VIP membership pricing

Over the past 11 years, I’ve been a Trakt VIP subscriber, with the promise that the price would never change. However, you’re now offering a one-year subscription for $30 and a subsequent year for $60. I believe this pricing strategy may not be the best approach for loyal VIP customers who’ve invested in the product. While I understand the cost-of-living increase, I’d appreciate a gesture of gratitude for those who’ve remained loyal.

I’m willing to pay $30 instead of $15, but I’m not comfortable paying $60.

I believe this move will result in the loss of more VIPs than you anticipate.
$15 or $30 is significantly better than $0.

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At least it won’t matter to us anymore, because we’ll be gone. I cared about Trakt, often enough providing suggestions how to improve it.

But this “caring” about Trakt immediately ended, when I read this tone-deaf email. It feels like them doubling down on the mistakes they already made earlier about the free accounts.

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I think they did not realize how fast and huge reaction would be (should have though). Somehow they lost completely understanding what is value of this and how many VIPs actually just pay because this is nice and gives some (not mandatory) help on keeping track on shows and movies. Most probably pay VIP because that 30 a year is small enough for some “nice to have” but 60.. that’s way too much.

Sad, that probably they just killed themselves.. because loosing paying members at this rate.. well.. they will not make it long.

-edit-
but hey.. nice and effective way to get activity in forums :smile:

22 Likes

I mean sounds like they got greedy, deer in headlights at the thought “we could charge all these guys, this price!” And didn’t stop to think how a 100% price increase might actually cause people to react, and overinflating their own worth. If they weren’t in financial trouble before I don’t know how they won’t be now after this.

4 Likes

I’ve been a paying subscriber since 2012. I’ve beta tested their apps. I’ve even kept my sub running during years I wasn’t using it.

Today I get an email to see it’s jumping up to $60 a year unless I (someone they thank in the email for early support) OPT-IN to a cheaper price for the first year.

I then log in and see the dark-pattern of “Earn up to 2 months of free VIP!” where in actuality I only earn one month per subscriber I bring to the platform, and the subscriber gets a free month. That’s not me earning 2 months.

Trakt, you’ve absolutely lost your minds. You’re hosting a database, and you think users will justify $60 (300% price increase) for the little storage and bandwidth we use.

Immediate unsub

10 Likes

You describe pretty much exactly me. Nice to have, but really nothing I need - or ever needed. I was fine with 30, even though I’d been debating even that, but figured “Why not? nice service, love movies and shows, let’s support them” but a 100% increase is beyond me. I won’t even return if they reverse the decision. Free is fine for me.

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Similarly I’ve been a VIIP for 11 years and I’m constantly beta testing the app. This is a huge kick in the teeth asking me to pay a 400% increase over a 12 month period. Supporting the company financially and practically isn’t enough for Trakt it seems. Another VIP leaving here. I never EVER thought I’d see this day. Very sad indeed. Very badly handled Trakt, very badly.

11 Likes

After being a VIP-member for 10 years I have to pay double the price. Guess I was just a bit to late to become an OG, but an increase of 100% is absurd. Too bad, but I’ll cancel my subscription and will be looking for something else.
Because of this action I don’t even want to keep using Trakt anymore.

4 Likes

I’m not sure whether this is greed or desperation but I’m out. Apparently I’ll lose 9 years of seniority. I like the service but it just isn’t worth $60 and even if it was treating existing VIPs like this is not on.

Announcing you were going to do this and grandfathering people in who signed up before a particular date might would have been a much better approach in my view.

3 Likes

I stopped caring for Trakt when they introduced the new design language without asking anyone if they even wanted that. I’m still struggling to immediately recognize the awful icon in my bookmarks. After they just brushed off the backlash and didn’t follow through on promises I already knew this ship was sinking. The obvious changes in support, community involvement and choice of features (one of which is an at least questionable feature regarding your data security) and the unresponsiveness of the devs was speaking for itself. I’ve already moved movies to Letterboxd and will now move shows to another app. Trakt died a year ago. This is unfortunate but at this point was inevitable…

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price increase is insane, im going to be paying $100 NZD!!! I’m out.

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To be honest, im not even willing to pay $30. Keep me locked in to the old features i bought for $15 and charge extra for the new ones, but to raise and give nothing in return? Nope.

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Double is a very cheeky and worse with international rates. Going to be hard to justify for a tv diary honestly. Close to $100AU

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$85 in Canada… I just don’t get it..

Tell Him He’s Dreamin

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Why did I get a bill charging me $69.95 if it is ALL going to be $60?

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Sales tax maybe depending on where you live.

if it’s processing through an app store, there may be an additional charge. or it’s a currency conversion difference. look at the renewal cost not the actual charge to your card

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Now I’m curious to see what was said to have gotten the post flagged.

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the admins will unflag it in time probably but they basically said you were incorrect and showed a screenshot of something apparently showing their charge from trakt

I’ll wait for it to be unflagged then but I’ll already point out that payment processors like Apple Pay, PayPal, etc summarize the total cost including any applicable sales tax and show it all under the vendor heading.

I’d post a copy of my Trakt payment but as that was last year that preceded the date my state decided to charge sales tax on everything.

But I will post my Netflix PayPal and Apple TV+ to show that’s exactly how it processes.

My monthly Netflix fee is $24.99 but because my state requires services to now pay sales tax too, that ends up at $27.61. And Apple TV+ is $9.99 which then becomes $11.04.

Both items don’t break out the charge.

If / when my Trakt goes through it will be charged at $66.30 for me. Nothing to do with Trakt at all.

Screenshots


1 Like