with no thought to anything mercenary. I'm thinking about content creators who did the same but now realise that it could have been monetised, if only they'd known, so to speak?

Original poster

Brystar · 23/06/2024 20:53

NeelyOHara1 · 23/06/2024 20:30

I hear you but do feel for all the people who have submitted hours worth of content for free and unless they delete it people will be able to access it for free for ever pretty much, unless something changes...

If someone is an expert and posting detailed classes or tutorials and they want to be paid for that fair enough, people up treat mentioned Caroline Girven who appears to do fairly advanced work out content both in a paid app and for free on youtube, if she want to charge for some of that then fine. However many people just want paid for what is essentially a blog where they talk about their own lives and stuff they bought or did and the content doesn't have any real value, a person may tune in for free but I'd not be paying to hear about their latest haul, what book they read or what the cat got up to.

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D20 · 23/06/2024 20:40

NeelyOHara1 · 23/06/2024 20:30

I hear you but do feel for all the people who have submitted hours worth of content for free and unless they delete it people will be able to access it for free for ever pretty much, unless something changes...

Not sure I get your point? I post things online and know they can be seen/used for forever and a day so I’m careful what I post. I’ve had a blog in the past and did tutorials etc.

NeelyOHara1 · 23/06/2024 20:30

I hear you but do feel for all the people who have submitted hours worth of content for free and unless they delete it people will be able to access it for free for ever pretty much, unless something changes...

PrimaDoner · 23/06/2024 20:20

downwithmaterialistdogma · 23/06/2024 20:08

We're just cash cows 😭

The only subscription I have is £16 a month to the dentist for two checkups a year, two dental hygienist visits a year (don't go because she damages your teeth and pulls fillings out), free X rays and priority appointment in the event of an urgent problem.

The idea of renting a fridge or kettle horrifies me. That's what people had to do in the 70s/80s with washing machines and TVs (Radio Rentals anyone?). I'm not bloody going back to those days.

I’ve got a dentist subscription and for various reasons (travel, etc.) haven’t been in about 2 years. In all that time I’ve had 1 text (no letters), about 3 months ago, reminding me to go. I now realise that dentists reminding you every 6 months to go for a check up was just marketing.

When I do go my gums are usually bleeding, but they say that’s fine and not to worry. No scale and polish (which would be free with the plan). Just keep brushing as usual. Cheers then. Really should cancel that plan.

PrimaDoner · 23/06/2024 20:15

YANBU, this started with software and is now an ubiquitous bs model that’s transparently about lining the company’s pockets rather than offering value. Rip off Britain, ennit

The maddest one I’ve seen recently is qualifications that expire! You need to pay each year for a new certificate! 😂😆

downwithmaterialistdogma · 23/06/2024 20:08

We're just cash cows 😭

The only subscription I have is £16 a month to the dentist for two checkups a year, two dental hygienist visits a year (don't go because she damages your teeth and pulls fillings out), free X rays and priority appointment in the event of an urgent problem.

The idea of renting a fridge or kettle horrifies me. That's what people had to do in the 70s/80s with washing machines and TVs (Radio Rentals anyone?). I'm not bloody going back to those days.

PassingStranger · 23/06/2024 19:51

Sport annoys me, used to be mainly Sky, now TNT sports and Amazon Prime have jumped on the bandwagon.
What have Amazon got to do with Sports?

DisabledDemon · 23/06/2024 19:35

Photobucket annoys the hell out of me. It used to be free but now they're charging for it, which means that the photos I had stored there are now behind a paywall and are effectively being held to ransom. If I pay up, I can get them back.

laraitopbanana · 23/06/2024 18:32

yeah…and don’t forget the subscription that change (erm…Prime video) and offer the same amount, same services but now WITH advertisement.

I mean…seriously…so you just want to have the money from everyone and there is no client 🤷🏼‍♀️

OhcantthInkofaname · 23/06/2024 18:32

I'm in the US and I have one basic TV subscription service. I alternate seven or eight others monthly, so that I'm only paying for two of those at a time. What I'm tired of is the 'come back to us' emails. Netflix is the worst.

LelyKelly23 · 23/06/2024 18:31

Totally agree. I listen to a lot of podcasts and have done for many years, it’s frustrating how many of them have additional episodes via a paid platform. I understand they want to make money but it’s the constant referral to additional episodes or the slip-in of ‘how funny’ or ‘shocking’ the additional episode is on the main platform. I wouldn’t be able to pay for all of the additional platforms it would cost an arm and a leg! Not to mention it’s usually another app to download.

AndyPandyismyhero · 22/06/2024 14:39

I have several items I buy on Amazon subscribe and save. Not a problem to adjust or skip if I don't need an item or want to add/ cancel. Microsoft office, because the one off cost for the products I use cost more than 5 years worth of subscription and i would have had to pay out again whenever I wanted the latest version. Drinking chocolate, again, easy to adjust or skip if I need to. I don't mind paying for those or TV services by subscription, but do get annoyed when I am badgered to subscribe to news sources. Charities are the worst, if I paid the 'only' £3 a month that they all ask for, I wouldn't be able to pay my food, energy and house bills. Plus they then increase their demands. I no longer give to charity unless I can do so in cash, anonymously.

Precipice · 22/06/2024 12:55

I agree that what you're describing is insane, but it's not my experience of life. I am against shifting to the the subscription model. I would say that I have no subscriptions, but depending on the flexibility of the definition, maybe it's not true. If I pay a fee to have a VPN for a month or a set number of months, but it's not rolling, is that a subscription?