Although I still think that I don’t get $30/year out of Trakt, @justin’s recent responses/actions convinced me to give Trakt the benefit of the doubt.
I have subscribed for 1 year of VIP, to fully test Trakt (including VIP features) and see which value I get out of it. Either I learn that I was wrong and it is actually worth $30/year to me (and I will continue VIP, now that I have locked in this price plan) or I will return to being that “free rider”. Time will tell…