Closing discussions on announcements

Discussions General
80

A “startup”? Trakt is almost 15 years old!

As for the closed thread, I muted several users participating there “forever” because of their continual personal attacks (against others) and off-topic analogies.

However, even after cutting out the noise, I never did get an answer to my very pointed question there—a response to Justin’s assertion that “Trakt is a healthy company”, asking why the screws are being tightened if that’s true. Official responses from anyone except Ohifriend (mobile dev) completely stopped after just a few days.

I don’t expect to ever get an answer. If you take away just one thing from this, probably the only time I’ll post in this thread, it’s that I 100% agree with others’ complaints about Trakt’s communication with users. Please discuss changes more in advance, and surprise us less.

Now I’m off to read Please don't force us to log in using Apple/Google or "magic links" and hope/pray it won’t actually happen, because I HATE magic links with a passion.

17 Likes
81

Bruh I just admitted my mistake. Follow along.

82

they’re just here to stir the pot and perpetuate hate… might actually have to start muting people.

1 Like
83

It really seems like not all Trakt team members are on the same page in terms of message, or there are possibly multiple things going on behind the scenes they don’t want users to know about. There are certainly a lot of contradictory things out there at the moment and the lack of transparency and communication is simply causing users to get more and more vocal. It’s been quite some time since I’ve winessed this level of apparent dysfunction in an online business.

EDIT: I can’t seem to reply to anything in this topic anymore, so maybe I’ve been given a time-out??

EDIT 2: @videntis: that’s interesting. I can reply in all other threads except for this one, and it’s only been since I posted the comment above.

EDIT 3: @justin, @raluca: do you know why I can no longer participate in this thread? It’s really not cool if I’m being penalised for some reason but not even told about it.

EDIT 4: it might still be the weekend in the US but someone in admin restricted my access in this thread and I still have no idea why. It’s bloody ridiculous and I’m now really pi$$ed off.

EDIT 5: There is NO way that @justin or @raluca have not seen this post. And yet 4 days later there is still no communication as to why I suddenly lost the ability to participate in this thread. I’ve literally NEVER seen this type of censorship or lousy communication in ANY online group before.

13 Likes
84

What are you referring to? What contradictory information have we been given?

85

You don’t show up as (temporarily) being suspended (when I tap on your avatar).

For another person in this thread I do see such message and the reason why.

I’m glad they are moderating this way now instead of closing an entire topic!

6 Likes
86

After all these years being so passionate about Trakt I just felt the need to sum it all up and share my disappointment. It will be my very last post and for those that read it I’m sorry that its so long…

I never became a VIP for the features—I was VIP because I absolutely loved the site. I believed in it, I used it every day, and I thought Justin was a really cool guy.

Things started going downhill for me when a forum discussion was created criticizing my review (which was posted under What Is a Woman?). Instead of fostering discussion, Trakt disabled public access to reviews entirely—essentially censoring them, which I strongly disagree with. Around the same time, Justin unfollowed me, which I found disappointing, but it is what it is.

Then came the profile redesign. Many of us hated it—it looked inconsistent, with some sections having rounded edges and others squared. The previous design was perfect to me. Next, they overhauled the site’s appearance and locked the old color scheme behind a paywall. That was frustrating, but I could deal with it.

But then they doubled the price of VIP to an absurd amount. This made no sense to me. If someone wasn’t willing to pay $30, they wouldn’t pay $60 either. Worse, anyone who had to cancel for even a month would now have to pay double just to re-subscribe. That alone felt like a bad business move, but I still stuck around.

Then came the worst change: they restricted free users to just 100 list items unless they paid for VIP. This didn’t affect me personally, but it absolutely impacted free users—the very people I had recommended Trakt to over the years. You can’t just give people a feature for 14-15 years and then suddenly put it behind an expensive paywall.

Naturally, the community pushed back. Hundreds of messages flooded the forums, but instead of meaningful engagement, a moderator closed the thread because a few users went off-topic. So, a new thread was created, and when Trakt finally responded… it wasn’t about the VIP pricing or the feature removal. No, their response was about the closed thread.

To top it off, the same moderator who shut down the discussion went off-topic in her own message, saying:
“On a brighter note, besides the areas we need to improve, what do you love about using Trakt? What small delightful moments can we deliver for you?”

Honestly, the lack of communication is staggering. I see Justin responding on Reddit but not on Trakt’s own forums. Major changes aren’t even communicated via email—users have to find out about them on the forum. Why isn’t there a clear notice on the website itself?

Because of these reasons, I can no longer support Trakt and have decided to explore alternatives. Much love and I wish you all the best.

32 Likes
87

Don’t mind me, just testing whether I can still post here, as other users are unable to.

@wnjo0009

4 Likes
88

Same here testing…

4 Likes
89

just realised they locked the forum feedback section, i wonder if that’s why this has had no additional traction…

alongside the permanent removal of announcement comments, the future of this platform is looking GRIM :skull:

12 Likes
90

I moved this thread to the general section.

1 Like
91

That forum is switching to a VIP lounge instead. We can move any public threads out of there as needed.

1 Like
92

Wow. You are a true spinmaster, @justin. I hope you realise that whilst you might experience short-term gains, Trakt’s reputation is taking massive hits that have severely tarnished the brand.

13 Likes
93

I think it’s worth mentioning that based on the recent changes in replying within announcements, we don’t want to stop people from discussing said announcement, but to keep it a clean spot that can link to various threads if necessary (obviously this thread was created based on the closure so almost proves my point). I’ve offered my perspective here: Can't reply to specific threads anymore - #38 by Ohifriend.

The other forum switching to VIP only I believe is based on a request for a VIP spot in the forums. The forums used to be VIP only and if anything is there that probably should be moved to a public spot we can do so.

If you find any other threads that you believe warrant being moved, let me know and I can do so when I get the chance.

1 Like
94

Since the original thread was closed, this has essentially become the feedback thread for the limits announcement. Therefore, I would like to share my thoughts. I have been observing the forums but refrained from commenting until now. Here’s my feedback, in case the Trakt team is really considering it.

I share the concerns expressed by some VIPs. As someone who introduced the platform to multiple friends, many of whom registered and began using it, it is disheartening to see their use of the platform become so restrictive. This change may prompt them to seek alternative platforms instead of opting for a paid subscription. It already happened, to be honest. Not everyone can afford a subscription, but their contributions should still be valued, whether through lists that attract followers, whether through their comments or statistics for the site’s content. Imposing such strict limitations on the number of items in watchlists, lists, and collections can lead to the gradual loss of a valuable segment of the community.

Several decisions made in recent months have caused me to worry about the platform’s future and made me consider other market options available out there.

  • The subscription price increase to a level that seems excessive for the service provided, without offering a more affordable middle-tier option. While ads can be bothersome, they may be a “necessary evil” to prevent such drastic changes.
  • The website’s rebranding was… weird. Although there was a rebranding from v1 to v2, which was also unusual, it was more acceptable at the time. Trakt’s identity had become distinct, so such a significant change in the logo and feature colors at this stage seems detrimental to the brand from a marketing perspective.
  • Most importantly, the new limits. With an ever-increasing number of movies and shows each year, a 100-item limit feels inadequate, even for casual users. It is not, as I quote, a clear threshold from casual to power user.
  • Lastly, the manner in which feedback in the forums has been handled up to this point leaves much to be desired. The main concerns of users have been largely ignored, with responses focusing on less important points. Threads have been closed, replies restricted, attempts made to shift the topic towards more “positive things”, and the entire dynamic of the forum was changed abruptly. This whole approach is leaving a really negative impression.

The community is losing faith in a once-beloved company, and rightfully so.

The newly announced anniversary benefits seems like a rushed attempt to counterbalance the negative impact. Although initially promising, failing to increase item limits does not address all the concerns mentioned above.

P.S.: Currently, the Trakt Discover page highlights three different lists with over 100 items from free users. Considering this recent business decision, it’s contradictory how the same company that highlights their contributions, seeks to restrict them.

28 Likes
95

Totally agree, I have lost faith, and have already stopped recommending this to other people (not everyone is willing to pay as much as I am for such a service, especially such a disproportionate amount, and recommending it to a free user no longer makes sense with these limitations), plus for the first time in almost 10 years I have actively moved into looking for alternatives for myself (at the moment simultaneously with Trakt I am using another service).

19 Likes
96

so… we’re deleting threads now? :skull:

https://forums.trakt.tv/t/cant-reply-to-specific-threads-anymore

13 Likes
97

Wow! This is crazy stuff.

1 Like
98

Let’s not jump to conclusions, the user who created that post asked to delete their account which in turn deletes their posts. Here’s the post they created yesterday regarding deletion.

Note: it’s zoomed out to capture the whole thread so the icons look off haha.

Screenshot 2025-02-14 at 8.32.08 am
Screenshot 2025-02-14 at 8.32.08 am830×2084 147 KB

I’ll see if I can move the posts to a new thread

2 Likes
99

Tyson, you’re a good guy. Thank you for your help in trying to make some sense of this place.

6 Likes